The first half of this book I had trouble with. There's some humor, which is good, but there were a lot of acronyms I had to look up. Maybe I'm too old to enjoy this one. The second half was better so I'm glad I stuck with it.

The book is basically about divorces in Hollywood and centers on Agnes, the wife of a famous producer, Trevor. They live in a mansion, have servants, and live idiotically insane lives. Trevor starts divorce proceedings and the whole thing is ridiculous! Maybe it's that bad in Hollywood, but surely there's some sanity left in the world?

Anyway, this is not really my type of book. No depth to the main character who can't seem to think for herself. As I said, maybe I'm just too old for this.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this one. The premise sounded so fun and cute, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

I've picked "Been There, Married That" up multiple times, and just have not been able to get very far into reading it. The blurb appealed to me, but for some reason once I started reading I just wasn't as engaged in the story or the characters. I think that if someone is looking for a funny Real Housewives-esque story, then you will enjoy this one. I may try to pick it up and give it another go, but for now I'm giving in on this one.

I was excited to read this but it was not light like I thought it would be.
I did finish it but did not like it at all.

This book was just not my cup of tea. I kept getting lost with what was going on and all the fast transitions and jumping around within each paragraph. The synopsis sounded very entertaining, but I just couldn't engage with the story. This one was a miss for me.

It took me until about the 40% mark before I could say that I was actually drawn into the book and enjoyed it. There was a great grammar quip early on, which may have contributed to my willingness to continue reading: "She was familiar, and I couldn't decide if that was a good thing. Or if that were a good thing, if you're a fan of the subjunctive. (I am. Were it is.)"

After my initial inability to connect with Agnes, I found her to be a sympathetic, even a likable character. Once the sarcastic Hollywood superiority statements abated, I found her much more relatable. It was when she was behaving like a regular human being that I found I liked her best and cared about what happened to her. She was judgemental at the beginning, but she was at her best when she was self-deprecating. When someone observed she was alive, Agnes responded, "Contrary to popular demand." It’s the sort of thing I would say.

As a mother myself, I appreciated this musing from Agnes, "I mean, sure, I'd daydreamed about going to prison—who doesn't?" What mother/wife hasn't wished to escape the day to day stresses of life? The fact that Agnes considered prison as a potential escape was hysterical.

Agnes changes over the course of this book. For the better. She begins a bit self-absorbed, with a heightened sense of entitlement. By the end, she's thankful for what she has, stronger for what she's endured, and much more fun. Ultimately, I liked the book, and I might even give it 5 stars, but I can't forget that I almost gave up and stopped reading.

Lots of humor, which I liked, but at times seemed a bit maniacal. Over the top characters. Glitz, glamour and sassy humor. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Divorce Hollyweird style. Our heroine comes home to find her locks changed and another woman occupying her husband's bed. He claims he's not having sex with her. Apparently 'companion sleeping' is the latest craze and our heroine's husband must participate. He is a famous and well paid producer of fluff movies. Now and then he remembers he has a child and a wife. One of those times was when he was talking to Kevin Bacon. Since the great Bacon said it sounded like his marriage was on the rocks, it must be true. Thus, the divorce.
Our heroine agrees and only asks for her daughter. Since her husband wants a good fight he decides to fight about that. Can't get press if everything is done quietly. Besides, that's how the lawyers make their money.
A hilarious book about the lifestyle of the rich, famous and weird. Well written with great characters.

I'm not sure why I continue giving this author another chance.... just say "no" & keep walking, y'all. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't happen.

Been there, married that is a funny book about Hollywood wives. It is lighthearted and good for taking your mind away from things. But for me, it tried too hard to be inclusive with topics as LGBTQ+, #MeToo and at using as many pop culture references as it could. Besides that, the writing style was a little confusing for me, at some points, I didn't know where the plot was going or what was happening. I would give it another try if I have the opportunity and time, but for now, it is 2.75 stars read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley nd the publisher for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

2.5 stars

Agnes Murphy Nash thought she was the perfect Hollywood wife until her producer husband, Trevor, decides he needs to find happiness and she is no longer it Her over the top lifestyle deconstructs as Trevor does every mean and nasty thing he can to sabotage the life they had built together including his caring little how it hurts Pep, a preteen daughter. Some of the antics are jaw dropping when taken in the context they may be from real life Hollywood if the idea of a real life there is not an oxymoron in the land of fiction writ large.

Ostensibly a satire, Ms. Levangie lived in the thick of the crazy merry-go-round existence of the rich and famous for several years so she knows from whence she speaks. The senseless routine of cheating spouses, nannies, huge staff, and ridiculously enormous mansions seems so extreme at times one wonders how anyone can really live in such a maelstrom. If Oscars were given out for narcissism, these folks would all be winners.

Though some of the writing is quite amusing, it is hard to laugh knowing this whole insane lifestyle exists and what is scarier, these seriously morally lacking, money grubbing, pill popping types are the ones who decide what movies are made and what often defines popular culture. Ms. Levangie describes them all as lemmings following one another to the latest happy drug, plastic surgery, and diets, but who makes these odious people successful? This botox nation is a sad commentary on people who are held in such high esteem and wield enormous power in the culture. Perhaps the highest best use of this tale is a cautionary one making folks think twice how they spend their money for entertainment. The subtitle could be many a true word is said in jest, but really, it is more sad than funny.

Agnes Murphy Nash is living the life of an author and a wife to Trevor, a big name producer. Living the dream with like 13 bathrooms!

Until the day Trevor locks her out and takes his assistant and "sleep companion" and leaves. As they navigate their divorce. As they toss barbs at each other and get down and dirty over custody and every other issue. This was like a fever dream. Where nothing makes any sense.

I'm going to stop right here.

From the beginning of this book, there was a mania. Every thought that came into her head came out of her mouth. I wasn't rooting for anyone except the daughter and the three maids. 

The rest of them were highly unlikeable and it was just sort of all over the place. 

The only hilarious moments were with the three maids. And that wasn't enough to make me like it.

NetGalley/ St. Martin's February 11th, 2020

I thought this sounded like it'd be a fun read, albeit a bit of a fluff read. It was, in some ways. I expected snarky comments, but not with every person, comment, etc, which seemed to be the case. Sadly, it was just a bit too much, as there wasn't much depth to the story or characters. I did enjoy Fin ... more than the main character. Agnes was annoying. I just couldn't care about them, in general, making this a struggle.

Yeah I hated it, every bit of it, Agnes was so annoying that you not only didn't like her you didn't feel sorry for her and that my friends is a first for me regarding a situation like this. Trever just as bad, I gave up half way because at that point I couldn't care less.

Sorry this book is definitely not for me. I could not finish it. I barely got half way before I gave up.

2.5 rounded up to 3

Comedy and satire are such tough challenges.

Comedy that works for me runs parallel to other genres: the basic storyline either puts an ordinary person into extraordinary circumstances, or an extraordinary person into ordinary circumstances. There must be a sense of irony, but the humor has to be grounded in truth.

Unfortunately, this send-up of Hollywood, written by someone who can definitely deliver a zinger, puts cartoonish characters into ridiculous situations, coming so fast that the few potentially real moments blow by without any time for real reaction: Agnes, our heroine, comes home from a Hollywood party celebrating her successful director husband to find herself locked out of their house. He wants a divorce.

Things take a left turn into crazy from there, and stay on the highway to hell all the way to the end.

The characters are all cartoons, many of them the sort of cliche Hollywood hipster and A-hole we've been seeing for decades. The prose leans hard on Hollywood cliches, names, and assumptions, the zingers shooting off the page in a machine-gun barrage that for me finally had a numbing effect. I found myself reading for shorter and shorter periods until at last I reached the zany (but somewhat exhausting) end.

I think the reader who will enjoy this book most are those who despise Hollywood and yet know all the insider references, and those who like a high dose of sheer crazy.

I was having a tough time reading the beginning of this book. I felt like the author was jumping all over the place. This is obviously an ARC, but I am not sure if the formatting changed that much from what I received. At first, I was hoping for a least a break in paragraphs. Then I discovered that she (Aggie) was like she was ADHD. Bouncing from one thing to the next. I decided to push forward because I was curious as to where this book was going to go. At about 40%, I realized the jumping had slowed down considerably. Thankfully.
That said, on to what I thought of the story.

What happens when Trevor says he wants a divorce. Honestly? He gets evil! I hope that Hollywood really isn't the way it is described in this book. The "important" people in Hollywood sound totally shallow and down right ridiculous. There has to be some "real" ones out there. You hope.

But it was enjoyable hearing about the craziness. The author has a way with descriptions. A good way. Sometimes, a bit over the top. But I think that is what makes the book.

Will Pep end up with mom or dad? Who will remain friends with whom? Will Fin stay out of jail? Will Aggie find love again?

Been There, Married That is the latest book by Gigi Levangie. For me this story started slow and I had a difficult time getting the rhythm as some scenes ran into others without a space, and it took a few sentences to figure out what was going on. However, once I became more familiar with the main character I was hooked, even though there were a few times I would have liked to shake some sense into her. I want to thank St Martin's Press and Net Galley for my early copy to review.

I finished this because I'm tenacious like that. Not a romance in my opinion. Maybe a reverse romance. I didn't like the story at all, it was depressing. Who can be the biggest ahole in Hollywood? Agnes was spineless and naive, who just kept cracking zingers and floated along the fast track to divorced, penniless idiot. Trevor had mommy issues and was ridiculously childlike. I guess that's the Hollywood of which I shall maintain my ignorance happily. In the end, all that counts is making movies?
I received an ARC through Netgally and am voluntarily giving my honest opinion

In this farcical romp, Gigi Levagnie strikes a balance between Jackie Collins's raunchiness and Janet Evanovich's ridiculousness. The writing is maniacal, occasionally lapsing into stream-of-consciousness, which was a bit jarring at times. Some of the jokes were too forced.

But those are the low points. Overall, this is a frothy, fun book. If you overthink it, you're going to be annoyed. But if you go into the story with an open mind, with the understanding that this is not a book to be taken too seriously, you'll probably enjoy it. I laughed out loud a few times, which is something I rarely do. Everything in this book is over-the-top, with "parody" written all over it.

The story centers around Agnes, a Hollywood wife/writer married to an egomaniac man-child actor named Trevor who has decided to end their marriage. Secondary characters like her drug-dealing sister Fin and her moody daughter Pep bring some additional humor to the story. The characters and plot twists are so outlandish that I didn't know whether to be awed or appalled. In the end, I was both.

Still: I thought it was pretty funny. Read this when you're in the mood for some scandalous escapism.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.