Thank you NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to review an advance copy of this novel. As a fan of Beth Morrey’s light and whimsical writing style, this novel did not disappoint! I enjoyed this modern day rewrite of the classic movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Clover Hendry, a middle-aged executive, mother, and wife, had a tumultuous and quite exciting day off. I found myself cheering, grimacing and laughing out loud at Clover’s shenanigans. The characters were stereotypical but fun, and Clover reminded me to stop and think, as well as the importance of standing up for oneself and not always putting others first. I highly recommend this lighthearted novel and can’t wait to read more of Beth Morrey’s books!

We’ve all been Clover. Or at least fantasized about being just the kind of person who when enough is enough, speaks honestly about the bs. This novel had me in tears laughing so hard. Imagine a day where you just say f it, and do what you want, when you want. Clover is there and does just that. Fun read

I loved this book. I found Clover to be very relatable. It had its serious moments, but it also had very funny, laugh out loud moments. I loved Clover’s relationship with her husband. They seemed like a real team and it was a very believable marriage. This novel has a few good messages. I think this would be a fun book to discuss with a book club.

Thank you NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this ARC of Clover Hendry’s Day Off.

I requested this book as soon as I read the premise of a middle-aged woman bucking her socially-pacifist tendencies for a day.

Who, by the time one reaches mid-life, is not fed up with the myriad insults and injustices of daily polite life, especially as a woman?
I so, so often want to teach people lessons after experiencing their ignorance or rudeness. But I, perhaps most of us, sigh and silently grumble then later bitch about it to ourselves or anyone else. I know that sick feeling of public powerlessness.

The description reads, “Today, she’s going to do and say whatever she likes, even if it means her whole life unravels.”

I would also say, “…even if she is in the wrong to begin with.” Some of her acts of rebellion seem juvenile and not justified, such as pool-crashing or throwing burrito stuffing at an old woman in retaliation to her words, all in the attempt to “…have a nice day… do what I want.”

Just doing what one wants is not the same as standing up to personal discrimination.

However, I mostly cheered on our protagonist, such as when she flatly says, “Don’t talk to me” to her hair stylist.
I for one hate trapped small-talk with service workers.
And I often also think, “Why is everyone an arsehole today?”
I loved her retaliating against the ubiquitous male-dictate of “Smile!” to women;
snapping back with equal passive-aggression to her snooty mother was vicarious familial victory for me.
Many more examples exist.
So. Much. Relatable.

I enjoyed her snarky sense of humor, such as when disparaging the inanity of corporate-meeting culture.

There were laugh-out-loud moments for me.
These all outweighed any few judgments against validation of her acts.

I did not enjoy her backstory as much as her present-day self-activism. I did enjoy that the book covered mostly one day.

Overall the universality and humor outweighed the criticism of some actions and sometimes-meandering writing.

3.5 stars.

SUMMARY
Clover Hendry's Day Off follows a day alongside Clover, who, for the first time in her life, finally decides to stop bowing down to everyone else and put herself first.

REVIEW
Though I don't relate to Clover, I can respect and appreciate her desire to stop people pleasing and finally put herself first. I enjoyed the wittiness of Clover's character and charm, and within the right niche of readers, I think this book would be a huge hit!

While I understand the idea and premise behind this book, it was a bit dragged out and redundant. One novel covering only one day made it feel repetitious and overly descriptive regarding mundane moments.

I am so thankful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC copy of Original Sins in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this most recent Netgalley book about an overwrought working mother whose brain, one day, just kicks into another drive and does all of the things all of the rest of us walk around fantasizing about doing instead of living our real lives under all of the restrictions and responsibilities. It is chaotic and nuts. It was exaggerated but the parts that were true were just so true and resonated so much with me as a working parent. I feel like these couple super long quotes about sum up what I loved about this book:

"'A woman's work is never done!' my mother twinkles inanely, but that doesn't being to cover it. Makes it sound like you're ticking off a list, one by one, and things keep getting added to the list. But the reality is more than that. It's more like the vault in Harry Potter where he's looking for the goblet, but everything he touches multiplies, until they're all suffocated. More like that. I'm suffocating in cursed goblets, trying to rise about it with a smile. I guess I need to stop touching stuff, stop smiling. And I will. But first I want to burn the whole thing down."

"I get that I'm lucky to have it all, and know that others have it so much worse. And it's not that I don't want those things anyone. It's just that to get them, keep them, maintain them, was and is so much effort. Sometimes I feel like I could give up work and just spend every second of every day dealing with the humdrum minutiae of life--pruning plants and sorting Tupperware cupboards and recycling pens and filling in forms and ordering compost bags on Amazon and buying birthday presents and changing duvet covers and de-ticking the cat and fixing the loose tile in the bathroom and touching up my roots and queueing at the pharmacy and making sure Ethan does his homework and going for a run and prepping dinner and throwing away the rotting vegetables in the fridge and remembering to put wine in for later and dammit I forgot to charge my toothbrush. And that's jus the 'fun' stuff. Then there's Pap smear tests, and checking your boobs for tumors, and pulling hair from the plughole of the shower, and rinsing the fat-clogged filter in the dishwasher and hosing shit off a child's wellie, and listening to a friend tell you about her mum who has Alzheimer's and worrying about when that might be your turn, and smiling when the man tells you to smile and hating yourself, and reading about how your children will perish on a fiery earth, and knowing that when you sit down to dinner there are wars raging and people who can't afford food, parents who can't feed their kids, and your so lucky, you should just sit for a while to think about how goddamned lucky you are, but you just don't have time, because they washing cycle finished and there's another load to do."

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Today is not the day to mess with Clover Hendry.

Clover hasn’t said “No” a day in her life. Until today. Normally a woman who tips her hairdresser even when the cut is hideous, is endlessly patient with her horrendous mother, and says yes every time her boss asks her to work late—today, things are going to be very different. Because Clover is taking the day off. Today, she’s going to do and say whatever she likes, even if it means her whole life unravels.

Overall, I have to admit that it was a bit of a slow read for me. I was excited for the concept but the execution didn't fully land. The side characters/ "friends" were more annoying than endearing. Maybe it's because they just accepted that Clover was their yes girl and that's why they were friends with her? I got irritated that she ended up having to apologize and NO ONE seemed to be asking "hey, what's up Clover?" in a non confrontational way (very "you're ruining my life acting this way! What's wrong with you?" instead) When we got to the end and found out the source of this whole thing being related to trauma instead of just being fed up, it was a bit of a let down for me.

I like to end my reviews on a positive so: I did enjoy the relationship between Clover and her sister and it's development and I absolutely LOVED the "family" dinner between them and their mother,

What a delightful book! I had a genuine smile on my face through most of it and laughed out loud multiple times. It was refreshing and endearing and hilarious. I love Clover. Her brash, honest, wild day was one for the books and I would relive it again.

The premise of this book sounded very fun and I was excited for a mature take on Ferris Bueller but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The beginning of the story was alright but then the “little rebellions” during Clover’s day turned into things that are actual crimes, extremely destructive, and just mean. I could handle a bunch of events like her getting in the cab even though random entitled men tried to take it from her but when she started stealing things and purposefully putting other people in danger for almost no reason, I just couldn’t stick with it.

The ending was better although I think she’s being a terrible wife and the fact that she had absolutely no reservations about being away from her home and her kids for the entire day and just left them with no explanation didn’t sit right with me. Overall I don’t think it’s logical to brush all of these horrible things she did under the rug just because she??? Felt guilty at the end????

Maybe others would enjoy this but it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

ARC from NetGalley

Thank you so much Netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange of an honest review!

At first i really enjoyed reading about Clover, but halfway through the story all of my excitement just came off. I couldn't connect with her actions and motives, i think she was just...mean for no reason. It was hard reading about it. However, i liked the last chapters, when everyone adressed her and made her rethink about what she did in the last 24 hours.

Billed as a female mid-life Ferris Bueller, I was excited to have the opportunity to review this book for NetGalley before its publication in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. Based on the Ferris Bueller description, I assumed it would be a fun, madcap romp. In some ways, it was. But Clover’s adventures took a decidedly dark and destructive turn that seemed to fly in the face of logic, reason, and good sense.

Faced with endless personal and professional responsibilities, Clover snaps and goes on a strange set of adventures that escalate from a new hairstyle to a pseudo-shoplifting incident to stealing a pet, destroying a stranger’s car, destroying a yoga class, telling off her mother, and more. Along the way, she fights for what she is worth, discovers new sides of her family members, and rights old wrongs.

Even writing this, it sounds like a delightful book. However, for me, the understanding of the reasons behind Clover’s break and her motivations come so late in the book that I was unable to generate the empathy needed to appreciate her actions throughout the story. Additionally, as a friend, mother, wife, and daughter, the amount of destruction and harm she causes to those around her seems counterproductive. What took 260 pages to unravel is neatly tied up in the last 20 pages.

Chloe Hendry’s Day Off by Beth Morrey is about Clover, a 46 year old overworked and overwhelmed people-pleaser. She finally decides to say F*CK IT and take the day off to focus on herself, doing and saying whatever she wants (a la Ferris Bueller style).

The cover and synopsis of this book caught my interest. Overall, it was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and author for granting me an ARC. This book is expected to come out in January 2024.

What would you do if you could do anything you wanted for an entire day? Think Ferris Bueller but Clover Hendry! Having the entire novel set over the course of one day with the inclusion of flash backs was an interesting premise that was well done. Clover being an overwhelmed, overworked, people- pleaser is highly relatable and I found myself rooting for her throughout the novel. If you are looking for a quick and fun read I really enjoyed Clover Hendry’s Day Off!

I was given this book as an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Clover Hendry's Day Off by Beth Morrey is a delight for any age, but especially so for middle aged women. I happened to read this book on a day that I took off to just enjoy by myself and this was a perfect read.

Clover Hendry is a busy mom who is pulled in many directions by her family, her job, and life and her wants and needs tend to be the last priority for everyone - including Clover herself.

A day starting off like most others takes a turn and Clover ends up spending the day doing what she wants, saying what she really feels, and just enjoying herself while looking back at her life and how she has ended up the way she has.

While I don't want to get hit in the head with a briefcase, I'd love to take a day and reflect, do what I want and say what I want without consequences.

This book is for every woman who feels like she is always stuck making everyone else’s dreams come true. Clover is tired of saying yes, she is tired of making everyone else happy and she is really tired of not being noticed. Today everything is going to change, today Clover is going to put herself first. Join n Clover as she jumps headfirst into saying yes, even while ignoring the consequences. The question is, will it be worth it?

Though this novel is mostly comedic, there are so many poignant themes scattered throughout it.

As a middle-aged chronic people pleaser, Clover Hendry has never allowed herself a day off. But today is different, and she lets herself break every single one of her rules. I absolutely loved Clover and her antics throughout the day. Everyone thinks she’s crazy, but at the end of the day (literally), Clover just might find find herself.

If you’re a people pleaser, too, you’ll definitely relate to Clover. For me, I related to her and even found some freedom within her story. I highly recommend this novel to fans of comedic literary fiction.

Thank you to @Netgalley and the publisher for this book!!!

If you can’t tell from my internet persona (which is my real persona, just on the internet), I’m not a pushover. I hate pushovers and I’m of the opinion that if you have an opinion, you better damn well express it. Clover’s life was so SAD because damn girl, you really accepted this lower standard of life for 40+ years and didn’t have a mental breakdown sooner?! I’m also of the opinion that if someone tries making you do something you don’t want to do, you should make them so miserable that they’ll never ask you to do anything ever again.

Personal dogma (and just general lust for chaos) aside, this book was utterly hilarious. Clover’s new personality, while shocking and a little concerning, was the funniest thing ever. I think if more people lived like Clover 2.0, our world would burn but at least it would be funny. Basically, I’m saying more people should live like Clover 2.0. I’m an agent of chaos, what can I say?

While I’m the furthest thing from a people pleaser (seriously, what do you call someone who goes out of their way to bother people?), I think this book could be good for people pleasers. Again, I’m not somebody who needs to please others so I don’t know if it’s accurate for me to say that, but I do think this is an interesting read for somebody who does have Clover’s tendencies.

This was an outstanding novel that women of a certain age (such as mine) will get on an elemental level. Clover Hendley has been a people pleaser her entire life. She can't tell anyone no, ever. She crushes her soul trying to be everything to everyone, until one day, a combination of mixed medicinals and a head injury result in her not having one single f#ck to give about what anyone thinks of her.

This book is so completely acerbically witty and unapolgetically examining of the thing that happens to women approaching and into their 40s where they know exactly who they are at the moment society decides to dismiss them. This novel explores all of that in a way that pulls no punches but still packs in plenty of humor and truth telling.

The supporting characters are interesting and developed, distinct and purposeful. I loved Petroc!

It has a major element of mad-cap that made me think of Carrie Fisher if she had written a novel in the British accent she used in Star Wars when she suffered no fools.

My only note (and this did not appear with spoilers in my public review) - I did feel the middle of the book suffered from a mixture of slow pacing as the schtick with Clover saying and doing whatever she pleases started to grow stale just as she started getting drunk on her new-found power and acted like a bully.

The reader finds out the context of this behavior later when the sexual assault in revealed, but it was too late in my opinion.

Giving that the reader that context, or at least more of a hint of her past trauma and why she is permissive and how that has impacted who and how she is should have come closer to when she encounters the bunny, so that the reader has more sympathy for her during the third act when she becomes temporarily a monster. I didn’t have any other notes.

I loved how this book was wrapped up in the end, like a tidy, ass-kicking bow. The dialogue was excellent. The re-occurring use if anecdote and metaphor to develop the character and wrap up the chapter was excellent.

I hope this is a smashing best seller and women of a certain age have their day on the best seller list. This novel will stay with me for a long time.

While the premise of this book was interesting, I felt like it was a bit dragged out. A very specific audience will be understanding to the many directions in which Clover is pulled. I can understand burn out & snapping but some of her outbursts felt disrespectful and condescending. I liked how she stood up to some people who wronged her, however she wasn’t a character I liked all that much. I was rooting for her to even the playing field at some parts, but overall I wanted more from the story. And the entire novel taking place over one day just felt .. odd.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC

Clover Hendry, after years of going with the flow and bending to everyone’s whims, decides that today is the day that it all ends. The book was a fun read, and it was extremely refreshing to see a middle-aged woman take the reins of her own life back.

She was frustrating at times, seemingly over the top, but deeply relatable in a way that made me understand why she was doing what she does. There were several moments when I found myself laughing, ready to see what she was going to get into next.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.