I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley # netgalley

Just what I needed a fun none-thinking holiday romcom

I know that Chandler Baker is known more for her thrillers, so this holiday short story is a refreshing change. This was a cute, quick (45 pages) read. The Clauster’s don’t realize how much mom Claire puts in to making Christmas special for them, they realize too late that she’s nowhere to be found - what follows is them retracing her steps and finding out about some out of character actions, leading up to when/where they finally find her. While it wasn’t laugh out loud funny, I definitely appreciated the Claire’s mental break here!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. Such a quick fun story to get you in the Christmas spirit!

Super cute and easy Christmas read. Love chandler baker and loved this story. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a great way to kick off the holiday season! Who can't relate to the overwhelming pressures of the holiday season? To prepare homemade meals, keep traditions alive, create a magical holiday, and find the perfect gifts (and all wrapped perfectly as well too of course!). The stress can be debilitating! As the person creating and keeping the magic of the holiday season alive, it can feel like a thankless job so this book was incredibly relatable and timely. It gave me Apples Never Fall vibes (except you know, like 450 pages shorter) and was a fun, cute (and QUICK) way to get into the holiday spirit!

Blog post scheduled for December 7, 2021.

A cute Christmas short story!

Claire Clauster always makes Christmas fantastic for her husband and grown-kids. One day she goes missing in the run-up to Christmas. What happened to Claire? The hubby and kids go on a search that brought a smile to my face.

This was a short, snappy, and cute little holiday story that I am so happy to have read. Not sure of the actual page count but it takes about an hour to read. For anyone that has ever felt overwhelmed by the holidays then this is a story for you. 4 stars!

Everyone is home for the holidays, clamoring for all the Christmas cheer only their mother can whip up. They can already smell the chestnuts roasting—or is that Mom’s hair on fire?

A great little read to get me into the holiday spirit. Full of laughs and relatable family chaos. Loved the family trip to Disney on Ice. I think this would have been better as a full novel with time to develop the characters more, and to really get into that chaos as I felt it wrapped up too soon and I wasn't ready for it to end!

A good book to sit down with a Pumpkin Spice Latte for 30 minutes to start feeling festive.

It is finally the holiday season! Let the lights twinkle, the elves begin their pranks, and the war between cats and Christmas trees commence!
One of the first novellas I decided to pick up to celebrate the festivities of 2021 is Oh. What. Fun. by Chandler Baker. The cover instantly gives off the Christmas vibes and the premise is enough to scream “Read this with a cup of hot cocoa!”. Claire Clauster has always gone out of her way to make the holidays a memorable time for her three grown children, but this year, something is different. Claire is forgetting traditional family recipes and running late to spend time with her children. Will the Clauster family holiday be as memorable as it usually is?
This was a quick read and while it looks like it embodies the magic of the holidays, sadly the magic was gone. Rather, it was a portrait of Christmas that many be familiar with: the parent who constantly sacrifices their energy in order to appease their ungrateful children. There is no epiphany at the end, no aha moment where the sniveling Clauster children learn to appreciate their mother. Instead, everything continues on, business as usual and that bothered me. The holidays are about so much more than presents and food. They are a time to express gratitude for the people in your life and to me, that was completely absent from this novella.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute little Christmas story, but ultimately, it was forgettable. Short stories are tricky because you have to balance getting enough information in only a few pages. I think pages were wasted in this. I didn't really care about the characters or even understand who they are (other than not really appreciating their mom) for it to have any lasting impact. If you're looking for just a cute way to pass a half hour around the holidays, this is your book.

Oh. What. Fun. was just that, a fun Christmas short story about the Clauster family matriarch going missing a few days prior to Christmas, what that means for their holidays as a whole, and their attempts to find her! "What a Clausterfuck!" I love Chandler Baker and I'm happy to report that her brand of humor is alive and well in this novela. I could easily see this being a short made for tv movie/show and I would watch it. The take away from this book and PSA - make sure to show appreciation to those who go out of their way to make the holidays special for the family.

Thanks to Amazon and NetGalley for an ARC of Oh. What. Fun. in exchange for my honest review. I'm not usually a short story reader, but I enjoyed this short and sweet vignette into holiday season craziness. I am from a small family (only child), so I don't identify with a lot of the crazy around holidays, but I enjoy reading about it. This one had interesting characters and a funny plot, and I could have kept reading more - very engaging!
If you're looking for something short and fun to get into the holiday spirit, this is a good choice!

Oh.What.Fun by Chandler Baker wasn’t the most fun Christmas Story. Claire is the mom of 3 grown children who are “in the thick” of their lives-they are busy. Busy having kids, busy having careers, busy dating, just busy. And mom needs a lot of attention. Which when she doesn’t get the attention she craves she disappears and complete loses it.

This is a short story and it had some entertaining parts-Christmas Eve Eve Eve there’s King Ranch Casserole, and later there’s a family trip to Disney on Ice. But most of these characters are so unlikeable that even those scenes are just ok. The one redeeming character in this story is Dad.

Thank you to #netgalley and #amazonoriginalstories for the advanced e-copy of #ohwhatfun .

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a complimentary e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

At first, I did not understand what was going on on even how it was written. Who was narrating! What was the blog style all about integrated into the story? I kept reading because I knew it was a short story of no longer than an hour.

Once, I understood and knew the main characters, the story started making no sense.

I did not enjoy this story therefore can’t recommend. High praise for the beautiful cover though, that did attract me!

I enjoyed this festive story from the author of The Husbands! It follows the same general theme of an overworked, underappreciated matriarch, but this short story is humorous and fast-paced. I definitely recommend it if you're in the mood for a quick, light holiday read!

📚 Read this if you like short stories and enjoyed Apples Never Fall or Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

OH. WHAT. FUN. was a fun short story to get me in the Christmas spirit! It didn't quite rise to the level of magic of THE HUSBANDS to me, but Chandler Baker's wit remained on display.

The focus is on the Clausters, with grown children Tyler, Channing, and Sammy visiting their parents' home for the holidays. Dad is the Fun One and Mom Claire is doing it all.

This is definitely a story for anyone who's felt like their efforts around the holidays aren't recognized enough -- anyone who's been up all night cleaning the house, braved the grocery store for a needed item someone else forgot to buy, or just generally felt like the glue holding the whole production together.

3.5 Stars

If you're looking for a fun, short, laugh out loud Christmas book this one is for you!

Claire Clauster's children are all grown up and they're busy with their own lives and children. She has spent years trying to make everything perfect, especially at Christmas. This year she feels underappreciated.

Claire organizes for the family to go see Disney On Ice. At the end of the show, they notice that Claire isn't there. They're not even sure if she left the house with them. The family soon realized how lost they are without her, but no one knows where she could of gone.

It was funny, full of family drama, and I thought the ending was hilarious.

A huge thank you to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for a honest review.

Oh. What. Fun. is a short story that some may find resonates with their own family. All of the adult kids with their are gathering with their children and significant others at their parents’ home to celebrate the holidays. Everyone is preoccupied with their own lives and thankfully Mom is there to keep it all together. That is, until things take an unexpected turn.

I don’t think this short story was for me. It was written in almost a blog-style way at first and then there are glimpses of story. I wasn’t sure at first where the story was going, given that there’s a condensed amount of time, I wanted more clarity and less chaos.

If you’re looking for a quick (under an hour) chaotic holiday read, this might fit the bill.

Thank you to @amazonpublishing and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While browsing @netgalley (which I have no business doing) I found a Christmas short story from @chandlerbakerbooks and decided to give it a try!

Tyler, Channing and Sammy are adults headed home to their parents for Christmas with spouses and children. They take over the home and let their mom, Claire, dote on all of them and make Christmas as magical as always. But this year something is different…

It really is a short story! I finished it about 30 minutes.

When I picked up this title, I didn't realise it was a short story. It might have been better as a longer book, not sure.

In any case, Claire is the long-suffering mother at the heart of the tale. She is taken for granted by her entire family, including her husband, and when her grown-up kids (plus spouses and four year old twins) descend on her home for the Christmas holidays, she should be happy about it, right? Because she loves Christmas and everything associated with it.

Well, I understand that this is supposed to be a wry look at this woman who is trying to juggle everything and not quite managing it, but all I felt was terribly sad. Claire clearly has not got a lot of money to spend, but she goes out of her way to make sure that her family have their favourite foods and she goes above and beyond when it comes to everyone having a good time. Her children are ridiculously self-centred and instead of being concerned about her returning home a lot later than expected on one occasion (and no doubt her body language would tell any normal person that there was a reason for her lateness and that a hug might be in order or a listening ear), she is expected to feel bad that she wasn't home in order to babysit.

I am sorry, I wanted to like this, but I think that this story is a little bit close to home for me. I just wanted to put my arms around Claire and whisk her off for a pampering weekend. And tell her ungrateful family what I think of them.

3 stars from me. It was ok but I found it a little depressing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories.

3.5 ⭐

Who doesn't love reading about a dysfunctional family that's a bit reminiscent of their own!?

Oh. What. Fun. was a quick and entertaining read that follows the Clauster Family whose matriarch, Claire, is the embodiment of Christmas spirit, but this year Claire is tired. Always the one to play the perfect hostess, to send out the perfect Christmas card, to plan the perfect Christmas party... Perfect, perfect, perfect. Claire is tired of perfect and hatches a plan to remind her of how important her position in the family is, that sends them on a wild goose chase to track her down.

Full of chaos, laughter, and snark... I loved this! Such a fun holiday read!