The Husband Hour is set at the Jersey Shore, which is enough to make me fall in love with it. But, oh, it is so much more than that!

In less than 400 pages, this novel tackles so many important topics: traumatic brain injury, the culture of sports and athletes, grief, moving on, guilt, relationships, learning and accepting truth, and even more. As readers, we get a glimpse into the life of an athlete's wife, a glimpse into the life of a military wife, and a glimpse at the life of someone who just can't move on from her past.

The book is centered on Lauren Kincaid, a widow of five years who has no desire to move on from being Rory Kincaid's wife. When a documentary filmmaker enters her life and tries to get her to talk about Rory, and then challenges what she believes about Rory, she is opened up to an entirely new truth. It's nearly impossible to not get engrossed in Lauren's emotions - you can feel them through the pages. Her grief, her anger, her guilt. And then her relief, her happiness, her readiness to move forward.

Jamie Brenner did an incredible job telling Lauren's story, while also telling the story of her mother, Beth, her sister, Stephanie, and even Rory. I found myself rooting for all of the characters, hoping they all get over their current struggles. And, beyond the characters, Brenner highlights issues that we see today - the expectation that athletes recover quickly and get back in the game, our ignorance as athletes and coaches and supporters to the possibility of permanent damage, and how people are flawed, but systems are also flawed...and it shouldn't always be about fixing the person, when the real issues rests with the system.

I read this in two days and think I would've read it in one if I didn't have other commitments. It's a great weekend read, or beach read, or plane read. Just read it! You won't regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of The Husband Hour!