In Trophy Life, Agnes, a Santa Monica mom to Grace and wife to Jack, is blindsided when her husband doesn’t show up for their scheduled massages one evening. Jack lives by his schedule, so Agnes knows something is wrong. Jack has disappeared and Agnes receives bizarre but firm instructions from his business associate, Don, to travel to New York and accept a middle school teaching job at a boarding school for boys. She does so, despite numerous lingering questions.

Trophy Life is about Agnes’ journey into this new chapter, far from her previous pristine California life. She tries to get a grasp on her often disobedient, adolescent students, deal with nosy and overbearing coworkers, and be a decent mom to Grace while living in their new, non-luxurious home. She is also desperately missing Jack.

Overall the story was cute and entertaining, despite being somewhat predictable. I thought Agnes was relatable and it was nice to see her grow as a person, as she tried to come to terms with, and accept, her new life. Even so, I wanted her to take more of a stance on several things throughout the story - The students, her coworkers, her best friend, Beeks, and Jack. I felt like Agnes was kind of a pushover and I’m not sure I’d consider Beeks to be a “best friend” based on some of her behavior/commentary, but hey, that’s just me.

Trophy Life by Lea Geller is a page-turner that is full of heart. Reading the premise, I expected a more lighter story but this one is full of depth and really makes you think.

I felt for Agnes on her journey. Life was pretty easy when she was a typical "trophy wife" in Santa Monica. However, all of that comes crashing down when it turns out her husband was a fraud all along. She is then forced to move with her daughter to the Bronx where she'll teach middle school boys.

The author Lea Geller does a great job of painting life in Santa Monica (full of sunshine, green juice and yoga) to how drastically different it is in the Bronx—with an old house, mice and living off processed food.

I also really enjoyed Agnes' relationship with her students and how invested she gets in them. These kids are written off as spoiled brats but she sees the potential in them.

Agnes journey isn't easy and while she might still have days where she misses life in Santa Monica, she learns to stay true to herself and that she's also a survivor.

Trophy Life by Lea Geller is a fun, light, humorous novel that is the perfect book to read in between heavier novels and true crime. This is a great book to read in one sitting or over a weekend, its entertaining and you will love Agnes.

For the last ten years, Agnes Parsons’s biggest challenge has been juggling yoga classes and lunch dates. Her Santa Monica house staff takes care of everything, leaving Agnes to focus on her trophy-wife responsibilities: look perfect, adore her older husband, and wear terribly expensive (if uncomfortable) underwear.

When her husband disappears, leaving Agnes and their infant daughter with no money, no home, and no staff, she is forced to move across the country, where she lands a job teaching at an all-boys boarding school in the Bronx. So long, organic quinoa bowls and sunshine-filled California life. Hello, processed food, pest-infested house, and twelve-year-old-boy humor—all day, every day.

But it’s in this place of second chances (and giant bugs), where Agnes is unexpectedly forced to take care of herself and her daughter, where she finds out the kind of woman she can be. Ultimately, she has to decide if she prefers the woman and mother she has become…or the trophy life she left behind.

If you are in the mood for a cute, heartwarming story, grab this one!

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.