After seeing the title I just had to read the book. I had no idea what "I've Had It" is and who Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan are. And I'm so glad I found out!
They are simply two best friends supporting each other through the ups and downs of life. And through it all they've kept one another laughing.
"I've Had It" is their podcast where they share their most personal stories and the wisdom that got them through life's biggest challenges. Humour plays a big part and they help readers and listeners with their own journeys.
This memoir is honest, heartfelt and funny. Everyone needs these women in their lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed reading this book and learning about the lives of Jennifer and Angie. It certainly isn't pretty but it is honest a great read.

If you've ever felt like life keeps serving you the same mess on repeat, this book will make you laugh, cry, and most of all—feel seen.

Written by the wildly relatable and hilariously unfiltered hosts of the I’ve Had It podcast, Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches is part memoir, part manifesto, and part best-friend-confessional. With alternating chapters, Jen and Pumps take us through the nitty gritty of their lives with a raw honesty that’s equal parts chaotic and comforting.

From grief and addiction to parenting struggles, religious trauma, and middle-aged reinvention, this book pulls no punches. Jen and Pumps walk us through the major (and minor) shit sandwiches life has handed them, with a wink, a smirk, and a bottle of wine nearby.

The structure alternates between their voices, which brings a fresh, dynamic feel to each chapter. You'll go from one woman’s story about rehab or a toxic relationship straight into the other’s tale of raising kids with a partner who didn’t quite pull their weight—and somehow, it flows perfectly. They build on each other’s stories, call back earlier moments, and show just how tangled and beautiful a decades-long friendship can be.

But don’t expect this to be a fluffy tell-all. It’s personal, unvarnished, and deeply sincere. These women talk about money, politics, menopause, divorce, their kids, their careers, and the messiness of being human in the realest way.

Let’s Burn!

As a longtime listener of the I’ve Had It podcast since its early days, I was absolutely thrilled when Jen and Pumps announced they were writing a book. Over the years, I’ve grown to genuinely love these women — they’re real, and have weathered some truly tough life experiences. What makes them so special is how they’ve emerged on the other side with a talent for turning life’s petty grievances into pure comedic gold.

This book dives deeper into the stories behind some of the struggles they’ve alluded to on the podcast, and hearing those fuller stories only made me appreciate them even more. It’s heartfelt, hilarious, and very them.

That said, the book is definitely niche — if you’re not already familiar with Jen and Pumps or a fan of the podcast, it might not land the same way for you as it did me. But for those of us who’ve been along for the ride, it’s a funny, moving, and totally satisfying read that only deepens the connection to these two fabulous, flawed, and fiercely honest women.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Hanover Square Press for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Written by the hosts of the @ivehaditpodcast this book is funny and relatable and feels like you are sitting down to talk to your best friends about all the sh*t going on in your life.

They take us through their lives and their friendship and all the ups and downs they have experienced. This isn’t a fluff view of someone’s life - they get into the nitty gritty but do it with humor and honesty.

I actually haven’t listened to their podcast (I will be after this book!) and was surprised to read about the different people they have interviewed!

Jennifer and Angie are the best. This book was humourous and honest and everything I hoped it would be. It's great to hear the personal side to both of them outside of their podcast.

This book is hilarious!

I've been a fan of Jennifer and Pumps since their original show on Bravo back in the day. Once they started a podcast, I was so excited to see them gain more national attention, well deserved.

In their first book, "Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches," they are just as funny, smart, and self-deprecating as they are on the pod.

I loved the structure, each going back and forth, sharing moments in their lives. Sometimes we saw the same situation from both points of view, and every time we saw how they relied on each other in good and bad times.

The overall message of the book is clear, laid out in Jennifer's introduction: it's about the love between best friends, the warts-and-all support they give each other. It's a beautiful thing to think about.

I can remember when these 2 just started out. Their friendship dynamic is like no other! And this comes thru in this book as it does in all their other endeavors. It got a little irritating to me at some points bc it’s negativity on most subjects. Entertaining. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

This book was so relatable to my everyday life, and I appreciated the honesty of the authors. I found myself both laughing and crying and everything in between. The stories were gripping and left me reflecting constantly. Thanks for the ARC.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read!

"Let's Burn" indeed.

Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pumps" Sullivan are the Oklahoma women I wish I had met while living in Oklahoma. Irreverent, hilarious, politically outspoken - these are my people.

Many were introduced to these two best friends on Bravo's "Sweet Home Oklahoma," where they provided a look at people in Oklahoma who aren't idiot politicians or tornado victims. The ladies now host the extremely popular "I've Had It" podcast, where they laugh, cry, and scream about any and everything they are over.

This book looks at the start of their friendship and how they got to where they are now. Along the way, there are drug, alcohol, and sex addictions. There are thousands of cigarettes smoked on porches. There are marriage problems, growing children, unexpected deaths, and living blue in a red state. Both women expand on their upbringings, families, and marriages. As with the podcast, both are open, honest, and ready to tell it like it is.

I think podcast fans will go wild over this, but this is a fantastic look at the power of friendship and how it can survive anything.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

These women are SO FUNNY and are excellent story tellers. I found them on TikTok and been in love ever since. Excellent book!

If you love their podcast, (I’ve Had It), you must read this book! I laughed, I cried and I loved getting to know more about the good times, and the sh*t sandwiches, that Jennifer and Angie have overcome. J. Dub and Pumps, you did it! Thank you Jennifer Welch, Angie “Pumps” Sullivan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

I received several ARCs (thank you, Netgalley) this month in the form of celebrity memoir. This one kicks off the reading/reviewing spree!

<b>Book</b>: [book:Life Is a Lazy Susan of Sh*t Sandwiches: Advice, Inspiration and Laughter from the I've Had It Podcast Hosts|219578792]
<b>Authors</b>: [author:Jennifer Welch|985540] and [author:Angie Sullivan|7415308]
<b>ARC c/o</b>: Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley

Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan are co-hosts of the popular podcast <i>I’ve Had It</i>. But Bravo historians know them first from their television show, <i>Sweet Home Oklahoma</i>, that ran on the network in 2017–2018. Who could forget Pumps smoking glove, the sippy cups and Mr. Tubbers Welch? For years, I've wondered what these two have gotten up to since we last saw them. It turns out ... a lot!

Jen and Pumps take turns writing each chapter. Jen writes the introduction, in which she reflects on their success with <i>I've Had It</i>, and then Angie begins with chapter one.

I really enjoyed reading this book because it's so clearly written by them, their voices come through loud and clear. During <i>Sweet Home Alabama</i>, they were open about some of their struggles, e.g., Jen standing by Josh as he battles drug addiction or Pumps financial situation post-divorce. This book goes into much more detail on these topics, as well as new information that hasn't been publicly shared before.

1. Pumps ex-husband was beyond a nightmare:

<spoiler><blockquote>One night, right around the time we got engaged, Kirk stayed out late. Midnight came and went. Then one, two, three o’clock in the morning. I paced and smoked until I finally dozed off on the sofa. When he finally walked through the door in the six a.m., he had rug burns on his knees and swollen, blistered lips. I pressed and pressed him about how the heck he got those blisters on his mouth like he’d been sucking on an exhaust pipe. He finally admitted that he’d been out with “the guys” at a bachelor party and then ended up “smoking drugs and having sex with a stripper.”</blockquote></spoiler>

She also explains the events that led up to her finally divorcing him.

2. Josh is still sober (yay!). We get backstory on him and Jen goes deeper into her experience as a partner to someone with addiction.

<spoiler><blockquote><i>"Until Josh went to rehab in 2002, he’d spent his whole life drunk. His mother tried to take her own life when Josh was five years old, and Josh was the one who found her near lifeless body, her pulse thin and reedy."</i></blockquote></spoiler>

3. Pumps went to <spoiler>rehab in 2020 to treat her drug addiction</spoiler>. Good on Pumps for being so open here. But I don't know if <spoiler>I can watch <i>Sweet Home Alabama</i> again, knowing that Pumps was high for most of filming</spoiler>.

<spoiler><blockquote><i>“'Luke and Emily don’t know you as a real Mom,' Sam read. 'They don’t know the difference between you being on pills and the Mom I know. But I know the difference. I remember the difference.'”</blockquote></spoiler>

And, of course, there’s plenty of discussion on life as a democrat in a deeply red state, including the backstory on Pumps switching political parties.

Rating: Probably more of a 3.5, if we're being realistic. While there's so many things to love about it, the writing itself is average, maybe needed a little extra copyediting. It's a fast read though, really enjoyable.

First thing I want to note is that I am not familiar at all with the podcast or have ever heard of the authors before. I was interested in this book due to the beautiful cover and the title, leading me to think it would be more of a parenting book.

With that out of the way, I often found myself confused on who is who and what husband did what. There was so much talking about what the husbands did but little to no insight into what that meant for the kids. There is a good amount of religious and politics talk, and VERY detailed recollection of past situations. The latter got a bit crazy considering the conversations that the authors had were as though they could remember word for word what was said. I wish I had that kind of memory!

I also found myself a bit lost on small tangents that never circled back. One in particular was a Star Wars reference... no punchline, joke or explanation to why that was brought up.

Podcast fans will likely enjoy this book, but I do not think those who, like me, know nothing about Jen and Angie will.

I just didn't relate to this- maybe because I didn't listen to the podcast but I didn't find any funny.

I’ll be honest—what initially caught my attention was the book’s title and eye-catching cover. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by how deeply I connected with the authors voices. Their ability to share such raw, often painful life experiences with honesty and humor made the book both moving and incredibly relatable.

Full Disclosure -- I requested this book because of the title & description alone. I didn't think going in I was familiar with the authors' podcast. I later realized I had seen plenty of clips across my social media feed over the past few months (especially post-2024 Election), and once that clicked, I do think the context helped.

That being said, if you aren't familiar with Jenn & Pumps podcast, this is still a fun quick read and very accessible. It basically felt like having a story sesh with a close friend without judgement and full honesty. Do I think you will enjoy this book if you are pro-current Republicanism? Most likely not as the two authors' political views are imminently and unapologetically clear.

Some stories did feel repetitive as the book wore on -- perhaps that format lends itself more to a podcast rather than a written book -- but not enough to turn me off. The general vibe of the authors' friendship made reading this feel like I was right there with them.

My many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Hanover Square Press for this ARC. You unexpectedly turned me into a more consistent fan of the 'I've Had It' podcast.

My fellow patriots, gaytriots, and theytriots… (beaver noise?)

When my mothers announced that they were releasing a book, I immediately ran to my calendar to mark the months-away date. I spend every day with their grievances, whether it be twice a week b!tchfests on honor society lawn signs or pearly top knot headbands, or fifteen minute IHIP episodes absolutely annihilating maga bible thumpers. I would read or listen to literally anything these Oklahoma blue dot baddies put out. I am SO grateful that I was given the opportunity to read this book early, thank you thank you thank you Harlequin!

Jen and Pumps really did it with this one. I was already highlighting entire paragraphs / pages and I was still only in the introduction. Even though they are transparent about their stories and struggles on the podcast, they give a much more in depth perspective in this book. They discuss topics such as grief, addiction, rehab, parenting, female friendship, religious trauma, careers, money / income, relationships with parents, the political landscape of OK / this country, and so much more.

Alternating chapters between the two of them, they recount their individual ~journeys~ that made them into the business women, mothers, podcasters, and soulmates that they are today. With this format, they were able to bounce off of each others earlier references to different stories throughout the book. I loved how they would recount a story or situation they had found themselves in, apply it to a later experience, and tie the last sentence or two of each chapter up in a beautiful / funny way. (Ex: Pumps knowing she can't control what other people do, but still secretly hoping they all rush KKG / Jen not having a higher power, so she thanked Pumps & walked on stage.)

This book is so raw and honest, I think almost anyone could find a piece of themselves in these pages. Life truly is a lazy susan of shit sandwiches, and sometimes all you can do is squeeze your best friends hand and walk with them through the oncoming storm. Thank you, Jen & Pumps, for always being truly and unapologetically yourselves, in a country that expects you to be something less than. Love ya and C U Next Tuesday or Thursday!

Posted to Goodreads.

Life Is A Lazy Susan of Sh*t Sandwiches really attracted me because of the cover which is fantastic! However, I got a little lost in the writing of trying to figure out what was being said, or what we were being told. Then throw in some religious talk and politics and I’ll save that for someone who can maybe relate better.