This was a fun, sweet, short Christmas read. I was looking for something to keep me in the festive holiday feels (I read in the month of December) and something quick to help me on my reading goals.

This book delivered on all of the above!

"Oh, What. Fun." is a short comedic holiday theme story about this chaotic big family Christmas days, their traditions, and the mom...going MIA.
Yep, that's the premise of Chandler Baker's story: A fun premise for a fun easy read.

That being said...I didn't have so much fun reading it, the funniest character for me was the sketchy new boyfriend one of the brothers had. That I found hilarious every time, but I kind of get bored with everything else.

If you pick this one you will get shady neighbors, a mother going bonkers on tv, Christmas competitive spirit, family traditions, shitty boyfriends (my favorite), and...a weird narrator. Now, do what you want with that information.

Oh what fun indeed!

This witty laugh-out-loud festive short story needs to be added to your holiday reads this year. From the author of Whisper Network and The Husbands, this clever and cute quick read will put you in the spirit to cozy up by the fire with a cup of eggnog, conquer all your family traditions and sit around the Christmas table with those that mean the most. Just don't forget to tell your mom how much you appreciate all she does for you!

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Originals for the e-copy to review!

In this Home Alone-esque holiday short story, the mom goes missing and her 3 children (all adults) can’t seem to find her.

As the 3 siblings narrate the story, it’s a good juxtaposition of how the kids live versus how their mom lives. Claire has been the parent that does it all (as most moms do) and it was cute to witness Claire finally doing something for just her and her kids freaking out because they didn’t know where she went.

Everyone is home for the holidays at their childhood home, expectant for the holiday cheer that only good old mom can whip up. But what if mom just doesn't want to this year?

This short holiday story was super cute and a fun, easy read. Perfect to get you in the festive mood.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

OMG, this was hilarious. I laughed the entire time. If you're looking for a SUPER quick read (this is technically a short story) that's an escapist holiday romp, pick this up!

Oh. What. Fun. is a quick entertaining story. This is the perfect time of year to pick this one up. Definitely looking forward to more from the author.

Not what I expected and not my cup of tea. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review.

3 stars! This was a cute story compared to Chandler Baker's other wonderfully written books which tend to be darker. This book is sure to set the mood for the holidays.

Thank you to Chandler Baker, Amazon Original Stories, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The temperature of the room lowered several degrees, and an icy chill passed through. (Then Doug remembered to shut the front door, and that did help considerably.)” (quote from story)

the quote pretty much sums up the tone of the story. very much written in remembrance of the typical especially 90s christmas movie tones.

it’s a bit over the top and just hint of ridiculous but with a fun undertone without sounding forced or trying to be hilarious and failing.

i am mentioning this because how this is written will very much decide if you like this story or don’t.
if you like the tone? great go for it! if the quote above sounds not like something you want to read? might not be the story for you.

i enjoyed it.

i think the story captures what it’s like to be the responsible person that makes everything run smoothly with a lot of work but never gets thanked or even recognized for doing it all.

everyone just accepts and expects the mom in this story to do it all and with a smile and a “thank you for letting me do it” attitude and nothing in return.

and i think it is a very realistic and honest view of especially mothers but many “caretakers” of family’s in general.
they are mostly ignored, their stories are not listend to and pushed out if thought as boring before the story is even being told and nobody remembers to tell them that they are loved and wonderful for what they are doing or even recognizes the work and thoughts and planning going into making it all work so seemingly effortless.

for me this was very well done -even if it maybe because of it?- in the tones of a typical christmas movie: slightly over the top and into the extreme but at the base very much real and honest and pointing out a huge misstep people are keep making.

The Clausters messed up big time. Portrayed as absentminded and exasperated, Momma Clauster seems to have vanished right before Christmas.

I felt bad for for Claire (Momma). In the progress of the story, you figure out that all she ever wanted was to be nominated for the Zazzy Tim's show and her family didn't even bother enough to open the nomination links.

I know this is supposed to be humorous, but it made me annoyed about the three kids.

Thank you #NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for giving me the opportunity to read this!

This book ended up being a DNF. Rating is based solely on the content I did read. I ultimately found the pacing and development of the story and/or characters not engaging enough to continue on and finish the complete book.

This was a cute short Christmas story. I did really enjoy the descriptions and atmosphere, but wasn't massively pulled in by the story.

Oh What Fun by Chandler Baker
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This snappy, snazzy and sweet Amazon original short story will deeply resonate with the “doers” in the family who selflessly ensure their loved ones’ holidays are miraculously magical.

Claire, a mother of three adult children and grandmother to twins, pulls a reverse “It’s a Wonderful Life” and vanishes when she feels her tireless efforts to make the holidays special — including elaborate meals, perfect gifts, incomparable decorations and limitless cheer — go unnoticed and unappreciated.

As her family comes together to figure out where she went, Chandler writes a relatable and familiar blend of chaos, camaraderie, care and compassion reminiscent of 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 from holidays spent with loved ones.

I commend Chandler for intentionally crafting this story slightly chaotically to mirror Claire’s feelings of being overwhelmed and overextended. Technically terrific and narratively nailed it.

This entertaining, engaging, fun and festive read was equal parts charming and thought-provoking, providing a glimpse into the lives of the “magic makers” in the family during the 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭—𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 time of the year. This was a sweet reminder of the importance of giving meaningful gifts — like compassion, appreciation and grace — during the holidays.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!

Such a fun Christmas story! At this point I’d read everything Chandler writes, even her grocery list.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy of Oh. What. Fun.

This was an interesting short story -- that may have been a little too short for me but it was fun, cute and an entertaining holiday story!

A cute holiday short story that involves the chaos of family, the joy of getting together and one exhausted family member who goes missing. Where has she gone? What does the family learn as they search for her? Maybe that being helpful and grateful goes along way.

Cute book about the holidays and trying to get it all done. Very relatable if you are this person in your family

Loved this! Chandler Baker writes with so much sarcasm, heart and humour after such a long time! If you want to get out of a reading slump, pick up a nice read that is racy and well-paced, this is the one for you.

What are uniquely engaging and delightfully perceptive take on an adult woman/mother/wife in the throes of family & holiday craziness. I thoroughly enjoyed the various points of view and how perfectly put each family member’s idiotic perception was. This is obviously a woman who has been there and done that like a lot of us have - we appreciate you living to share as an entertaining tale! I have since begun hunting this author’s back list and working my way through it as well.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.