It was fun snarky book about Hollywood and its mostly vapid residents. Not being into pop-culture I was at a disadvantage when reading many of the comments. It was funny. I enjoyed most of it, but I wished for more depth.

As a long time fan of Gigi Levangie Grazer, Been There, Married That was a little tough to get through. I liked Agnes, but this book didn't have the same spark for me as her other books. I had a hard time relating to the characters and most seemed like over exaggerations. I mean, starting with her atrocious husband who just locks her out of the house instead of having a sane conversation with her about the divorce. I think that is where the book lost me, right in the beginning. The book did have some redeeming parts, but did not get much better for me.

This book was given to me by Netgalley for my honest opinion.

I went back and forth with myself on the rating for this book because there were elements that I really enjoyed and some I really didn't.

What I Liked:
Fin. She's not even the main character, but she's the highlight of the book. She is funny, clever, and the most human out of all the characters. She alone is what kept me reading.
This book also has some good, quirky banter, with lots of little jokes, which was nice but almost too much as the story went on. I did laugh out loud occasionally.

What I Didn't Like:
Agnes, the main character, is so completely unhuman to me. I think that's part of the author's point when writing Hollywood characters, but I couldn't stand her. She wanted to feel victimized by her husband, while living in her mansion, with her three nannies, and her writing career. It's hard to feel sorry for someone so shallow. Her daughter, Pep, could have been a saving grace, except Pep barely exists as a person and is more used as a literary tool to give Agnes a bit of depth, which isn't very successful. I had a hard time believing that Agnes really cared about Pep, which is a shame because the relationship between them is central to the custody battle in the story.
Trevor, Agnes' soon to be ex-husband, is also an incredibly annoying and shallow character. I don't even understand why Agnes married him in the first place, let alone do I care that he's divorcing her. Even in the book, her perception of him is that he just wants to win the custody battle, not that he truly cares about his daughter.

The storyline is fine, but the characters ruin this book. I need someone I can care about, and when that only comes in the form of the con-artist, recently released from prison sister, it's just not my cup of tea. I liked it okay, but I wouldn't read it again and have no interest in other novels by this author.

I didn't officially rate this with stars on Goodreads or any other platform, because I did not finish it, but here are the reasons I decided to put it down:

* didn't connect with the narrator
* stream of consciousness style writing
* don't care for books where most of what I'm reading is the inner thoughts of a character, unless those inner thoughts are lighthearted and funny

This wasn’t a bad read but I found there to be alot of unnecessary rambling!
A Hollywood divorce showing the funny and ridiculous tribulations that money’s affect has on lives and relationships.

I received a free e-copy of Been There, Married That by Gigi Levangie Grazer from NetGalley for my honest review.

This is a story about Agnes and her divorce, with movie producer Trevor. The story takes place in Hollywood. Agnes is tired of the pressure of upholding the Hollywood image. She wants more out of life. Trevor is tired and bored with their marriage and wants out of it.

I found some parts of the book to be funny but for the most part, I just didn't care for the characters and found them very childish.

Super fun and crazy book about Hollywood and the expectations in a marriage. The twists and turns of how to go through a divorce with a hollywood mogul were so far fetched and believeable at the same time. I liked it a lot!

Been There, Married That by Gigi Levangie is an up close and personal look at the disintegration of a Hollywood marriage. Agnes returns home to find herself locked out of the mansion she shares with her husband, Trevor. She is advised by a security guard that her marriage is over. Her husband, a film producer, is determined to put Agnes in the worst possible light in order to gain full custody of their young daughter. The novel succeeds in painting Hollywood film people with a broad brush of unflattering insight. There are funny moments but there are also painfully pathetic moments. If you are easily offended by four-letter words, this may not be for you. I read this title because I was looking for a little levity during these troubling times and it was a good diversion. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really intrigued with this cover and the blurb of this book. At times this book was hard to follow. The writing didn't always flow. I have never read this author before and am sad I didn't like this book as much as I was hoping to. I might go back later and try and reread this book.

Been There Married That by Gigi Levangie

Brief Summary: Agnes leads the idyllic life of a Hollywood wife to a big movie producer. Until one day when she comes home to find her entry password and locks changed and her credit card cancelled. No one prepares you for divorce in Hollywood but revenge is sweet. This is my first book by this author.

Highlights: Unfortunately, the writing style is incredibly tangential and hard to follow. The humor didn’t resonate with me. I really didn’t appreciate her family sending her off to rehab for an almond eating disorder. There is enough stigma with rehab and mental health treatment to use it as a cause of a joke or stint to get her out of town.

Explanation of Rating: 2/5: I hung on until the end to see if Agnes bounced back; I’m sorry I did.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Been There, Married That was pretty good. It wasn't my favorite of the year, but it is in the middle of the pack. It was pretty funny and I think it would be a good beach read!

Hilarious comedic tale from the hills of Hollywood. Agnes and her family and friends are a hot mess and I loved every second of it.

Been There, Married That by Gigi Levangie is a madcap chaotic journey into a celebrity marriage in the mist of imploding and the lengths one women goes to protect the ones she loves. Fueled by hilarious dialogue and soap opera worthy drama, Levangie takes no prisoners as her heroine engages in a battle of the wills against her opportunistic soon to be ex husband and the leeches surrounding him. Various larger then life characters round out the story, providing much humor and mayhem with each turn of the page.

Agnes Nash learns her famous husband is divorcing her when she comes how to changed locks on the door. She's more then willing to let him go but when he goes for full custody of their teenage daughter, Pip,. the gloves come off. But Hollywood doesn't always love the underdog, so Agnes, with the help of an ex con, a psychic, and various frenemies, decides to change the rules and soon finds that sometimes the bigger the hit, the better the fall.

This one was so not for me. The characters just felt like they were trying too hard to be witty. I waited to read this one until after it was published, so I was listening to the audio book and let me tell you, I do not recommend. I have always heard writing advice that says not to use "he said, she said" over and over. I listened to maybe a chapter of the audio book because I heard every.single.dialogue.tag. When reading it, my eyes kind of skip over those words but they are very apparent in audio book form. Admittedly, this is probably a technical problem that doesn't bother anyone else but it was the largest barrier I had from enjoying the story.

Too much of a good thing…

The synopsis of this book sounded like so much fun! I think there was a lot of potential for a fantastic story here. For me, the book had a lot of quirky humor and sassy, snarky dialogue, but it came across as a bit too much of a good thing turning into a not-so-good thing. I’m not sure if it was the “fakeness” of the Hollywood relationships aspect, but I had a really had time relating to anything that was going on here. Everything just seemed way too over the top; from the characters to the dialogue, to the shallow, entitled behavior and superficial pettiness of all involved. I admit I was laughing at some of the clever wit, but was at the same time rolling my eyes (or worse) at the truly horrible people and their self-centered and annoyingly poor life choices. I wanted to like it more than I did, but it was too scattered for my taste.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC copy of this book, for which I’m voluntarily providing an honest review.

My general rating rationale:

3 – Perfectly fine story, perhaps some minor editorial errors. Entertaining. Typically with this rating I feel like there could have been MORE – be it believably/relatability, character development, internal dialogue, explanations or depth, richness to the overall storyline, etc. May lose a bit of engagement here and there but always finish reading.
4 – A very good book. Engaging, with well-developed characters, a great plot, relatable scenarios; keeps you invested to the last page. Would recommend to reader friends.
5 – Can’t say enough amazing things, loved the characters, fabulously detailed plot, a quick hook, intense investment in both story and characters (including supporting characters) throughout the book. Will tell anyone who will listen that they should read it.

This was a fun read, it was a little bit difficult to get into it at the beginning but the second half was better! I’m not sure I ever really cared what happened to the main heroine but by the end I at least was curious to see.I couldn't connect to her!

I received an uncorrected proof copy of Been There, Married That, by Gigi Levangie from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Main character, Agnes Murphy Nash, is a published author. She is married to a needy, narssistic Hollywood producer, who gifts her a Fit-Bit in public, and has the locks changed on their home while they are at a gala, all on the same night.

I was on the third chapter before the prose was more normal to me. Prior to that, both narration and dialogue were disjointed, fractured, and frustrating to try to read. Agnes’ thoughts rambled in a continuous series of dangling sentences, in an almost ADHD-type of fragmented thoughts.

I have heard Been There, Married That Is funny, sexy, and entertaining. I love books that fit that description. Unfortunately, I could not get that far into the story to find those things. I truly hate giving a bad review to any book, but I’m afraid I cannot recommend this one.

What made The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?

• Missing commas;
• Scenes that changed so fast I had to go back to see if I had missed something;
• Agnes’ dialogue and thoughts rambled in a continuous series of dangling sentences, in an almost ADHD-type of fragmented thoughts.

Such a fun read. I enjoyed the writing, the characters, and the plot. I highly recommend this one. Levangie did an awesome job coming up with this fun story that is perfect for lovers of rom-coms and chick lit!

I couldn't get through the first few chapters. This was not the book for me. I’m sure there are people that will enjoy it, unfortunately that wasn’t me. Thank you for the opportunity.

“Been There, Married That” is a fun, funny, sarcastic look at Hollywood, marriage, friendship and family. It’s full of completely crazy characters who are unbelievable but you’ll love them anyway. The dialog is quick-witted and truly funny in many places. The tone reminded me a lot of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Some of the characters — mainly Trevor — were a bit tiring and got on my nerves but they were, thankfully, outnumbered by characters like Agnes, Fin and their Dad. I enjoyed it; sometimes you just need a light and funny escape. Disclaimer — I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher! 🤩🤩🤩🤩 #NetGalley