Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

2.5 Hearts This was a close DNF for me but decided I would skim the rest of it. I think the author was too set on throwing in snark that she forgot there should have been a story involved.

I have never read this author but the title caught my attention. And then the description seemed good so I requested it. I really just didn’t enjoy it.

The husband is such an asshat that I just wanted to stop reading anything about him. There was NOTHING good about this man. And why Agnes listens to anything he says is beyond me. I mean he sends her to rehab for almonds and she goes? I can’t even begin to tell you the words that would have come out of my mouth and the last one would have been divorce…. And been happy about it.

I just couldn’t stand these characters and like I said the writing was going more for snark than humor if you ask me.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating:

3.5

Favorite Quotes:

So hard to make cogent arguments against a smart tween while driving in LA; I needed to concentrate on swearing and shaking my fist at all the illegal left turns.

We all knew, deep inside, our kids were probably growing up to be entitled, overeducated blobs. We were raising hothouse flowers, unequipped to climb a fence or fry an egg or spend five minutes bored… “When the revolution comes,” I said, “our kids will be food.”

Lip filler lemmings… I’d tell them to jump off a cliff into the Pacific, but we all know silicone floats.

“No one’s reading like they used to. Have you ever considered hosting a YouTube channel?” “Yes! A lifestyle channel,” I said. “‘ Agnes’s Spectacular Guide to Failing.’ I’ll invite people who’ve failed miserably— our advertisers will be firearms, funeral homes, and pharmaceuticals.”

“Who’s opposing counsel?” she asked. “Ulger Blecks.” She whistled. “Why is it everyone whistles when they hear his name? Is he a dog?” “A pit bull that frightens rabies.”

“Let me tell you something, dearie,” Dad said and lowered his voice, which was how I knew he was heated. “The world was a better place when we settled matters with fists rather than lawyers.” I opened my mouth to object and found that I couldn’t argue with him. I would’ve loved to have popped Ulger in the mouth, but I feared he would eat it.


My Review:

This amusing tale was shot through with clever wit and razor-sharp snark while cast with mainly vapid, vile, exasperating, entitled, arrogant, shallow, and obliviously bone-headed characters who were of the type of ilk that I would never willingly share air. The storylines had me rife with consternation and I was often simultaneously amused and intensely annoyed by the characters’ behaviors and poor choices. I will admit to being unfamiliar with many of the pop-culture references lavishly sprinkled throughout, so a considerable amount of the author’s cleverness flew right over my tiny pea-brained inhabited cranium and left me feeling more than a bit cretinous and imbecilic. The premise had such promise and the story threads had good bones with glimpses of cunning perceptiveness and sharp-edged humor that kept me reading to the end, but all in all, the odd pacing and unlikable characters consistently whittled at my enjoyment and rating.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Been There, Married That
By: Gigi Levangie

*REVIEW* ☆☆☆☆
Named "One of PopSugar's "22 of the Best Books Winter Has to Offer,"" Been There, Married That seems to be polarizing. Let's begin by defining the word satire according to the Oxford Dictionary:

"the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues"

To place this definition within context, Been There, Married That is a satire, and it fits this definition perfectly. Numerous reviews dislike the book because it's disjointed, confusing, ridiculous, off putting, weird, etc. I don't disagree with all of this. The story is disjointed and a bit hard to follow. Agnes, Trevor, the lawyers, friends and family are indeed ridiculous, lavish and over the top about everything. The entire story is exaggerated, but it becomes more coherent in the latter half. The characters are quite stupid and not relatable at all. Their posh lifestyle is offensive and disgusting to all of us normal people. Despite all of these issues, I like this story. I appreciate the satirical current running through it from beginning to end. Is it all over the place and crazy? Yes, because it's supposed to be this way. The author cleverly uses humor with modern day one liners, zings and cultural references that make no sense because in actuality, that is exactly how stupid and pathetic pop culture has become. The use of exaggeration is also well done to show how these people live. It's a wake up call to see reality as reality. Don't buy into the disillusionment you are bombarded with everyday. It's a messed up world with upside down priorities, and Been There, Married That highlights this in just the right way. Reading this story is a bizarre and at times, uncomfortable experience. As satires go, this is one of my favorites ever. I recommend keeping an open mind and giving this book a chance. Deceptively appearing as a romcom on the surface, this story is eye opening, compelling and thought provoking about the culture we have accepted for far too long. I can't wait to read more from Gigi Levangie!

This book was not that great. I thought it was going to be a great fun read. Very hard to finish. It’s about a movie producer, his wife and their child. Their lives and the craziness and idiosyncrasies of what Hollywood can be.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for an ARC. This is my own honest opinion.

I enjoy reading humorous fiction from time to time but sadly this book just didn't it for me. It had too many cliches and the puns were overkill.

ARC for honest review with no compensation received from Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press. 3.5 stars

Been There, Married That by Gigi Levantine is a new to me author and while it had Hollywood glamour, laughter, glitz, getting back at her ex...I had a hard time staying in the book.

That being said I will still read more books from this author!

This book started out a chaotic mess and then got worse, it might have gotten better somewhere down the line but when I get 10% into your book and still have no clue as to a plot or can't even follow anything resembling a story it is time to find a better book to read. Sorry DNF after waiting long enough for something to happen that actually made a plot appear.

This book took me a crazy long time to finish, and it reached a point where it was nothing more than sheer determination to make it to the end that got me there. The story certainly had potential, and the blurb pulled me right in. However, there was a breakdown in the actual delivery. I was all set for comedy, but Been There, Married That takes it so far to the extreme that it just isn't funny. I love sarcasm and snark. and even completely over the top situations can be hilarious in the right setting, but it felt like the author was trying too hard, and it just became scattered. I really think this whole story could've used a healthy dose of the less is more adage. Usually, I can find something positive in a book I've read, but I really struggled with this one. I will say that the blurb is good, and the cover is definitely eye-catching, but that's about the best of it for me.

The blurb on this one and the cover caught my attention. I really expected to love it and figured it would be a fun read, but this one fell flat for me. I won’t go into the storyline because the gist of the book is given away just by reading the synopsis.

The characters were hard to relate to and over the top. The storyline was too far fetched for it to be believable. I felt like this book jumped all over the place which distracted me from what was actually going on. I just couldn’t get into this one, but that doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it. I encourage you to read it for yourself to form your opinion on this one.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advance reading copy.

This was an okay read, but I wasn't really blown away by it. Maybe I've been reading too many (hilarious) romcom's lately, or maybe I am just getting more criticizing with age, I don't know. I just wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. It happens...

I had a hard time getting into the story and once I did get...I had a hard time staying in it. I put it down too many times, which resulted in me not really wanting to pick it up again and that is never a good thing.

That paired with the fact that I didn't care for either of the characters, made that this was just not the book for me.

But like I said, I did read some awesome romcom's previous to starting this one, so the bar was pretty high...

Agnes Murphy Nash thought she was the perfect Hollywood wife until it was suddenly upended. Her husband decided he wasn't happy with her, and cancelled her credit cards, decided to lock her out of their home and sell it out from under her, and go all in for a divorce just so he could win against her. Friends disappear, there is an "intervention" and her flaky sister bounces back into her life just when she least expects it.

The Amazon page indicates that the book is "a drop-dead hilarious battle of wills that will make you laugh out loud, cringe, and keep turning the pages to see what crazy disaster will happen to Agnes next." I certainly cringed a lot, especially in the beginning. It was hard to find any of the characters likable. They're incredibly fake and shallow, and Agnes even admits that one of her friends is only her friend because the woman would make a worse enemy. She lists designer names and famous people as if that's a measure of worth, and these people all seem to have that mindset. It was honestly more sickening to me than funny, and I didn't find it a hilarious battle of wills. I found it sad mostly, though there were times when this had to be a send up of Hollywood culture and a satire of what perceptions will do to people. Having worked in Hollywood for some time, writing movies and TV series, Gigi certainly is aware enough of the culture she's making fun of.

As the book went on, I did like Agnes and her sister Fin more. She isn't entirely the shallow bleached blonde that everyone is supposed to be and does acknowledge that she has privileges that many other women would never have. If she's the anxious and uptight sister, Fin is her opposite. Fin is the one that had bounced from one place to another, has contacts in low places and has been in jail several times. Fin is a whole other level of ridiculous, and I think Agnes really came into her own when she stopped seeing herself as merely a wife that was being divorced and wanted to actually do something. Once she did, I really found her story more enjoyable and worth following.

This is really a 3 1/2 stars. I enjoyed the humor among all the bitterness, fake friends, and love of family. Agnes was in a marriage she should not have been in, and she was trying to find some normalcy. I liked her love for her daughter and her spirit to fight for her own rights. Trevor was a jerk and it was easy to root for Agnes to win. I did find all the fake smiles, behind-the-back whispers, and plain meanness irritating at times, too repetitive. I see it on a daily basis in real life and found it took away from the story.

I received an ARC through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

Agnes seems to have it all, but does she? She seems to have the perfect husband and the lifestyle of the rich and famous until one day when her credit card gets declined and she can’t get into her house. What has happened?

Agnes’s husband Trevor is a famous producer who is pretty full of himself and his life choices. He is bored and wants a divorce. Will he go through with it? What about the child that they have together?

This book is funny and really plays on the Hollywood divorces that we can’t help but follow in real life. I sat back on a few occasions and thought “is this really what their lives are like every day?”. I didn’t give this book a five star rating only because there was no depth to any of the characters, and maybe that was intended by the author for the reader to get a real feel for the Hollywood life. Thank you to St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review, it sure provided lots of laughs.

I absolutely loved this book! Agnes is wonderful! Her sister is a hoot and Pep - what cool kid. The husband, eh, not so much. An excellent book about Agnes coming into her own and finding herself. There were plenty of laughs and the story was fast paced and well written. I will definitely be recommending this book! I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Been There, Married That caught my attention from both the blurb and cover on the book. I was hoping the book would do the same and I think there was great potential but part of the story missed the mark for me. Agnes is a successful writer, living in Hollywood with her very famous and wealthy producer husband, Trevor. Trevor is eccentric to say the least and very entitled. When he decides he's just done with marriage he puts Agnes through some tough situations-including sending her to a rehab for her non-eating disorder. There are moments of hilarity and knowing the author's experience in Hollywood they are probably also somewhat truthful! This ARC's format was a little difficult to read-understanding the book wasn't edited yet-the story and chapters would just start without any page break and it was a little hard to follow at times. Overall I wanted to LOVE this book but it was just a little over the top for me.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I want to start out by saying that this book was not for me, if you like the satirical take on the shallow plastic life of Hollywood then I think you'll enjoy this book . For me I felt that the humor just missed the mark., the situations were there, the set up so so and the delivery just didn't follow through. Agnes is a writer who happens to be married to a Hollywood producer when he decides that he's over marriage. Coming home to have her code not working on the gate, a security guard who tased her when she tried entering her house-funny right? Well the situation should have had me laughing but I found myself having more questions then finding the humor.. I had a problem with the flow of the book, it didn't feel smooth, and seemed packed full of stereotypes, maybe a few too many storylines? I think it could be an entertaining book for some, just not me.

Agnes Murphy has everything a Hollywood wife could want - the mansion, designer clothes, credit cards, martini lunches, luxury home and car - until her husband decides he wants a divorce.

"When he changes the locks, she changes the rules."

BEEN THERE, MARRIED THAT (St.Martin'sPress) by Tinsel Town insider, Gigi Levangie has all the dish any LA watcher would want.

Not everyone who's read BEEN THERE, MARRIED THAT likes Agnes. Many readers say she's not relatable, living in a world they know nothing about. But isn't that the point of these kinds of "Hollywood insider" novels. It's called satire. BEEN THERE, MARRIED THAT is pure candy for those who tune into "Entertainment Tonight," "TMZ" and plan their year around watching the Academy Awards.

I found reading BEEN THERE, MARRIED THAT hilarious. I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. It had me laughing out loud for a few hours!

It's interesting to note, this is the first novel Gigi writes without using her ex's last name.

Sorry but I just couldn't get into this book. The privileged life of Agnes and her husband Trevor and all the silicone injected frenemies were just not my taste. The erratic pace of every thought and every character barreling in was just too much.

It pretty much went off the rails for me when Agnes agrees to go to rehab "believing" it is a spa opportunity when she isn't an addict and her husband makes it seem like it's about ALMONDS!!!! What legit interventionist would play into that BS. It's a slap in the face to those who really need it, fiction or not. Went too far!!

This was just an ok read for me - found myself skimming, The Hollywood lifestyle didn't interest me enough I guess.

BEEN THERE, MARRIED THAT by Gigi Levangie sounded like a fun but definitely not serious read, but only about half of it lived up to my expectations. The first half felt like I had been dumped into a crazy celebrity reality show and I have never had any desire to watch any of those. It was disjointed and felt like total stream of consciousness from a woman I had no desire to get to know. I almost gave up, finally made it through to a story that, while still a little reality show-ish, was easier to read and more interesting.
Agnes Murphy Nash, the wife of a prominent Hollywood producer, is also a novelist. When her husband decides he wants a divorce, she’s basically left with nothing. Her soon-to-be-ex hates to lose, and that even comes to losing custody of their daughter. Most of Agnes’s royalties have gone toward helping her father and sister, so she is left with no money and having to fight for custody of her daughter. Watching Agnes try to figure out how she got to this point and where she wants her life to go in the future was fun. She had a fun sense of humor and an interesting look at her own life. Her sister, Finn, was her complete opposite and a great foil for Agnes.
This book is a tough one for me. The first half was tough to get through; it wasn’t my cup of tea, at all. The second half was humorous and finally got to the real story. The characters were not as developed as I would have liked and it felt like I had two different writing styles between the two parts of the book.
If you like celebrities and reality tv with a look at their lives, this is definitely the book for you. It’s definitely a beach/poolside read.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
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