Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy. I just loved this Christmas short story by Chandler Baker. It was so dead on accurate about all the work that Moms do to make Christmas magical for the whole family, while subsequently being over looked. The mystery and intrigue, and interrogation type writing style all added to the effect for me. Definitely recommend this for your TBRs.

This was a hilarious, holiday themed short story. I laughed at loud many times and I would love to get to know more about the Clauster Family!

Need a last minute #christmasread ? Well @chandlerbakerbooks has you covered with this short story!

Oh. What. Fun. is a family drama that had me laughing out-loud and cringing at the same time. It's all about a mother gone missing at Christmas and her adult children trying to justify their terrible behavior before she disappears.

It read it in one sitting and I smiled the whole time because it HIT. This poor mother did all the work and only got a dinky robe. It's literally a book version of the SNL sketch from last holiday season and I adored it.

So if you are headed to bed tonight and need a light read, check this one out.... and then give your mother a big thank you at Christmas breakfast in the morning!!!

You know what? It's true... Santa gets all the credit but Moms are the real heroes of the holiday season. In this short story, a Mom has had enough of her family taking all the things she does to bring them the festive Christmas time they're used to, and she snaps a little. Ok, a lot. And I loved every minute of it. Oh. What. Fun. is a short story, but it's that all we have time for this holiday season? This was a pleasant little read with my morning coffee before I went back to all of the work that comes with the winter break. Loved it!

“You guys always say: ‘Don’t stress! It’ll all get done! It always gets done!’ You make me crazy with that. It gets done because I do it.”

Claire Clauster is a mom of three adult children and Grandmother of twins. This is a story of how she is not appreciated enough in the family and everyone forgets about her. She is expected to do all the work and babysit the grandchildren in the holiday season.

PTBR REVIEW:
Alguém sempre é a pessoa encarregada de fazer o Natal ser mágico. Geralmente essa pessoa é uma mulher, uma mãe... Exatamente como Claire Clauster.

Nesta novella curta e divertida, lembramos que geralmente tem alguém que se esforça e se desgasta para que as festas ocorram de forma tradicional e perfeita, alguém que, no fim, fica extremamente cansado e que, muitas vezes, nem tem todo o seu esforço reconhecido.

Pessoalmente, não achei a leitura mais festiva do mundo, mas é um ótimo lembrete para valorizar não apenas as festividades, mas também aqueles ao nosso redor. Perfeito para ir entrando no clima!

ENGLISH REVIEW (translation of the above):
Somebody is always the person in charge of making Christmas magic happen. Usually, it's a woman, a mother... Just like Claire Clauster.

In this short and fun novella, we're reminded that there's usually someone trying their best and wearing themselves thin to make the holidays go smoothly and perfectly. Someone who, by the end of it all, will be extremely tired and whose works will barely be acknowledged.

To me, it's not THE most festive reading ever, but it's a great reminder to value not only the food and presents, but also those around us. Perfect for getting the Christmas mood started!

Rating: 3,5/5 (rounded up in the rating below)

🎅🏼 BOOK REVIEW 🎅🏼

Synopsis: Tyler, Channing, and Sammy Clauster have descended on their childhood home, with significant others and four-year-old twins in tow, for another good old-fashioned Christmas. Overwhelming holiday magic, as always, comes courtesy of their mom, Claire. They know she’s thrilled to cook, wrap gifts, decorate, accommodate, play games, overprepare every Christmas Eve Eve Eve tradition, and still let Dad be known as the Fun One. It’s her thing, right? Maybe the family should have paid closer attention. Because this year, something is a little off-key—and it’s not just the carols.

Review: This holiday-themed short story sounded really enticing. Unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I really struggled to form any emotions attachment to the characters due to the writing style. I think it’s especially important for short stories to ensure that the reader can connect with the characters, as they are given less time to do so. Additionally, there were random chunks of writing in between the chapters that appeared to be directly from the author. Although I’m not sure who she was talking to? It wasn’t all bad though, I did really enjoy aspects of the book, and in particular the take away message that families should be more helpful on the holidays, and mums are under a lot of stress 😅 I also really appreciated the acknowledgement of the issue using the word “crazy” out of context and as a way of describing a person or their behaviour.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

2 stars ⭐️⭐️
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Not my favorite. Finished but can’t say I’d recommend. Just was not very captivating or pulled me in.

Super cute holiday story. Not very long but a fun read at the holidays. Quirky and enjoyable family. Thanks NetGalley!

From the title, I knew this was going to come with a healthy dose of sarcasm, but while this had a couple of humorous moments, it really wasn't all that funny or heartwarming. Poor Claire. Her kids are all self-absorbed and as adults still expect her to do basically everything for them/their children when they come home for Christmas. No wonder she has a psychotic break and heads off to LA to meet her favorite talk show host. I kept picturing her as Jaime Lee Curtis in Christmas with the Kranks when she realizes she has only hours to get everything done for the Christmas party.
As a mom who does it all for everyone, I can relate to Claire's annoyance with her family when she feels like she's not being heard. That's just not what I was looking for in a holiday novel.

Oh what fun!
A Christmas novel (or novella) should be fun and light with a bit of a story to make you think - this book had all of that an more. I enjoyed it!
Thanks NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

🎁 OH. WHAT. FUN. 🎁

Claire Clauster has always provided the Christmas magic for her family, even now that her three children are adults and one has kids of her own. The issue is that her family takes the Christmas magic for granted… and Mom has had enough. Chaos ensues!

This was the perfect short story to read on Christmas Eve (or even after the holiday if you’re looking to stretch out your Christmas spirit) and I think pretty much everyone can appreciate the mom-who-does-everything-and-gets-no-credit concept! I definitely recommend this one, and what’s great is that it is free with an Amazon Prime membership!

A fun and silly holiday ride with Baker’s usual precise and piercing humor! A perfect, quick Christmas read.

This was not a short story that really put me in the Christmas mood. I enjoyed Chandler Baker’s real other two novels more. I found this one to be a bit silly and uninspiring for the holidays. 2 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me access for review.

This fun short story by Chandler Baker is a great read in days leading up to Christmas and a nice reminder to remember the important parts of the holiday.

This is such a fun short story of a mom needing to be seen and heard by her adult children and her husband around Christmas. Claire is quirky and I thoroughly enjoyed her character along with her family members. It was the delightful holiday read I didn't know I needed and I loved it!

This was such a fun story. I really enjoyed reading it. It was laugh-out-loud funny and so touching at the same time. I really liked the story about appreciating others more. Especially during the holidays!

This was a hilarious holiday-themed short story! I laughed out loud and thought it was the perfect read to kick off the holiday season.

I have to admit that it took a little while for me to get into Oh. What. Fun. because of the choppiness of the narration (which was a chaotic stream of consciousness) but I did find it became more entertaining the further I read. That said, the narration definitely fit the Clauster family because they are chaos personified! 😂 This turned out to be a quirky and funny little holiday "mystery" as the Clausters worked to solve the case of their missing mother, while simultaneously realising just how vital their mum is in organising the perfect holiday season each year. I'm still curious how anyone could forget their mum cos I know that if it was us, our family would not live to see another day? 😅 But this did make me pause to appreciate all the things mum does for the family every day!

This short story is getting lots of mixed reviews but I thought it was fun. Adult children return home for Christmas and their mom goes bat-shit crazy, what’s not to love? It highlights all of the magical holiday details taken care of by mom that eventually make her snap. At just 59 pages, I think this one is worth a quick read with your morning coffee.