**Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the free copy!**

I started this one with high hopes, looking forward to a fun, snarky escape, but was not able to finish it.
⁣⁣
It could have just been the timing, and maybe I’ll try again later. There were definitely a couple of things in the first few chapters that I took issue with; I won’t get into specifics here. I am pretty sensitive about references to particular populations of people so, again, it’s likely just my experience of this novel clashing with some of my own biases. ⁣⁣

This book may be for some but it definitely was not for me. The story line was so depressing and the main character just lets herself get walked over time and time again. Her husband changes all the locks and tells the security guy to TASE HER instead of letting her into her own house, and then she continues to live there! I realize that she didn't have any money of her own (which seemed to be an issue in itself) but to just let this man treat her this way was abhorrent.
Beyond that issue I had a lot of others - especially with the structure of the story. There was a lot of rapid jumping from one thought to the next and it seemed so unconnected. And it felt like 50 people were introduced and described in the first 20 pages, which was boring and unnecessary.
I struggled to finish this book and I decided not to review on my page because I don't usually like to post reviews when I disliked the book this immensely. I would not recommend this to anyone, except maybe a flighty, gossiping airhead who likes Hollywood. I didn't care for it personally.

I thought this book was very funny. This was such a cute, fast, fluffy read. Something to keep you entertained and distract you from the crazy real world. It was a lot like the “ reality “ shows on tv right now. I will read more from Levantine in the future.

From Snyposis of this book it sounded like a funny story about life after marriage. I found that the story was full of comments, quips fast paced snarky jokes. A jumble of ideas. Hard to follow and difficult to relate. This could have been a good one but fell flat for me. Thankyou to St. Martins' Press and netgally for me free arc for my honest review.

I was really excited to read this because it seems right up my alley and what I would typically be interested in reading. However, I found it difficult to get through the book.

Very humorous book about a Hollywood couple, Agnes and Trevor. Trevor is a big Hollywood producer and Agnes is an author. They have a pre-teen daughter, Pip and out of the blue, Trevor asks Agnes for a divorce. If you enjoy all the Hollywood gossip, reality TV, or you just need some pure escapist fun, this book should do the trick!

Sometimes you just need a funny, escapist book, and Been There, Married That by Gigi Levangie is just the one that can deliver although watch out for the raunchy factor. Still mining her former marriage to producer Brian Grazer, screenwriter Levangie (Step Mom) has produced another ode to Hollywood wives and ex-wives. As a non-Hollywood insider, a lot of the one liners and name drops went over my head, but for those Kardashian and Real Housewives fans, there will be much here to savor.

Agnes Murphy Nash is a book author married to Trevor Nash, big shot Hollywood producer and narcissist. He has decided he doesn’t want to do marriage anymore. With lots of dirty tricks -- locking her out, cancelling the credit cards, having her sister locked up, sending her off to rehab for her almond addiction – Trevor wants full custody of their daughter Pep and to win in the divorce proceedings.

When Agnes finally digs in and fights back, Trevor doubles down by bugging the house and gluing her keyboard, but with the support of her father and sister, Agnes intends to prevail.

Gigi Levangie books are for those who enjoy the exploits of the Hollywood crowd. I have enjoyed her earlier books although she continues to tell the same basic story of being the starter wife of a Hollywood mogul. Fans of Lauren Weisberger and Candace Bushnell will enjoy this author’s snarky insight into Tinseltown.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting April 22, 2020.

I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Sorry DNF. Premise of book sounded entertaining - middle aged Hollywood wife, brink of divorce, throw in some humor. I was aware of the mixed reviews but thought I'd give it a shot. Unfortunately, it didn't grab me. The story seemed jumbled and didn't flow - maybe it was me, but I often didn't know where we were or how we got there.

If I could pick a genre of books that I just love Been there, Married That is my kind of book. It is a type of book that reads like a gossip magazine and full of modern day references. This book is funny, compelling and full of an amazing cast of characters. I just loved it.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Hold on folks- this is probably going to be a painful review to read….

OK, so this book was sent to me (actually, a Netgalley widget was sent to me!) and while at first I didn’t recognize the name of the author- I did see something about The Starter Wife and remembered that mini-series with Debra Messing and thought it might have been based on a book and I remember vaguely enjoying that mini-series… so I thought I was in good hands.

No. No. No. No.

While there were parts I chuckled at and some lines I liked- there was a lot that just didn’t work for me about this book. And I’m going to put some blame on the formatting of this e-ARC. The great thing about Netgalley is that you have the option to read books months in advance (this book comes out in Feb and I read it last summer in the pool) BUT if the formatting is off- the book can really suffer.

Example- sometimes I had NO Clue who was talking. I would have to re-read paragraphs.

Next example: Sometimes I think the author meant to have spaces separating scenes- not making new chapters- but just indicating we have moved further in the day or whatever. I would be reading, ok with my understanding of where we are, then things would change- without a break to let me know new people, new scenes, etc. That was FRUSTRATING.

And our main character- Agnes- well, while she might have prided herself on some of her snarkability- her naive attitude about some things drove me crazy.

What I liked:

The cover.

SOME of the humor. I did chuckle a bit.



Bottom line: For me, between the formatting and just the book’s content- this just did not end up a winner for me.

While this was fast paced and occasionally a very witty novel, it was much more crude than necessary. The main character is just annoying and tried to be funnier than she really is. I wanted to like this one, but the beginning was tedious and I just didn't find the main character all that likable.

Been There, Married That by Gigi Levangie was my first read by this author and tells the story of what seemed like the perfect Hollywood marriage on the outside, but not so much on the inside. One day Agnes comes home to find herself completely locked out in every way. Trevor, her husband, is apparently done with her and will do whatever it takes to get rid of her. What follows is a story that depicts the fallout of their marriage.

Happy reading.

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. While humorous in some scenes, I found the overall text and plot hard to get through. Not a good fit for me.

This was a quick read. It was light and while I did not connect to the story the way other reviewers did that is just my personal taste. Gigi Levangie is a great writer and I'm grateful to have had the chance to read her book.

Agnes, a writer, and Trevor, a hotshot producer, are the perfect Hollywood couple, until one day they aren’t anymore, to everyone, including Agnes’ surprise. Stunned by Trevor’s acts of cutting off her credit cards and changing the locks, Agnes realizes that she must stand up and take what she wants to get her life back after her Hollywood divorce.

A satirically hilarious look at being a Hollywood wife, Been There, Married That is funny, entertaining, and dramatic. Agnes is not typical in that she is kind, compassionate and fair, and only wants from the divorce her daughter and a normal life. Easy to read, light and uplifting, I enjoyed reading and listening to this novel.

I love stories where women overcome all obstacles in their lives and become stronger and better for it.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure "Been There, Married That" is a "woman-overcomes-all" type of story.

This is a story about Agnes Murphy Nash, the wife who suddenly finds out that her TV producer husband--Trevor Nash--has filed for divorce. How does she find out? She returns home one day to discover that the locks on their estate have been changed, and she is no longer allowed to enter her home. To make matters worse, Trevor has decided he wants custody of their daughter, because he doesn't think she's a fit mother (after all, she has an addiction to almonds, of all things?) Agnes knows the real reason behind his custody fight is because he needs to keep up appearances in the perfect fantasy world of LaLaLand.

Some parts of the book are quite funny, but some parts are sad. Could a husband really be so cruel as to lock her out of their house and cancel her credit cards without warning? Didn't she deserve a conversation at least? Ok, I know this is fiction and it's supposed to be so unbelievable its funny, but I just couldn't help feeling sorry for Agnes.

Sometimes the humor is humorous; sometimes it's just a bit too painfully sarcastic, at least for me. However, I have to give the author credit for trying, because writing humor is much more difficult than writing other types of literature. Humor is such a personal thing -- what I think is funny might fall flat for you.

The redeeming quality: Agnes does overcome all the roadblocks and problems that Trevor puts in front of her, and becomes the woman she was meant to be, not just the trophy wife of a Hollywood producer.

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.

This book sounded really fun. Agnes Murphy Nash is the perfect Hollywood Wife, married to top producer Trevor. She lives a glamorous life, has the right friends, and writes books. But when Trevor moves on and locks Agnes out of the house, requesting full custody of their daughter, Agnes won’t let him win.

However, Agnes doesn’t have the best situation to deal with- her credit cards are canceled, all the lawyers in the city are booked by her husband, and her ex-convict sister is always around stirring up trouble. The book was fun. It was a quick page-turner, and Agnes is a good and very sassy narrator. Her sister, Finn, was also fun to read about. However, I couldn’t really decide how Agnes thought about a lot of things- one minute she was super upbeat and cherry, the next she wanted to kill her husband. I didn’t really see any growth or lessons she learned. None of the characters were very likable, and I actually found myself getting mad at some points. It’s a compelling beach read, but there’s not much depth.