I started listening to Agatha Arch is Afraid of everything and was only able to make it about 20% of the way in. The story itself has amazing potential and I believe if I were to physically read the book over listening I would enjoy it. I just could not handle the poor narration. It wasn't for me. I have checked the book out from the local library in order to give the book and author a fair chance because honestly I truly believe I am going to like the book.

Agatha Arch really IS afraid of everything! From Fava beans (don't ask) to lightning storms, it would be almost be easier for Agatha to list the things that she wasn't afraid of instead of the things that she is. When she catches her husband of eleven years in a delicate position with the dog walker in their shed Agatha takes a hatchet in hand and goes to work. What follows is the story of Agatha facing the fears that she has one fear at a time while gaining necessary perspective.

It's hard not to love unexpected heroine Agatha Arch, even though she's prickly even at the best of times! As she navigates her fears and heartbreak and disappointment and yes, even her hope for the future, her human side comes out and makes her all the more endearing. I rooted for her to overcome her obstacles from the very beginning despite the fact that she isn't what we would consider to be a traditionally likeable character.

The unexpected secondary character here was in fact not Agatha's cheating husband but the Facebook mom's group that Agatha just couldn't stay away from for very long. I could relate to many of Agatha's grievances but could also see myself in some of the mom's posts. That aspect of the story alone made it worth the listen!

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I really liked it in that format. The reader's voice seemed to suit the story and it flowed well. I was easily able to pick up where I left off when I had to turn it off and come back to it later. I've had it before where I start an audiobook, find something about it annoying, and end up not finishing it but this wasn't the case here. Both the reader and the story being told were compelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about an untraditional heroine and how she overcomes what is a common and very real fear of many people! Agatha is a flawed character with lots to love about her and I found the writing to be enjoyable and the conclusion satisfying. I can recommend this in either format- either listening to it or choosing to read a paper copy.

I really wanted to love this book. The alliteration is catchy and the cover is similar to Where'd You Go Bernadette which is a novel I really enjoyed. I read a review that also compared this to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine which I loved, so I had high hopes.

The novel starts off with Agatha finding her husband having an affair with "their dog walker" in their shed. Agatha takes an axe and destroys the shed and by the way, they don't have a dog. This beginning showed me that there were going to be quirky characters. I love quirky characters. Agatha's sessions with her psychiatrist that she calls shrinky-dink told me that there were some issues and a bit of humour. I love books that make me laugh. The book then goes on to describe various ways Agatha starts spying on her husband and the dog walker. This had potential.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long into the book that the story no longer held my interest. The humour started to feel forced. I get that the title is that Agatha is afraid of everything, but after a while it became too unrealistic for me.

I also thought that maybe the audio would be helpful and make it come to life more. Soneela Nankani is the narrator and she was fine. It was the story for me that made it difficult to keep going back to this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio of this book.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🌱

Laugh-out-loud funny; recommended of fans of Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go Bernadette. Agatha Arch is a woman in crisis after discovering her husbands infidelity in the backyard shed with the beautiful neighborhood dog- walker. While Agatha’s behavior is often cringe worthy, the reader can’t help but route for her. Sharp, witty dialog.

Agatha Arch is incredibly quirky. Agatha Arch is a woman in crisis after discovering her husbands infidelity in the backyard shed with the beautiful neighborhood dog- walker. While Agatha’s behavior is often cringe worthy, the reader can’t help but root for her. Definitely offbeat, but interesting. Agatha would not, in real life, be an easy person to like or even have any dealings with. I'm thankful that this was just a book!

i am totally obsessed with audiobooks these days. It helps because I can always have it on in the background while I'm doing chores or making dinner. Covid pushed me right into it :)

Book Review

Agatha is the neighbour that makes you laugh at the same time as cringe. She catchers her husband having an affair and then seems to go slightly batty. Her nerosis keeps her anxious as she's simply afraid of everything but somehow I still seemed to root for her. I think partly it is pity and partly I think we all have a sneaky Agatha inside of us all.

I have to giggle even writing this review because Agatha could be my husband's Nana, Between the ramblings of her thoughts to the words that actually come out, somehow she found a place for herself in my heart. But my gosh shes a nutter.

Worth the fun read...even better as an audiobook though. It'll keep you entertained the whole time.

Hello,

I am sorry for any inconvenience, but I did not get a chance to listen to Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything before it was archived. I didn't know audiobooks had archive dates. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this one.

I really enjoyed this novel and frankly was a little shocked at how much I identified with Agatha. I mean, every thirty-something mom these days is part of a mom group on some platform, and man, Kristin Bair O'Keeffe really captured the jungle that is those groups.

But more than anything, even though Agatha's specific fears and anxieties seem silly and small, they are so representative of the things that hold us back and make us second guess everything we do, and if we're doing the right thing for our kids, and if we're doing the right thing for ourselves.

There were some things, stylistically, that I found a little irritating, for example a lot of repetition when it comes to the recreation of the Facebook Mom's group, but generally speaking this book is really readable and quirky.

It was so refreshing to read a story about a character in which I could see myself, and also that didn't end in a perfect little bow with everyone in love and happy. Because life is messy, and it's OK if we're a little messy too.

Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything, by @kbairokeeffe is a contemporary story of a woman, #AgathaArch, who claims to be afraid of (almost) everything, including beans (yes beeeeeans as in green beans, kidney beans, fava beans any kind of beans lol)! This audiobook had me laughing sooo much and was just the uplifting ridiculously hilarious romp that i needed to round out this hideous year! Agatha finds her husband "screwing the dogwalker" in their shed and grabs a hatchet and destroys the shed whilst chasing the duo with said handaxe. As Agatha learns to cope with her separation and fears, she learns that she's not just capable but is a fearsome warrior. I really really enjoyed listening to this and highly recommend the audio! Narrated by #SoneelaNankani and omg what a great job she did!
Many thanks to @netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this advanced read. It was a fantastic fun listening experience & a wonderful story, 5 stars from here! Posted this also on Twitter (the dutchess) and Instagram (phillybookfairy) and go goodreads!

Agatha Arch has an impulse control problem. So when one of the moms from her moms Facebook group posts yet again about the same old topics, she wants to answer in disparaging emojis. When she realizes that a skunk is living under her porch, she names it Susan Sontag. And when she finds out that her husband is cheating on her with the local dogwalker, and that the cheating is happening right now, in the shed in the backyard of their house that has their two sons inside, Agatha grabs the hatchet and starts chopping that shed down. The dogwalker doesn’t even have time to put her dress back on before she runs for her life.

And that’s how Agatha Arch found out that her life was about to be upended.

Her husband moves out, to the dogwalker’s house, and her two boys go too, half the time. That leaves Agatha a lot of time to obsess over all the things that scare her, like beans, and to gear up for spying on her husband and his new partner. With the help of her Bear Grylls bobblehead, her handy spy pants, a head lamp, and her new Leatherman super tool, Agatha sets out to try to figure out several things: who the interloper is (a young woman who has suddenly appeared in their small town and has been seen begging for cash), what happened to Balderdash (a runaway dog much talked about in the mom’s Facebook group), and why her husband suddenly left to make a life with someone else.

Between angering her neighbor for not cleaning up the shed mess, ducking her agent’s texts and messages about the thriller she’s supposed to be writing, talking to Shrinkydink about her fears (her therapist), and befriending a smart teenaged girl in the park to get help flying her fancy drone, Agatha is a busy woman.

But she is also lonely. And sad. And afraid.

And as the weeks go by, Agatha realizes that there is really only one choice for her, to build a life for the sons she loves so much—she has to let go and move on. She has to figure out how to life now. And she has to let down some of the walls she’s built around herself and let others in. She has to make friends.

Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything is a dark and charming story of a woman whose life is upended and has to figure out how to right herself again. Author Kristin Bair’s characters are smart and funny and feel real, and the writing is clever and snappy. This book reminded me a lot of Where’d You Go, Bernadette? as they are both smart books about smart women who find themselves at a crossroads in life. These are both very likable books.

I got to listen to the audio book of Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything, narrated by Soneela Nankani, and the voice for Agatha was at times scornful, derisive, or frustrated—in other words, Nankani’s narration fit the character perfectly.

Agatha Arch is a lot of fun for readers and listeners. She feels a lot of pain, and that can be hard to get through, but the payoff is worth it. Agatha is a complicated, some would say difficult woman, but in the end she steals your heart away and you root for her to live her best life.

A copy of the audio book for Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything was provided by Dreamscape Media through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook.

But absolutely nothing happened in this story for the first 50%, and alas: I cannot go on.

The comparison to Where'd You Go Bernadette is highly inaccurate.

Agatha Arch Is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Bair O'Keeffe is equal parts quirky, honest, completely crazy at points and cuttingly hilarious. Agatha Arch is not exactly the most relatable character, for me, but she is certainly entertaining! I definitely enjoyed the mom Facebook group shenanigans - it felt very accurate! If you've recently gone through or are going through a divorce, you might want to skip this book - the emotional rollercoaster of a divorce was very raw and accurate. I gave this book 3 stars. I felt like the story got a little repetitive in the middle but, overall this book is entertaining and hilarious.

Agatha Arch is... Quirky, angry, impulsive, funny, loving, hateful, interesting, scary, unhinged, unhappy and afraid of everything.Kristin Bair has written this clever character driven story about A slightly-OK maybe more than slightly- unhinged woman that you will simultaneously love and hate. The book kicks off with Agatha catching her husband in a compromising position with the dog walker. Agatha is not having it! she promptly picks up an ax takes off after her husband and the dog walker, and then destroys the shed where the shenanigans were taking place. what follows is an entertaining story about a scorned woman obsessed. She goes to war with the Facebook moms. Spies on her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Lets her yard go wild. she also befriends a woman in need and is always there for her kids. you may not like Agatha, but you will want to see what she’s up to next. I thoroughly enjoyed this crazy story. Soneela Nankani -One of my favorite audiobook narrators- narrates the story. she gave the perfect voice to Agatha, enhancing the story for me. Love spending time with this colorful character, just made sure I did not get on her bad side.😉

This book in emojis 🪓 🐶 🐐 👩‍👦‍👦 🔎

*** Big thank you to Dreamscape Media for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

No doubt Agatha Arch is faced with a terrible situation. Her husband is found cheating with a local dog walker in her back shed. This very public, life-altering event brings out the worst in Agatha. She tests the boundaries of her already contentious relationships with her neighbors. This book had some funny parts and some good ideas that could have worked. Unfortunately, there were far more tedious and annoying plot lines that were overdone. For example, the idea of someone being afraid of beans is not amusing, just irritating. In addition to her ridiculous fears, Agatha is an intentionally unlikeable. This would have been more enjoyable if her antics were funny or if she redeemed herself sooner, but it ended up being a book about someone being a total jerk.

BOOK PREVIEW: Agatha Arch Is Afraid Of Everything by Kristin Bair

Let's see what this story is about…

STORY... Agatha Arch's life shatters when she discovers her husband in their backyard shed giving the local dog walker some “heavy petting.” Suddenly, Agatha finds herself face to face with everything that frightens her.

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, candy and other espionage essentials (!) -- and starts spying...

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT WITH THIS BOOK?.... This one is recommended for “fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine”… And I am a big fan of both!

All in and ready to read… ✨😎✨

Agatha Arch Is Afraid Of Everything by Kristin Bair
2020 New Book Releases | November

Contemporary Fiction

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Books & DIY Home Ideas | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com ... Including my video tutorials for DIY home ideas inspired by recommended books to support you in bringing your favorite books to life in your life and home.

You can see all my December Book Previews & additional features for Agatha Arch Is Afraid Of Everything by Kristin Bair at https://www.thisismyeverybody.com/books/books-coming-out-in-2020-december


✨😎✨A big thank you to Kristin Bair, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Bair was an alright book. The main character, Agatha, was a ball of anxiety and nasty to others. There were some funny moments, but overall, the book was irritating. Even though she grew to be a more likeable person it was too little too late. I felt awful that she found her husband cheating on her, but it was inferred she was an unlikeable person before that scene. I really liked the narrator’s tone of voice. To be fair to the book, the narrator could have been the reason I found Agatha to be such an awful person.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to review this audio book. Agatha Arch is afraid of everything. No, really, everything. You can imagine what a stumbling block this is. This book follows her escapades with humor and kindness. I loved listening to this audiobook and it had me laughing out loud a few times at the situations Agatha finds herself in. It’s a light, fun book that I recommend.

I very rarely listen to audiobooks because I find that my mind wanders and I end up missing parts of the story. This audiobook was so much fun. There are a lot of humorous sections in this book but it's also touching and sad in some parts. But it's the perfect kind of book (in my opinion) to listen to as an audiobook because it definitely kept my attention. I really enjoyed it! I also though the narrator was very good.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you to the Author, the Publisher and to Netgalley. This book was unfortunately not for me. I give this book 2.5 stars. I didn't like the main character, and I found the story uninteresting, nothing exciting happened. I considered not finishing this book numerous times, because I just couldn't connect with it, but I made it through.

I was looking for a light, easy listen and this was light, but I didn't really enjoy it. Agatha was afraid of beans, she was snarky on a parent facebook group, and she stalked people. After listening for about five hours, I figured I must be about done (even though nothing really happened, other than a breakthrough where Agatha ordered refried beans) and was horrified to see that I was less than halfway through the book! I read through some reviews, and figured that Agatha would have some redemptive moments - that, coupled with the ample time I had invested in the book, led me to ramp up the reading speed to 2X and finish the book. It was fine, but not worth it for me. I didn't like Agatha, I thought she was mean and intolerant, I thought her fear of beans and the focus on that was strange, I thought that the fellow parent (who she stalked) pursuing a friendship was perplexing. There was nothing about Agatha or her wayward husband that I liked. Perhaps this book would have been better to read, rather than listen. The narrator was fine, but listening to someone read emojis (laugh emoji, mad emoji, etc.) and Facebook responses that say "stinkbug" forty or so times, made this kind of annoying.

Thank you for providing advance audiobooks!