Husband Material by Emily Belden

☆☆1/2
Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Expected publication: December 30th 2019 by HARLEQUIN - Graydon House Books
About the Book:
Twenty-nine-year-old Charlotte Rosen has a secret: she’s a widow. Ever since the fateful day that leveled her world, Charlotte has worked hard to move forward. Great job at a hot social media analytics company? Check. Roommate with no knowledge of her past? Check. Adorable dog? Check. All the while, she’s faithfully data-crunched her way through life, calculating the probability of risk—so she can avoid it. Yet Charlotte’s algorithms could never have predicted that her late husband’s ashes would land squarely on her doorstep five years later. Stunned but determined, Charlotte sets out to find meaning in this sudden twist of fate, even if that includes facing her perfectly coiffed, and perfectly difficult, ex-mother-in-law—and her husband’s best friend, who seems to become a fixture at her side whether she likes it or not. But soon a shocking secret surfaces, forcing Charlotte to answer questions she never knew to ask and to consider the possibility of forgiveness. And when a chance at new love arises, she’ll have to decide once and for all whether to follow the numbers or trust her heart.

This book was okay. I didn't hate it but it really wasn't great either, so I didn't love it. Parts were relatable and some were even funny...but there wen't enough of those to merit even three stars. This book started with a good premise and initial character development for Charlotte, but just unraveled into a mess with additional characters never really being fully developed and lots of plot holes, predictable outcomes and loose ends. The secondary characters seemed to exist only to move Charlotte along in the story and were either never fleshed out enough to make them realistic.

The story had the potential to be better than it was. But for me, the characters were too vague. When I had finished the book I was still unsure where some of the characters fit in. The story line was scattered, and lacked cohesion. I was hoping for more resolution by the end of the book, but was left with several lingering questions. Not my favorite, but I wouldn’t rule out reading another book by the author. I really didn't like a lot of brand name references, it was unnecessary and very disappointing...product placement anyone?

Thank you NetGalley, Emily Belden and HARLEQUIN - Graydon House Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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