Aubrey, Jenny, and Kate are thrown together as roommates their freshman year at Ivy league Carlisle College. Despite their vastly different personalities--and the betrayal, in-fighting, and back-biting among them--they claim to be the closest of friends until a tragic accident (or is it a murder?) at the end of the year tears them apart. But their stories don't end there. Twenty years later, they're all back in their college town, and one of the three dies in an accident (or is it a murder?) suspiciously similar to the one they were involved with as students.
It's Always the Husband is rather middling as a thriller. The characterizations are shallow and inconsistent. Kate is the ultimate hackneyed stereotype of the troubled rich girl. Jenny is a townie, super-responsible and a hard-working striver. Aubrey, from a poor, single-parent family, is motivated and smart enough to get to Carlisle on a scholarship. Yet once she gets there, she's suddenly helpless and needs Jenny and Kate to do everything for her. They live together, fight with each other, and steal each other's boyfriends. Twenty years later they still fight and steal each other's husbands. None of it is terribly original. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the dialogue, and predicted every plot "twist" well before it happened.
And yet . . . I read the whole book in a couple of days. There's something here that kept me reading, although I'm still not sure I know what it is. If you're looking for a summer read, something quick that doesn't tax the brain too much, then It's Always the Husband might fit the bill. Otherwise, despite its current popularity, I recommend giving this one a pass.