Clover Hendry is so many of us. She is a wife, daughter, mother, and the one everyone depends on at her job as an assistant producer at a local tv network. She is everyones “go to” for whatever they want, need, forgot to do or really, just don’t feel like doing. She is deeply under appreciated and undervalued and part of it is her fault and some of the world really not seeing her for the power house she is. That is until one day with a bit of pharmaceutical intervention when she has her Popeye moment and declares “I’ve had all I can stand and I can’t stands no more”, walks out of work and all of her responsibilities and has a totally crazy day doing and saying all the things that have she’s been holding in for what seems like ever. It’s an emotional, riotous day for her and for some of those in her path. This is proof that we all need to find balance in our lives and laugh along the way.

I really enjoyed this book. It's obvious that the author wanted to write something where the main character has no scruples about decorum and does whatever she wants (the author says as much in the notes). I think we all have days where we wish we could cast off the expected responses and duties of society and do whatever we feel like. My favorite part is Clover's adventure in the park (no spoilers).

Several parts of this book made me laugh out loud. My only quibble with it was I thought it went on just a tad too long. However, this is a book I'd read again in the future.

My thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really hoping to enjoy this book. I am a mom with small kids, a husband and I job. I however as I read this book I felt like Clover went from one extreme to another and many of her actions boarded on criminal. I understand feeling like you want to say no and have a "day off" but as an older women I feel as though Clover should have been more adult in her actions. You can say no /stand your ground in a respectful and kind manner

Clover Hendry always does the right thing. Taking care of her family and never letting anyone down at work. But today is going to be different. Today, Clover is taking the day off.
I don’t want to give too much away, but once Clover stopped living for everyone else, and started living for herself, well most everything that happened was hilarious. As we learn more about Clover’s life, she might also discover enough to make her future better. This was a feel good story that I truly enjoyed.

clover wants and needs a break but i think she went too hard sometimes. there's a difference between not taking shit from anyone or anything and being mean, spiteful and inconsiderate. if she was supposed to be 46 she should have acted like so.

When Clover Hendry woke up on Thursday morning, she had no idea that the day would change her life. She had a bad headache, which she cured with some outdated Vicodin and a few antihistamines, before getting her husband and twin teenaged kids off to their days. Once they were safely on their way, and Clover had checked to make sure her daughter had turned her hair appliances off, she set off on her day.

On the train to work, it was an abandoned bag that started her worrying, the possibility of someone leaving a bomb behind, and she had a hard time shaking the nervous voices in her head. Then, as she was exiting her train, a rogue briefcase hit her in the back of the head, knocking her out. She got up and back on her way, scaring off the man with the briefcase by mentioning her husband is a lawyer, and wiping blood off the back of her head as she went to her television producing job.

Halfway through yet another boring yet unnecessary meeting, Clover decides it’s all too much, stands up, insults her boss, and walks out. For the first time ever, she is playing hooky, enjoying a leisurely day in Bristol, doing what she wants, eating what she wants, and letting the world deal with its own issues itself.

However, it’s never quite that simple, and as she makes her way around the city, spending time with an old friend, having lunch with a colleague, enjoying a modern art showing at the museum, problems old and new crop up, and Clover has to deal with a young child running amok, getting accused of shoplifting, finding her teenaged daughter at a protest instead of school. adopting an abandoned bunny, apologizing to an artist over a ruined exhibit, and her mother being melodramatic. But she’s used to cleaning up messes, and it’s the day for her, finally, to clean up the messes she makes by playing hooky and the ones she’d created by not being honest with those closest to her.

Clover Hendry’s Day Off is wild ride of a novel, a slow unraveling of a middle-aged woman coming to terms with having been too quiet and meek. Inspired by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, it’s a celebration of the moments of connection that make everything beautiful, an outpouring of frustration at how life betrays our trust, and a coming to terms with the choices we make and the consequences that those choices hold us to. It is sweet and funny and beautiful and maddening and powerful and amazing. With some light felonies and a purse bunny included.

I think there are a lot of women like Clover out in the world, women who feel like they’ve been lied to, deceived, overlooked, taken advantage of, walked on, passed over, and condescended to. This is the day Clover decides to take her power back, to live the life she wants and not the life others around her want her to. Not all of us can take on all of our problems in one day, or one big problem that has caused a multitude of ripples of similar problems, but we can certainly read how Clover did it and cheer her on. And reading her story just might inspire some positive movement of our own, even if it’s only investing in a beautiful dress with really good pockets or curly hair for a day.

Egalleys for Clover Hendry’s Day Off were provided by G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Thank you to G. P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of Clover Hendry's Day Off by Beth Morrey.

What it’s about:
Clover Hendry has had it. She has spent her entire life trying to accommodate others and make everyone else in her life happy. However, after an eventful train ride into the city one morning, Clover decides it is time to take the day off and do what she wants to do for a change! As Clover moves from one hilarious adventure to the next, she begins to revisit the things in her past that have caused her to feel that she has no voice, and learns that standing up for herself might be a blessing and a curse.

What I loved:
This book had me in stitches! Beth Morrey has created a witty heroine and surrounded her with a cast of eccentric characters who both support and take advantage of Clover's obvious "people-pleaser" personality. The story is funny, but also has some more serious themes interwoven throughout (being abandoned by a parent, sexual assault, struggling as a woman in the workplace). As a woman Clover's age, I could definitely relate to a lot of her circumstances and feelings. The only downside for me was that Clover almost goes too far the other way on her "me" day, and comes off as cruel at times. That aside, I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone needing a good laugh!

Clover is having a day...The housework always falls to her, her team at work expects her to do things completely outside her job description, her mother is acting excessively needy, and her kids have been exceptionally moody. So when Clover wakes up with yet another headache, she doesn't stop herself after downing a few of the "just in case" pain killers they have left over. As her meds kick in and she is run down on a train platform, her day as the "new Clover" starts.

This was a hysterically funny novel at times, and to be honest, I think we all want to be Clover sometimes, and just say what were thinking without the repercussions following us along. The story also has a surprising twist at the end to make the whole story come round full circle. Generally I found this book to be:
-Witty
-Relatable
- easy to listen to
- Strong characters

Overall, I would recommend for anyone wanting a book to listen to for fun. One note, is at the beginning of the audiobook there were one or two times that it jumped around a bit, but then no problems as I continued through.

Thanks to Putnam for an advanced copy of Clover Hendry's Day Off.

The descriptions sounded so fun -- an adult's Ferris Bueller's Day Off a busy working mom who one day says F It and does whatever she wants but unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I love older characters but I didn't like Clover. I didn't find her antics funny and she really seemed very immature. I DNFd this book at 30%.

While at first I loved this book... Clover felt very relatable, but then it took a turn. At first I thought, yeah you go girl, you deserve this day! But then she was doing some REALLY whack things that felt not just normal "out of character" things but just WAY out of character and quite frankly, just mean. I think it also ended rather abruptly, and we don't even see her have a conversation with her husband about her life changing day. It missed the mark for me, unfortunately.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you try to help everyone around you leaving little time for your own needs and wants? Have you ever just had enough? If so, you will love Clover Hendry's Day Off, a humorous look at one middle aged woman’s first day of putting herself first.

Clover is a British television producer, a wife and a mother. But today she just wants to be Ferris Bueller. Free, free at last…but does she go too far? Undoubtedly! But this is fiction, people, not a how to self-help book. Don’t emulate Clover—just enjoy the ride.

Clover Hendry's Day Off Is a fun, escapist tale that will pick up the spirits of any person that needs a break from their own life. 4 stars!

Thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Sometimes a book just touches your heart and makes you smile; Clover Hendry's Day Off by Beth Morrey did that for me. I think we all wish we had a day where we could do and say everything we want to and or have wanted to and not fear the repercussions. Clover Hendry, a loving wife to Robbie, and mother of teen twins, Hazel and Ethan is a tired and harried TV producer, always trying to follow the rules and take care of others. One hectic morning, after taking 2 outdated Valium she does just that- including essentially telling her boss to go to hades and leaving the office for the day. The book is funny and touching; I found Clover to be an endearing character. She finds the day empowering in many ways, yet learns some lessons and gains some insights along the way. She finds the courage to address a wrong that was committed against her years before, I often found myself cheering her onward. I thoroughly enjoyed Clover Hendry's Day Off; if you are in the mood for an entertaining read I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam's Sons Publishing for an opportunity to read an ARC of Clover Hendry's Day Off, their kindness in no way influenced my review.

It’s book review time! This month, I stepped back into that weird literary/women’s fiction genre. I just call it slice of life, but apparently that’s wrong. I don’t they have to make it complicated. Whatever. I went with Clover Hendry’s Day Off by Beth Morrey. It was released yesterday (the 30th) from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s do the thing!

Clover Hendry’s Day Off follows (you guessed it!) Clover Hendry as she finally says screw everything and takes a day to do as she pleases. Skipping work and pampering herself and causing trouble wherever she ends up. Why not? All she has done her entire life is say yes to people and take everything on herself. She’s never taken a break or stopped to breathe. But that all changes right now. Will the world implode around her if she’s just a little bit selfish? It’s time to find out.

Before we go into the review, there will be spoilers. I try to stay vague most of the time, but once in a while, specific things need to be mentioned. If this is on your TBR list, you’ve been warned.

The plot is super cute until it isn’t. As someone who imagines the worst and people pleases and all that, I immediately liked Clover. I appreciated her breakdown. But what started out as fun and relatable, quickly devolved into a petty slog. Yes, slack off work for an art show and good meal. No, don’t dump a random kid in an art installation when his parent is there, but not paying attention. Yes, stick up for your gay friend when someone is being a bigot, but when your friend says stop, you stop. Definitely don’t steal a statue from a house your bestie is watching because you’ll just be getting her in trouble. Some of the stuff made no sense. And then there was the whole rape revenge thing that was supposedly the trigger for this whole breakdown. It felt trite and completely unnecessary. Clover had plenty of reasons to go off the rails. Tossing in the rapist dude just felt like overkill. And then when revenge is had, it’s brushed off like nothing happened in favor of more family drama. There’s just too much going on and not enough room for everything to feel natural. For such a short book, it’s like they tried to jam every possible plotline into it and it becomes a checklist instead of a story. Shitty boss, check. Distant children (bonus for twins), check. Narcissistic mother, check. Etc.

Honestly, the only character we really get to know is Clover. She starts out great, then becomes annoying, and finally mellows out a bit. But everyone else are just cardboard cutouts and that’s sad. It’s part of the reason I usually avoid literary type fiction. It’s not uncommon for books like that to focus on one character and just leave the others as stereotypes. It’s fine, but meh.

The writing is actually really enjoyable. Before the plot became a slog, I was seriously considering giving this 4 stars because it was fun and it was a smooth, quick read. It was a fitting style for the story.

Ultimately, Clover Hendry’s Day Off starts out great and then fizzles out. But I did enjoy the writing enough that if I run across other books by Beth Morrey, I’d give them a chance.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. It’s fun enough, but there are better stories like this out there. If it sounds like your thing, try it. If it’s not your typical genre, try something else first.

Oh how I wish I could be Clover Hendry! She is the ultimate badass in this book. She is doing what we all wish we could do. Blow off work, break the rules, just not give a damn about anything. While giving off Ferris Bueller vibes, Clover's story is all her own. From taking a midday swim to breaking a rabbit out of a stranded car. You are in for a ride with this book. Beth Morrey does a fantastic job at telling Clover's story. I would highly recommend this book. Thanks NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy!

Clover is a 46 year old woman who decides that she’s “not going to to take it anymore”(reminiscent of the 1976 movie, Network, especially since Clover also works in the television industry). The story takes place in a 24 hour period starting with Clover waking up with a headache, taking a strong pain killer then finding that her husband loaded the dishwasher wrong. Clover basically spends her day leaving work after telling her boss what she thinks of him and traveling the city being “assertive” with everyone she meets.
This is a very different book, refreshing and funny in some ways but really over the top in my opinion. I enjoyed the beginning of the book more and cheered Clover on when she did things like stand up for herself when a couple of men tried to take her taxi. But as the day progressed, she got more and more outrageous and was downright rude, aggressive and caused major damage with no remorse. While Clover’s assertiveness could be applauded, when she overdid it, became aggressive and went off the rails, there was an implication of her actions being attributed to a hormonal, menopausal woman and that just sends a message that most women want to avoid. So overall, despite some humorous moments that I enjoyed, I didn’t care much for the book.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Clover Hendry’s Day Off by Beth Morrey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 336 / Genre: Fiction

Clover Hendry is tired. She’s tired of being used as a doormat at work, she’s tired of her mother putting her down her entire life, and she’s tired of being tired from having nightmares every night of someone trying to break into her home. And one day she just snaps. She wakes up without the usual weight of being nice and doing what everyone else expects her to say and do. On this day, she says what she really feels and does what she wants. She walks out of work and just goes for it. She does and says all the things she’s always wanted to. And at the end of this very long day, she’s addressed pretty much everything in her life that has been weighing her down.

I really enjoyed this book. Although, I don’t really agree with all the things Clover did that day but that’s what made it all so incredibly unpredictable. It did get a big confusing sometimes though. She’ll start bringing up the past but you don’t realize it’s a past memory for a bit, so in that sense the writing is a bit chaotic but that matches up with how Clover is feeling and being that day so it all fits together. All in all, a very satisfying and enjoyable read.

Thank you @netgalley, @putnumbooks, and @BethMorrey for the advanced copy of this book. I loved it!

CLOVER HENDRY'S DAY OFF by Beth Morley is the perfect antidote to the same old, same old of middle age successful life with its compromises, swallowing truth, and doing the best you can to do the impossible. At once laugh out loud funny and dead serious, Clover is a powerful, memorable heroine I'd love to call friend -- and hear more about what she thinks and is doing. A deeply enjoyable romp of a read! I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

As a happily married mother of 16 year old twins with a demanding career as a TV producer, Clover is spread too thin and, after an…unusual morning, she decides to take the day off. For one day, Clover sheds her usual conscientious, anxious, accommodating self and operates completely without filter or thought for consequences. It’s a totally unique premise, if a bit hard to believe at moments, and I especially loved Clover’s interactions with her sister, coping with their difficult mother together. Morrey tackles some surprisingly heavy topics toward the end of the book, and for me, the contrast with lighter moments of humor lent them extra gravity. Fans of Ferris Bueller, meet Clover Hendry!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Billed as a premenopausal Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and I have to say that was pretty accurate! Clover is a yes woman. She never says no until one day she realizes enough is enough. This was a fun romp as Clover discovers there is power in reclaiming her ability to say no.
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Thank you #penguingroup and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Clover Hendry’s Day Off by Beth Morrey is a narrative of a day in the harried life of Clover Hendry. She is a wife, the mother of sixteen-year-old twins, and an assistant television producer. She takes care of everyone and rarely says no, is always accommodating and tends to avoid confrontation. Clover is exhausted from trying to please everybody and is tired of being taken advantage of in her professional life. She rarely stands up for herself. As the one caring for everyone else, her own needs are usually secondary. She was taught to be passive and compliant. Good girls didn’t cause trouble or create scenes. These were traits she carried into her adult life.

The story occurs over a single day and is told in flashbacks, alternating between present day and the past giving the reader an idea of what made Clover who she is today. On the day the story began, Clover’s morning didn’t start off well. She had an irritating migraine and was already overwhelmed with the responsibilities of her day. Before leaving home, she took some pain medication, and an antihistamine. On the train heading to work, she was struck in the head with the briefcase of a passenger causing her to pass out. That hit to the head seemed to change everything. Gone was the agreeable Clover. In her wake emerged a Clover who was ready to stand up for herself and would not be silenced. It facilitated a freedom she never experienced. It provided the catalyst Clover needed to think of her own needs and take a break from caring for others. She goes about her day doing what every she wanted and saying what she feels. As the day progressed, chaos ensued with lots of comic humor following in her wake.

This was a delightful read. It was warm, entertaining, and funny. The author created a relatable well-developed character faced with real life issues. There were hilarious moments that made me laugh out loud and instances that were poignant and thought provoking. It will keep you turning the page to see what comes next. This was my first read by the author and will seek out more of her work. I highly recommend Clover Hendry’s Day Off it is a witty and entertaining story.

My thanks to NetGalley, Beth Morrey, and Penguin Group/G.P. Putnam’s Son for providing the advance reader’s copy. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.