Are We Having Fun Yet?
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- Create Date：2021-10-14 00:50:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lucy Mangan
- ISBN：1788161084
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Summary
Meet Liz: all she wants is some peace and quiet so she can read a book with her cat Henry， love of her life， by her side。 But trampling all over this dream is a group of wild things also known as Liz's family。 Namely:
Richard - a man， a husband， no serious rival to Henry。
Thomas - their sensitive seven year old son， for whom life is a bed of pain already。
Evie - five year old acrobat， gangster， anarchist， daughter。
And as if her family's demands （Where are the door keys？ Are we made of plastic？ Do 'ghost poos' really count？） weren't enough， Liz must also contend with the madness of parents， friends， bosses， and at least one hovering nemesis。 Are We Having Fun Yet？ is a year with one woman as she faces all the storms of modern life （babysitters， death， threadworms） on her epic quest for that holy grail: a moment to herself。
Richard - a man， a husband， no serious rival to Henry。
Thomas - their sensitive seven year old son， for whom life is a bed of pain already。
Evie - five year old acrobat， gangster， anarchist， daughter。
And as if her family's demands （Where are the door keys？ Are we made of plastic？ Do 'ghost poos' really count？） weren't enough， Liz must also contend with the madness of parents， friends， bosses， and at least one hovering nemesis。 Are We Having Fun Yet？ is a year with one woman as she faces all the storms of modern life （babysitters， death， threadworms） on her epic quest for that holy grail: a moment to herself。
Reviews
Jamie Klingler
，
Had been in a bit of a reading funk and this was like spying on neighbours having a much rougher time than I am。 I basically cast myself as the neighbour and watched all the goings on。 It’s very funny and I think Evie may be my favourite。
Annarella
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I love this type of book and laughed out loud。 It's funny， irreverent and throughly enjoyable book that will make you laugh。The humour and the style of writing are excellent。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine I love this type of book and laughed out loud。 It's funny， irreverent and throughly enjoyable book that will make you laugh。The humour and the style of writing are excellent。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
KathVBtn
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A humorous look at a middle class family's life bringing up two small children， with all of the chaos and demands that can be made by a combination of PCTA， school friendship， family holidays， keeping your relationship going， elderly parents and work。 I enjoyed reading it， having lived through those years not so long ago！ I have probably read similar books before， but this is a well written and well plotted view of life as a mother in the 20th century A humorous look at a middle class family's life bringing up two small children， with all of the chaos and demands that can be made by a combination of PCTA， school friendship， family holidays， keeping your relationship going， elderly parents and work。 I enjoyed reading it， having lived through those years not so long ago！ I have probably read similar books before， but this is a well written and well plotted view of life as a mother in the 20th century 。。。more
Ali's In Literature
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This was a lot of fun。 If you enjoyed BBC's Motherland， or like myself have first-hand experience of being a working mum， this will be right up your street。 Lots of giggles reading the things Evie and Thomas come out with in particular。 Liz is a married mother of two young children， with a bit of a man-child of a husband。 She just wants five minutes alone to relax with her cat， Henry occasionally。 But everyday family life seems to thwart her at every opportunity。 Recommended for stressed-out mot This was a lot of fun。 If you enjoyed BBC's Motherland， or like myself have first-hand experience of being a working mum， this will be right up your street。 Lots of giggles reading the things Evie and Thomas come out with in particular。 Liz is a married mother of two young children， with a bit of a man-child of a husband。 She just wants five minutes alone to relax with her cat， Henry occasionally。 But everyday family life seems to thwart her at every opportunity。 Recommended for stressed-out mothers everywhere。*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review* 。。。more
Pat （currently not accepting new friend requests）
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That was funny。 Laugh out loud， pee your pants funny！ And totally irreverent， and spot on and I have pre-ordered it to torture my elder daughter with as she is about to have my first grandchild （insert evil laugh - it’s payback baby）！This book is in the form of a diary of one year in the life of Liz， wife of Richard and mother of 7-8 year old Thomas and 5-6 year old Evie。 Thomas is painfully easygoing and unambitious， content to be mediocre at many things。 Evie is a hyper intelligent snarky budd That was funny。 Laugh out loud， pee your pants funny！ And totally irreverent， and spot on and I have pre-ordered it to torture my elder daughter with as she is about to have my first grandchild （insert evil laugh - it’s payback baby）！This book is in the form of a diary of one year in the life of Liz， wife of Richard and mother of 7-8 year old Thomas and 5-6 year old Evie。 Thomas is painfully easygoing and unambitious， content to be mediocre at many things。 Evie is a hyper intelligent snarky budding sociopath （according to her mother）。 Richard is， well， Richard。 Liz is best friends with Fiona whose son David is in Thomas’s class。 They are also friends with Celine （she is French！） and Nadia。 These four form ‘the coven’ （it’s a joke） and then there’s Claire who is desperate to become a mother herself （but why？）I can’t think of a book that made me laugh more。 Except maybe the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy， but that was so long ago it doesn’t count。 Lucy Mangan clearly ‘gets’ motherhood。 I found myself nodding and agreeing with so many sentiments。 It would be scary if I hadn’t survived it all and can now look forward to grandparenthood with a small amount of glee！ Nothing is sacred as the author mercilessly picks at all the scabs that parenthood can dish up。 If you’ve been there it’s hilarious， if not …。 oops！The characters， this book is all about the characters and they were just wonderful！ So accurate。 I’m still leaking empathy all over the place。 And don’t think of this as a ‘chick-lit’。 I curate my husband’s reading， basically anything that gets 4 or 5 stars goes on his list and this one is going on his list。 I have one small， no two small reservations which is the only reason this doesn’t get the full 5 stars。 Firstly - if you don’t like big and/or obscure words and shudder at sentences that may be half a page or even longer with lots of complicated punctuation - you may not enjoy this book （I loved it）。 Secondly I did think it was a teeny bit long。 It could have done with maybe 50 pages less although I don’t know how on earth you would achieve that as it is in diary form and you can’t just skip a month or something equally dramatic。 Many， many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher and the author for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly。4。5 stars。 。。。more
Sam Whittaker
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Are We Having Fun Yet？ joins a rather familiar group of fictionalised diaries from a mother of primary schoolchildren。 It is certainly fun and well written but I’m not sure it really adds anything to the genre。 Gill Sims， for example， weaves a plot through her books， this is just a diary so you there is nothing to keep you turning the pages。 It was a fun， light read and entertaining if you have young kids but that is as far as it goes。
Katrina
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This was a bit disappointing for me， I expected it to be better。https://piningforthewest。co。uk/2021/1。。。 This was a bit disappointing for me， I expected it to be better。https://piningforthewest。co。uk/2021/1。。。 。。。more
Caroline Kerdouci
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Are we having fun yet？ Take a sneak peek at Lucy Mangan’s new novel and trust me， the answer to that question will be a resounding YES！！ You’ll have to do whatever it takes to carve out some me time so forget the husband/partner， kids， household chores and emails that constantly require your attention and focus instead on reading a book from start to finish with zero interruptions！ Take this opportunity for a well earned breather and prepare to laugh your socks off as you dip into the fictionali Are we having fun yet？ Take a sneak peek at Lucy Mangan’s new novel and trust me， the answer to that question will be a resounding YES！！ You’ll have to do whatever it takes to carve out some me time so forget the husband/partner， kids， household chores and emails that constantly require your attention and focus instead on reading a book from start to finish with zero interruptions！ Take this opportunity for a well earned breather and prepare to laugh your socks off as you dip into the fictionalised diary of Liz， a harried working mum whose husband Richard and children Thomas and Evie make umpteen zillion demands on her time， minute by minute， hour after hour， day after day。 All she wants is five minutes （ok maybe slightly longer！！） peace but will her wish ever be granted？ Probably NOT！ Can Liz survive this coming year， faulty dishwasher notwithstanding， or will she be buried alive under a mounting pile of laundry， Lego and unwashed dishes？ In fact what Lucy Mangan has written puts me in mind of that classic children’s story by beloved Jill Murphy featuring the Large family。 Naturally this is a longer， less innocent adult version in which the author holds nothing back regarding the realities of daily life for so many women the length and breadth of the country。 She hits the nail on the head time and again with scenes that ordinarily would make you want to tear your hair out， scenes instigated by characters whom you can’t help find endearing even though they’re the cause of endless stress， resentment and frustration。 It probably helps that you don’t have to live with them！ Rarely does a novel make me snort out loud with laughter but Lucy Mangan’s sharp acerbic wit made me do just that。 Intelligent， pithy， wickedly funny this novel is b****y brilliant。 She says it how it is and makes no apologies for it。 Even if your own personal circumstances don’t quite match those of Liz’s （and I sincerely hope they don’t！） plenty of these scenarios will make you feel as if you’re not alone。 I gave silent thanks for the fact days like the ones Liz is stumbling through are well and truly behind me but a word of warning:it doesn’t get any better！Liz is a woman we can all relate to。 You’ll find yourself nodding your head and wincing in agreement as she manages a fine balancing act between home， work and school life with the skill of a magician， catering to every possible whim imaginable in addition to fielding endless mind bending nonsensical questions from her darling little poppets。 Sleep deprivation， the manic school run， a husband who somehow manages a leisurely shower （？？） but can never locate those essential items necessary for leaving the house， juggling her work for a charity， feeding the kids （burnt fish fingers anyone？） keeping them entertained and swerving the uber competitive immaculately groomed and still thin mums at the school gate who are looking for helpers for yet another PTA event is all in a day’s work for Liz。 Feeling exhausted yet or shall I continue？？ Then after a gruelling （my heart bleeds） day in chambers where he can work with no unnecessary distractions in walks the calm and unruffled Richard， bravely or stupidly asking why the children have been put to bed without having a bath！！ How Liz doesn’t murder her undomesticated other half in his sleep （ what’s that again？） I don’t know。 No wonder Liz looks wistfully at neighbours Sofia and Amrit， childless and free to do as they please。 I know exactly what phrase is probably running through her mind as she contemplates another parent’s evening， a soft play date or is forced to improvise when a last minute costume is required for a school play。 FML are the only three words that will suffice。 Thank goodness then for the “coven square” one corner of which is occupied by Liz， the other three corners bagged by best friend Fiona along with Celine and Nadia who all save each other from insanity。 Able to moan to their hearts content over every aspect of their lives from drunken au pairs to vile mother in laws their conversations are invariably fuelled by alcohol。 Every working mum needs friends like these especially when it comes to avoiding the likes of “Queen cashmere bee” Savannah and her entourage whose houses resemble show homes rather than a health and safety risk and whose over achieving children are in truth ghastly little swines， saddled with ridiculous names！ The characterisation in this novel is fantastic。 Ordinarily in my review I would choose a favourite but they are all utterly awesome。 Thomas at nearly 8 is a sensitive day dreamer whilst five year old， competitive， sharp as a tack Evie is a sociopath in the making。 She definitely rules the roost in her household， is super scary and a natural born leader。 This girl takes no prisoners！ Their friend David， Fiona’s only son is 8 going on 40。 With his northern accent which he’s failed to lose， this young fellow had me laughing out loud at every opportunity。 I loved all three of them， and the often bizarre conversations Thomas and Evie have with their dad Richard are comedy gold。 What can I say about Richard （nicknamed Dick in my own head！） other than that he is surely the amalgamation of many men who fail to see how incredible their wives/partners really are， turning a blind eye to all the endless boring arduous tasks that are completed behind the scenes in order for life to run as smoothly as possible。 There’s a definite upside to being single！ The comings and goings of this family of four occur under the watchful eye of Liz’s taciturn next door neighbour， Scottish Mrs Bradley or Mrs Battleaxe as Richard is wont to call her。 Liz might wish her current life resembled that of Sofia and Amrit’s but she aspires to be just like Mrs Bradley sometime in the future， only if she survives this year and subsequent ones intact！ The humour in this novel is right up my street。 Laughter is the best medicine so I prescribe this hilarious， wry insight into modern day family life as the perfect pick me up tonic。 I loved every minute of it。 Highly recommend。 I think this will appeal to fans of authors such as Gill Simms and Tracy Bloom to name just two。 My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Frances
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Are We Having Fun Yet？。。。A year in the life diary of Liz， her husband Richard and their young children Thomas and Evie。 The daily grind of family life， schooling， holidays and friendships are retold with gusto and more than a few laugh out loud moments。 I enjoyed it immensely and found a lot of the situations so relatable。 Would welcome another instalment please。Thank you to NetGalley the author and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review。
Stephen Dilley
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"Are We Having Fun Yet？" is a 21st Century reworking of E。M。 Delafield's hilarious "Diary of a Provincial Lady" series from the 1930s。 I am a big fan of Lucy Mangan's writing， having loved 'Bookworm' and lots of her journalism in The Guardian， so I was very excited to read this book， even though as a childless male reader I am probably not the target audience！ As expected， this was an incredibly - frequently eye-wateringly - funny book。 As a satire on modern-day marriage and motherhood， many of "Are We Having Fun Yet？" is a 21st Century reworking of E。M。 Delafield's hilarious "Diary of a Provincial Lady" series from the 1930s。 I am a big fan of Lucy Mangan's writing， having loved 'Bookworm' and lots of her journalism in The Guardian， so I was very excited to read this book， even though as a childless male reader I am probably not the target audience！ As expected， this was an incredibly - frequently eye-wateringly - funny book。 As a satire on modern-day marriage and motherhood， many of this book's targets will be familiar to fans of TV series like Motherland or Catastrophe， but are no less entertaining for that。 Mangan has lots of fun at the expense of events like children's birthday parties， awkward playdates and PTA fayres， which are all described with her characteristic acuity and wit， with some exceptionally amusing turns of phrase。 Much of the enjoyment of reading this book comes from her narrator's persona - an introverted working mother who is just trying to get through each week and snatch a few minutes for herself whilst meeting the various demands of not just her two children but also her generally well-meaning but frequently oblivious lawyer husband。 Mangan also assembles an enjoyable cast of supporting characters - I particularly loved the stoical elderly neighbour Mrs Bradley， and the the children's friend David， who adopts of the role of a preternaturally mature professional Yorkshireman。 Perhaps unfairly， I didn't expect that this book would also be rather moving， but the descriptions of some of the trials faced by some of the narrator's friends pack a genuine emotional punch - particularly one friend whose husband unexpectedly leaves her after ten years of marriage， and another who is pregnant after multiple rounds of IVF and several miscarriages。 The novel offers plenty of righteous anger， and Mangan doesn't shy away from some very powerful social comment about the burden that mothers are expected to undertake and the socio-economic pressures facing families in our current society， whilst celebrating the strength and resilience of the narrator and her 'coven' of her friends。 This never feels preachy or moralistic because Mangan is also frequently prepared to laugh at her alter-ego and her shortcomings。 as well as giving her some moments of genuine （and well-deserved） happiness， so that overall the book feels incredibly warm and generous。 E。M。 Delafield went on to write three sequels to The Diary of a Provincial Lady; I would happily read at least three more instalments from Mangan's suburban counterpart。 Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this wonderful book to review！ 。。。more
Helen
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So relatable from juggling work， spouse and family responsibilities。 Always feeling as if you are not successful at any of them。 Comparisons to friends and school gate mums， other children's achievements and state of their romantic partnership。The love， the angst， the tiredness as well as the split personality。Enjoy I did。 So relatable from juggling work， spouse and family responsibilities。 Always feeling as if you are not successful at any of them。 Comparisons to friends and school gate mums， other children's achievements and state of their romantic partnership。The love， the angst， the tiredness as well as the split personality。Enjoy I did。 。。。more
Amanda Giles
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Written in diary form， Lucy Mangan takes the reader through a full year of family life。 Charity worker Liz， faces the roller-coaster of everyday living/existing with the support of lovely （if irritating） barrister husband Richard， as they wrangle their children， sensitive seven-year old Thomas and strong-minded five-year old Evie （an embryonic megalomaniac） through the minefield of infant and primary school。 This book is so well observed， it took me straight back to the days of poo jokes， imposs Written in diary form， Lucy Mangan takes the reader through a full year of family life。 Charity worker Liz， faces the roller-coaster of everyday living/existing with the support of lovely （if irritating） barrister husband Richard， as they wrangle their children， sensitive seven-year old Thomas and strong-minded five-year old Evie （an embryonic megalomaniac） through the minefield of infant and primary school。 This book is so well observed， it took me straight back to the days of poo jokes， impossible questions and utter exhaustion。 The groups at the school gates: the perfect ‘yummy mummies’， the ‘who-gives-a-stuffs’， and the ‘we’re doing our best under bewildering circumstances （this wasn’t how we imagined parenthood）’ – the group which Liz falls into。 Getting roped into the dreaded school events by the equally dreaded PTA， occasionally taking a stand， then stepping straight back off it and ticking the box offering help。 Worrying about aging parents， supporting friends through the traumas of betrayals and fertility treatments and dealing with the eccentricities of a beloved pet。 All the while longing for precious alone time， or a weekend away with Richard， to catch up with sleep （and possibly sex if they have the energy）。 Are We Having Fun Yet made me laugh out loud， feel nostalgic for those crazy days and grateful for the quieter life I live now。 Parents will recognise the people and events， and quite frankly it’s worth sending a copy to anyone considering parenthood。 。。。more
Claire
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I thoroughly enjoyed the year in the life of Liz about to turn forty and her exploits as a working Mum。 I loved this famiy， they were so relatable， the parents evenings， the work/life struggle and care sandwich of children and aging parents many women face was witty and at times laugh out loud funny。 I often found myself chuckling away while reading。It was great to read about a family that loves each other and is functionally dysfunctional。 Liz tries her best to juggle all the tasks put upon her I thoroughly enjoyed the year in the life of Liz about to turn forty and her exploits as a working Mum。 I loved this famiy， they were so relatable， the parents evenings， the work/life struggle and care sandwich of children and aging parents many women face was witty and at times laugh out loud funny。 I often found myself chuckling away while reading。It was great to read about a family that loves each other and is functionally dysfunctional。 Liz tries her best to juggle all the tasks put upon her and ocassionally drops a few。 The worry of being a parents is described so well， like when your child is being bullied or the constant low level anxiety that something bad will hapen to them。 There were so many points I was nodding my head at familiar situations。Liz's children are great， Thomas is innocent and easily pleased happily bumbling along while his little sister Evie is described as a little sociopath。 I think we all know a little Evie and she provided many of the laugh out loud moments。 Her husband Richard tries to help out at home when he is there but is totally oblivous to the mental load many mothers are laden with。 Their interactions were very well written and relatable。 I thoroughly recommend this novel even if you do not have children it will give an insight into why your friends/family with children are always a little frazzled。 The constant juggle to provide childcare was very insightful。 The female friendships that Liz has are wonderful they support each other and keep each other sane。Thank you to Netgalley for an advance read of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Famke my。readinglife
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'Are We Having Fun Yet？' was exactly what I'd hoped it would be。 Through the diary entries of mother Liz， the reader is given an insight into 21st century family-life。 I quickly fell in love with Liz's husband Richard， who is a loving father， but has his head in the clouds。 Adorable， introverted son Thomas， who has the biggest heart of them all。 And little evil genius daughter Evie， who has the best lines， and the weirdest and funniest insights。 Lucy Mangan's writing style is wonderful。 The book 'Are We Having Fun Yet？' was exactly what I'd hoped it would be。 Through the diary entries of mother Liz， the reader is given an insight into 21st century family-life。 I quickly fell in love with Liz's husband Richard， who is a loving father， but has his head in the clouds。 Adorable， introverted son Thomas， who has the biggest heart of them all。 And little evil genius daughter Evie， who has the best lines， and the weirdest and funniest insights。 Lucy Mangan's writing style is wonderful。 The book is witty， quick， relatable and laugh out loud funny。 Seriously， it has been so long since a book had me laughing out loud on many， many occasions。 I am not a mother myself， but found the book super relatable nonetheless。 Lucy did an amazing job bringing this unique and hilarious family to life。 I really hope we get a part two， I felt like I could continue reading this diary forever。A huge thank you to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books for the free review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jackie Murrell
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I was absolutely having fun reading this from the first page to the last。 Recounting a year in the life of Liz， a working wife and mum of two primary age children， it tells of her struggles to hold everything together and fend off chaos。 Battling a never-ending round of household chores， family crises and demands from the school PTA， she tries to snatch any brief time for herself and her equally beleagured friends， while enduring being patronised by her ridiculously young boss and the “cool mums I was absolutely having fun reading this from the first page to the last。 Recounting a year in the life of Liz， a working wife and mum of two primary age children， it tells of her struggles to hold everything together and fend off chaos。 Battling a never-ending round of household chores， family crises and demands from the school PTA， she tries to snatch any brief time for herself and her equally beleagured friends， while enduring being patronised by her ridiculously young boss and the “cool mums” in the playground。 Her son and daughter， referred to by her lovely but fairly clueless husband as “the fool and the sociopath，” have their own distinctive personalities rather than just being generic children as often seen in books， and all the other characters are rounded and believable。 So much of it struck a chord with me， and as my children are now in their twenties I felt both nostalgic for those days and relieved that I had left them behind。 The incredibly hard work， the sacrifices， the compromises and the sheer effort required to juggle everything at once is captured perfectly， and we want to kill the friend’s husband who leaves her and their kids because “it’s just not fun any more。” Most of all it is hilarious， so wittily written with many laugh-out-loud moments， but also captures that heartbreaking love you feel for your children that tears you apart when things go wrong for them。 Lucy Mangan， you are a genius， and I don’t remember when I last had so much fun with a book。Thanks to Netgalley for the proof copy in exchange for an honest reviw。 。。。more
what。heather。loves
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39 year old Lucy longs for a moment's peace with adored cat， Henry and a book， but life has other plans， in the form of her family。 Verbose but lovely lawyer husband， Richard and children， sensitive and thoughtful Thomas （aged 8） and feisty and determined Evie （aged 5）。 Combining part-time working in the charity sector with keeping the house going， trying to find time for mum friends， whilst avoiding the cliquey， demanding and 'organic， no screens， perfect homes' PTA school mums， is exhausting。 39 year old Lucy longs for a moment's peace with adored cat， Henry and a book， but life has other plans， in the form of her family。 Verbose but lovely lawyer husband， Richard and children， sensitive and thoughtful Thomas （aged 8） and feisty and determined Evie （aged 5）。 Combining part-time working in the charity sector with keeping the house going， trying to find time for mum friends， whilst avoiding the cliquey， demanding and 'organic， no screens， perfect homes' PTA school mums， is exhausting。 What follows is a year in her life， the highs and lows， hilarity and frustration and not nearly enough time for herself。I need to start by saying I absolutely loved this because it could have been written about me and it is hilarious。 I related to almost all of it， particularly the polar opposite， strong emotions your own children bring out in you。 Whilst Lucy and her family are the most full-rounded characters， the supporting cast of family， friends and neighbours all contribute。 Written in the form of Lucy's diary， it's like the reader is there with her。- Lucy's views on marriage:"The marital 'we' is one of the most cherished aspects of our life together。 It's the opposite of the royal 'we'。 The Queen's means 'I'。 Richard's means 'You'。"And"Tacit mutual deceit is a vital part of marriage and don't let anyone tell you otherwise。"- Middle age and life with children jealousy:"Imagine being so young and energetic you still want to do everything together， doubling instead of halving your labour whenever you can。"- Trying to find childcare:"We work long into the night。 At one point Richard suggests having my implant removed。 'We'll just have another baby，' he says。 'And you'll get maternity leave。 It'll be simpler in the end。'"- Friend Claire has a newborn:"It's just I'm very tired！。。。And I love his so much that I keep wanting someone to shoot at us so I can take a bullet for him and prove it。 And at the same time I could leave him in skip and just go to bed。' Lucy's reply:" 'That's okay。 That's normal。'"Middle-class motherhood in Britain today， observed astutely with affectionate humour。 This is a thoroughly enjoyable read for mums and mum friends， hilarious， heartwarming and relatable。 I'd love to read more of Lucy's life。 。。。more
Sam
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Lucy Mangan gets wiser and funnier with age。 She skewers the ability of men to get away with not having to think about most things。 If you are familiar with Lucy's columns you may wonder how autobiographical the book is。 I hope that Lucy is stronger and more assertive than her female lead Liz。 I spent the whole book screaming at Little to give her smug， entitled husband a kick up the backside instead of fulminating behind his back。 That is not to diminish the excellence of the writing。 I don't k Lucy Mangan gets wiser and funnier with age。 She skewers the ability of men to get away with not having to think about most things。 If you are familiar with Lucy's columns you may wonder how autobiographical the book is。 I hope that Lucy is stronger and more assertive than her female lead Liz。 I spent the whole book screaming at Little to give her smug， entitled husband a kick up the backside instead of fulminating behind his back。 That is not to diminish the excellence of the writing。 I don't know a single person who won't identify with this book。 I shall be buying it for everyone I like。 。。。more
Amanda Downton
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An absolute blast of a book。 I laughed out loud at this on many occasions。 I can't help thinking of Bridget Jones， similarly this is diary format， a year in the life of charity worker Liz， married to barrister Richard， with 2 young children。 Liz is essentially negotiating marriage， friends， school playground/politics， and friendships， it is credible， human， realistic and more importantly the funniest thing I have read 📚 for years。 A must read for those raising young children whilst juggling your An absolute blast of a book。 I laughed out loud at this on many occasions。 I can't help thinking of Bridget Jones， similarly this is diary format， a year in the life of charity worker Liz， married to barrister Richard， with 2 young children。 Liz is essentially negotiating marriage， friends， school playground/politics， and friendships， it is credible， human， realistic and more importantly the funniest thing I have read 📚 for years。 A must read for those raising young children whilst juggling your way thru life， family and friendships。 。。。more
Mary Lou
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Are We Having Fun Yet is the diary of a year in the life of Liz， her barrister husband Richard and young children Thomas and Evie。 Relying on the assistance of an efficient and always- available mum and the weekly coven meeting of her girlfriends， she bounces off the walls， hurdling the obstacles of a garrulous， useless-at-home husband， the unusual traits of her children and the ever- present pressure of play dates organised by the PTA yummy mummies。The strength of this read lies in the well-obs Are We Having Fun Yet is the diary of a year in the life of Liz， her barrister husband Richard and young children Thomas and Evie。 Relying on the assistance of an efficient and always- available mum and the weekly coven meeting of her girlfriends， she bounces off the walls， hurdling the obstacles of a garrulous， useless-at-home husband， the unusual traits of her children and the ever- present pressure of play dates organised by the PTA yummy mummies。The strength of this read lies in the well-observed characters and of course， the entertaining writing style。 Oh， to figure out how to stand up for yourself in the face of unfair criticism the way Liz is doing and become an expert in survival techniques for when doomsday happens soon。 There is however a fine dividing line between being in love with Richard and bemused by Evie and wanting to murder them both。The year might have gone slightly quicker for Liz than it did for me， but this read is funny and thoughtful and many， many will love it even more than I did。With thanks to Netgalley UK and Serpent’s Tail/Viper/Profile Books 。。。more
Mandy
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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 the 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。 。。。more
Edel Green
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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 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！ 。。。more
John
，
Loved it， lots of situations I could relate to， and great characters - I would love to hear more from Evie and The Coven。
Kerry
，
I read an advance copy of this from NetGalley， thanks for the opportunity。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 cha I read an advance copy of this from NetGalley， thanks for the opportunity。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。 。。。more
Jenny C
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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 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 。。。more
Sheri
，
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' 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。 。。。more
Ceecee
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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 pla 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 blokeAn 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 lateA 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。 。。。more
Laura Spira
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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' 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！ 。。。more
Jane Petrie
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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。
Helen Cook
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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 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。 。。。more
Becki Sims
，
This is so funny and real。 I loved it！ It resonated with me so many times that I genuinely laughed out loud。 Please write another instalment。Many thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Are We Having Fun Yet?
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Are We Having Fun Yet?&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft