I really enjoyed this book, It reminded me a bit of “Where’d you go Bernadette”. It was a hard read for me. My husband kept joking “man you really don’t want to read that book do you?” My first marriage went much the same way and I found this all too relatable and reminiscent of my life years ago. I really enjoyed the final interactions with the husband. It isn’t often that happens and it’s so nice to see that peaceful closure so few of us get. Even if it is just in a book. I would reread this book, along with fixer upper and other, take charge, slightly crazy, girls can do it all! Books I enjoy repeating. Anything with Goat yoga is a win right?

Agatha March is quite the character. A writer who seems to be in everyone’s business, she finds her business the talk of the town. After her husband leaves her, she loses her mind more than a little. She becomes a regular subject on the local mom group. She’s not likable at all at times, she assumes the worst in everyone. She’s a stalker and she doesn’t think twice about being a jerk to even kids. By the end of the story she doesn’t fully redeem herself, but she is well on her toward being a better person,

what a hoot! this made me LOL many times - so many relatable moments at the silliness of Facebook posts; i wish i had a friend like Agatha Arch!

It was a pleasure seeing the inside of Agatha Arch’s head, knowing her most intimate thoughts and fears. Agatha finds her husband having an affair with non-other than…. the dog-walker (they don’t even own a dog). Agatha goes crazy, grabs the hacksaw and destroys the shed – which is where she found them having sex. Throughout the story Agatha interacts and criticizes with a Facebook mom’s group in her town. As Agatha’s life comes crashing down from all sides, especially when she is caught spying on her estranged husband and the dog walker, she forms new friendships from unlikely sources. As crazy as Agatha Arch is, she is likeable, and most times you can understand where she is coming from and at least reason why she is doing something. Agatha is very sharp and has a witty sense of humor. I couldn’t stop listening as I wanted to know what crazy thing would happen next. There are plenty of chuckle and a few laugh-out-loud moments throughout the story.
Thank you @netgalley for my audiobook copy! The narrator was amazing, and really did sound like Agatha Arch’s innermost thoughts.

First off I can totally relate to Agatha all though I’ve never been married this book just feels like it would be my life. Agatha is not really afraid of everything most of the things she is afraid of there is a reason behind it so completely understandable Without giving spoilers I am kinda confused why she was so obsessed with a certain character in this book for that character to no longer be there and what happened to them was never mentioned other then that this would
Have to be one of my top 3 books I have read this year I laughed so much thank you for allowing me to read this it

I love Agatha Arch. I wanted to slap her for a bit there but I love her. A delightful little book.

"Grief, when it comes, is nothing like we expect it to be. All hail Joan Didion!"

Thanks NetGalley for this early read, rather, listen. I wouldn't have grabbed it if I'd realized it was an audiobook (I don't do those, I said to myself). Then I felt bad for not providing a review, so I listened to my first audiobook. And damn, that was enjoyable. Listened while I watered, a little bit at night. I may even listen to another!

Agatha Arch is a fairly successful author who lives in a world of white privilege. She’s married to a man she loves and has two sons she adores. When she catches her husband having sex in the garden shed with the neighborhood dog walker, she loses it completely - totally destroying rage garden shed with a hatchet. Agatha believes she’s afraid of everything. She sees a therapist. She belongs to a Facebook mom’s group. Once I decided the book was supposed to be ironic and funny, I enjoyed it more. It just felt so white. One character of color is a house painter who Agatha sees a a possible sex partner. The process Agatha goes through to become a strong independent woman was mostly entertaining. Her most redeeming quality is her love for her sons.

The narrator of the audiobook Soneela Nankani was fantastic. She captured the tone of the privileged white woman perfectly. I found myself laughing out loud.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"A quirky, nervous wreck of a New England mom is forced to face her many fears in this touching, irresistible novel from author Kristin Bair. Arch's life shatters when she discovers her husband in their backyard shed, in flagrante delicto, giving the local dog walker some heavy petting. Defying her abundant assortment of anxieties, Agatha dons her "spy pants"--a pair of khakis whose many pockets she crams with binoculars, fishing line, scissors, flashlight, a Leatherman Super Tool 300 EOD, candy, and other espionage essentials--and sets out to spy on her husband and the dog walker."

I couldn't offer a better description of this delightful book than the description from the publisher.  It is very remniscint of Where'd You Go, Bernadette.  Well written and just a fun read.

Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Blair is a really light and fun book about some heavy topics. The main character goes through a whole heck of a lot in this book and yet it remains funny and warm- I was rooting for her the whole time with admiration.

Agatha Arch is an overly anxious woman, yes, but she’s so multi-layered. Agatha is anxious, strong, funny, smart, talented, witty, and a survivor. I loved seeing a character with fears and anxieties and struggles who was still a funny and intelligent member of her society. This book is so much fun and honestly, inspiring. It inspired me to connect more with people to understand them better.

Also, the audiobook narrator is phenomenal. The way that she delivered the sass and sadness and thoughtfulness of Agatha was absolute perfection and I’m so glad that I listened to this via audiobook.

I definitely recommend this book and this audiobook! I truly enjoyed it so much.

A big thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for a free copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review!

On an ordinary day, Agatha Arch goes out to her shed and finds her husband having sex with the neighborhood dog walker. This sets off a chain of humorous stalking incidents on Agatha's part. This book is very reminiscent of Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, which is a book that I loved. Bernadette was plagued by the neighborhood "gnats" (parents group at her daughter's school) while Agatha is bothered by her neighborhood moms' Facebook group. This book was light and entertaining. I gave it 3.5/5 stars.

My first audio book and I’m glad I stumbled upon this one. I loved the voice of the narrator I guess this is key. I loved the main character as she overcomes her own trepidation to evolve into a resolved and strong character. The audio system was soothing at the end of the say to immerse yourself into Agathas search into herself and her hubby. I found with narration a different visual than regular story reveal. It was a hoot as is Agatha .Happy listening

Agatha Arch is an authentic character who I feel could be my neighbor next door! When her life is pushed down an uncertain path and her family readjust to a new norm, Agatha's anxiety is pushed to the next level. The humor throughout this book brings Agatha to life as she processes her thoughts and feelings of these changes, deals with nosey moms (and a dad) of the community, and works to find herself along the way.

I really enjoyed this book - Agatha is a tough character to like, she's quirky in an off putting way for a lot of the book but the more you get to know her the more you understand who she is. It was a quick read & I recommend it.

This is a book that perfectly suited me. There was much wit, humor, and sarcasm displayed by the central character, Agatha Arch. I am a New Yorker, so I can appreciate that if unbelievable situations occur, well usually the best way to survive is to act just like our wonderful Agatha. She has just found out that her husband was having an affair with their dog groomer. He decided to get together in the shed while Agatha and her children are inside the house. Now, I understand dear reader why this could result in outlandish behavior. Agatha is very pleased that she gets Spy Pants and gets caught up in a tree spying in on GDog’s house where her husband is staying. She orders dolls off ETSY that are made to look like her husband and his GDog (girlfriend’s name) and laughs when the note says to treasure these loved ones. She plans on sticking pins into the girlfriends butt. I mean, whatever gets you through the day. Her husband hasn’t even addressed this.

She refers to her therapist as her Shrinky Dink. Agatha has lots of fears and anxiety, but her therapist starts to notice that this incident has made her act anyway. She forgets she’s afraid of heights, forgets her hypochondria, and moves forward. She uses a Mom’s Group to stay connected, but often makes snarky comments about what the Moms say. Well, she does have a point. Discussing the most drab topics about the manicurist or if they saw a fox or a coyote. One only has so much patience and her reserves are running low.

Agatha is a smart and talented writer. She gets feed up easily when others don’t know about books. Finally, she loneliness forces her to start being much more Civil to her Mom friends. She asks, what makes them worry and is surprised with so many responses. She starts to realize, she just doesn’t know these women well. They to have their problems and anxieties. Life is just too hard to go it alone. So, Agatha starts helping out a woman in crisis, gets together with this group, and sees they really want to help. Agatha is as surprised as anyone, but she starts to move on. She becomes solid on her own and finally is starts hating her husband a little less. She sees she has a life without him, even though she really has had her life turned upside down. Her young sons are what force the humanity in her to come bursting out.

So, think this was a really fun read. I could also relate to how hard life can be and Agatha is really a heroine for our times. She is fierce and doesn’t give up. That gives her a better life then she ever imagined.

Thank you NetGalley for supplying me with a copy of this book. It was a pleasure to read and my ex didn’t call once to tell me all my faults today. So, many women will see themselves in Agatha, the same as I did.

What do you need to know about Agatha Arch?
- She is a mom;
- She is an author;
- She has "spy pants;"
- She LOVES Bear Grylls;
- She caught her husband cheating on her;
- She has a blunt and honest sense of humor;
- She is in the most obnoxious moms' Facebook group;
- She doesn't really care that her personality isn't for everyone; and
- She is afraid of everything - especially beans, beans are the worst.

Agatha Arch was a refreshing and quirky read about an overly anxious main character who has just had her entire life flipped upside down. I personally listened the audio book and I'm so glad that I did! The audio gave excerpts where Agatha was reading from her moms' group or talking to her husband extra dimension and humor. I loved Agatha as a character. She was a flawed character who managed to come across as caring, witty, anxious, family oriented, and hilarious. I absolutely recommend this book, especially if you have your own issues with anxiety.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I am voluntarily providing an honest review.

What a fun and funny book about hard things like; anxiety, infidelity, fear, and loss. Agatha is afraid of everything, but tackles life's hurdles with reckless abandon and the help of spy pants and a few survival tools! I laughed at, and cheered for Agatha and enjoyed her take/opinion on all that is trendy or considered cool. The book has a lot of relevant issues making this more than a light read.

Soneela Nankani is the narrator and I completely enjoyed her reading. I found her to have the perfect amount of sass, sarcasm, and snark, while also able to show the deep sadness Agatha was living with underneath. The character goes through a lot of emotions and Nankani's reading subtly shifts between it all. Her reading matched how I imagined Agatha would sound and that's not always easy to do.

'Agatha rolled her eyes, as her soul rose up and towered over them, she doesn't trust people who don't read books.'

'Some of these moms are bat-shit crazy. Take away their pumpkin-spice latte on a day when their toddler has an epic meltdown in Whole Foods and SNAP!' (audio book so punctuation is my best guess)

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Agatha Arch Is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Bair O'Keeffe is a book I was unable to finish. I really wanted to like this book, but Agatha was so depressing, I just couldn't read any more. Maybe at a different time, I would have enjoyed it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I enjoyed the narration (which nailed the sarcastic tone I think was intended), I was not as enthusiastic about the book itself. I found the main character too unlikeable to really root for and the story too outlandish.

This book starts with Agatha Arch finding her husband banging the neighborhood dog walker in their backyard shed. In a fury she does what I hope I would do if faced with a similar situation - she grabs a hatchet and chases the naked duo before decimating their love shed.

I adored this book! I'm a huge fan of what I like to call suburban satire novels and this is up there with some of my favorites like Where'd You Go Bernadette? and Class Mom. Agatha is, as the title suggests, afraid of everything, and we follow her journey as she has to navigate life without her husband and the knowledge that her sons spend half their time with the "grand dame of grapefruits," her literary reference to her husband's new girlfriend and her perfect butt. (Huge props if you can name the book that comes from!) Beyond the repercussions of the affair, writer Agatha also has a new book she's due to deliver and the 2,900 other women who are a part of their town's FB Mom's group to contend with. I have to admit - I'm in a local Mom's group on FB and Kristin Bair's satire of the inanity that takes place on social media between groups of grown, capable women is so spot on I would swear she's been lurking on our FB page!

I alternated between the book and the audiobook for this one and I really enjoyed the narrator while listening. I'm buying copies of Agatha Arch for some of my mom friends for the holidays - it's the perfect book for a funny and heartwarming escape.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, Alcove Press and the author for an advanced copy to review.

This is a two-part review of the audio version of Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything. Soneela Nankani, the narrator, did an excellent job as a solo narrator. She captured the voices and nuanced snarkiness meant in the book for mom's groups both in social media and in-person. Conversations were easily followed. Stopping places were also easily managed.
As for the story, I found Agatha Arch as a character someone I couldn't engage with nor feel a great deal of sympathy for regardless of her situation. She came across as unkind and judgmental of basically everything. I think the reader was supposed to feel her fears were driving those behaviors but it didn't wash with me. Perhaps the title should have been Agatha Arch is Judging Everyone and Everything. Also, list making or repetitive self-talk was a writing tool the author employed throughout and way too often for a way to drive home either Agatha's fears or her dislike of many things.
Overall, the fact that Agatha found her husband in the act of cheating wasn't enough to cheer on her eventual acknowledgment of her fears and attempts to conquer them.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an early copy of the audiobook in exchange for a review. All opinions are mine alone.