[.ca] I Do. I Did. Now What?!: Life After the Wedding Dress (ISBN 0761133208)

very funny... even for those with a brain:
I don't usually bother to write reviews, but I thought this needed one. At first, I read the enraged reviews and didn't buy the book. I needed something light to read on the way to Europe, so I picked it up (sometimes people agree, sometimes they dont). No regrets folks ('cept that I waited so long to get the book). It's fun, it's witty, it's sarcastic, and she (Jenny Lee) makes no bones about being shallow. Incidentally, the book is infused with deeper emotion (look again), she just chooses to emphasize the humor. SO WHY IS EVERYONE SO UPSET?? Don't take yourself so seriously. Clear your mind, think of it as humour along the Dave Barry/Erma Bombeck lines, and relax. Remember, books can be a good help on life, but they do not substitute for it. If you got the book hoping for marriage tips but got none (some readers did, mind you), treat this like a book in whose opinion you do not always agree with, not a slap in the face, then buy something else more formal (Dr. Phil, perhaps?). Liking this book does not make people shallow (we already are, but we choose not to write about it). I suppose I'm as shallow as the next female, 30 yr old, corporate exec...ah well. Either you'll like it or you wont or something in between. I liked it.

not for all brides (or wives):
I was recently given this book as a gift at a wedding shower. As a bride-to-be I thought it might be fun to take a spin on the humorous side of post-wedding life, i.e. what happens after the honeymoon is over. Jenny Lee claims that no one ever told her what life was like after the wedding and so she set out to write a book to right the wrong she felt. "I Do. I Did. Now What?!" is at times funny; at other times the reader feels like the eavesdropper of a dirty-laundry airing session. Lee sets out by telling the history of her relationship with her husband and fills her memoirs with both humorous and bland anecdotes. Several of these are ones that readers can relate to - coping with the adjustments of living with another person and their not-so-neat habits. And the book does have several chuckle moments. Yet perhaps because I've never been the stereotypical girl who loves to shop and loves shoes above all else, I found Lee's "humor" sometimes ingratiating. And that also means that this book isn't a "one size fits all"; not all women are like what is portrayed in Lee's writing. "I Do. I Did. Now What?!" is a quick, sometimes witty read, something like a memoir in the chick-lit genre. Yet in spite of her dedication to her husband, I found myself feeling sorry for him sometimes. In several of her anecdotes she mentions how her husband takes her and all that she does for him for granted. I doubt she realizes that her husband must also be a saint in order to put up with some of her habits and idiosyncracies that grated on my nerves just reading about them. There's no new, big stand-out advice that hasn't been said at one time or another; yet Jenny Lee sometimes manages to make the old somewhat entertaining.

If you're brain-dead, shallow, or from LA, you'll love it!:
After reading the first couple of chapters, I'm just glad I didn't waste any money on this trite, ill-conceived product of a society filled with suckers who make it possible for stores that sell $400 uncomfortable, but oh-so-cute, shoes to exist. If you feel inferior carrying around a Coach bag instead of Prada, then this is the perfect book for you. I can't blame Ms. Lee for her attempt - she can only write shallow, meaningless fluff based on her limited experience living with her rich sorority girl mentality.

Hilarious and touching - a delight to read:
This book is a brilliant, touching, and hilarious. A friend gave me a copy of "I do, I did, Now What" in the middle of my first winter of law school. I'd just gotten married over the summer and between the pressures of adjusting to married life and trying to juggle law school, I was feeling pretty stressed-out and a little depressed. I started reading the book to take a break from finals and I just couldn't put it down. Each chapter is poignant and hilarious. The author references pop culture and current fads in a fun, self-deprecating, and charming manner. As a starving student, I don't know the difference between a Prada bag and an Old Navy tote - but I still found her musings on fashion etc. to be wry, entertaining, and very tongue in cheek. The author seems totally irreverent and willing to poke fun at herself and all the foibles of young marriage. But she also seems deeply, madly in love with her husband - who comes across as a really nice man. Some of the best moments in the book come at the end of the vignettes when the author and her husband put all the miscommunications and craziness aside and reach a common ground. At the end of the day, they seem to treat each other with a lot of love, respect, and patience. It made me reflect on all the silly little arguments I have with my husband and how trivial they are at the end of the day compared to how much I love him. All in all, reading this book was a breath of fresh air. It taught me to take a step back and see the funny side of all the little quirks and skirmishes of adjusting to married life. After reading it, I shared the book with my husband. We typically have really different taste in books and movies (he goes for action, suspense while I prefer comedies and romances). But, to my surprise, he actually enjoyed the book. I found him sheepishly reading it in bed one day. All in all, I've recommended this book to a ton of my friends (both married and single) and they've all loved it.

Hilarious and helpful:
My fiancee and I read this together, it's witty and full of sage advice. We both enjoyed reading it, even though Lee is definitely a girly girl. Ms. Lee provides valuable insight that is otherwise unavailable to soon to be wedded couples (and newly weds for that matter).