Enjoyable plot. At first I thought the characters would be too samey but they weren't at all and they developed really well. The pacing was good and the ending was clever. All in all a decent read.

Good Husbands takes you on a journey through the lives of 3 women and the men they married.

What would you do if you received a letter stating that your Good Husband was involved in a rape decades ago?

Would you toss the letter?

Would you go to the police?

Would you confront your husband?

Would you question yourself?

Did you marry a monster, or is it all lies?

The lives of Stephanie, Jess and Pree are turned upside down when they learn what their husbands have done decades ago while in college. They all come together as strangers to figure out what to do. The decisions they make all have consequences, will they risk it all for a letter?

A very well written novel that is told in POV of all three women, which I liked. However, it was a slow burn and the ending was ok.

It's worth a read!

Thank you to BooksGoSocial for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 6/7/22
Genre: thriller
In one sentence: Three women receive a letter accusing their husbands of the unthinkable - but that's only the beginning of the nightmare.

I enjoyed this thriller - the topic of sexual assault going back 20 years felt ripped from the headlines. What would you do if your husband was accused of such a heinous crime? Jess, Priyanka, and Stephanie are the women affected - and each has a different idea of how to proceed. I enjoyed meeting these women and getting a look into their complicated lives and relationships. This book is more of a slow burn character study - but there were a few moments that made me gasp!

This book reminded me a lot of Law and Order: SVU - if you like fiction that reads like true crime, you may enjoy this one! 3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.

I loved this book! It was very twisty, with lots of layers and it definitely kept me on my toes, trying to figure out who done it. I was completely floored by the ending! Well done!

This book is about three women who all receive a letter accusing their husbands of raping a woman thirty years ago. It alternates between their three viewpoints, and it's interesting to see how they all react differently to the news and their reasons for either believing it or not. The book also provides good dicussions about consent, victim blaming, and flaws in the justice system when it comes to prosecuting sexual assault cases.

I thought this book had an intriguing concept, and it kept my attention throughout. I liked how it explored the various reactions that people have to sexual assault claims through the three main characters (believing instantly, victim blaming, etc). The ending was just a little flat for me, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the twist that happened on the last page.

I would recommend it though if you like character-driven books that explore difficult topics with various viewpoints.

Care Ray does a phenomenal job writing a novel around such a heavy topic.

3 women living posh lives have their worlds turned upside down after each having received a letter claiming that their significant others committed SA many years ago.

It is told through multiple points of view and each character is well developed.

Unfortunately for me it was a slow burn and the end was a bit anti-climactic. Although I wish the end had a twist the most important part I believe is that this novel had women bonding together in the face of trauma and has shed light on a very difficult subject manner that is very often dismissed.

If ever there was a novel published that asked the question: what would you do, this is it. Jess, Priyanka and Stephanie are all happily married to men they think they know inside out. They have relatively happy lives, children, and sure, there are a few ups and downs but everyone’s the same, right? Well, until each woman receives a letter accusing her husband of involvement in a sexual assault that took place two decades before. It makes for sobering reading and it leaves them all in a dilemma. Who do they believe, what should they do and can they come together as their lives are upended? Writing about big and important themes of consent and prejudice, you have to think about whether you’d potentially sacrifice your family life, something you hold so der and that is so precious, in support of a woman you haven’t met. One to read in one go – it’ll absolutely leave an impression.

I have to admit with this book, I didn't have a high expectation as a friend had read it and said she found it similar to Anatomy of a Scandal and that she didn't like the way the ending fell and that it was a slow burn. For me, I was most worried about the slow burn part as I prefer my stories fast-paced. I need to be pulled in almost immediately if not straightaway. This book, surprised me as I was drawn in from the first page and the book, I could see why my friend thought it was a slow burn but surprisingly it worked for the story itself. The book starts with three different wives receiving a letter from a girl who claims that 30 years ago roughly her mother was raped by three guys and those three guys are now the three women's husbands. The girl is dying and with no other family and claiming that one of the three is her dad, she has left the contents of her storage shed to them which includes her mother's diary. Each of the three women at first doesn't want to believe and disrupt their lives but as the book goes along, we see cracks starting to appear in their perfect marriages and relationships and it looks like the letter writer was telling the truth. How would you cope if you learned that your husband/father of your children sexually assaulted a female and got away with it? I have to say, I was a little disappointed with the ending as it felt rushed, and then when the "real reason' the letters were posted, it felt a bit of a let-down to the story as a whole. Overall, though if you are looking for a good domestic thriller, then Good Husbands by Cate Ray is the way to go like myself, it will surprise you as it turns into a story you won't be able to put down.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I was hooked on this book from the very first page and literally could not put it down. I found it to be a very addictive read. You will not be disappointed if you read this book! I promise!

While the start of the book was slow, each twist more than made up for it. I loved this book. This was a roller-coaster

Wow, just wow. I don't think I was mentally prepared for this as I just welcomed a baby in early April but I couldn't put it down. I needed to know what happened. Well done by the author.

Dark, grim, and moody, this is a thriller for the #MeToo era.

I love a book that has its characters grappling with difficult moral questions, and this one certainly does that: how do you pick who to side with, and who to believe, when your partner is accused of something truly awful?

Ray wrote with empathy and clarity. A story like this could easily slip into feeling sensationalistic, but approached the topics of consent, prejudice, and gender with nuance and care. I was riveted by each twist! While things took a while a "pick up", the slower start felt justified--after all, I want to get to know characters before seeing them thrown into stress and terror.

I recommend this to those who want a blend of literary fiction's concern with morality and social issues, and a thriller's shocks and intensity. It's definitely not for everyone, but readers of dark books with a feminist bend (like My Dark Vanessa or even The Girls) should check this out.

A deep read.

What if . . . ?

Three woman receive a letter from a woman who alleged that each of their husbands gang raped her mother 30 years ago and one of them is her father.

This allegation weakens trust in their husbands and forces them into an uncoventional friendship.

I enjoyed reading this book, it kept my interest with a few trust and turns along the way.

Wow what a story!!
Such an emotional roller-coaster of a read! This is a book I was up late into the night reading.
First time trying this author. Definitely want to read more.

Falls in to my “British Girls in Trouble” genre. An interesting premise, which kept me going. Not a hit out of the park, but pretty good.

I really wanted to like this book but by the time the action actually happened, I was over it. I wish it got there sooner.

Thank-you Net Galley for sending me a copy of Good Husbands in exchange for an honest review! ✨

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions! The author have done a great job with the main plot, it's unraveling and the climax!
The book starts with a slow pace but as we get to know all the three main characters, their routine the pace is fast and the urge to know the truth is bigger!
Jess, Priyanka and Stephanie are three wives married to their husbands, happily or as it seems. All the three women depicts different types of marriages, different types of couples and their perspective is so different with each other. It all changes when they get the letter accusing their husbands of raping a woman... The one thing that's going to change everything in their ever afters.
Truly speaking, i really liked Jess, the most amongst the three because she was strong from the start, an independent strong woman who knows what's she's saying, doing and knows her mind.
We have Priyanka, with a memory of the night where someone gave her a tattoo on her wrist and it devastated her to the point she married Andy. Although I felt for her, i was little confused with her character and maybe that's what she depicts. She don't want to destroy her marriage but she also doesn't want to stay away from the truth. She is confused but she is trying her best!
Next we have , Stephanie and she depicts the women who are not independently or financially strong and is grateful for whatever is there even if it's a manipulating husband. Rosie, her daughter from her first marriage knows that her mother is being manipulated by Dan but she can't do anything. Stephanie is too devoted in protecting her husband.
All the three women after a lot of struggle comes to an agreement and the journey to this was hard, filled with breakdowns, heart-wrenching and overwhelming.
We see a lot of development in all the three characters and it is amazing to see them fight for the truth when the law can't do anything! Jess is kind of an unofficial leader in their group of three binding them together.
The climax is mind-blowing and I was fearful by that time. Throughout the book, there were instances where i was so scared that I just wanted it to end! And you will get to know what I am talking about when you read!
The ending was amazing and the revelation at the end was i don't know.. adding to the uniqueness of the story maybe. The epilogue was a bit vague and the last we read from Jess's perspective when she unravels what the door in the drawing symbolises but doesn't share with the readers. We have a little epilogue from the perspective Holly Waite and you get goosebumps!
I just reviewed Good Husbands by Cate Ray. #GoodHusbands #NetGalley

I recently watched Anatomy of a Scandal and this has similar vibes.

Three women receive anonymous letter sharing their husbands raped a girl together in an elite men’s club. Their emotional journey is shared as they juggle how to handle this.

The ending. Phew. Tough read but a good slow burn thriller.

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🙈 Book review! 🙈

TW: rape; sexual assault.

The story follows three women who are brought together by letters they each receive that state each of their husbands took part in a sexual assault decades before. Together they must decide what they want to do, and then face the consequences of their choices.

Real talk — There was absolutely nothing thrilling about this “thriller,” or even much mystery. The majority of the book was the three women hemming and hawing over if they should do anything about the letters in the first place, and once the “action” of the book happens (over 80% into the book), it’s too little too late and doesn’t satisfy. Plus, following three different women’s storylines got a bit messy and convoluted.

The book does, however, shed light on just how few rape cases are prosecuted, and how “well-to-do” young men seemingly just get away with murd—rape in so many situations, while the women are simply left alone and shamed by society. I see what the author was trying to do, but the story just didn’t land for me.

It’s a 🙅🏻‍♀️ (1/5) for me. Seriously couldn’t wait to get to the end.

There were lots of twists and turns in this novel and I wasn’t really sure who to trust – everyone seemed to be keeping secrets and lying about what they were up to. There were several red herrings and some misdirection that had me suspecting all kinds of things!