3.5, rounded up

"I guess I just got so tired of asking for help. You guys always say: 'Don't stress! It'll all get done! It always gets done!' You make me crazy with that. It gets done because I do it."

This is a cute, short Christmas story that will really speak to the person in the family who is always the one who gets everything done, even if they have to sacrifice their own contentment to do it.

In this case, it's Claire Clauster, matriarch of the family who really enjoys making her family happy--until she doesn't.

Definitely recommend this tale to remind us to be thankful for the friends and family we have in our lives and to not take things for granted.

What do you do when Mom goes missing? The Clauster family must figure this out one Christmas season when it happens to them.

Oh What Fun! is an easy to read, humorous, holiday short that you can read in one sitting. It’s a tribute to mom’s everywhere that handle it all behind the scenes to make that perfect holiday for their family. I loved it.

Oh.What.Fun. is a totally appropriate title for this fun, very quick read! When Claire Clauster's three adult children descend for the Christmas holiday along with spouses, significant others and offspring, all seems to be going as expected...until Claire disappears. The family is sent into complete turmoil, and no one seems to have a clue what could have happened. I saw a lot of myself in Claire, including the stress of the season, and appreciated the humorous spin on the whole crazy season.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this seasonal gem. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

oh wow what an incredibly funny, laugh out load, feel good Christmas story.

Not only did I absolutely see my mom in the story I also saw my family. Mom's don't get nearly as much credit as they deserve in all aspect of life. We often forget all the effort they go through to make things special for our families.

The way Baker wrote the story that you could feel the chaos growing was inspired, I could not put it down. I cringed at the oh so familiar family drama and the over the top display that is Christmas Day and I loved it.

Creatively written with just the right amount of humour, I wish this was a full on book.

Absolute must read.

This was a fun, quick read with a cute message about the importance of family and traditions even when things get a bit chaotic.

I don’t want to give much of a synopsis, since this story was so short. If you like short stories, Christmas, and family chaos, then give this a try!

Oh what fun- Charlene Baker

What a short fantastic festive warm feel Christmas book, I read this within half hour and I really enjoyed it.
All adult siblings and grandkids together. It is very fun and entertaining. I was laughing throughout most of the book
Claire who is the mother, is waiting for all her kids to come home for Christmas, and she does a lot around the house, and getting organised for Christmas

Holidays are very busy for mothers (I am sure all mums will be able to relate), to this book, one day, Claire goes missing? What has happened to her?
To find out you will need to read this fabulous book.

A book to read this festive season you will not be disappointed.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the copy to read. Out on 30th November 2021.

I look forward to reading more from Charlene Baker.

5 stars from me.

Hmm, well that was disappointing. It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read, but I found this short story to be a strange mix of both not enough information to carry the story forward in any compelling way, but also extremely boring. It jumped all over the place between perspectives and timeline but not in a tantalizing ‘dolling out more pieces of the puzzle’ way, but rather, in an incoherent and frenetic fashion.

All the grown Clauster kids are home for the holidays, but their Mom disappears mid-festivities. She’s snapped, after a lifetime of not being appreciated. Once the kids (and her husband) actually realize she’s gone they try to piece everything together. They’re all such unlikeable, narcissistic, yet fairly boring, characters that I just couldn’t get invested in the story. Thank goodness it was short.

Loved this quick short story. It’s a perfect Christmas read. I really related to to Claire as a mom, because I feel like I wear myself OUT trying to make the holidays magical for my family. This is the perfect length for those of us going 100mph during the holiday season.

Oh What Fun
A super, quick holiday read! As a mom, I definitely related to Claire, and the responsibilities we have as moms, all the time, but especially at holiday time. It left me wanting more of the Clauster family.

A fun little story from Chandler Baker about a woman who goes a little crazy when her family takes her for granted. The entire Clauster family is in town for Christmas, from middle sister Channing's twin girls to eldest brother Tyler's boyfriend Angel. Mom has gone all out this year and instead of preparing Tyler's favorite King Ranch casserole, she bought everyone Disney on Ice tickets. Everyone has a wonderful time until they realize at a pivotal moment that...Mom is missing!

This is a short little romp and every mom who spends the majority of the holiday season stressed out while everyone else has a magical time will see themselves a little in Claire. Claire makes all the food the love, she makes sure the house is decorated, she probably does the bulk of the Christmas shopping and wrapping (while Dad gets to be the one they like better because he actually has time to play games with the kids), and all she wants this year is for them to nominate her so she can get picked to meet her favorite daytime talkshow host. And did they? Well, I guess you'll have to read to find out!

This was the perfect short story (read it within an hour) to start the holidays. We all know that when family gets together for the holidays there will always be some drama. The story follows the Clauster family who thinks their mom has it all together until…she doesn’t.

I definitely recommend it if you want an entertaining and fast read introduction for the holidays!

What a fun and quirky shirt story! If you need a little something to start your holiday reads off, grab this one up. It took me less than an hour to read it and it made me laugh and worry all at the same time.
The Clauster family is coming together for Christmas and the matriarch, Claire, always goes above and beyond to make it memorable because she loves the holidays. At least that’s what her family thinks. But in reality, she is burnt out and exhausted and just wants at least one person to acknowledge all she does to make it special for them. Which of course doesn’t happen. As the big family gift, she gets them a,l tickets to Disney on Ice and they all enjoy the whole show before realizing that Claire isn’t with them. That ensues a 2 day search for her ending up where you would least expect it.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed and exhausted by the stresses of the holidays, and let’s be honest, who hasn’t, this is a perfect little read.
Thanks to the author and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

4/5
Quality of writing: 4
Plot development: 4
Pace: 4
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of reading: 5

Kicking off the Christmas season with a really lovely story.
Claire Clauster loves her family. She really does. But Christmas time is not easy, it's a hard work to have perfect holidays. So what happens when mom cracks...?

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this short story from NetGalley and in exchange for my honest review of this book.

This was a fun short story that likely resonates with many moms, especially around the holidays. As a 40-year-old mother myself, I can see this as an actuality for my beautiful and amazing mom from our family holiday feasts when she was my age and a bit older.

Claire Clauster LOVES her family. Loves them might be a bit of an understatement. She dotes on her three children, Channing, Tyler, and Sammy. She loves their families just as much. She always works hard to ensure that Christmas time is The Most Wonderful Time of the Year for them all, with all of the holiday traditions never being forgotten.

However, when Channing and her husband Doug show up with their two children, four-year-old twin girls Lark and Sable, arrive, they find that Claire is a bit more frazzled than usual, and is running 45 minutes late. Red flags are amiss, but they aren't noticed, and as Tyler and his newest love interest, Angel, and Sammy, who has recently broken up with his girlfriend, arrive, and the family settles in with expectations of their mother and the usual holiday festivities. Claire is spinning out of control, and no one notices. Then, on Christmas Eve Eve Eve, when they all open their customary gifts from mom, they receive Disney on Ice tickets, and excitedly go to the show, celebrate, and come home to discover that Claire is MISSING. Where could she be?

Oh! The breaking point reverberated in my soul. I did get a good chuckle out of this quirky, heartfelt story, and am ever so thankful to have been given the chance to enjoy it.

#NetGalley #OhWhatFun #ChandlerBaker

oh. what. fun. By Chandler Baker

This is a short story by one of my go-to authors. About a busy family and their mother on the Christmas holidays. It starts out with kind of a police interview that’s alluding to someone disappearing.

I loved this one, such a quick read (about 35 minutes) and it was so relatable. My favourite part was when the mom is complaining about everyone else saying “don’t worry mom, it will get done, it will all be okay” and her thinking “of course it will get done, I’m the one who will do it all!” I mean, as a mom at Christmas, the stress is real!

Grab this one for a quick little dip into the Christmas spirit, or a reminder to appreciate your Mother.

Thank you to @amazonpublishing and @netgalley for my copy, this is out on November 30th!

#amazonoriginalstories #chandlerbaker #ohwhatfun #mybooks #kindle #netgalley #christmasbooks #shortstories #bookish #christmasreading #favouriteauthor #holidays #reading #ebooks #arc #bookreview #bookrecommendations #yyc #yycchristmas #momlife #relatable #books

Such a cute little short story about a family (3 adult children with partners, and even some grandkids) home for the holidays. Then the matriarch goes missing and the holidays may just be ruined. The rest of the family has to come together to find grandma! By the end they all learn a lesson or two about the meaning of family, and how to appreciate each other.
Quick and fun read. I read it in one sitting!

This was a DNF for me. I tried coming back to it time and time again but I just couldn't get into it.

This was a fun and quick read! I loved the story line, the holidays are HARD. There's a lot more to them then the cookie cutter picture all parents like to show. It was refreshing to see that while the traditions in this family hadn't changed, it lead to an act of self care and as a reminder to be grateful for the hard work and effort put into making holidays great.

A refreshing reminder that while the holidays are great, they’re also A LOT OF WORK. And it’s okay to feel like everyone and everything is driving you nuts. Oh What Fun was a fun, relatable, quick read. I think fans of Apples Never Fall would really enjoy this one.

Clara is the Mom/Grandma who makes it all happen for the holidays. The book is told mostly from the POV of her three grown children - Tyler, Channing, and Sammy - as the family gets together for the holidays. On Christmas Eve Eve Eve, Clara surprises everyone with tickets to Disney on Ice - and only later, do they realize Clara is nowhere to be found.
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One of my favorite reads of the year was Whisper Network, and I was so darn excited to see a new short story from Chandler Baker. It did not disappoint! Oh. What. Fun. is a witty, funny tale that is utterly relatable in so many ways (especially if you’re the Mom who gets it all done). Definitely download this one is you need a holiday read that’s smart comedy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars.
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Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the advanced copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.