Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. A fair reflection on parenting, being a wife, being in a group of likeminded friends and being on the outside of those that make life look easy. I enjoyed the book being broken down into diary entries and the honest “I can’t remember what happened” and “still on Summer holiday”…the humour kept me reading, and my memories were evoked of being a parent of Primary School children and the high expectations parents place on themselves and their children. My favourite characters were the children, Evie, Thomas and David and the wonderful friendship they shared. A great holiday read, but unfortunately a little too similar to lots of other books that have tried to replicate the success of Bridget.

This is essentially an autobiography posing as a novel.
The narrator ‘Liz’ (Lucy) tells us about her life through the trusty medium of her daily diary.
This is light and humorous but not hugely original (think glasses of wine, useless husbands, sex avoidance, cackling best friends and the other tropes of modern motherhood).
Characters are generally nicely observed, especially daughter Evie, terrifyingly efficient neighbour, Mrs Bradley, and cynical best friend Fiona.
This is a novel that’s easy to pick up and put down, will occasionally make you chuckle and would be a good read on a holiday when your concentration isn’t at its peak.
I enjoyed the anecdotes and it did feel like a little window into Lucy Mangan’s world, albeit a superficial look.

This is the first time that I've read a book and then gone back to the beginning and started to read it all over again. Biting prose and so, so relateable to any married, working mother of young children. The humour is relentless and so true to life you almost want to weep with relief that your life is actually normal.

Are we Having fun yet? yes, from the first few pages! A spirited description of life coping with a job, husband and child, and all the myriad frustrations that go with them, and the absolute necessity for any woman to have a support network of other women to share the joys and disasters that 21st century life throws at us all. Written in Lucy Mangan's unmistakeable voice, and with a few characterisations recognisable from her own life, this is an enjoyable read with a few heartbreaks and laugh out loud moments . Definitely a good read.

Lucy Mangan's debut novel occupies similar territory to the Why Mummy Drinks books, though the light and sardonic tone reminds me more of Sue Limb's classic Bad Housekeeping series in the Guardian during the 1990s. 'Liz' an introverted bookworm, lives as quiet a life as possible, but with two small children chaos is never far away. I loved her husband who reminded me of the Fiance in Mangan's non-fiction work The Reluctant Bride, and David, a phlegmatic 40-year-old Yorkshireman in a six-year-old's body. Great, gentle fun with a few laugh-out-loud moments.

Absolutely brilliant! Are We Having Fun Yet? is a year in the life of Liz told in diary format. She is a mum of a two and this is an unflinching, hilarious portrayal of motherhood in the context of a middle-class nuclear family trying their best to manage childcare, diaries, school dramas and PTA responsibilities and all the curveballs life likes to throw at us - including broken dishwashers, trying to find a tradesman and helping friends get through fertility and marital issues. Mangan’s astute observations are superb and completely accurate - I was nodding vigorously and highlighting sections throughout. The section on how Richard uses the term ‘we’ and the need to be alone made me feel an immense comradeship with Liz. Warning: only read this book if you are in a good place with your partner because the recognisable, common faults of Richard will bring to the fore all resentments you may have felt about your partner at any point during shared parenthood. I was noticeably much snappier with my other half whilst reading this!! That is not to suggest that this story is a tirade of Liz moaning....Richard is a husband with flaws but ultimately a caring and loving husband and father, and the story as a whole is very heartwarming and genuine. I absolutely loved it! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher and Net galley for sending an advance copy of this book.

There were many moments that really resonated with me, having two children myself and being a working mother and a few parts really made me smile and nod in recognition. I did find it to be a little cynical in places and reinforcing the narrative of annoying PTA parents, mothers drinking to survive etc. and would like to hear different stories and perspectives. Felt very similar to Motherland. But it was an easy summer read and I kept coming back to the book. The ending was really lovely and life affirming.

An absolute must read for anyone who wants to laugh out loud at the daily grind of motherhood. This book is so relatable, written in diary form by an honest, tired mum of 2 living in London. I’ve read other books along a similar theme, but her children and husband’s antics, alongside her narrative really made me giggle at 1am as I was racing through to finish. It also made me feel better about all the times my house is a mess, I’ve failed at finding a plumber and I feed my children fish fingers for tea. I’m off to read more by the same author! Thank you so much for this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Real laugh out loud moments throughout this book! It's not really a story, just the scathingly truthful and hilarious diary of a woman, trying to be a wife and a mum and an employee and a friend...and everything else that people expect her to be.
Covering a whole year in Liz's life, we are exposed to the honest conversations spouses have about the abilities/likeability of their children (both Evie and Thomas are awesome characters with great personalities and some real cutting lines, in Evie's case!) and the conversations that women have with their true ride or die friends, known to themselves here as the Coven. We also see the cliques that everyone is aware of at the school gates and the crazy pressure put on people to be 'actively involved with the school community' - it's all laid bare with a massive dollop of wit and sarcasm.
I'm not a mum and so had no relatable experiences to draw on but that didn't stop me recognising traits and knowing that I would react to things in the same way...Liz is my kind of person and I'd love to have a bucket of Prosecco with her whilst she lamented the uselessness of her husband and the bitchiness of the stay at home mums with the army of paid help behind them. And I would tell her to nurture Evie's steel determination and Thomas's introverted heart.
Oh and lastly, massive shout out to David, best friend of Thomas and old man in training.

I enjoy Lucy Mangan’s Guardian articles and loved Bookworm so I was happy to be sent an ARC of her novel and was not at all disappointed.It’s a lovely ,uplifting read ,told in diary form ,of a year in the life of a happy family, with all its ups and downs.It doesn’t gloss over the stresses of modern family life,organising childcare ,running a house while working full time and dealing with the problems faced by primary school children ,but it does so in a very funny way .It’s so good to read about a happy marriage and well adjusted children, and a group of women friends who all support each other through good and more difficult times.
There are so many situations that will be familiar to many working women ,but they’re described in a very down to earth and realistic way which made me laugh at the same time .
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

I love Lucy Mangan's writing so was very pleased to have the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of her novel. As expected, it's hugely enjoyable, though reads less like a novel (there's no real plot, as such) and more like a year's diary of a middle class mother of two contending with the day to day stresses of life.

(The blurb names the narrator as Liz, but I think this name is only mentioned once in the entire book and hence I thought of her throughout as Lucy, since one feels that's who she basically is.)

Anyway it's a lot of fun to read, as Liz/Lucy navigates the daily challenges/joys/horrors of parenthood (to the gentle Thomas and terrifying Evie), marriage (to Richard), parents, work, friendships, school mum politics and so on. As a fellow introvert I can relate strongly to her aversion to socialising...

There's some real laugh out loud moments, especially relating to the children - Evie in particular is priceless - and Liz/Lucy's parents.

I did notice that the next door neighbour's name seems to fluctuate between Laura and Sofia! Like I said, I read an advance copy, so hopefully this will be fixed.

Brilliant read, many thanks.

Five big fat stars.

This is one of the funniest books I’ve read in ages - really laugh out loud funny! This is Liz's diary of her year as wife to Richard and mother to Thomas (7 1/2 at the start of the year, a romantic, Earnest, sweet a dreamer and utterly gorgeous) and Evie (definitely a sociopath in the making at 5, takes no prisoners and is incredibly funny). Liz's day may go like this:- get up, spin plates hopefully not with breakfast on them, load washing machine/ dishwasher, spin more plates not in the machine, hurtle kids to school, hurtle frantically to work hopefully wearing matching shoes (yes, I really did) hurtle home and collect kids from school or child minder, spin dozens of plates while cooking a meal without burning and with vague nutritional value, spin more plates and collapse exhausted in a heap as husband looks on quizzically. Resonate some? Here is a sample Liz type checklist, tick all that apply, then read the book, it’s brilliant.

Maternal guilt? Oh yes.
Paternal guilt? Well I might if I was a bloke
An incredible mother who can rewire the house, fix loose roof tiles, complete the housework to Mrs Hinch standards, weed the garden, walk the dog, stock the freezer and do a million good works before 9am? Yes. Exhausting to watch.
A domestically competent father? NOPE but Liz does.
Husband who is a blind mole? Yes. If it’s not flashing with neon ... and even then ....
A blind mole who snores? Grrrr, YES
Hold a coven like drunken meetings with friends like Céline, Nadia, Fiona and Claire? Definitely
A neighbour as capable as the indomitable Mrs Bradley? Yes, that’s you Joanne.
Have in your head a retort you wish you could make but are much too polite? Yes but mine come pop into my head ten minutes too late
A child like Evie? Er no.
Competitive parenting? Witnessed it, can’t be bothered and I’m sure not into competing child naming, poor Oenone and Olivid, doubly so with a mother like Savannah.

It’s so well written and an absolute blast from start to finish. Highly recommended, no surprise there!!

With thanks to NetGalley and Serpents Tail/Viper/Profile Books
I have received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest unedited review.

I've loved Mangan's writing for a long time and was very much looking forward to the novel, especially with the comparisons to Delafield's The Provincial Lady - another book I love.
However for me this one came closer to the Why Mummy... books than the classic Provincial Lady and that spoiled it a little for me - I was hoping for something a little more witty.
It was nice to see a happy marriage portrayed, and the accurate descriptions of a summer holiday in Norfolk boosted the book a lot for me. Fun but forgettable is my summary in my own reading journal.

It's quite a while since a book has made me laugh out loud, but this did. It's also quite a while since my children were little but, judging from this diary of a young mum, not a lot has changed. Lucy Mangan's characters are wonderfully brought to life - I particularly liked the feisty Evie and her adamant refusal to dress up in costume (I would love to read about her as a teenager!) Nothing much happens, large quantities of prosecco are drunk, the relationships are all entirely credible and it's a really jolly read. Lucy Mangan's writing has a true comic touch and she is adept at spotting the humour in daily life. Great stuff!

I was really excited to get a free ebook for review. I set off with good intentions to read thoughtfully and analytically so I could gave a proper review. I failed utterly. There are wise and witty things to be said about the social and geographic location of the book, and about Lucy Mangan’s voice, but they will have to be made by someone else. I just got lost in laughter, and in developing my crush for the young David.

Thank you Netgalley and Profile Books for approving my request to review this book.

Have you ever had the feeling that you have stumbled upon someone’s personal diary, and you are unsure whether to read it or not? That’s exactly what happened here - this is not a book, but rather Liz’s personal diary. Every day we get a glimpse of the chaotic life Liz leads, not by choice, but by simply trying to make everyone else’s ends meet.

Evie steals the pages as she is witty, smart, and probably the best child character I have read this year. Evie’s character has made me clucky, and I’d love to have a child like Evie. Thomas is also a delight, and I can’t fathom the number of questions these children ask Liz every day - no wonder the woman needs a break!

Liz dislikes all things fun. She does not like going on a holiday to another country with her family, she does not like socialising, she does not like sex, and the list goes on. All she wants is to have one whole day (two would be better) without communicating with another being (Henry, the cat excluded, of course). Liz craves silence and solitude (the two best S words, according to Liz) more than anything in this world.

Liz is blessed with an amazing husband who loves her dearly, loving children, parents, sister, and friends.This story revolves around Liz’s life and how everyone seems to be dependent on her - except Mrs Bradley, of course.

If you are looking for a book with a plot and lots of twists that you don’t see coming, this is not the book you are looking for. However, if you want to read a personal diary with heaps of funny entries on your beachy vacation, this is it. This book will not give you anxiety about the ending, there are no ‘wtf’ moments, there is no anticipation about what happens next, this is simply a light hearted read. Liz welcomes you into her life and takes you for a ‘not-so-bumpy’ ride.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I really enjoyed this. I've been aware of Lucy Mangan for over a decade, having read her articles in the Guardian and a couple of her non-fiction books, so was looking forward to reading her first foray into fiction. 'Are We Having Fun Yet?' did not disappoint - it was an easy, entertaining read, and Mangan captures the voices of the characters well as she takes us through a year in Liz's life. I would like a whole series of books about Evie...

Lucy Mangan has created an honest, brilliantly observed, thought provoking and hilarious story of modern family life- I loved it!
I am an avid reader of all of Lucy's work and so had high expectations of this and it did not disappoint. The characters are well drawn, three dimensional and real. I am still thinking about them days later. The children are great le and expressed perfectly.
I will definitely be returning to this book and have already recommended it to many friends. Thank you Netgalley and Profile Books- A brilliant read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC.
Do you have 87 hours spare to knock up a costume for the nativity play, or help with the summer fair/Christmas bazaar? If you dread any of these things, but you know that some well-meaning, yet equally clueless, PTA ambassador will try to recruit you to man the tombola/lucky dip/tat stall (it's never the Pimms or mulled wine bar), then you need to read this book - if only to know you are not alone. Lucy Mangan expertly navigates us through a year in the life of Liz, who is desperately seeking a bit of peace and quiet, whilst juggling the demands of modern life. Trying their best to thwart any suggestion of much deserved 'me time' are various family members, friends and work colleagues whose demands and life questions concerning whether Mary-the-mother-of-Jesus is dead, why the dishwasher is making funny noises and whether ghost poos count, are ably dispatched with the aid of her trusty coven and a bottle (or two) of Prosseco. This wry look at life is laugh out loud funny and will resonate with anyone trying to juggle several balls whilst simultaneously keeping all the plates spinning.

Made me so glad I don’t have kids! Touching, intelligent and sometimes painfully funny. Fabs of Mangan’s writing will enjoy this look at family life in the form of a diary.