Member Reviews
I love seeing mental health issues, in particular, anxiety represented in stories. Parts of this were hilarious and overall I really enjoyed it.
I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A quirky yet irresrible read. Agatha is definitely a unique heroine who is at times hilarious, infuriating and heartbreakingly sweet. The writing is good and sharp with a quick pace. The reader is immediately drawn in and engaged. There are a lot of sterotyocal Karen moments and tongue in cheek moments. I particularly enjoyed the Mom group chat extracts as well as seeing Agatha develop and grow through the book.
However, the were questionable moments such as the interloper story line which was quite outfield and made me question the story and whether to continue. Also the formatting was quite badly done especially in the group chat sections which made it difficult to read.
On the whole, a good read.
Love her or hate her, you definitely can not ignore Agatha!
A very multi-faceted being, she chooses what face she needs to show to whom. One cannot fault her actions. Agatha Arch will definitely keep you hooked from start to finish.
A very very entertaining read.
This novel was well written. A unique and accessible story, I really enjoyed it. I also very much want to read the book the main character will hopefully write now that her fears are bit more in check and her life is hers to live.
Suburban New England Moms. A world of their own. From the Facebook Moms Group to the local gossip. Agatha Arch's life is thrown for a loop when she discovers her husband messing around with the local dog walker in their backyard shed. Agatha immediately loses it and hacks the shed apart with a hatchet. Agatha's life is suddenly changed and she finds herself needing to face her fears and she has A LOT of fears. For example, she is afraid of beans (beans!) after watching Silence of the Lambs. Agatha pretty much rubs the entire town the wrong way. She tries to work through her issues with her therapist, who she refers to as Shrinky Dink. She is continually causing drama on the local Moms Facebook Group. AND during all of this she is supposed to be writing a new novel.
This was a fun read and although Agatha is extremely anxious AND expresses it in a completely different way than I ever would, you can't help but root for her. I cringed at her behavior and choices a lot of the time, but through the course of the book, she learns to "come into her own". The Facebook Moms stuff was relatable. Those groups have plenty of drama! This is a good pick for fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
Laugh-out-loud funny; recommended of fans of Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go Bernadette. Agatha Arch is a woman in crisis after discovering her husbands infidelity in the backyard shed with the beautiful neighborhood dog- walker. While Agatha’s behavior is often cringe worthy, the reader can’t help but route for her. Sharp, witty dialog.
Agatha Arch is afraid of everything starts out with with Agatha finding her husband in the shed cheating on her with a neighbourhood dog Walker. After that things change for Agatha. Quirky is definitely how I would describe this book and Agatha herself. While there were parts of the story I did enjoy and could relate too a lot of it I found to be a little too silly and unrealistic.
Overall it was just an okay read for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for providing me with this free ebook in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I didn't finish this book. I really wanted to like it because it seemed in the vein of Eleanor Oliphant, but it seemed TOO derivative and I couldn't get on board with her behavior.
This book really felt hastily thrown together. It was all over the place and I couldn't understand or like the main character. She as scattered and annoying. I felt bad for the people around her.
Oh, Agatha!!! She's so pitiful I don't know if I'm laughing with her or AT her! You won't believe all the things she's afraid of (she's afraid of so many things somtimes she even forgets a few of them)!! Between losing her husband to a dog walker, talking things out with "Shrinky Dink", and trying to salvage her writing career, she is just a hot mess who might just be more like you and me than we care to believe! So funny and relatable, this book is a must read when you are feeling down and out...you can always say to yourself, "at least I'm not Agatha Arch"!!!
An extremely entertaining book. I would love to read more by this author.
Agatha Arch Is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Bair O'Keeffe is a book I was unable to finish. I really wanted to like this book, but Agatha was so depressing, I just couldn't read any more. Maybe at a different time, I would have enjoyed it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and fan of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, I adored this book- it was hilariously funny and also incredibly poignant. Agatha was a complex character but one it was easy to root for. I’ll be gifting copies to several people this year!
Agatha Arch is my spirit animal!!!!! I'm in a similar life place right now and Agatha's journey has made me look within to break out of the comfortable box where I've spent 24 years. You still won't see me within 20 feet of a snake though!!
If you're looking for a laugh out loud, super hilarious and quirky read, look no further than Agatha Arch is Afraid of everything. And when they say she is afraid of everything, this means odd things like beans (which I thought was a little too off the wall), but hey ... we all have weird things we don't like either!
The reason for the low rating? This book was monotonous. There is only so many ways someone can spy on a cheating spouse before it gets to be old. Also, while I appreciate her trying to fight for her marriage, her character became super frustrating, weak and unfortunately annoying.
I give O'Keeffe for writing a funny book which could be relatable to some, but I wanted more character development from her.
I really wanted to like this book but I couldn't get myself to do it. It took me a long while to understand why I was getting so frustrated with it and why it just never sat well with me but I think I finally got it.
This book is about Agatha Arch, who finds her husband having sex with the dog walked in the first pages of the story. He then moves out and Agatha's life starts unwinding. The facebook group of the local Mom's group is front and center in the story as Agatha tries to figure out what's happening to her life and how she can deal with it.
The thing is, she choses irony and sarcasm while she's displaying all the signs of despair and sorrow. And I totally get that this was the author's choice and it's absolutely how many people respond to such life situations but I could not connect to it at all. And connecting to Agatha or at least feeling empathy, I think, is crucial to the success of this book since it's all about her journey.
There are many funny parts in the book and if irony and sarcasm are your thing, you might love this book.
with gratitude to netgalley and Alcove Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
After Agatha finds her husband and the dog walker together in the garden shed (and proceeds to destroy the shed with a hatchet, her life spirals somewhat out of control, especially regarding her many fears (beans being the worst) and her interactions with the local moms group online. I thought it was funny and at times touching. Agatha was a mess, yet lovable in her own disastrous, skunk-smelling, husband-stalking way. Four stars.
I loved Agatha Arch from the opening pages. So well written characters that come alive.Agatha is a woman’s whose afraid of everything I immediately I felt empathy for her att he same time you cheer her on to gain her inner strength.Hollywood should be calling a movie or tv series would be must see.#netgalley .#alcovepress
Agatha Arch is afraid of everything.. and by everything I mean -everything.- From small things like germs and beans (yes.. beans) to big things like serial killers.
We meet Agatha when she steps outside to find her husband and the local dogwalker hiding away in their shed. She's so caught off guard she loses it with a hatchet so she soon has only the rubbish pieces of her marriage, and the shed, left in its wake.
Most of the book follows Agatha as she proceeds in life. She addresses her fears, she is caught off guard by relationships, and she's pretty funny. Armed with her "spy pants" with pockets full of every must-have knick-knack she's ready to take on the world and make sure everyone knows everything she does.
It has a very similar vibe to Where'd You Go, Bernadette, in that it makes fun of the local social circles. Does anyone else have a neighborhood Facebook page full of too bored people who live on their phones and with their nose in everyone else's business?) Her "12 days of Mom Page" is a fun addition, especially if your neighborhood has a page just the same.
I really did find a lot to laugh at because it was so very relevant today. In addition to the humor, it really did have a good message as she learns how much inner strength she has and to face the world.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for both an electronic copy to read and one to listen to.
I switched back and forth between the two copies depending on the time that I was reading. The audiobook is awesome - the narrator reads the books just like I would - excellent expression, particularly with Agatha and Edward. I switched to the text copy anytime there was any mention on a social media conversation - emojis just don't transfer well to audio (although the narrator did a good job of including them). If you are looking for a funny book in the vein of 'Where'd You Go Burnadette" pick up this one. You will not be disappointed with Agatha Arch.
What would you do if you happened upon your husband fooling around in your toolshed with the local dog walker? Agatha Arch completely lost it. so much so, that she chased them out and with a hatchet, tore apart the shed.
Before Agatha has a chance to blink, Dax, her husband, moves into G dog's (the dog walker's) house, and her boys, are spending a few days a week there, as well.
How is Agatha supposed to cope? She's afraid of EVERYTHING, but has managed to get by thanks to Dax. Now Dax is gone and is not coming back. Will she find a way? Between her local mom's Facebook group and, Shrinky Dink, her therapist, maybe she can dig deep and face her fears.
"Fears sharpen us."
"There are so many maybes in this world. How does one live with them all?"
"Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision." - Winston Churchill
"For in the end, freedom is a personal and lonely battle, and one faces down fears of today, so that those of tomorrow might be engaged." - Alice Waters.
I really enjoyed reading #agathaarchisafraidofeverything. It's funny but at the same time there is a lesson to be learned from Agatha - don't be afraid to face your fears! Thank you #netgalley and alcove press for the e-Arc in return for my honest review. #5stars