Gigi Levangie Grazer comes to the blog with a story of starting over with
Been There, Married That
So – I went in expecting a War of the Roses (the film) sort of vibe – with a power struggle between a wronged wife and her producer husband putting her to the curb with a series of changed locks, cancelled credit cards and no answers. Agnes isn’t particularly happy with the changes in her circumstances, so she digs in and decides to “fight back” in some unusual and often futile ways.
For me, the tone and pacing of the book threw a wrench into the works – and Agnes was far too mercurial – from actually funny moments to highly juvenile and spiteful steps – the back and forth here was enough to give me whiplash. And the dance that the author did with the point of view, from a hybridized first person that was so close to in the moment (with a nasty habit of sharing EVERY thought that comes through) and this made the entire read a difficult one. Sifting through relevant to irrelevant isn’t a reader’s job in fiction – it is the editor’s – and here I think that the editor let the story down.
Because it started out fairly smart and witty – and until you get to see that Agnes is petty, her husband even more so, even the teenager is full of “whatever” – there isn’t anyone to root for, let alone actually connect to. Sadly the premise WAY outshone the product here, and that is always a disappointment.
Title: Been There, Married That
Author: Gigi Levangie Grazer
Genre: Contemporary Woman's Fiction, Friendship, Humor elements
Published by: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1250166810
Published on: 11 February, 2020
Format:eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Pages: 336
Audio Length: 10 Hours: 19 minutes
Rated:
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A hilarious new novel full of Hollywood glitz, glamour, and scandal.
When he changes the locks, she changes the rules.
Agnes Murphy Nash is the perfect Hollywood wife – she has the right friends, the right clothes, and even a side career of her own as a writer. Her husband Trevor is a bigshot producer, and from the outside it looks like they’re living a picture-perfect celebrity life, complete with tennis tournaments and lavish parties.
But the job description of a Hollywood wife doesn’t cover divorce, which is the way Agnes’ life is headed after she comes home one day to find her credit cards cancelled and the security passwords to get into her enormous LA home changed. Oh, and there’s a guy there whose job it is to tase her if she tries to enter…which she does. Needless to say, Agnes’ husband is dead set on making sure she loses big time, but Agnes isn’t the type to just lie down and take it. In a world of fremenies and hot nannies, personal psychics and “skinny” jello shots, Agnes may be losing her husband, but could that mean getting her own life back?
Been There, Married That is a drop-dead hilarious battle of wills that will make you laugh out loud, cringe, and keep turning the pages to see what crazy disaster will happen to Agnes next…and how she’ll rise from the ashes.
A copy of this title was provided via Publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
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