Shelly Means has a dream. After selling their lake house, Shelly and George bought a plot of land in the Hamptons to build her dream beach house. She has created a vision board that reminds her what her ideal house will have, including four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a heated pool, heated floors and her dream Japanese toilet. Georg is a successful voiceover artist whose hobby is shopping at thrift stores and finding treasures in other people’s discards. With two children and a dog named Twix that she holds conversations with, life is good. That is until George has some disappointing auditions and begins losing out on jobs. Now money is tight, but Shelly has hired an architect and can not give up on her dream.

Amy Fusselman’s The Means begins with a comical invasion of the lake home by a raccoon that inspires the sale of the property. The money from the sale fuels her dream, but by her own admission she is not very good with finances. Her answer to frustrating situations is to throw things, which has had her banned from the PTA and undergoing therapy to manage her anger. George is more pragmatic but he does not want to disappoint her. She has an architect who has created a plan to build the house from shipping containers. Shelly’s next obstacle is the HOA, which rejects the container idea. Shelly’s observations of life and the problems she encounters are faced with acceptance as she watches her must haves cut back one after another. This story is an observation of family, money, society and the dreams that drive our lives. It is humorous, entertaining and I thank NetGalley and Mariner Books for providing this book for my review.

Unfortunately, this book was just not my cup of tea. I found the main character boring, whiny and overall annoying. Although it was a quick read, very little actually happened during the book. I found myself bored and annoyed while reading it. The book is written from the main character's perspective - and she spends the majority of the book complaining about how she doesn’t have the money to do all the things that she wants, which includes building a beach house on the land that they own. Although she blames herself for the lack of funds, as she does not have a paying job, she does very little to try and improve her situations, except complain non-stop. It was a quick read, just not very engaging, in my opinion.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

This book was really well written but the main character wasn't very likable. She complains about first world problems, like not being able to afford a beach house. It was a funny and humorous look on the first world problems of the middle class.

I liked that the book was fast paced and I was able to get through it quickly. But I struggled with the lack of substance to the story. I just didn’t truly see the point of the book.

I wish there would have been more character growth and depth. It felt more like the thoughts and journal entries of a character rather than a story.

this had such a promising premise and was an utter let down.

I never connected with the characters, I actually found our MC to be insufferable and not in a funny way. This almost read as if you were talking to a friend, but as a book it didn’t work. It was choppy, disjointed and never really flowed.

Hysterically funny. Shelly Means is just desperate for a beach house in the Hamptons. But her relationship with money is poor, she doesn’t work & has champagne taste on a beer budget. An entertaining account of her quest to make her house happen, despite all of life’s obstacles.

The last couple of chapters left me a bit confused. The hilarity of the book took a turn to the fantastical, so I’m not sure if we are to believe the entire book was a dream sequence, which is how I took it. Nice little quick, entertaining read for Fall.

Nothing about about this book was what I expected.
I didn’t care for any of the characters. Shelly spends money in her endless quest to have a beach house, even to the point of bankrupting her family. She doesn’t work, has a cleaner, therapist, dog walker, and hounds her husband. Oh yeah, and the dog “talks” to her.
This book was not for me at all.

The Means provides a humorous view on the middle class lifestyle, money, and personal relationships. The main character sets out on a path to achieve her main goal: acquiring a beach house. It’s more of a lifestyle view and how to go after what you want more than anything else—I laughed much of the way through it. Fusselman provides witty commentary on: (i) parenting, “…is there any truly adequate way to thank a person for keeping you alive? You thank them by going forward in your own life and trying not to be an asshole”; and (ii) societal views on, traditionally, a woman’s role in the household, “‘what would happen if you made a lot of money?’ I kept my eyes closed. ‘Um, I would be participating in a system that confers no value on childcare and other care work routinely shouldered by women, and that’s work that I believe is hugely important and valuable?’” She also provides hilarious one liners throughout. Some of my favorites include, “I had never met a baby goat, only the cashmere sweaters provided by their parents” and, a comment to the main character’s beloved dog, “‘you have an awful lot of opinions about money for someone who gets universal basic income and cradle-to-grave health care[.]” A funny and quick read with hilarious observations on the human condition. Many thanks to NetGalley, Fusselman, and Mariner Books.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this debut novel by Amy Fusselman - 4.5 stars!

Shelly Means is a stay-at-home mom of two, married to George, a voice-over actor, who live an upper middle class life in NYC. They have a second home, but are forced to sell in and Shelly dreams of a beach house in the Hamptons. But as George's jobs dry up and their budget goes down, the house Shelly envisions must change.

This is just an entertaining, humorous read that I really enjoyed. While it's definitely a book about keeping up with the Jones' and lots of First World problems, it made me laugh out loud more times than I can mention. And sometimes a book like this is just the escapism I need - this is the perfect beach read! It has short chapters that beg for just one more, quirky characters, and even talking dogs.

(2.5 stars) The premise of this book had me very excited to read it, but after reading - left me wanting more. It was funny in parts, but the story and the characters felt hard to connect with. It was a quick read with a quirky cast of characters - but I wish there was actually a little more to the story. Literally. I felt like the ending came out of nowhere and left me feeling like it was unresolved.

Thank you to Mariner & NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I just really don't know how the heck to review this book. To tell you the truth, I couldn't even tell you what the story was about unless you believe the story was about a woman and her house in the Hampton's obsession?

Some readers are going to think that this family, the Means, are wealthy. I think they are just upper middle class. However, my thinking may be skewed because I live around people like this. I'm not one of them, but I can understand them.

Apparently, this is supposed to be satire, and I can see that, but at certain points, this book seems to become nothing but stream-of-consciousness writing. There is no character growth, plot, or even a definitive ending. The parts where the dog talks to Shelly seem more drug-induced tho it's not...at least, I don't think so!

I did stick with the book, was a very fast read. It was easy to stick to as long as I wasn't looking for anything more than cliched fluff with weak-willed characters.

Good luck!

*ARC supplied by the publisher Mariner Books, the author, and NetGalley.

I know this has generated very divergent reviews but you know what- I really enjoyed it because it actually made me chuckle. Okay, yes Shelly Means is odd, her dog Twix talks to her, her plan to build a house in the Hamptons on land she calls the Tick Farm is a bit off but look for the humor here. Shelly and her husband George, who voices commercials, live in mid-town NYC (spot on description of their neighborhood, btw) and send their kids to private school with financial aid because while George makes good money (at least at first), they don't make good NYC money. They owned a lake cottage until a racoon (in the very funny and sadly plausible scenario) broke in and now she's determined to build a house in the Hamptons which must, absolutely, must have a Toto toilet. Never mind that all they can afford (or can they?) is a house made of shipping containers which predictably are unacceptable to the community. This was worth the read for the details of making shipping containers into housing alone but it's so much more. Know that not all goes well. Know also that Shelly, who narrates, has a flat affect that worked for me. The chapters are short and snappy, the dialogue punchy, and if I have a quibble it's that I don't understand why people are identified by their race. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I found this really entertaining.

The Means is a social satire, that while grabs on to ample opportunities early on, eventually turns out to be rather unfit to make the most of the predicaments of its various characters.

While the writing is fairly entertaining, it is the overall story and the core narrative that somewhat let me down. The cleverly- and aptly-named Means are reasonably rich, except perhaps they aren't, and when they decide - at least Mrs. Means decides - to get a container home built in the Hamptons, it seems plausible that one is going to see a good amount of wry and dry humor, liberally sprinkled by roasting everything remotely connected to the image of the Gold Coast rich. Some of the best social satire humor I've ever read was based in the Gold Coast, in the book by that name, by Nelson DeMille.

Anyway, back to The Means, other than a sprinkling of some rather funny instances, the overall plot sort of meanders around, and a smack-in-face culmination of the seemingly doomed venture seems more and more unlikely, as you turn the pages.

Again, there are some definite gem pieces, but the overall story left much to be desired. For instance, while the husband, the golden-voiced Mr. Means comes across as rather funny, I felt he could have been given more real estate in the book. Similarly, the interaction between Shelly and her therapist is nearly brilliant, if not quite there all the way, and it would have benefited the story if those interactions were given a little more time and space. In fact, nearly every quirky character introduced all over seemed to have potential not really utilized, and instead we are left with Shelly dithering, undecided and yet ultimately (somehow) firm enough to get what she wanted - and more. The final arrangement with the house obviously had much more comic potential, but we don't get to see anything of that either.

All in all, it is a good effort debut. I haven't yet decided whether I'll revisit her future work. Not giving up though - that's a good thing, right?!

This one wasn’t for me, I didn’t find it funny or enjoy the characters/storyline. I’m sure others will love it but this wouldn’t be an author I would try again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. I started reading the book hoping I would enjoy it. I always enjoy a good story about wealthy people and their "wealthy" problems. I didn't enjoy the book very much. It was somewhat funny but I couldn't really get into the story.

The means to me was written like a memoir. I did not care for it. Means is the family's last name and Shelly lives way beyond her means! She wants a beach house in the Hamptoms but she doesn't work and her husband does voice overs for commercials and has some good gigs and then none at all. Shelly also has anger issues and makes up stories so she fits in with her crowd of people.. It was written with small chapters (thank you), and very light and sometimes funny. I kept feeling sorry for poor pathetic Shelly and could not relate to her at all. None of the characters were very substantial. I give this a 2 1/2 stars.
Thanks to #netgalley and #Marinerbooks for an ARC of this book

This book was described as funny... well, I found it funny that Shelly got as far as she did in life, being the way she is. I did not quite find it funny in a humorous sort of way, and honestly was quite annoyed with most of the characters. I didn't connect with Shelly, or her kids, or her husband. Her "therapist" was terrible and all the folks who support her life (housecleaner, dog walker, people at her children's schools, architect, etc.) weren't treated well either. So... yeah. This book wasn't my favorite but I did appreciate it in a fluffy, quick read sort of way. Shelly was determined to get her beach house and... I guess she did. Even though the way she got there was something else. Maybe she learned something from it?

All I have to say is I wasn't sad to see this book end. I was expecting something more. The book was well written, and Shelly was a well developed character but I just did not like her. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me. The characters were unlikeable and hard to relate to, and the narrative is confusing.

The Means
A Novel
by Amy Fusselman
Sometimes the descriptions of a book sound so Wonderful, funny, and a change of pace. Sadly. this was just an ok read. I did finish, I swear, I try to always finish every book. If the publisher allows you to read in as an arc, I try to give a BIG thanks and NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the chance. Just not one for me.

In The Means, Shelly becomes fixated on the idea of owning a beach house in The Hamptons. The Means family lives in Long Island and decide to sell their lake house. On Shelly’s quest to build the new beach house, they run into challenges with both their budget and approvals.

The Means is sarcastic and somewhat snarky but also entertaining. There’s light neighborhood drama and a “keeping up with the Joneses” vibe. While it was entertaining, I can’t say I connected much with the characters.