Husbands & Lovers was my first read by Beatriz Williams, a gift from the publisher for an honest review.

I am a big fan any book that features historical fiction from the 1920s forward, books featuring strong women characters who can stand on their own, and second coming of age stories. This beautifully written novel wove together all three of these narratives into a captivating story spanning three timelines.

Through Hannah's point of view, we are in 1950's Cairo, Egypt during the unrest between the UK, Soviets, Israel, and Egypt following Hannah's journey to find herself as she heals from great loss. She has married a diplomat and taken a hotel keeper as a lover. The details of the tension of these times are vividly intense, the descriptions of Cairo are picturesque, and Hannah's repeated heartbreak is palpable.

Mallory provides us two points in time - 2008 and 2022.
In 2008, Mallory is a nanny on an island in New England, working for a wealthy family for the summer before heading off to RISD. She falls for a guy and gets mixed up in a lot of family drama.
After the death of Mallory's mother, Mallory and her sister, begin to learn their Grandmother is not who they thought she was. Mallory is balancing the health care needs of her son while helping her sister uncover the mystery of who exactly are their Grandparents building to an arc between Hannah and Mallory full of strong women, complicated family dynamics, the journey to find oneself, heartbreak, and love.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys strong women, recent historical fiction, and a well written story that balances both character development and local descriptions - think Kristen Hannah and Kate Morton.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced digital copy.