Member Reviews
⭐⭐⭐/5
About:
Everyone is home for the holidays. Tyler, Channing, and Sammy Clauster are 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 this year.
Thoughts:
The editing bothered me a little. Lots of run on sentences with tons of commas. That aside, this short story was cute. Claire tries to make everything perfect for everyone else. Her family, of course, is not appreciating her enough. They soon learn that she needs their love and attention. This was a fun, fast read. Not going to lie, the ending was a little too random for me. I could have done without it. Still worth a read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC.
Unfortunately, I really didn’t like this one. The writing was choppy and didn’t flow. I struggled understanding who was who, and what was going on. The story was weird and made little sense. I don’t think I’d recommend this.
A perfect, Christmas-y, who-dun-it to help you get in the holiday mood! The Clauster kids know Christmas will be perfect every year. How could it not be when their mother, Claire, always takes care of everything? This year however, Tyler, Channing, and Sammy find that not all Christmas magic comes as easily as they think.
I loved this short story! It somehow encompassed the joy and stress of the holiday season into a few pages. Despite how short it is, the characters were well fleshed out and the story as a whole made me miss visiting home for the holidays. It was sweet and poignant, while still delivering laughs. 1000/10 for getting me in the holiday spirit!
Cute short story by Chandler Baker. I loved the Husbands so couldn’t resist this one. We meet a family around the holidays who are quirky and a bit dysfunctional like all good fictional fams. This wasn’t too deep but was fun enough as a holiday read.
This short story was cute, fun, and included all of the typical family mayhem during the holiday season! Perfect story to get you in the holiday spirit.
"Christmas is our mother’s Super Bowl, the Masters, the Summer Olympics, and the Monaco Grand Prix rolled into one."
Fact.
Get ready to celebrate Christmas with the Clausters! "Oh. What. Fun." is a short story, and lives up to its title, a humorous and charming family Christmas story.
What a joy to see a funny chaotic family reunion. We all know what it's like when everyone comes home for the holiday. Sleeping arrangements, bathrooms, cooking, eating, presents and family photos. Mom's been super busy making the holiday special...Wait... where's mom?
Oh. What. Fun. brought a big smile to my face. I would want to read this one again!
Thank you Amazon Original Stories and Netgalley for an ARC.
"Oh.What.Fun" by Chandler Baker is a story with a moral!
"Christmas is the most magical time of the year. But you know what? It's not magical at all. It's hard work!" ~ Claire Clauster
Meet The Clauster's:
'The Responsible One', daughter, Channing is first to arrive with hubby, Doug and their twin four-year-old girl's, Lark and Sable. She's counting on Mimi Claire to entertain her girls so she can check email.
'The Boring One', youngest son, Sammy arrives minus his now ex-girlfriend, Mae-Bell. But he's on the phone with her constantly. And later plans to go out for wings and some 'friend time'!
'The Kinda Flaky One', oldest son, Tyler arrives last and late with his new boyfriend, Angel. He's absolutely positive Angel is 'The One'! All his boyfriends have been 'The One'!
'The Oblivious One', dad, grandfather, and Claire's husband is fun to be around and not afraid to be goofy. He's the one who always plays with the kids while his wife is doing what she likes to do, those things that wives and mothers prefer to do without any help at all! Right!
And lastly -
'The Unappreciated One', wife, mother, and grandmother, Claire is the one who ensures all the bells and whistles are prepped and ready for everyone every Christmas. Gosh, she's tired!
"Christmas is our mother's Super Bowl, the Masters, the Summer Olympics, and Monaco Grand Prix rolled into one." ~ Tyler, Channing & Sammy Clauster
On Christmas Eve Eve Eve Claire gifts everyone with tickets to 'Disney's Christmas Fantasy On Ice'. Thirty minutes later off they roll in two vehicles to see the show! Afterwards, Claire is missing and they realize she didn't ride in either vehicle. They head home. No Claire! And her car is gone...
This is a short, sweet Christmas story told from a bit of a different perspective. So much rings true though. A story that gives cause to pause and reflect about that special person in your family who 'does-it-all' every year. Being helpful and grateful is an easy fix!
After reading the arc it was fun to listen to it via audiobook narrated by Donna Postel and Brian Holden, who do a great job bringing this short story to life! I'm happy to report both the e-book and audiobook are equally satisfying!
Moral: Don't be either a Scrooge OR a Clauster! 3.5 stars rounded up for Claire!
Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories and Chandler Baker for a free ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review. This book is available now.
This was a fun holiday story! The self involved family members and the harried loving mom are all frazzled by the season. I enjoyed stopping my own frazzle for a moment to read this humorous short story, and I recommend it!
Not usually a fan of short stories but this one was pretty good. The characters were developed and there was even a mystery, something happened but we’re not sure what at first.
The holiday aspect was nice. Christmas is for being with family but that can be hard.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Perfect short little read to get in the mood for the holidays, filled with zany characters and family antics!
Oh. What. Fun.
My first Christmas story of the year! I was so excited to read this - I have loved both of Chandler Baker’s books I have read. Thanks to NetGalley for this fun little read. Out today 11/30!
The Clauster family is home for Christmas and they love the Christmas magic their mom, Claire, creates every year. But this year there are some things that are off especially when Claire disappears.
This was a cute little novella perfect to get you in the holiday spirit. It showcased the effort moms put into Christmas and the truth that every family is a little crazy. The cover is so cute!
Available now!
If you're looking for a way to kill an hour because you don't have any more time than that with all the holiday craziness, this may be your story. Claire Clauster is busy making Christmas magical for her mostly unappreciative family. She has presents to wrap, groceries to buy, twins to babysit, elves to hide and holiday surprises to plan. And sometimes, it gets to be a bit much.
There were lots of funny parts and this was a mostly enjoyable read, but as I look around at my partially decorated tree, the dishes in the sink, and the never-ending list of things to do, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad for Claire and parents everywhere who feel overwhelmed by the never-ending "fun" of the holidays. I'd love to see this as a full-length novel sometime, but I would probably have to wait until January to read it. :)
*Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an advanced reader's copy.
Tis' the season for all the Christmas books and everything in between.
Oh , What. Fun is the first book I have read from Chandler Baker and it was a short and riveting read. The book follows Tyler, Channing, and Sammy who head home for the holidays with their significant others and children . Used to having their mother do everything while they 'vacation' they are in for a rude awakening when their usual routine is interrupted. This book will resonate with everyone that has been expected to do everything by themselves during the holidays and will make you appreciate them.
I received a complimentary copy from Amazon and NetGalley and all opinions expressed are entirely my own
It's the holiday season! whoop-de-do
Claire Clauster is busy, busy, busy.
Mom of three adult children and Grandmother of twins.
The Clauster clan once again is ready for their Christmas Eve Eve Eve tradition and Claire wants to make everyone's holiday magical. The family is coming over to partake. Her singing, and her casserole may be a bit "off" this year, but she won't let her family down no matter how exhausted she feels.
A short story (couldn't find the page count). It reminded me of how "all the fun" can be so overwhelming at times.
It's a "snack" to go with your holiday cheer and a reminder to notice those who go out of their way to make your day.
I adore Chandler Baker's writing. This short story demonstrates her versatility. A fun, quick read that is laugh out loud entertaining.
Oh. What. Fun. A short story by Chandler Baker, was exactly that-a very fun little holiday read with a reminder to not take mom for granted because the holiday Magic doesn’t just magically appear all by itself. When mom goes missing, her three children realize just how hard mom works to make the holidays everything they’ve come to expect. Can they find mom in time to tell her how much they appreciate her? You’ll have to read to find out! A perfect holiday short story, that I highly recommend!
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.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for granting me access to this Advance Reader Copy.
A quick, enjoyable, laugh out loud Christmas tale that will have you looking at Christmas preparations in a whole new way. A great cast of characters is icing on the cake!
3.5, rounded up
"I guess I just got so tired of asking for help. 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."
This is a cute, short Christmas story that will really speak to the person in the family who is always the one who gets everything done, even if they have to sacrifice their own contentment to do it.
In this case, it's Claire Clauster, matriarch of the family who really enjoys making her family happy--until she doesn't.
Definitely recommend this tale to remind us to be thankful for the friends and family we have in our lives and to not take things for granted.
What do you do when Mom goes missing? The Clauster family must figure this out one Christmas season when it happens to them.
Oh What Fun! is an easy to read, humorous, holiday short that you can read in one sitting. It’s a tribute to mom’s everywhere that handle it all behind the scenes to make that perfect holiday for their family. I loved it.