(This review was commissioned by Harper Collins.)

You guys; this novel was so unexpected for me. During this hectic time of year my attention is hard to nail down but ‘Husband Material’ had me from page one and didn’t let me go- it still hasn’t.

Charlotte’s world and her voice and her lack of perfection were super duper endearing and her love for her late husband and desire to avoid anything that brings back the pain of losing him were elements of her character that I recognized and related to; and the way she approaches everything from a numbers based approach was so nerdy and so the kind of thing your best friend would confess she does over drinks or mani/pedis- and only make you love her more.

The cast of characters in her world are so vivid and easy to relate to (even the evil M-I-L whose first and last names are identical to my own mother, which made me laugh and also made me really uncomfortable) and made her story a place I will want to hang out again and again. Thank you, Emily Belden, for breaking up the holidays with something edgy and fun.

‘Husband Material’ drops December 30th and will be a perfect way to shake off the holiday hangovers.

Excerpt and links below!

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.