I don't read Contemporary books very often, but this book sounded like so much fun that I decided to request it on Netgalley. This was a light and fast paced read and I do believe this is a great debut for Autumn Chiklis.

Pros
Social Media: What was different about this book, is that Social Media was involved a lot. Instagram posts and Online Messaging were a big part of this book and that was so much fun to read! It made the story come alive a bit more and it's also something you don't see very often.
Writing style: I love it. The sarcasm is really the type of humour I love. That's also a big reason I was able to get into this book so easily. It just speaks to me and makes me laugh and it makes it light hearted. I think a lot of people who understand sarcasm and have this quirky type of humor, would love this book.
Easy to read: I flew through. I read this while I was a bit sick while traveling in China, and I rushed through the book, even though I slept a lot and was doing activities if I felt better. The book didn't take any work for me to finish.
Always something going on: This book is never dull and I never felt like the book was slow or I wanted something to happen. Something was going on at all times and it made me rush through.

Cons
Over the top: The story is sometimes so over the top. Especially Lou's mom is a bit unbelievable at some point for me. Also some of the things that happen make it feel like it's all just a bit too much. I think the story would still be a lot of fun to read if it wasn't all that much.
End of chapter: At the end of the chapter you get a list with little stars (*) where Lou tells you a bit more about a specific topic. I wasn't able to read it on Kindle because I had to keep going forth and back and the chapters weren't that long, but it took away some of the fun. I didn't even know what the stars were about when I was at the end of a chapter. It works better like that in a physical book, maybe put the explanation in a smaller font on the same page of you read this as an Ebook.
Lou's Character: She is fun and big hearted and so, so sarcastic, but towards the end of the book she annoyed me. She is whining and complaining all the time, but she doesn't really change anything about her life. It felt a bit like she was waiting for the best job ever to magically appear. I would always take action if I'm not happy about something in my life and she avoids that as much as possible.

Overall
Light hearted, but still a book with a message behind it. A book about finding yourself in this big, big grown up world. The sarcasm is there, you can rush through easily and I do believe this is a good debut for Autumn Chiklis. I would definitely read something else by her.

Can you actually hate fictional characters? This girl got on my last nerve. I really just wanted to slap her and tell her to grow up. All she did was whine and she cared for no one but herself. After 70% I just started skimming. Basically the story is about a college graduate who is living at home and hates her life because she has no job, no friends and she’s embarrassed of her boyfriend. She says she’s not but she is! Anyways, so what does she do to remedy all these situations? She whines and then whines some more. End of story.

My first impressions were that this would be a cute and quick read. It didn’t disappoint.
This book reminds me of how chick-lit used to be in the early 2000s with main characters that made not-so-smart decisions that led to hilarious situations. This is purely a summer fling type of book; not to be taken seriously at all.

Fun new author!

I really enjoyed this tale and found myself laughing at the dialogue and shenanigans in the mother-daughter dynamic. I great light easy read sure to be enjoyed by many. I will be recommending this book to all I know! I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I loved the way the story was told, with journal entries, texts and emails giving up glimpses into Lou's life. Although Lou's problems were just a teensy bit unrelatable (oh, poor baby, your mommy signed you up for $30 cycling class and you don't want to go?), she was so earnest and funny that I couldn't help but like her.

Lou has just graduated summa cum laude from college and is living at home with her over-smothering, self-absorbed mother and workaholic father. It is slightly amusing, but frustrating. The mother is infuriating and Lou is reluctant to confront her. The format is also somewhat off-putting.

Shallow characters, shallow plot, (what plot?) and a book that didn't hold my interest. Perhaps my own experience of my son moving home has colored my thinking, but I didn't care for this book. Onward and upward! Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy.

I was drawn to this book as a milennial who graduated from college without a job, and felt the dread and failure of moving back home with my parents without any prospects. I have to say, that's pretty much where my post-grad similarities with the main character Lou end. While I moved back to suburbia and actively searched for anything that interested me, Lou moves back to her parent's Southern California mansion where her mother is thrilled she is back home so they can get pedis and go to spin class together. Lou says she wants to find a job, but spends most of her time lamenting that she doesn't have a job, not really doing anything to get herself one.

The format of this book was different and interesting- it is a mix of Lou writing in her journal, text messages, and social media posts. There were also some funny parts due to the absurdidty of her family situation. Smothered makes for a better satirical look at life after college than a realistic one that many have encountered.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Highly-entertaining, and a relatable glance into the anxieties of a post-grad existence when things haven't gotten fully mapped out quite yet. Add in some love/hate family dynamics and a loving boyfriend who protagonist, Lou, is worried is a little too school/geeky/perfect for cool as gaining familial (read: maternal) acceptance goes, and you've got an unsure gal who's ready to explore her options - and occasionally evade them - with wit, clumsiness, some self-absorption, but all in all a hopeful heart.

As I was reading it I didn't think I was enjoying the book. But then I realized how much I was laughing at the dialogue and the characters and when I was done I finished with a smile on my face. This book was a great summer read, perfect for the pool or beach. I love that it is a new adult novel that is about the transition after college and living at home as a result.

2.5

I really wanted to like this, but parts of it really fell flat. The unconventional storytelling using normal prose, emails, text messages, receipts, job applications, and social media posts was fun! The themes of the post-college mother-daughter bonds are usually ones that I enjoy. The parts I had a hard time with were the unbelievable dialogue and character of Mama Shell, Lou's mother. That said, Smothered does an admirable job of chronicling the year in the life of Lou, a post graduate, who is living back at home after college.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for the honest review (thank you!).

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy Smothered by the description alone, it's not my usual go-to. While I found Lou and the bulk of her problems completely unrelatable, the humor was tops. I found myself laughing along continuously. The book at times seemed to try too hard to be The Devil Wears Prada or Bridget Jones, but the comedic voice saved it, truly.

The author has a real skill for humor which can only get better with each new story. While I wasn't a real fan of the particular story in Smothered, I will absolutely check out the author's next book as she finds her footing, just for the potential she has.

Lou just graduated from Columbia and has to go home to her parents’ in California to find a job. But turns out, after tasting freedom, being back home with her overbearing mother is hard.

I’m not sure what to say about this. I can’t even start by criticizing the plot because there was none.
I was mostly bored through the whole thing. I didn’t like the characters so I wasn’t even a little bit invested. I just read it as fast as possible so that I could start something else.
I mean I really disliked the main character and found her very very stupid while every character in the book, including herself, kept telling me how smart she was.
I really couldn’t get into the story and felt no empathy for the main liar of this thing…
At least, I liked that we had some snippets of facebook, texts, emails, etc… That made the book more interesting.

It's been quite a while since I read a book that kept me shaking with laughter like this one did. So many details like the obsessions with social media and reality tv really made the story feel up-to-date. Lou's mother, Mama Shell, was a bit over the top, but that's what made the story extra funny. As the mother of two adult daughters, I found it easy to relate to this story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review it.

This is the perfect light and engaging summer read! The author did a great job of developing well developed characters and a plot that is realistic and interesting. This is definitely one to enjoy this summer!

Smothered by Autumn Chiklis is the story of trying to find oneself and become an adult. Eloise Laurent Hansen, Lou, has just graduated from Columbia at top of her class. Now what? She moves home to California to start looking for a job and truly begin her adult life. Her boyfriend, Theo, finds his career start in California so they are separated for long. Problem is her overbearing, smothering mother. She keeps Theo a secret from her family and has to make up stories about where she is going. How will the family find out? Will it destroy her family relationship or her relationship with Theo? Will she ever get a job?
I did not care for this story at all. Mama Shell, Lou’s mother, is way over the top as a helicopter mom. She is extremely smothering to the point of seemingly not being able to accomplish anything on her own. Lou and the rest of the family seem weak and do not stand up for themselves which seems to feed her smothering of all of them. None of the characters really drew me into the story; they were all very shallow and self-centered. I believe this story may appeal to the 20-30-year-old audience but not to me. I give it 3 of 5 stars. The writing fine though the characters could be more developed; there were no errors noted.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book is told in various formats and is probably a great read for New Adults, but to this Gen X-er, it was laborious just getting through the first chapter. And I found it difficult to care about a narrator who comes accross as selfish and entitled. This was a 'did not finish' for me.

Unfortunately, I think I am just past the age group that this book is written for. I struggled to get into this. I read a lot of YA fiction, but this one was hard to get through. I liked the different elements the book used to tell the story, but I didn't find a lot of it memorable. Lou is an alright character, but I rolled my eyes all the time at her mom.

Thanks for the advanced read!

This book is fantastic. It's laugh out loud funny (primarily due to Lou, but really, her whole family is perfection) and it's insanely relatable.  

This book is for everyone who struggled after college or who feels like everyone else has their life completely together and why didn't we get that memo, too? (So, in short, for everyone.)

The biggest achievement, though, is the way that these characters transcend tropes. It would be so easy to make Lou or her mom laughingstocks. (Her mom, especially, is a larger than life character, but she doesn't feel campy at all.) It's impossible not to love these people.

I have hopes for companion novels from Lou's sister Val and definitely from their mom. I am not ready to leave the Hansens behind. (Please don't make me.)

OMG this book was hilarious!!!! Autumn Chiklis does an amazing job keeping me entertained from start to finish. I loved this book!!!
“Lou” is graduating Summa Cum Laude from Columbia. With no job and no money she is forced to move back into her old room. OMG let me just tell you about Mama Shell!!!! I love her to pieces! And let me just you there is NOTHING wrong with being a smother! Yes I would totally call myself a smother! So I see nothing wrong with the fact that Mama Shell wanting to keep her “baby” home as long as she can!
Smothered is a MUST READ! Like I said before Autumn Chiklis will have your crying from laughing so hard! I feel like this book also has a lot of heart too! One of my 2018 favs!!!!