Claire is a typical mom. She loves her family, does most of the work, and needs to make some money and have a career of her own. This is very hard to accomplish without the help of the kid’s dad. Her husband has no interest in helping at all. She is exhausted and frustrated, to say the least.

She embarks on a work trip and tries to sort things out in her head. She is confused and not sure how to fix her dilemma. On this trip, a lot happens! What also happens is that our complex and deep character Claire, shares with us the most sarcastically funny things in her mind. I laughed out loud several times as well as truly felt her thoughts in my own life, at times!

Something happens with her job about three quarters of the way through. This was one of my favorite parts of the book. The way it all went down with the banter between Claire and her employer was epic! I wish I could share the quote but it would be a spoiler.

Alterman is a truly talented writer that makes the story flow seamlessly, all the while incorporating sadness, frustration, happiness, comedy and real-life issues all at the same time. To me, this is not always done so easily but somehow she accomplishes this, making her one of my auto-buy authors!

This book cleverly navigates the complexities of still being in love with someone while attempting to move on and date someone new. The emotional tension is palpable, and the author does a great job capturing the confusion and heartache that comes with unresolved feelings.

However, the “issue debacle” that caused the protagonist to go viral felt underdeveloped — it didn’t carry enough weight to justify the ripple effects it had on their life. A bit more depth here would have added stronger stakes to the storyline.

Additionally, I noticed a few mistakes throughout the book, which I’d be happy to share screenshots of if helpful. They didn’t take away from the overall experience, but polishing those details could enhance the reading flow.

Despite these points, the story’s emotional core and relatable struggles make it a worthwhile read for anyone who enjoys messy, heartfelt romances.

Synopsis: Mother of three, Claire, is stressed and exhausted from juggling all her responsibilities – housework, childcare and working as a writer for Mamarama, an online women’s magazine. Married to Paul for 16 years, she still loves her husband but is frustrated and angry with his procrastination and failure to share the load. One day she wakes up and reaches the end of her patience, telling Paul to get out, which he obligingly does. Then Claire sees her old college flame at the 10-year reunion, the one that got away. Will Claire give the man she married a second chance, or start over with her old love?

Thoughts: Claire’s life is pure chaos. Her house is a mess, her son has lice, she is separated from her husband, and she is struggling to satisfy her overachieving millennial boss at Mamarama. If you have ever bemoaned the state of your life as a working mother and wife, you will probably be able to relate to Claire Casey. The author is able to encapsulate the frantic pace of working motherhood - down to combing through a child’s hair with a lice comb, plucking sweaty sports gear out of the laundry bin, and fobbing off pushy parent organizers trying to force others into baking cupcakes. It rings true, even if it exaggerates the chaos just a little. There is plenty of humour as well as poignant moments. I will admit I found it a bit stressful to read at times, or perhaps that was just my PTSD from child rearing. And Claire is a little too clumsy and hapless at times. However it is a fun read and bookish friends that enjoy something lighter with a bit of acerbic wit should enjoy this novel.

I wasn't familiar with the author, but the cover and blurb of this one made me smile and drew my attention immediately. It started out with great promise, and I was cheering for Claire as she said enough is enough to her rather useless husband, but I was barely 5% into the book before it turned into a romance - and that is not what I expected at all. I was expecting a "mama has had enough" story, full of invisible woman syndrome and the overlooking of invisible wife/mom work. I was not expecting the push for her to say enough is enough to be an ex-boyfriend she's been flirting with since a college reunion... This was more of a romance than I expected. There's nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't a good fit for me and if I had known that would be the focus I wouldn't have requested it.

⭐️4⭐️

Claire Casey’s Had Enough

Plot:
Claire Casey hits her breaking point when her husband forgets to pick her up from the airport, prompting her to rethink her marriage. Reconnecting with a former crush at her college reunion, Claire begins rediscovering herself but faces the tough choice between embracing change or staying in her imperfect marriage.

My Thoughts:
This book had many relatable moments that linked with motherhood and being in a relationship. It challengers the idea of is the grass greener somewhere else. I was reading all the way to the end of the book and still had no idea which direction the book would end up. I can’t say the ending made me please but the alternative ending didn’t seem appealing either. I was hoping there was more motherhood struggles to relate to. The middle of the books seemed focused on her former crush which lost on me for a bit. Overall I was drawn to the storyline to keep picking up to see how the plot would play out.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

4.5 stars rounded up-Claire is over it! Her husband has a to do list that never gets to done, he forgot to pick her up at the airport after a work trip, and may be close to losing his job, forcing her to work for MamaRama an online website that emphasizes AF after every title.

Claire kicks her husband Paul out, and at a reunion, meets up with her college boyfriend. She looks forward to his texts each night, but in the meantime is trying to run a household, raise three rowdy boys, and work her job from home. Then there’s the enormous pile of dog doo she comes home to each day. Her “not so fast motherfucker” when she caught the owner not cleaning up…dying laughing.

The hilarity throughout this book only added to the way the author writes about her characters. I found myself empathizing with so many experiences Claire and her friends went through! Loved loved this book, and I appreciate that I am not alone in my worry for Art Garfunkel. Perhaps in the next one we need to honor the also forgotten John Oates.

I cannot wait to read all the future books Liz Alterman writes! Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this awesome read!

This is a funny read that will have any mom being able to connect to Claire at least somewhat. The writing style wasn't my cup of tea but I did enjoy the book immensely.

Claire Casey's Had Enough by Liz Alterman is a hilarious and heartwarming mom-com that follows Claire Casey, a 40-something mom of three (or four, if you count her husband) who's reached her breaking point. Juggling kids, a job she hates, and endless responsibilities, Claire finally snaps when her husband forgets to pick her up from the airport. Determined to reclaim her life, Claire attends her college reunion and reconnects with her former flame, Alex. As she rediscovers herself, Claire must confront the reality that recapturing her sense of self could jeopardize her marriage.
The novel is a laugh-out-loud, relatable story about love, nostalgia, and the complexities of midlife. With sharp wit and engaging characters, Liz Alterman masterfully explores the challenges and triumphs of a woman trying to find herself again.

Claire is a 46 year old mother of 3 boys with a husband who does nothing to help out. She recently took a full time job and kicks her husband out when he fails to get her from the airport at 2 am.

Then she goes to a college reunion and becomes reacquainted with Alex, who was kind of a thing in college. He's divorced and interested in her. She's been sleeping for years and doesn't really know who she is anymore.

This is the story of how Claire finds herself and decides if she is going to see how things go with Alex or let her husband come back home.

I love a good romcom. Claire Casey’s Had Enough by Liz Alterman was the latest I’ve read. It kept me turning pages until the end.

A laugh out loud tale that will capture your funny bone from the first page when Claire is locked outside of her suburban home because her husband (oops) missed picking her up at the airport. Claire, a mom of three sons, who feels basically unseen and unloved by her man is juggling the ups and downs of motherhood and wonders if she’s lost herself in it all. Would the grass be greener if she reconnects with old flame Alex? If you’re looking for a fun relatable read that makes you feel like you’re chatting with your bestie about the complexities of marriage and motherhood, don’t miss this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for this ARC.

Claire, 46, mother of 3 (4 if you count the useless husband) has had enough. She writes articles for a parenting website and has once written a children's book but feels she is stagnating. So she decides to re-evaluate her life but is the grass really greener elsewhere?

I had some intense deja vu moments with this book. Especially the head lice infection and the linguini on lap incident sounded incredibly familiar, so either I'm a time traveller or I have read this story or parts of it somewhere before.

Unfortunately, I didn't connect with the writing style. The action takes place over one day, 4 September 2024, but with flashbacks to May and July of the same year and to 1999. This makes it disjointed and confusing, plus that day seemed to go on forever. It's ridiculous all the stuff she has to deal with and that goes wrong within the space of a day. The events were either funny or infuriating, like a day in the life of a working mother, but on steroids. I liked the personal growth in some characters, and her neighbour Bea who was quite with the times for her advanced age. Read if you like chaotic mom-coms.

As a mom of 4, I felt this book was so deliciously chaotic and hilarious while resonating with everything that is MOM LIFE!

It was fun to read and connect to a mom that was in her 40s and dealing with the hot mess daily situations of having multiple kids. 😆 But it was so much more than just that! Sometimes when the feeling of not being seen and unappreciated becomes too much to handle in the chaos of life, love and work.. you have had enough! ✋🏻 Trying to find that person that you were before kids and married life, the ‘what ifs’ and ultimately figuring out that who you have become can be even better, when you take the time to reflect and work on yourself.

Told through ‘day in the life’ snippets of time and flashbacks to memories that give a reflection of how things have come to be. It made this a quick read and allowed a complete feel of Claire’s inner monologue and into this story.

‘𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?’👏🏻

Claire also befriends Bea who I absolutely adored and felt that she helped bring Claire full circle.

𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘹 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 😭👏🏻