Real Life, Real Love: Life Lessons on Joy, Pain & the Magic That Holds Us Together

by DJ Envy, Gia Casey

Advice on how to have healthy, dynamic relationships from Raashaun (DJ Envy) and Gia Casey, revealing their secrets to navigating marriage, family, and faithGia and Raashaun Casey met when they were two teenagers attending the same high school in Queens. They have been together for an astounding 27 years and married for 20. They have remained together through Raashaun's growing celebrity, a devastating (and very public) cheating scandal, and the births of six children. Now, more than a quarter of a century into their relationship, they are stronger and more committed to each other than they’ve ever been, and their fans are clamoring to know how they did it.

In Real Life, Real Love, Gia and Raashaun explore the entire chronology of their love story with remarkable vulnerability, searing honesty, and a lot of humor. It’s a riveting narrative about how to grow together, an aspirational guidebook for people who seek the same unconditional love in their relationships, and an in-depth look at how to remain equals after being thrust into the public eye.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Relationships

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 19, 2022

Reviews

[Book Reviews by Tara aka Queen of Memoirs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real Life, Real Love: Life Lessons on Joy, Pain & the Magic That Holds Us Together by Raashaun “DJ Envy” and Gia Casey is a great read. It’s raw, authentic and filled with some very good stories.
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Let me start by saying the Dedications in the beginning of the book are absolutely beautiful! Very touching! Envy’s dedication is written to Gia. In it, he profess his love for her in the most beautifully poetic way. While Gia’s dedication is written to her mother who unexpectedly succumbed to Alzheimer’s in 2021. I felt the love she has for her mother as I read each word. I knew after reading the dedications that I was going to enjoy this book.
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And I was right!

Gia and Envy did a great job of turning their life experiences into learning tools for the reader. The stories they share are Juicy with a capital J! No topic was off limits. Envy and Gia have been together for 27 years, and married for 20 years.


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One of the most authentic moments in the book is when they each share their experience in dealing with DJ Envy’s highly publicized affair. Reading each person’s perspective was absorbing yet unexpectedly enlightening. This was my favorite portion of the book.


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Faith is discussed a lot. And that is because Envy and Gia rebuild their broken relationship on a new found spiritual foundation. They make it very clear that without God, their marriage would have surely ended after Envy’s affair.

Parenting is another major topic in the book. With six children who they have affectionately named "The Casey Crew" Envy and Gia have valuable information for parents. They provide good tips for parents navigating parenthood in this crazy, unpredictable world.
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I think this is a good book for couples that have found themselves in an unhealthy place. Gia and Envy’s story provides hope that things can get better. They talk about relatable problems and real issues. I’m talking about the type of issues that most couples only share in counseling sessions. But they are open enough to share it with us! I applaud their vulnerability.
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Other major themes they write about are mental health, colorism, generational wealth, death, black love, insecurity and friendship. Envy even writes about his attempt at committing suicide.


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Overall, I’m so glad I read this book. I think it's the perfect example of edutainment, the perfect balance of education and entertainment.
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Thank you Abrams Books for gifting me an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the journey.
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[LiteraryMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

RaaShaun "DJ Envy" and Gia Casey have been together for 27 years (married for 20). They've been through growing celebrity, a public cheating scandal, a miscarriage and birth of six children. In Real Life, Real Love they explore the chronology of their romance, answer questions from fans and provide a guidebook with valuable tools for relationships. It appears that nothing is off limits and everything is laid on the table for us readers to understand their love and learn from it.

I am a daily listener of The Breakfast Club on my morning commute. Over the years, I heard tidbits of DJ Envy's relationship with Gia. He speaks with pride about his marriage and children. But not until this book did I realize the extent of their love. I praise them for being transparent about the early stages of their relationship, infidelity, career, challenges and rewards of parenting. The life lessons were abound and shared. This might be the closest we get to a cheat code, y'all.

Don't think of Real Life, Real Love as an entertainment love story. Don't even think of it as a memoir. I put it in the category of "Black Love For Real." The overall themes are faith and restoration. It is for every reader no matter your relationship status: single, engaged, married, divorced, dating or complicated. It was very interesting to read about the evolution of their lives from the age of 15 to present. Hopefully their lessons are music to our ears.

Happy Pub Day, DJ Envy and Gia! Real Life, Real Love is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

~LiteraryMarie

[Richard Bankey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the for the book. Well written, not my cup of tea.
Stacey Bankey

[Saba Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful book but some parts not so much

If you’re a fan of the podcast you’ll enjoy this! My only issue was I feel like so much was dedicated to the cheating part. I would have liked to hear more about parenthood and how they manage having so many kids. Also there was a lot of filler from random people writing about how great the Casey’s are. Beautiful words but it took up space that could have been for other things or more specifics in the later chapters.

[Kea4 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no idea who DJ Envy was. But this seems like a nice couple who keeps the story real. I liked their honest talk about family, religion, and whatnot. The sex questions ok yeah sure. Why that’s brought up I have no idea. Maybe because of their podcast. It was a back and forth the entire book.

I did feel at times that there was filler in this story. For example I didn’t need to hear from others how great they are.


Yes, there’s talk about cheating but I would like to have seen the hardships of raising such a large family.

Congratulations on the baby the way.

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Joy Rosales]

DNF @ 8%
I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Right away I could tell this book wasn’t for me. When Gia describes that the moment she knew RaaShaun was “the one” was when he three way called her and the other guy she was seeing at the time and gave her an ultimatum to choose between them. Keep in mind they were teenagers at the time. That is red flag and it’s another red flag that she saw it as a green flag.
I also didn’t know how relay this book was and that is just another reason it isn’t for me.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this book really sends the wrong message. RaaShaun and Gia did not have a healthy relationship/marriage before RaaShaun's affair, and that is really under-examined in this book. I'm afraid that it will convince people (especially women) to stay in bad relationships in the hopes that they can one day get better, instead of paying attention to themselves and their unhappiness. I wish it had delved more into attachment styles and the motivations of abusive behavior; RaaShaun was severely anxiously attached to Gia and often tried to police her behavior to assuage his insecurities. He needed a wake up call and support that he did not get until decades later, and Gia kept being devoted to him despite his mistreatment of her. Women are often taught to prioritize others' feelings (especially men's), and this book plays right into that by showing one example where "it all worked out in the end". If your marriage or relationship is on the rocks, please seek support somewhere other than this book - especially if you don't have multiple friends that will convince your spouse that God wants you to stay together.

[Susanna Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Envy’s dedication to Gia was beautifully written. I was expecting Gia‘s dedication to be, if not 100%, at least 50% dedicated to Envy. That was a tad disappointing to me.

Gia’s recount of their early lives is quite refreshing and enlightening. Transparent, even. She highlights Envy’s insecurities in neon lights. That’s the best way I can describe it. And, it left me scratching my head.

As a man, husband and father, Envy’s admission of his wrongdoings and how he’s matured is welcoming.

Together, they present a united front on their journey in this marriage and this thing we call ‘life’. Having experienced the negative side of their marriage both publicly and privately, and after having rebounded in an organic and holistic way, makes me appreciate their journey even more.

Envy’s response to Gia after she was attacked when she was 15 brought me to tears. I was hoping she’d mention her attacker’s name. The lessons she learned from this attack proved to be a valuable and effective tool for how it shaped her enhanced her beliefs and behavior toward life.

Envy’s contribution is insightful, articulate and informative…a completely different side of him compared to his dialogue on The Breakfast Club.

Didn’t care for the third-party reflections. I skipped those.

Overall, the book is inspiring, invokes self reflection and is thought provoking.

They are a beautiful couple and have a beautiful family and I wish them nothing but the best.

[Melody Saleh · Rating 3 out of 5]

After listening to an interview, had great hopes for this book. While there is some good information here, I felt more than 70% was repetitive, just reworded. I also felt it was too religious. Had it been sold as how they’re relationship survived because of the belief, I would not have purchased it. I believe, wholeheartedly about a higher being, however, I wanted to find out what they, as a couple, did to help get past his infidelity and controlling issues.

The ‘Right Fighting’ hit home and was very helpful for me. I learned this in the interview; the book shed no other light on this.

I gave it 3-stars as there were golden tidbits scattered throughout. Had all the fluff been removed to a more concise read, and the mention of their relationship with God, and not preaching, it would have been 5.

If you’re guilty of ‘Right Fighting,’ I recommend this book … just skim through it to get to the good stuff.

[LeLe Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good and gets straight to the point. I like how Gia and DJ Envu switch out in this book. It is like a call-and-response book. They both give perspectives on the same story. I like how they discuss their marriage and the ups and downs. Gia and DJ Envy are honest about how they were when they were younger and how they evolved as they got older. Gia goes into depth about losing her mother and being pregnant. Grief is so real. And when it comes to experiencing grief in a marriage, that is a whole other thing. Spouses have to watch their loved ones go through so many changes because of grief.
DJ Envy discusses a lot of the mistakes he made and how he had to grow within himself and his wife.

This is a real look into the life of a married couple who fell in love at a young age, became famous at a young age, became parents, and then grew their family and legacy. I appreciate all the lessons they learned and shared with us.

[She_She reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am grateful to have received this ARC book. I was very excited to read it because I am a fan. I listen to the Breakfast Club daily at the start of my day and I appreciate the way Gia runs her family.

This book was exactly what I expected. Real talk on love, forgiveness, faith, family, and raising children. Lots of advice was given on how to stay strong throughout life’s storms and appreciate your life for your you are right now.

While I love them as a couple, some of the writing was repetitive. And while I appreciate the honesty, there are some things the reader didn’t need to know and there are some things that received a side eye (because nobody is that loving, forgiving, and patient). Still a good read. I appreciate the positivity and love between the couple, proving not all black love is forged in trauma.

[Lisa Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was interesting. This is not a book I would ever have picked out, just because I don't like books about the lives famous people. This was a Goodreads giveaway. I have to say, they are very down to earth people and it's nice to see. So many celebrities appear to be nuts. I'm not sure I could be as forgiving as Gia, but hopefully I won't have to find out. I love how the preach about the hard work of a relationship. It's sad that so many don't want to deal with things when it gets hard, but guess what, that's life in general.

One thing that disappointed me in the book is the editing. Sometimes the bottom of the page prior was repeated again on top of the subsequent page. Other times, you were missing part of a sentence. That was the only reason you lost a star.

[Aryanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy listening to the Breakfast Club & I follow both DJ Envy and his wife Gia on social media. I can relate to their love story from the perspective of dating your high school sweetheart and then later marrying them. I am currently 25 and engaged to my high school sweetheart. We’ve definitely had many ups and downs like any relationship, and I think being very young contributed to the immaturity and encounters we had early on. So, I was very excited to read this book. Overall, the book is ok. I felt as though it became repetitive. The beginning of the book was very enjoyable to read because I felt like I was getting to know Gia and DJ Envy on a more personal level. However, as the book went on, it didn’t feel personable anymore.

[Brooke B · Rating 1 out of 5]

It took me TWO YEARS to make it through this book. It was….not good for many reasons. I’m not sure if this is an autobiography, a relationship help book or what. If it’s just the story of their life then it is what it is. It’s not that well written but whatever. The book reads as Gia is extremely innocent and super goodie two shoes which comes of disingenuous. It reads as if she’s super self assured but she’s not, she stayed with someone who cheated on her and humiliated her then said God told her to stay (by way of Tyrese). Their relationship was definitely not healthy and I think they send a lot of the wrong messages.

The book made me cringe and they both feel toxic. I wanted to like it but it’s a hard no.

[Sharon Morris-addison · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a gift to so many couples

This book blessed me tremendously. It kept it real and honest and this is what most relationship books don’t offer. They were both so young and had so many issues just like other young couples but they push through it. So proud of them and so happy that they gave the public this gift. I am going to make this a marriage ministry required reading book for our church. I would like to honor this couple and form a nation wide group dedicated to growing wonderful families and enduring legacies. Thank you again Gia and DJ Envy. wishing you many more years of joy and happiness.

[Brittany Rosario · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually bought the hard copy paperback of this book, but listened to it via audiobook and it put me through a full therapy session and phase of review of my relationship and marriage. I’ve been feeling so confident after reading this book. It helped me appreciate and understand my spouse, revitalize my own boundaries and self respect, as well as, be excited for my parenthood journey ahead as my first child is only 14 months right now and we’re planning to have many more. This book made me cry, laugh and have tough conversations that actually led to solutions with my husband. Great read. Definitely recommend.

[Cordelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

OUTSTANDING

I am so happy for this couple. With God being the head of their life, everything else can not hurt them. We all have trial & tribulation, but we also have love & happiness. I really enjoyed your real story and thank you for sharing advise for others to reflex on. Your advise may not help everyone but it will help someone. May God continue to bless you both and your family.

[Gigisxm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one to listen to on audiobook. It was a good read. The couple gives a franc look at their highs and lows in marriage, the lessons learned and tools to help others via the Q&A at thr end of each chapter. They say away from the cheating scandal and suicide attempt. It was raw and vulnerable and beautiful.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

22/32 #goodreadsreadingchallenge

#bookreview #bookstagram #sxmbibliophile

[Cherish Lazarre · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person that listens to their podcast I would have given the book a high 3 since A LOT of the stories they told in this book have been told on the podcast. For someone that has never listened to them it will be a 4 since they do provide gems.

[Anita White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book via audiobook but I’m definitely going to buy me a copy for the question and answer’s. This book reads do give you insight on how to correct your own issues in your relationship.

[ZaKiyyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because I love them. However it wasn’t anything new in it. If you follow them and listen to the podcast, it’s literally just everything they’ve been telling us for years, put into a book. Nothing new to me.

[Rachel Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real Life, Real Love focuses on DJ Envy's and Gia's marriage and family. I really enjoyed the family/parenting sections. If you listen to their podcast much of this information you may already know.

[Najay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook and it’s definitely Repetitive. Listening to their podcast “The Casey Crew” I’ve heard the stories they tell countless times. Gia is really an amazing story teller and orator (hence, her communication degree) and would be great at writing solo works.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Authentic and transparent! The title is a great description of the gems and advice inside .

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful love story. Thanks for sharing your story. I really enjoyed....

[Michele Delgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. They didn’t go deep enough and they were very repetitive. I also couldn’t get past the fact that they never addressed Envy’s emotional abuse. Like call a spade, a spade.

[Alexis Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the level of communication Gia and Envy has is beautiful. This book shares a beautiful story about faith,goals , temptation, family, REAL LIFE & REAL LOVE !!!!

[Madlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

They have a personal love story..it’s not something so extraordinary that would make an impact in my life.

[Anece Tibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent read. As someone who has not been married there was a lot of great insight. This was a great read.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t enjoy a little inside scoop of a celebrity relationship that is real and doesn’t hold back from the difficult stories