RaaShaun "DJ Envy" and Gia Casey have been together for 27 years (married for 20). They've been through growing celebrity, a public cheating scandal, a miscarriage and birth of six children. In Real Life, Real Love they explore the chronology of their romance, answer questions from fans and provide a guidebook with valuable tools for relationships. It appears that nothing is off limits and everything is laid on the table for us readers to understand their love and learn from it.

I am a daily listener of The Breakfast Club on my morning commute. Over the years, I heard tidbits of DJ Envy's relationship with Gia. He speaks with pride about his marriage and children. But not until this book did I realize the extent of their love. I praise them for being transparent about the early stages of their relationship, infidelity, career, challenges and rewards of parenting. The life lessons were abound and shared. This might be the closest we get to a cheat code, y'all.

Don't think of Real Life, Real Love as an entertainment love story. Don't even think of it as a memoir. I put it in the category of "Black Love For Real." The overall themes are faith and restoration. It is for every reader no matter your relationship status: single, engaged, married, divorced, dating or complicated. It was very interesting to read about the evolution of their lives from the age of 15 to present. Hopefully their lessons are music to our ears.

Happy Pub Day, DJ Envy and Gia! Real Life, Real Love is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

~LiteraryMarie

Real Life, Real Love: Life Lessons on Joy, Pain & the Magic That Holds Us Together by Raashaun “DJ Envy” and Gia Casey is a great read. It’s raw, authentic and filled with some very good stories.
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Let me start by saying the Dedications in the beginning of the book are absolutely beautiful! Very touching! Envy’s dedication is written to Gia. In it, he profess his love for her in the most beautifully poetic way. While Gia’s dedication is written to her mother who unexpectedly succumbed to Alzheimer’s in 2021. I felt the love she has for her mother as I read each word. I knew after reading the dedications that I was going to enjoy this book.
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And I was right!
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Gia and Envy did a great job of turning their life experiences into learning tools for the reader. The stories they share are Juicy with a capital J! No topic was off limits.
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One of the most authentic moments in the book is when they each share their experience in dealing with DJ Envy’s highly publicized affair. Reading each person’s perspective was absorbing yet unexpectedly enlightening. This was my favorite portion of the book.
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Faith is discussed a lot. And that is because Envy and Gia rebuild their broken relationship on a new found spiritual foundation. They make it very clear that without God, their marriage would have surely ended after Envy’s affair.
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I think this is a good book for couples that have found themselves in an unhealthy place. Gia and Envy’s story provides hope that things can get better. They talk about relatable problems and real issues. I’m talking about the type of issues that most couples only share in counseling sessions. But they are open enough to share it with us! I applaud their vulnerability.
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Other major themes they write about are mental health, colorism, generational wealth, death, black love, insecurity and friendship. Envy even writes about his attempt at committing suicide.
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Overall, I’m so glad I read this book.
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Thank you Abrams Books for gifting me an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the journey.
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