Review: The Lost Husband by Katherine Center

Title: The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
Publisher: Random House
Imprint: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Fiction
Length: 305 pages
Book Rating: A

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin, this tender and heartwarming novel explores the trials of losing what matters most—and how there’s always more than we can imagine left to find.

Dear Libby, It occurs to me that you and your two children have been living with your mother for—Dear Lord!—two whole years, and I’m writing to see if you’d like to be rescued.

The letter comes out of the blue, and just in time for Libby Moran, who—after the sudden death of her husband, Danny—went to stay with her hypercritical mother. Now her crazy Aunt Jean has offered Libby an escape: a job and a place to live on her farm in the Texas Hill Country. Before she can talk herself out of it, Libby is packing the minivan, grabbing the kids, and hitting the road.

Life on Aunt Jean’s goat farm is both more wonderful and more mysterious than Libby could have imagined. Beyond the animals and the strenuous work, there is quiet—deep, country quiet. But there is also a shaggy, gruff (though purportedly handsome, under all that hair) farm manager with a tragic home life, a formerly famous feed-store clerk who claims she can contact Danny “on the other side,” and the eccentric aunt Libby never really knew but who turns out to be exactly what she’s been looking for. And despite everything she’s lost, Libby soon realizes how much more she’s found. She hasn’t just traded one kind of crazy for another: She may actually have found the place to bring her little family—and herself—back to life.

The Review:

Katherine Center’s The Lost Husband is a beautiful journey of self-discovery that is a little poignant but uplifting. This heartwarming and humorous novel has an all star cast of charming characters that will steal your heart.

Following her husband’s death three years earlier, Libby Moran and her two young kids, Abby and Tank moved in with her narcissistic mother. On the heels of yet another argument, Libby impulsively accepts her Aunt Jean’s offer to move in with her on her goat farm. Aunt Jean and a simpler life on the farm are just what Libby needs to make peace with her past.

All of the characters in The Lost Husband are well-developed and just a little bit quirky. Libby is a loving but overprotective mother who always expects the worst in any given situation. What makes her unique is that she accepts fully accepts herself, flaws and all. Aunt Jean is a free spirit who perfectly balances Libby’s overprotective nature. Farm manager O’Connor is gruff but caring and endlessly patient with Libby and her kids.

The Lost Husband is a light-hearted and thought-provoking novel that is engaging and witty. Katherine Center’s character development is flawless and she brings them vibrantly to life. A delightful story of family, friends and love that I absolutely loved and heartily recommend.