How to Be Married: What I Learned from Real Women on Five Continents About Building a Happy Marriage

This was an engaging, comedic yet vulnerable read. I'm a stand-up comic, married with 2 kids, and I related to a lot of what I read even though I've been married longer than Jo has. This book takes you through many cultures while taking you through the adaptation a person goes through when adjusting to what it means to be in a committed couple. It reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Gilbert's Committed, but it has more of Nick, Jo's partner's presence. In that way, it is not only the woman's journey to accepting the constraints and possibilities of marriage but it is the couple's journey together. A funny and thoroughly enjoyable book.

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read about what it means to be married according to different places and cultures. The author is insightful and witty. I also felt for her struggling with her health issues. The only part I took issue with and why I did not give the book five stars, is because she describes the practice of genital mutilation of girls and women as having two sides. She describes it as being up for debate and that some see it as a cultural issue. Yet, really there should be no debate or question that genital mutilation is a human rights issue, not a cultural issue, and is simply wrong. Genital mutilation can cause infections, menstrual problems, excessive bleeding, painful urination, painful sex, problems in childbirth, childbirth death, and even death of the girl or woman. ( World Health Organization). It is important to see genital mutilation as a violation of human rights and of women's rights. This dangerous and painful practice needs to stop.

This book offers the perfect combination of humor, wit, advice, storytelling, and relevant research - all related to the nuances of married life and relationships in general. I am in the early years of married life and this book really spoke to me! Jo is a talented writer who is able to bring you into an engaging world, whether she is describing a jaunt through Tanzania or sharing the intimate thoughts inside her head. I highly recommend this book!

I read this book about 5 months ago, and I STILL find myself reminded of and sometimes even quoting things I learned while reading it! The author does an incredible job of passing on the knowledge she learned on her incredible journey for what it is, without completely making it about herself, while still also relating it back to her own journey in a way that makes it even more relatable for the reader. I'm not even sure if that makes sense, but you'll understand when you read the book yourself! If you're married, in a relationship, or just curious about learning more about relating to others, this book is so worth it!

This has been on my tbr list for years. While the author did have some hilarious one liners, at times I found the memoir just a little bit annoying. It got on my nerves how her husband called her “baby girl” 🤢. Also it got on my nerves how she would write things like “we were so broke we couldn’t afford a kitchen table, but off to Denmark we go.” Like I said, a lot of hilarious one liners I plan to post. But took me a long time to get through.

I really, really thoroughly enjoyed this look into marriage and how to be married. One of the things that I particularly enjoyed about this book is that the author is not only in her first year of marriage but she also gets to travel a lot, so there is tons of wisdom gleamed from other countries and nations. It was a fun look into how to make a marriage work but also, ultimately, how different cultures expect and explore different ways of staying in love , most importantly, and staying married. To be honest, this book also made me have a serious case of wanderlust as Jo and her husband visited Copenhagen, Paris, and pretty much all over... I kept telling my husband about various places, the marriage lessons learned, and also how much I wanted to go here or there. It's a fun read and there's definitely some good advice here about marriage.

Great, super fun book that had my wife trying to drop knowledge bombs on me about what makes a great marriage while we were recently holidaying in Mexico! As a newly married person it's helpful to get all the marriage advice you can. The book delivers but also challenges you to think about a lot of factors you might not have considered which makes it great not only for you, but for a more healthy relationship and success in marriage - however you define it! My wife really liked how the author drew on her personal experiences, but also searched high and low across countries and cultures for what builds a winning partnership..... I'm not allowed to keep score with domestic duties anymore.... but maybe that's a good thing. Highly recommend!!

I seriously LOVE this book. Just like the author, there aren't a lot of marriage books I feel like I relate to. Until now. By traveling different countries, she shares the most important perspectives of what a real, lasting marriage looks like with practical steps to do each day. Plus, the writing is seriously funny, entertaining, and at times painfully honest (which made me feel like I could relate!). I think I've only done 1 other book review ever on Amazon (despite downloading a lot), but this one I felt was really special. Definitely recommend :)

This is a great read!! Very amusing and also poignant. Even though I have been with my spouse for 25 years, it is still relevant with some amazing insights into other cultures and understanding of what love, commitment and sharing is. I would highly recommend this book for anyone already married or just contemplating marriage. We can learn so much if we take the time to listen and be aware of others.

Bought it as a gift. Receiver was very pleased :)

Surprisingly funny and heart felt. Completely caught me off guard at points.

Jo is my favourite author so I was very excited to get this book , except I can hardly make out the colour of the ink. I don’t know if this is standard to the colour of the ink in this book or if I happened to get this book at the end of the printing cycle?

Really great book, I’ve been recommending it to everyone, especially the new husband!