An authentic, refreshing chick lit about finding yourself, with plenty of laugh out loud moments and a plethora of warm feelings. I'm sucker for well written checklists. 4.5 stars for Agnes and her underwear hijinks!

I was disappointed with this novel. Agnes is not someone I liked, not knowing how to take care of your child, it was just terrible. I don't really like novels with such weak women, sure she gets through it, but in general she is not a character I wanted to hear about.

It also felt very wholesome, as if written for Christian literature, I personally like a more juicy story.

overall this was not for me.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I have been mostly reading heavy nonfiction books lately, so my favorite go to genre in fiction is Woman's Fiction. This book delivered exactly what I needed. Laughs, silliness, a not always likable main character. I love though when the woman learns some valuable life lessons and is much stronger than she gave her self credit for. This is a perfect summer read!

So funny! Kept me laughing! So refreshing and a great summer read! I love a book where even though the main character isn’t exactly likeable, you still want to read about them and find yourself rooting for them.

This was a fun, quick read that, overall I liked. There were times when the main character was hard to get behind because her decisions wouldn't have been the ones I would have made. However I tried to put myself in her shoes and I could imagine her past playing a big role in how she behaved and made the choices she did. Overall, I ended up rooting for her. I'd say this is a great vacation read, entertaining, but not life changing. Easy to pick up and put down throughout a day of lounging by a pool.

Uniquely authentic, laugh-out-loud, rejuvenating, and with depth and heart that just warms the soul, Lea Geller’s Trophy Life is that rare novel that spans from light to emotional and back within a single scene. I absolutely loved this book!

This book blended these emotional raw scenes with fantastically humorous commentary, giving it a lot of depth that you may not have guessed at when looking at the cover. It projects rom-com, and it has some elements of that. But don’t mistake this book for any sort of a love story. This is a story of a woman realizing who she is as a person, a wife, a mother, and a friend.

At the beginning of the novel, Agnes is in her charmed life in California. She really has it all! A great husband whom she has fantastic sex with, sunny California weather, organic food, a sweet daughter, and two full-time staff that help with the majority of the child care, cooking, and cleaning.

But Agnes is not necessarily who you think she is. She isn’t spoiled or entitled. Agnes’s parents died when she was young, and she grew up with no money, no family, and no stability. It is no wonder that when Agnes meets Jack, she loves the stability of their life! She knows what others think of her, but she also knows that she likes the life she has. She never wants herself or her daughter to go hungry like she did as a child.

But when Jack disappears, Agnes is forced to step out of her comfort zone. All the way to the Bronx where she teaches English at an all-boys private school. These boys are on their last chance though. This is a last resort school for them, and they need to straighten up if they hope to get into high school.

I absolutely loved seeing the story of Agnes and the boys she grew to love unfold. I laughed out loud at her underwear hijinks—she’d only worn thongs for Jack and now she has the luxury of buying the biggest underwear she can find! I got frustrated along with her when the demands placed on her to discipline the boys go too far. And I teared up when she missed her husband or fought with her best friend or had a touching moment where she got through to a student.

This is a book at its core about finding out who you are. Agnes is on a road to self-discovery, and I’ll admit there were a few wrong-turns along the way. I wanted to scream at her how to do the right thing! But what I loved most about Lea Geller’s novel was that she boldly allowed Agnes to be entirely flawed. To sometimes be too weak to do the right thing, or to miss the comfortable life she had when times were tough. Agnes at times was unlikeable, and other times she was so loveable I wanted to reach through the pages and hug her! But at all moments, Agnes was a very authentic character.

I received a physical copy from the publisher, and an audiobook with my kindle unlimited subscription. Opinions are my own.

Trophy Life was so wonderful! I liked how the story was written. Agnes is married to Jack, a wealthy older man, and has it all. She has all of the best things in her life, including a nanny for her baby and a housekeeper who helps her around the house. This leaves Agnes a lot of free time to enjoy herself with classes and eating out. Then one day, she finds out they are losing everything because her husband’s business is failing. Agnes is sent away to teach at a boys’ school. Pretty soon, Agnes is struggling to do things that she never had to do before. She struggles with keeping up her house and taking care of her baby. And she really struggles with her students and the school system where she is teaching. Jack keeps promising her that soon they will be back together. Agnes’ struggles with her new life are portrayed in a wonderful way, both the challenges and the joyful moments. There are laugh out loud moments and so relatable moments throughout her challenges.

Heartwarming and funny, Lea Geller, takes us on a ride with Agnes, from Trophy wife with a charmed life to penniless and we see a transformation of life and personal fulfillment.
To tell the story in a laugh out loud way is brilliant. I enjoyed the nicely paced, quick read, one you'll want to get cozy for and not put down. It will leave you smiling.
I look forward to reading more from this author and will recommend this fun book to my friends and family.

authentic. Engaging. Refreshing.

Lea Geller’s debut was witty and heartwarming. A fun story with some depth. A lovely tale about second chances and finding out who you really are.

Agnes is living the good life. A beautiful home, a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a staff to take care of said beautiful daughter and days full of yoga and lunches with friends. Then one day Agnes‘s husband Jack does not show up for their couples massage, something is wrong. Soon Agnes finds out that Jack is in financial trouble and hiding out waiting for the dust to settle. Meanwhile he advises Agnes that she needs to pack up and head across the country and take a job as a middle school teacher in the Bronx. So Agnes packs up her car along with her baby Grace, and heads across country. She starts the journey out with organic fruit and ends it with cheese puffs. When she gets to the Bronx she finds herself living in a small townhouse and teaching mischievous boys. A far cry from her yoga filled days, but this is only temporary, isn’t it?

Agnes wasn’t always likable and I didn’t necessarily find her relatable, however I did find her authentic. At times I found Agnes so exasperating. First of all she moved all the way across the country without even questioning the Y of it. Then she came across so ungrateful for having a furnished place to live in and a job. At other times I found Agnes terribly endearing. I loved how she sampled all the toddler food on her road trip across the country. She even sampled those meat sticks, then she put them in a casserole and brought them to a potluck, yuck! Then there was the interaction with the boys in her classroom. She really found a great way to relate to 12-year-old boys and their 12-year-old boy humor. Loved the bit about the Christmas tree, so touching. Simply put this was a delightful story about a woman trying to figure out what kind of life she really wanted to live. 8/10

*** thank you Lake Union for my copy of this book ***

A good escape novel with a likeable main character. Great debut and i look forward to reading more.

The premise of Trophy Life sounded interesting and the cover is humorous and eye-catching, so I was excited to check it out. What's inside is way more rewarding than a trophy!

Agnes is instantly relatable, even though she starts off as very wealthy. I enjoyed getting to know her throughout the story and seeing how she copes with her new situation. I love the scenes with the middle school boys. They reminded me of my younger son in some ways (even though my older son is the one in middle school right now). I didn't know what would happen by the end, but I loved where the story went. It has lots of humor and heart coming through the pages. While it would have been nice to know more about Stacey Figg's backstory, it wasn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.

Trophy Life is an excellent debut. I enjoyed everything about this story....well, except for the meat sticks. Those just sound gross.

Movie casting ideas:
Agnes: Yael Grobglas (I had her in mind from the moment I started reading)
Stacey: Keala Settle
Beeks: Jenny Slate
Jack: Dermot Mulroney
Gavin: Simon Baker
Adam: Nat Wolff

Agnes lived the trophy life until her husband disappeared leaving her with no house, money or staff. She must move across country and go to work. But along the way she discovers herself and a new life. This was a fun and witty read. I think it was a great debut novel for this author.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Agnes has it all - the perfect husband, the perfect baby, the perfect life. Everything she needs is at her fingertips. Until it isn't. She suddenly has to relearn how to do life on her own and on her own terms. And along the way, she continues to rely on the one person she shouldn't. Which makes me want to scream at her the entire way through the book. She was really a wet-noodle of a character but I did love her with "her boys". This is the part of the story, I loved and would have been happy reading more about. This is definitely a book I would recommend to others. Great writing style and captivating storyline.

When her husband doesn’t show up for their weekly couple’s massage, Agnes knows capital-S Something happened. In an instant, life changes for Agnes. It turns out her husband’s investment gig wasn’t exactly on the up-and-up and he owes people money. Lots of money. Unable to pay for the mansion, the designer clothes, even their nanny and maid, Agnes is sent across the country – infant daughter in tow – to a place where she’s to hide out until her husband takes care of business. For the next few months (fingers crossed), an all-boys boarding school in the Bronx will be her home.

The cutesy cover caught my eye and I decided to take a chance on this book. I expected a light-hearted, chicklit-y read about a trophy wife who suddenly has to get a job. And while I DID get that, I also got a novel that was surprisingly uplifting with a really sweet message. Think of any feel-good movie where a new teacher is in way over her depths with a rowdy group of students (in this case, the school is a last-ditch effort for these boys) and miraculously makes a breakthrough and all lives involved are changed. That’s Trophy Life.

This was a good read! It was light and the writing was really good! I’m excited to see more from this author.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would because it had more depth than I realized.
Reading the description I thought it would be a light and fluffy chick lit sort of book. It was so much more.

I gave this book 3 stars. The plot seemed a bit unrealistic to me. Pretty lady living the good life with rich older man. She has no idea where his money comes from? What bank accounts they have? She flees to New York with infant. Characters were superficial, plot just did not work for me.

There's that common quote that people like to say that money can't buy happiness - but I mean, who here wouldn't be happier if they had a million dollars to buy every book they wanted? I mean, I'd be happier with a new car, a few new wardrobe staples, or a bathroom updated to lose the ugly pink 1950's tile...

But of course - money can also be the root of all evil - fostering greed, and indulgence, and sometimes money can be the reason your husband just leaves you high and dry one day.

Such is the case with Agnes. She came from nothing - so she's not much of Trophy Wife, but she sure is living the Trophy LIFE with her rich and handsome adoring husband Jack. She wants for nothing, spending her days lazily visiting with friends of equal status, comparing yoga pants, and drinking smoothies and watching their nannies mind after their children.

But when Jack suddenly disappears one day, Agnes is forced to return to a life of no money, no childcare and no where to live. She moves from sunny CA all the way across the country to the Bronx to start a new life, on her own, teaching troubled privileged boys at a boarding school. And reality sets in. She must learn to be her own woman, and may finally discover the woman she's meant to be and create her own path to happiness.

I loved the turn this took, suddenly and abruptly and the way Agnes was forced to buck up and put her big girl panties on (Quite literally! Fancy expensive thongs be damned!) and stand on her own two feet. I rooted for her to find her own path and screamed at her to get her damn sh*t together! No-one needs a man to make it in life - and she certainly has come from a place where hard work and second chances are the only way she's going to survive. She just needs to get back to who she really is deep down, and realize that the trophy life woman she used to be isn't going to help her get anywhere,

It's hard to review this one without giving away too much - where did Jack go? Did he disappear because he had to? Is he desperately trying to find his way back to Agnes? Will she ever see him again? But all will be explained and it's a terribly fun ride and journey getting there - and I really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed Trophy Life. Agnes is living the high life in California to a rich older man:Jack. She has no idea how he makes his money and really doesn't care as she has everything she needs at her disposal. Jack makes some bad financial decisions and has to go in hiding so sends Aggie and child to NYC to be safe. I really liked Agnes' character as I found her to be a good person underneath that social cover she wore. Having to drive cross country with a baby is a test of strength and perseverance. Aggie is put some tough situations and she has to decide what she can live with and if Jack will be part of it. I recommend this book.

#TrophyLife
#NetGalley
#LeaGeller



I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would because it had more depth than I realized.
Reading the descroptoin I thought it would be a light and fluffy chick lit sort of book. It was so much more.

Agnes went from pampered and spoiled, getting massages and what not, having a nanny who spent more time with her baby than Agnes did, having a housekeeper.............to

A middle school teacher in hiding sent to spy on the headmistress for her husband.

Agnes grew on me as the story unfolded, ex cept for some parts where,she seemed a bit too eager when she got called to meet someone. Now if it was me, I would have been too anry to go. After being in her new position, I wouldnt just jump at the chance to be at someone's beck and call. nope.

She grew as a person and a mother, and became likeable.
I chuckled each time I read "the figg".

I enjoyed this book enough to read it in 2 sittings and would recommend it to anyone wanting a deeper chick lit sort of read"

4 1/2***
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.