This was a cute, quick read that I think most middle-aged Moms will relate to. I'll probably read anything Chandler Baker writes and her wit and charm shine through in the members of the Clauster family (I'm trying to figure out if that name is a play on "Claus" and "Claustrophobia", or is that just me? Am I the only one who automatically finishes the claus.... with ...trophobic during the holidays? Surely not.) If you need a fun escape from the family this holiday season, this one will do it! A short story, I read it in under 2 hours. I do think there's enough meat in there and underlying drama that this could have been a much longer book. That's really my only complaint - Baker crammed a full-length humorous family drama into a short story. I wanted ALL OF THE DIRT.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eBook in exchange for an honest review.

This short story was an entertaining Christmas read, fully encapsulating the chaos that comes with the holidays - especially when you’re the mom! The Clauster family’s traditions and Chandler Baker’s insight into the different family members was relatable and funny! I recommend if you’re looking for a quick story to get you in the mood for the holidays.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC!

Oh What Fun is a delightfully fun short story that will resonate with many women who suffer from burn out during the holidays. Written with a wry, sharp humor, this quick tale should be read by all BEFORE the holidays begin so that hopefully many mothers will be spared some of the stress of the holidays. ;)

This is a cute novella that encapsulates the true chaos of Christmas and how we sometimes don’t realize the time and love a mom puts in to make it special for her family until it’s too late. It was a super quick read to get me in to the Christmas spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

The chaos of the holidays mixed in with the craziness of family really shone in this short novel, turning it into an unbelievably nuts story. You have to really take a step back and look at this as a whole to appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish here - this is no Hallmark movie channel holiday Christmas movie. While not my cup of tea especially with how it was told (took me a while to understand why it being told this way), there were a couple of “Oh sh**” moments that had me laughing out loud.

This story was very delightful. I really enjoyed getting to know the Clauster family and being a voyeur into their holiday week. Chandler did a nice job of solidifying all the characters and caricatures of the family. I appreciated the inclusion of the son Tyler being gay, also. I found myself laughing through most of it but, also sympathizing with the matriarch who works so hard to prepare the holidays and is a bit taken advantage of. I think this was the perfect story to get me into the holiday spirit.

If moms make the magic at Christmas, who makes the magic for Mom??

Claire has snapped. As the matriarch of her family the magic of Christmas falls on her shoulders and all she wants is to be thanked for it.

This was a fun short story that as a mother of small children I enjoyed breezing through. I know I have many thankless years of stressful holidays ahead but only if I make it that way. Let’s hope I don’t go missing like Claire one day!

This little diddy will make you want to go hug your mom and thank her for all she does for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This short story by Chandler Baker was such a great, quick read! I chose it because it is set during Christmas time and is based on a mother who is constantly rushing around, desperately trying to make sure the holidays are special for her children, grandchildren and husband. Once again, I felt like Chandler wrote this book directed to me! The holidays can be so exhausting for moms and they often can get left behind. Definitely a cute, intriguing novella!

What a fun holiday read! It took me about halfway through to really be engaged and enjoy those laugh out loud moments, but overall it was a quick fun read. It felt genuine and perfectly described the chaos of family at Christmas time. A perfect way to kick start your holiday reading list.

Oh. What. Fun. by Chandler Baker is a quick, sharply observed read that rings true on every page. This Christmas tale is a whirlwind of all of the stresses that arise behind the scenes while creating the perfect family holiday. What appeals to me here is the relatability of Claire Clauster as she attempts to cater to the whims of the various personalities that have descended on her home in the days leading up to Christmas, each expecting to have their vision of the perfect holiday fulfilled by Claire herself. After all, that is the way it has always been.

If you are looking for a quick read to put you in a holiday frame of mind, for better or worse, then look no further.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Reads for access to this new holiday short story from a favorite thriller writer, Chandler Baker. I have enjoyed Ms. Baker's two novels and appreciated that she could show off different writing themes and talents within a clever, well developed holiday story. I loved how she developed each of the Clauster family members, let the narrative unfold in an effective way as we move from the mother's planning for the holidays to her disappearance. This story is a great complement to Ms. Baker's timely focus in her thrillers on women's work and their emotional labor and mental load; we often have fun and joyful times due to the labor of a woman or women around the holidays... oh what fun indeed.
I appreciate Ms. Baker's care for writing stories that are for and about women in ways that resonate with me, that create a space for a laugh, even a self-deprecating one, and that create a way for women to be seen in writing in this way and ideally to help women life me give voice to the loads we carry. A humorous but insightful short story, I definitely recommend this as a welcome holiday read.

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A short story, I read this very quickly. Exactly what I was looking for in a Christmas read - fun, fast paced and festive. There were parts of the book that were confusing, however, overall it was an enjoyable novella.

This is only a mini review because it’s a short, quick novella. The story follows the Clausters during the holidays with all of their chaos and traditions, when their mother, the heart and soul of the family, goes missing.

This story is funny and heartwarming and has a few little twists that are fun to follow. It was the perfect read as I sat in the airport awaiting to board my flight back home after a visit with my own mother.

I haven't read anything by Chandler Baker before, but oh what fun this short holiday story was! We follow the Clauster family through the days before Christmas and I think it is always wonderful to see what traditions other families have. Most of the Clauster family traditions - well, actually, all of them - have always been planned by the mother, from wrapping the presents for the children and grandchildren to planning the meals and buying the ingredients. So the whole family is in for quite a shock when a couple of days before Christmas their mother disappears.

Even though this a short and quick read I thought that the characters were very well created and every little detail about the family was really well thought out. Thank you netgalley for my free copy, I really enjoyed it! 🎄

what a fun short story for the holidays! Really enjoyed the tale of the Clauster family holidays & their very long-suffering mother Claire! Women, especially, will find it resonating with them... My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the DRC

We all want the holiday season to be a special time for our loved ones. For a season that is supposed to be filled with comfort and joy, it often ends up being more of a stressed-out occasion for the ones who do all of the preparations.

Claire Clauster has always made the holidays sparkle for her family. She loves to follow traditions, feed her family their favorite meals, wrap, entertain, and keep everyone merry, doesn’t she? But this year, Claire is struggling a bit, feeling a little underappreciated, overwhelmed, and a whole lot tired, and she has every reason to be. When Claire finally reaches her limit, this holiday proves to be nothing like the Clauster family thought it would be.

Oh. What. Fun. was just what the title promised: it was fun. This story was packed full of family drama, humor, and plenty of mayhem. Many people understand the pressures to make the holidays a memorable time for their families, but I promise you this, the Clausters will definitely remember this holiday season, probably more than all of the others.

So, when I’m in the throes of baking, decorating, wrapping, and cleaning, and trying to get everything just right, I will try to sit back, take a deep breath, and not let the fa-la-la-ing stress get to me.

*4 Stars

3.5 Stars

If you are looking for a quick read to get you in the holiday spirit, Oh. What. Fun. by Chandler Baker will do just that! Not necessarily in that hallmark, cheesy, warm-and-fuzzy way, but a more real and relatable view of what it takes to make a holiday gathering special.

Claire Clauster works so hard to have her family together for the holidays and make it special. But do you think they appreciate it? Nope! Her grown children, and grandchildren, are so busy with their lives that they hardly notice or appreciate the effort their mother puts into the holidays. Well, they certainly will notice it when she's missing, won't they??

Being a short story, it was hard to sometimes follow the stories/all the characters introduced in the beginning, but it quickly gets into a flow and develops a cute story line that will get you into that holiday mood, and prepare you for the holiday crazy we all know and love!

I love Chandler Baker's writing. This short story was a lot of fun and well-written. How much work are the holidays? A lot of work. How many moms are taken for granted with respect to all they do to make their loved ones have a great holiday? Yup. This was a relatable story. The only thing was that it was hard on the e-book to understand the context of the parts where the Mom was talking (to whom she was talking, etc.) A lot of fun.

3.5 Stars

If you are looking for an amusing, whimsical book to get you in the mood for Christmas, this is an entertaining one.

Claire is the kind of mom who wants everyone in her family to gather round for Christmas, and she spends a great amount of time and care setting everything up to perfection in order to create memories that will last. Her children who are all grown and have kids of their own now, are accustomed to feeling they’ll just be in her way if they offer to help decorate, wrap the gifts, or bake or help with the decorations. But after many years of this, and feeling that all her efforts are not only unappreciated but expected, Claire’s tired of feeling overlooked and undervalued, and, well, tired and worn out from doing it all on her own.

Their plan for this year includes tickets to go see Disney on Ice, and Claire, of course, is the one who was supposed to arrange for the tickets. The family gathers, and heads to the venue only to realize they’ve forgotten one thing. Claire.

The most wonderful time of the year turns into a frantic search for Claire, some realizations that, perhaps, it isn’t as wonderful for her as they’d come to convince themselves over the years, and that maybe, just maybe, it was time for them to show her the same love and care that she’s given them.
A short, quirky, fun, holiday read about families as the season approaches.

Pub Date: 30 Nov 2021


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Amazon Original Stories
#OhWhatFun #NetGalley

Parts here and there were fun, others a bit confusing. Not sure if it was the layout? Big huge chunk paragraphs are not easy to read. Plus it felt a bit disjointed at times. Overall the story was fine, and kept my interest so would recommend.