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Two's Company: A Fifty-Year Romance with Lessons Learned in Love, Life & Business
In her most personal and inspiring book yet, New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Somers shows readers how to shape a healthy, lasting relationship through the lens of her fifty-year love affair with her husband, Alan Hamel. For the first time, Suzanne will expose the inner workings of her marriage: a winning combination of love, business, and family. Starting from the very beginning, when a big-city guy from Toronto met a small-town girl from San Bruno, California, readers will get a behind-the-scenes perspective on Suzanne's groundbreaking success as a TV star and Las Vegas diva, multiple-bestselling author, and successful entrepreneur and businesswoman, along with her more personal life as a mother, partner, and ultimately self-fulfilled woman. Through fame, fortune, sickness and blended families, Suzanne and Alan have kept the vitality of their marriage alive-- together 24/7 (and haven't spent a night apart in 37 years), and combining business savvy in their constantly evolving relationship. Now, Suzanne reveals hard-won advice on how to rely on another person without sacrificing individual strengths.
In this mixture of love story, memoir, and practical guide, readers, too, will discover how to forge and maintain a true partnership that's built to last.
In this mixture of love story, memoir, and practical guide, readers, too, will discover how to forge and maintain a true partnership that's built to last.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published November 14, 2017
About the author
Suzanne Somers
71 books114 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Suzanne Somers was an American actress, author, and businesswoman. Best known for her role as the ditzy blonde Chrissy Snow on the ABC sitcom Three's Company, she also had a noted starring role on the sitcom Step by Step as Carol Foster Lambert. She later capitalized on her acting career by also establishing herself as an author of a series of self-help books. She had released two autobiographies, two self-help books, four diet books, and a book about hormone replacement therapy. She had featured items of her design on the Home Shopping Network.
Suzanne Somers was an American actress, author, and businesswoman. Best known for her role as the ditzy blonde Chrissy Snow on the ABC sitcom Three's Company, she also had a noted starring role on the sitcom Step by Step as Carol Foster Lambert. She later capitalized on her acting career by also establishing herself as an author of a series of self-help books. She had released two autobiographies, two self-help books, four diet books, and a book about hormone replacement therapy. She had featured items of her design on the Home Shopping Network.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 25, 2017
In "TWO'S COMPANY", Suzanne Somers writes about her relationship with her husband Alan Hamel. This book has it all, pain, sadness and happiness, the stuff life is made of. Two statements really got my attention, "We are all capable of the worst behavior; can you still love each other even then?" and " Take care of each other, compliment each other, and listen to each other." "TWO'S COMPANY", a love story you will be glad you read.
December 29, 2017
I’ll admit, going into reading this book, I knew very little to absolutely nothing about Suzanne Somers. I barely remember “Step By Step” from when I was growing up. I’ve barely watched any “Threes Company” reruns. She’d written something like, 25 or 26 books previously, but I’ve never really been into her health, fitness & vitamin stuff either, so I’ve never read any of her stuff before.
That being said, I knew even less about her husband, Alan Hamel, although I understand he’s a very big deal in Canada, haha!
Sooo I felt coming from that perspective, I came in with a perfectly open mind & zero bias. I heard them on a morning television program promoting the book & the idea of a 50+ year romance in the world of Hollywood being together literally 24/7 & yet still being so deeply in love & so strongly physically attracted to each other fascinated me. I was pretty excited to read this book. I love a good (REAL) love story!
A couple of problems revealed themselves to me very early on.
Something about how Suzanne’s personality comes off in the book bugs me. Like a preppy, better than everyone else attitude. I mean, she thanks her therapists (plural) in the opening dedication. She acts like she’s always happy & chooses to live this perfectly healthy in every aspect life - yet she spends a lot of the book blaming everyone else for so many horrible troubles & struggles throughout her life.
Alan comes off as kind of a pig / peeve & Suzanne comes off as someone ditzy & infatuated enough to go along with it. Case in point, they promoted the book on Megyn Kelly’s program & Suzanne laughed talking about how sometimes Alan has sex with her when Suzanne’s not even awake. She said they found out that’s illegal in Canada & he’d be arrested there. She laughed @ this whole story & he said that it’s “fine with him” if she’s not awake. I’m sorry. That’s creepy. I don’t care if you are married. To each their own...
Then there’s the story about how they met. She was working as a model on a game show that he was hosting. He walked up to her & asked her to get him coffee. He’s still married @ the time. He invites her to have their 1st date in his hotel room. Greets her by telling her to take off her shoes (Japanese custom). Psychedelic. He gave her her first pot. Got her drunk. Screwed her. Seemed like he took advantage of her. My Negative Nancy point of view? Sounds like the set up for date rape.
Date #2, in her own writing: “He didn’t ask me, he TOLD me to meet him at his hotel.” Date #2 in his own writing: “Frankly, I ordered champagne & dessert so we could get out of there. All I could think of was getting naked again.”
I am ALL for the honeymoon phase! But their whirlwind romance just didn’t come off like that to me. I also didn’t like Suzanne’s tone of: “My father was a terrible alcoholic, yet I was drunk or high every single time I had sex with Alan when we first got together.”
The beginning of their romance just basically read like a trashy sex novel to me.
I DO congratulate & commend them on their unbelievably amazing sex drive & sex life this many years into their relationship - honestly, I do. I don’t think I’ve ever known or heard of anyone with as great a consistent sex life as these two. I think that there are only AMAZING things & absolutely nothing better - physical health wise, emotional health wise, for the relationship, etc than having “crazy, wild” sex as often as you can with your life partner! But after a while when reading a book, you do get a little bit tired of hearing about it. It loses its passion & just turns redundant & into sounding like a trashy sex novel instead of a real life love story. The first several years of their courtship became SO predictable. Yes, we know. You ate amazing food, drank amazingly expensive alcohol & had amazingly wild sex. I think there’s really no need to explain to us how every date, every fight, every night spent together in your lives, you’ve had sex. We can just infer that after a while. haha!
And throughout the book, things both she said about him & Alan’s little inserts himself just really made him kind of come off as an ass.
At one point in the book, Suzanne implied that stress can give you cancer. “Anger & resentment build up and can make you feel sick. (I got cancer later in life. When did it begin? Just a thought...)”
Throughout the book, there WERE some good, 3 star parts, advice & oversight - but overall, especially towards the end, this was just an okay, 2 star book for me. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but overall, I think that I just don’t quite click in with Suzanne & Alan. They just come off as sort of fake, cheesy and full of themselves in/& how ‘perfectly they choose to live their lives despite the world being against them’ to me a lot of the time. He seems like an ass. She mostly just seems to have a very positive & uplifting attitude .... about constantly playing / being the victim. She also got repetitive about several subjects throughout the book.
Honestly, near the end of the book, she really started to annoy me. First with the fire story & then everyone poisoning her & conspiring against her in the medical & pharmaceutical world because she had so many #1 New York Times bestselling books speaking against them that lost them so much money. I’m sorry. I rolled my eyes. That just got ridiculous. I do feel for what she went through & desperately hope that her theories are incorrect. But the fact that she went around to doctors who helped her write her books to test her hair & prove all of her conspiracy theories that these medical professionals would all band together to actually try to kill her & take her down & that she had to be in therapy for over a year afterwards because of the PTSD she suffered? Give me a break. Diva syndrome.
Speaking of diva syndrome. Here’s a few gem quotes about their Malibu home burning down the day they went to their Palm Springs house: “Alan & I stood a foot away from the TV set watching our house disappear, and then to add insult to injury, my jaguar blew up.” And a quote from Alan: “I thought about the personal things that burned and missed nothing aside from the Tom Ford leather jackets designed at Gucci.” Insert eye roll.
I also just don’t believe all of her ‘divine intervention’ moments throughout the book where everything was dark & going wrong & then she’d ‘hear a voice’ through the silence telling her some prophetic words that would break through to her to “make a positive out of a negative” & she calls it, but I call it using minor tragedies in most normal peoples lives & calling them major tragedies that she overcame in hers ... to write books & perform shows about & make millions of dollars off of.
I do have to hand it to her & her husband - they have managed to somehow keep her relevant outside of acting & HSN appearances without actually being a musician, yet having a Vegas show. Not really being an author, but writing nearly 30 books, mostly on medical information that I don’t think she’s actually at all qualified to give, but they sell & Dr. Oz has her on his show, so I guess it works out.
They are unbelievably impressive entrepreneurs. They’ve made every crazy idea they could possibly come up with work to make a profit for them. With Alan pulling the strings to make the deals, Suzanne’s literally pretty much done it all.
Like I said, as brutally harsh as I am and feel in this review, the book did have some parts of merit even to me, and that’s why it earned itself 2 stars. But overall? I went in wanting to read more of her books. I’m walking away thinking I’ve read enough.
That being said, I knew even less about her husband, Alan Hamel, although I understand he’s a very big deal in Canada, haha!
Sooo I felt coming from that perspective, I came in with a perfectly open mind & zero bias. I heard them on a morning television program promoting the book & the idea of a 50+ year romance in the world of Hollywood being together literally 24/7 & yet still being so deeply in love & so strongly physically attracted to each other fascinated me. I was pretty excited to read this book. I love a good (REAL) love story!
A couple of problems revealed themselves to me very early on.
Something about how Suzanne’s personality comes off in the book bugs me. Like a preppy, better than everyone else attitude. I mean, she thanks her therapists (plural) in the opening dedication. She acts like she’s always happy & chooses to live this perfectly healthy in every aspect life - yet she spends a lot of the book blaming everyone else for so many horrible troubles & struggles throughout her life.
Alan comes off as kind of a pig / peeve & Suzanne comes off as someone ditzy & infatuated enough to go along with it. Case in point, they promoted the book on Megyn Kelly’s program & Suzanne laughed talking about how sometimes Alan has sex with her when Suzanne’s not even awake. She said they found out that’s illegal in Canada & he’d be arrested there. She laughed @ this whole story & he said that it’s “fine with him” if she’s not awake. I’m sorry. That’s creepy. I don’t care if you are married. To each their own...
Then there’s the story about how they met. She was working as a model on a game show that he was hosting. He walked up to her & asked her to get him coffee. He’s still married @ the time. He invites her to have their 1st date in his hotel room. Greets her by telling her to take off her shoes (Japanese custom). Psychedelic. He gave her her first pot. Got her drunk. Screwed her. Seemed like he took advantage of her. My Negative Nancy point of view? Sounds like the set up for date rape.
Date #2, in her own writing: “He didn’t ask me, he TOLD me to meet him at his hotel.” Date #2 in his own writing: “Frankly, I ordered champagne & dessert so we could get out of there. All I could think of was getting naked again.”
I am ALL for the honeymoon phase! But their whirlwind romance just didn’t come off like that to me. I also didn’t like Suzanne’s tone of: “My father was a terrible alcoholic, yet I was drunk or high every single time I had sex with Alan when we first got together.”
The beginning of their romance just basically read like a trashy sex novel to me.
I DO congratulate & commend them on their unbelievably amazing sex drive & sex life this many years into their relationship - honestly, I do. I don’t think I’ve ever known or heard of anyone with as great a consistent sex life as these two. I think that there are only AMAZING things & absolutely nothing better - physical health wise, emotional health wise, for the relationship, etc than having “crazy, wild” sex as often as you can with your life partner! But after a while when reading a book, you do get a little bit tired of hearing about it. It loses its passion & just turns redundant & into sounding like a trashy sex novel instead of a real life love story. The first several years of their courtship became SO predictable. Yes, we know. You ate amazing food, drank amazingly expensive alcohol & had amazingly wild sex. I think there’s really no need to explain to us how every date, every fight, every night spent together in your lives, you’ve had sex. We can just infer that after a while. haha!
And throughout the book, things both she said about him & Alan’s little inserts himself just really made him kind of come off as an ass.
At one point in the book, Suzanne implied that stress can give you cancer. “Anger & resentment build up and can make you feel sick. (I got cancer later in life. When did it begin? Just a thought...)”
Throughout the book, there WERE some good, 3 star parts, advice & oversight - but overall, especially towards the end, this was just an okay, 2 star book for me. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but overall, I think that I just don’t quite click in with Suzanne & Alan. They just come off as sort of fake, cheesy and full of themselves in/& how ‘perfectly they choose to live their lives despite the world being against them’ to me a lot of the time. He seems like an ass. She mostly just seems to have a very positive & uplifting attitude .... about constantly playing / being the victim. She also got repetitive about several subjects throughout the book.
Honestly, near the end of the book, she really started to annoy me. First with the fire story & then everyone poisoning her & conspiring against her in the medical & pharmaceutical world because she had so many #1 New York Times bestselling books speaking against them that lost them so much money. I’m sorry. I rolled my eyes. That just got ridiculous. I do feel for what she went through & desperately hope that her theories are incorrect. But the fact that she went around to doctors who helped her write her books to test her hair & prove all of her conspiracy theories that these medical professionals would all band together to actually try to kill her & take her down & that she had to be in therapy for over a year afterwards because of the PTSD she suffered? Give me a break. Diva syndrome.
Speaking of diva syndrome. Here’s a few gem quotes about their Malibu home burning down the day they went to their Palm Springs house: “Alan & I stood a foot away from the TV set watching our house disappear, and then to add insult to injury, my jaguar blew up.” And a quote from Alan: “I thought about the personal things that burned and missed nothing aside from the Tom Ford leather jackets designed at Gucci.” Insert eye roll.
I also just don’t believe all of her ‘divine intervention’ moments throughout the book where everything was dark & going wrong & then she’d ‘hear a voice’ through the silence telling her some prophetic words that would break through to her to “make a positive out of a negative” & she calls it, but I call it using minor tragedies in most normal peoples lives & calling them major tragedies that she overcame in hers ... to write books & perform shows about & make millions of dollars off of.
I do have to hand it to her & her husband - they have managed to somehow keep her relevant outside of acting & HSN appearances without actually being a musician, yet having a Vegas show. Not really being an author, but writing nearly 30 books, mostly on medical information that I don’t think she’s actually at all qualified to give, but they sell & Dr. Oz has her on his show, so I guess it works out.
They are unbelievably impressive entrepreneurs. They’ve made every crazy idea they could possibly come up with work to make a profit for them. With Alan pulling the strings to make the deals, Suzanne’s literally pretty much done it all.
Like I said, as brutally harsh as I am and feel in this review, the book did have some parts of merit even to me, and that’s why it earned itself 2 stars. But overall? I went in wanting to read more of her books. I’m walking away thinking I’ve read enough.
January 16, 2018
I just finished Suzanne’s book discussing her life's lessons. A locally born actress, I have followed since her early days at KGO TV in San Francisco.
Her story is of a woman who worked her butt off, overcoming many obstacles along the way. And even though she was fired from “Two’s Company,” she kept her wits and endured, making a career adjustment by becoming one of top attractions in Las Vegas. Her life lessons are astounding. Even though she got fired/rejected, she kept her wits about her life, all the while being deeply in love with “her man.” He, in turn, always wanted what was best for his wife! Together they continue work to not only to blend their families, but also blend their careers by spending 24/7 together. That in itself is an accomplishment!
Her story is of a woman who worked her butt off, overcoming many obstacles along the way. And even though she was fired from “Two’s Company,” she kept her wits and endured, making a career adjustment by becoming one of top attractions in Las Vegas. Her life lessons are astounding. Even though she got fired/rejected, she kept her wits about her life, all the while being deeply in love with “her man.” He, in turn, always wanted what was best for his wife! Together they continue work to not only to blend their families, but also blend their careers by spending 24/7 together. That in itself is an accomplishment!
May 17, 2018
I feel very grateful that I won this amazing book from a goodreads giveaway. Suzanne Somers is truly an inspiration. I think there are parts of her story that anyone could relate to. Everything from her abusive childhood, to her wonderful marriage, to her health battles, to life's tragedies. But through all of it, she bounced back and kept on being fabulous! I think everyone should read this book and read her other books as well. Suzanne Somers is an amazing woman and I am glad she put her story out there for us to read.
November 9, 2021
DNF. I usually don't rate books I don't finish but I read enuf to know it's awful. I picked it up from a freebie pile and being a Threee's Company fan from back in the day, gave it a shot. Big mistake-the more I read, the more I disliked her.
January 22, 2025
I liked this book. I read it after she had passed. She did a wonderful job of letting the reader into her life. Her battle with breast cancer was devastating, especially knowing in the end it would take her.
She was a talented lady, I wasn’t aware of that. She did work so hard. I loved the relationship with her husband. She didn’t romanticize it and shared their ups and downs
She was a talented lady, I wasn’t aware of that. She did work so hard. I loved the relationship with her husband. She didn’t romanticize it and shared their ups and downs
December 18, 2017
Suzanne Somers did a wonderful job in writing this book. It was a pleasure to read and took me through all kinds of emotions. Having followed Ms. Somers for so many years made this even more fun to read. I would recommend everyone read this as there are many nice life lessons to be found in her "50 Year Romance with Lessons Learned in Love, Life and Business". Thanks Ms. Somers! I won this great book on GoodReads and like I do with most my wins I will be paying it forward by giving my win either to a friend or library to enjoy.
April 11, 2018
I admit to always having admired her tenacity and independent spirit, whether it was in her dealings in entertainment or leading the cause of alternative and holistic medicine, but I wasn't sure what to expect from this read. I have read a few of her other books, which have included stories and anecdotes regarding her Three's Company years and her relationship with her husband, but this book digs deeper into areas with which I was wholly unfamiliar.
This is a light and quick read, but is full of insights into what has helped her succeed over the past 50 years, both professionally and personally. While a charmed life it appears from the outside, this book shows the struggles that are always behind the curtain that Hollywood typically does not prefer to reveal. Kudos to Ms. Somers for her honesty and bravery, those things that have endeared her to so many for the last four decades.
This is a light and quick read, but is full of insights into what has helped her succeed over the past 50 years, both professionally and personally. While a charmed life it appears from the outside, this book shows the struggles that are always behind the curtain that Hollywood typically does not prefer to reveal. Kudos to Ms. Somers for her honesty and bravery, those things that have endeared her to so many for the last four decades.
April 29, 2020
What a wonderful book. Suzanne Somers has had such a fascinating career and life. She is a very experienced writer and it definitely shows in this book. It was such a smooth read with Alan Hamel interjecting on some of the chapters. She explains how she turns negative things that have happened in her life into positives. She is very inspiring and I can't wait to see what she does next.
February 10, 2021
I have followed Suzanne Somers ever since I received her book of poetry for my college graduation. I love books about strong women. She overcame many obstacles from having an abusive alcoholic father to a teenage pregnancy and marriage. She is most famous for her role as Chrissy Snow on Three's Company. She was fired from the show when she wanted similar pay as her co-stars. But she turned this around and she and her husband started their own company. This is also the story of her long term romance with her husband Alan Hammel. I didn't want this book to end.
July 5, 2021
A surprising story of a popular and successful actress we all know or have heard of and whose success in several fields is a great tale or perseverance, luck, and pluck. Suzanne Somers tells her story truthfully and without any censorship of the parts of her life that might trouble or embarrass another without the moxie of this talented woman. The book is a page-turner and keeps you engaged and rooting for her all along the way. It is over too soon.
Looking for an inspiring story? This is it!
Looking for an inspiring story? This is it!
November 28, 2017
Suzanne Somers is a prolific writer, however she expresses herself well. This glimpse into her life was entertaining, informative and educational.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
December 5, 2017
Loved her as Chrissy
This was long and in the end boring, but all of it was publicity perfected.
I am not sure why I bought this.
She is still Chrissy and I still love Three's Company, and am truly glad she is happy, but I should have borrowed this one,
This was long and in the end boring, but all of it was publicity perfected.
I am not sure why I bought this.
She is still Chrissy and I still love Three's Company, and am truly glad she is happy, but I should have borrowed this one,
February 2, 2018
My first Suzanne Somers book. Very impressed with her as a person, and with the dedication between she and Alan Hamel (who I recall mostly from Razzle Dazzle). Learned so much about her that I had no idea about. Good book, interesting, even though there is a lot of repetition. Inspiring.
February 5, 2018
I was NOT impressed with this book. I think you should keeping your "dirty laundry" to yourself & NOT air it for everyone to read. I felt like both Ms Somers and her husband wants the world to evolve around them. But otherwise the writing was good.
May 20, 2018
Something can be learned
I was surprised I liked this book as much as I did. Suzanne is certainly a very strong woman and very intelligent also.
This book is a love story between Suzanne and Alan.
I was surprised I liked this book as much as I did. Suzanne is certainly a very strong woman and very intelligent also.
This book is a love story between Suzanne and Alan.
August 3, 2021
An entire chapter about how a group of pharmaceutical reps poisoned her in a hotel bar to stop her from espousing the benefits of bioidentical hormones. Your faves could never. A true star and legend.
January 9, 2018
Great book
February 5, 2018
I found out some stuff about Suzanne Somers. The writing was great. In a way that I could understand.
April 19, 2018
Authentic. "It's not who you are, it's not what you do, it's not what you have; it's only about who you love and who loves you."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2018
I loved it. If you're a fan of her or Three's Company, it's well worth your time.
July 8, 2018
A quick easy read
August 29, 2018
I enjoyed reading about Suzanne and her husbands relationship. Good book.
December 8, 2018
Love Suzanne
A lifelong fan of Suzanne Somers....I find her honest, loving and wise. Easy read. Enjoyed the insight from Alan. Great team!
A lifelong fan of Suzanne Somers....I find her honest, loving and wise. Easy read. Enjoyed the insight from Alan. Great team!
January 12, 2019
This is an entertaining book with lots of valid relationship reminders; plus, love Suzanne's healthy attitude toward change, challenges, hurtful feedback, and self care.
July 27, 2019
Suzanne Somers is incredibly strong. I learned so much from this book and look forward to reading more of her books. She is very inspiring.
January 27, 2024
Read in a day and a half…very interesting! Sometimes shocking, sometimes eye rolling, sometimes inspirational, but you can’t say she didn’t lead a fascinating life
May 20, 2024
This made me believe even stronger the fact that there are always two sides to a story.
May 30, 2024
3.5 stars. Good book. A lot of great lessons and quotes. I just have a problem with the editing of the book. Other than that it is romantic, and I cried a handful of times throughout.
February 3, 2024
i didn't know anything about her practically until she died. She led an interesting life! Pictures are great.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews