Alan Opts Out

by Courtney Maum

'The eat-the-rich farce we need, from one of our funniest writers' Lit Hub

'Sly, propulsive and painfully hilarious family drama' Caro Claire Burke, author of YESTERYEAR

'Chicken-soup for the late capitalist soul' Steven Rowley, NYT bestselling author of LILY AND THE OCTOPUS

'Vivid, lacerating and funny' Carl Hiaasen, author of FEVER BEACH

'Witty, sharp, and tender, Alan Opts Out skewers late-stage capitalism and material ambition while keeping human hearts - a family of them - at its center' Rachel Khong, author of REAL AMERICANS

'A smart, funny, and all-too-timely tale of Americans on the edge of collapse . . . Maum delivers wry humor without sacrificing compassion' Elizabeth Gilbert

'A brilliant, hilarious referendum on the American obsession with more' Nathan Hill, author of THE NIX

After successful ad exec Alan Anderson bombs the biggest pitch of his career, he has an epiphany. His entire career has been about making people buy stuff that they don't need so they feel perpetually unsatisfied and less-than. After a lifetime of striving for capitalism, Alan is opting out.

He retires to the ridiculously extravagant playhouse in his family's suburban Connecticut garden (a classic example of something the Andersons didn't need), gives up showering, shoe-wearing, and purchases of all kinds. He might even read a book! This is all very upsetting for his wife Vivian, who is on the verge of being accepted into the insanely elite Queen's Anne Club - guaranteed to make all her insecurities disappear and her children popular.

But maybe everyone will want to buy what Alan's not selling? And, in losing his ambition, might he find what we're all looking for?

For anyone who has ever cared more about how it looked than how it felt, ALAN OPTS OUT is a hilarious take on consumerism, capitalism and wellness.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Audiobook, Contemporary, Summer, Beach Reads, Satire

Audible Audio

First published June 2, 2026

About the author

Courtney Maum is the author of the novels Costalegre (a GOOP book club pick and one of Glamour Magazine’s top books of the decade), I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You and Touch (a New York Times Editor’s Choice and NPR Best Book of the Year selection), and the handbook Before and After the Book Deal: A writer’s guide to finishing, publishing, promoting, and surviving your first book, out now from Catapult. Her writing has been widely published in such outlets as the New York Times, O, the Oprah Magazine, and Poets & Writers. She is the founder of the collaborative retreat program, The Cabins, and she also has a writing-advice newsletter, “Get Published, Stay Published,” that you can sign up for at CourtneyMaum.com

Reviews

[Victoria Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ad exec Alan and wife Vivian (née Valerie)—a compulsive shopper, manifester, and social climber—are movin' on up to exclusive Bellemont. Alan has known he'd be in the business of selling things his entire life—he's a natural and his ad company is a success. But what happens when his dairy pitch is commandeered by a farmer who doesn't actually want to sell more dairy? He learns that less is more!

Suddenly, he's moved into the giant playhouse in the yard, contemplating his life and wearing pirate blouses, much to the dismay of Vivian who's trying to become a Queen Anne and his daughters worried about his "menty b." But, soon the whole neighborhood is following his lead (he's THAT good!) and finding enjoyment in the simpler things.

What a funny and heartwarming story about discovering what really matters. Thanks to Little Brown and Company, via NetGalley, for this ARC!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5. I was expecting the book to be more about alan actually opting out of traditional life (hence the title), and what he did hour to hour and the consequences of said actions on the relationships with his family. The book was like 20% of that and the rest was about Vivian and her housewife shenanigans with the fellow rich women of their town. I feel a little deceived by the description. There were some really funny moments, but if I wanted what the book supplied I would just force myself to finally finish Desperate Housewives (why is season 7 impossible to get through?!?)

[Marcie McPherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍸 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸!

Alan Opts Out is slow-moving but surprisingly funny, with an enjoyably obscure sense of humour that kept me reading. I really enjoyed the insights into the advertising industry, and the SMS threads were a brilliant addition. Then Sonny takes the story in a very strange direction — somehow sweetly, and somehow it works.

The premise is definitely interesting, although for me the story mostly keeps expanding on what the blurb promises rather than taking it somewhere completely unexpected. Still, it was an enjoyable, quirky read with plenty of moments that made me laugh.

[ambersometimesreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is one of the funniest books I have ever read 😭😭 rich people drama at its core but with a pet lobster?!

this follows alan, who just lost the biggest deal of his career, which causes him to completely SPIRAL. him and his family, live a very luxurious lifestyle so when he comes home and tells his wife that he lost a ton of money, her first thought is that she should hire men to build a pool in their backyard 😂 she's trying to get into the local country club with all the other rich ladies and thinks this will help her. however alan has quite literally decided to OPT OUT of life and is starting to make a fool of her while she's trying to impress herself to these women. he even starts living in the backyard because "less is more" and wants to live off the land now that his career is tanking.

while all of this is happening, their two kids are also disrupting everything she's trying to build at the country club. one of the daughters now thinks she can speak to animals, hence why she decided to steal a lobster and keep it as a pet 😂🦞

this whole book was so chaotic in the best way. I also loved that it takes place in a real town that's like 50 minutes from me, it made it feel so realistic

[liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had such a good time reading this!
A campy, satirical, whacky adventure about an advertising CEO “opting out” of consumerism and reevaluating his entire existence as his wife is trying to buy her way into a WASP-y upper class elite friend group.

Alan is a CEO of an advertisement company. He has a huge multi-million dollar advertisement presentation comping up to essentially….well….MAKE MILK GREAT AGAIN!!!! However, after a series of unfortunate events that don’t go according to plan he loses that deal and has, what his daughter refers to as, a “menty b” and “opts out” of capitalism and becomes one with nature again.

As this is happening, his wife, Vivian, is desperately trying to “Desperate Housewives” herself into an elite group of upper class woman in her neighborhood. No matter the cost. Literally.

They are new money and absolutely ridiculous and trying desperately to fit in and figure out what will make them happy in life. Are any of the characters really that likeable? Not really and also hell yes. (There’s also a daughter who talks to animals who kinda runs circles around everyone else in this book.)

I really enjoyed the world we were in and the writing style of the author. The pacing was perfect and I never felt like the story was dragging, I was engaged the entire time in the shenanigans.

At the end of the day this is a novel that does not take itself seriously intentionally. It is supposed to be absurd and ridiculous. But it does have a lot of heart in it and I was happy with the overall message.

I really ended up enjoying this and I hope you do too.

Thanks so much to Little, Brown and Co and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Sydney S]

DNF at 13%. I wanted to make it to the actual “opt out” part, because that’s the whole reason I picked up the book, but I just can’t. I’m so bored and have no desire to keep going.

[Amy Rose Westmoreland]

This review documents my real-time reading of Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum. I received an advance copy through Goodreads Giveaways, so all quoted material is subject to change prior to publication. The book is slated for publication in June 2026. My goal is to read and review this book before its publication.

Real-time review will conclude with a final verdict on the book as a whole.

5/16/26—Pages 3-10
Book Blurb:
An ad executive quits capitalism—and accidentally makes it fashionable.

Opening Line:
“In the post-pandemic era, Americans weren’t drinking enough milk.”—CH.1 pg.3

The opening line uses deadpan satire to frame consumerism as a cultural crisis, blending comedy with social critique. It’s an effective hook that immediately establishes the novel’s absurdity.

Opening Scene:
Alan is meeting Tucker, the dairy farmer selected as his campaign’s representative for US dairy.

“The penile shafts of the grain silos shining silver against the sky, the humped shapes of the milk cows in the distance, chewing, shitting, chewing; there was something primordial about the land here, something essential and pure and nearly monastic, and Alan was going to bottle it and share it with the world.”—CH.1 pg.4

The opening scene balances poetic reverence with blunt physical reality, and the contrast drives the comedy. However, the effect is short-lived due to an overwhelming amount of exposition (pg.5-9).

Here is where the narrative lost my interest due to its lack of focus.

“The whole thing left Alan fantasizing about the commercials his agency would direct when they won dairy…”—CH.1 pg.6

The scene delays Alan’s meeting with Tucker until page 6 (3 pages later!), only to reduce the encounter to a single sentence before returning to Alan’s inner dialogue, background, and other info dumps. Then the narrative abruptly shifts to Alan’s flight home without resolving the meeting.

On the flight home, more exposition is given, much of which seemed trivial beyond Alan’s fear of losing relevance and managing his energy as a man over fifty. Yet his age and insecurities clashed with his self-assured persona and youthful inner dialogue.

I was not impressed with the opening scene.

5/18/26—Pages 10-65
Dialogue Notes:
Chapter 2 was basically a one-sided dialogue from Alan during his pitch meeting. The dialogue served more as exposition than real exchange. (Again, not a very grounded or balanced scene.)

On page 11, Alan’s dialogue used empathic spelling saying, “Verrrry dramatic” which I found jarring to read.

Later in Chapter 4 on page 24, ALL CAPS were used in dialogue.

And often, dialogue would end in “…” to indicate trailing thought:

“‘You asked him…Sunny, let’s be careful about the way we phrase things.’”—CH.4 pg.29

More repeated punctuation and empathic spelling created dialogue emphasis:
“?!”— “!!”— “??!”— “Bigger. Picture. Thinking!”—"Yayyy”

These dialogue quirks felt like “text lingo” substituting for prose. A bit cringe, maybe fitting for the book’s unserious tone, but still a lazy way to convey attitude and emotion IMHO…

Oh. My. Word. Is it rubbing off on meeee??!

New Characters:
The silliness continues while Alan’s wife, Vivian, is introduced listening to a motivational podcast.

“‘Dreaming is for losity-losers who sleep past six a.m. I want my strivers out there physically grabbing their damn goals.’
‘I’m a grabber!’ Vivian cried, flushed with sudden triumph.”—CH.3 pg.15

It seems all the adults in this novel are cartoonishly performative.

Short chapters, long eye-rolls.

Vivian is an approval-seeking mother trying to belong in Belleport’s status-conscious world. Her teenage daughter, Bailey, pushes against her mother’s expectations and seems less interested in pleasing others. And then there’s the younger sister, Sunny.

“Sunny had always been an animal lover, but as of late, things were getting out of hand.”—CH.4 pg 27

Sunny is found talking to a raven in the middle of the school parking lot. Her strange introduction, though, is quickly overtaken by Vivian. Seemingly in denial that her daughter could be such a freak show, Vivian hurriedly shuffles the girls home, leaving little narrative spotlight to learn more about Sunny.

***Sunny has been the most interesting character to me so far. This gave me hope that perhaps the story would get more enjoyable. I was beginning to warm up to the writing style around this point (chapter 4).

Later, Alan arrives home from work after Vivian and the girls are home from school, giving us our first look at his dynamics with the family.

With his daughters, Alan feels “like strangers”—CH.5 pg.33, and with his wife, Alan lives by the motto “happy wife, happy life.”—CH.6 pg.41

In chapter 6 from page 36-39, we get Alan and Vivian’s backstory. I still don’t think all these backstories do much for the actual story. Though, Alan and Vivian’s backstory was the best one yet.

This is what their backstory accomplishes. Alan reflects on how Vivian transformed from a supportive partner into someone increasingly driven by status and social belonging, while their marriage shifts into tension between her aspirations and his insecurity to keep up with her.

None of what their backstory accomplished added anything new to their characterization aside from one minor detail: Vivian’s name used to be Valerie. She left the name behind as a symbolic way of leaving behind her past.

Inciting Incident:
The storyline remained very linear. Chapters 1-9 only covered a single day (same day I think) from two perspectives, Alan and Vivian. Vivian’s inciting incident came first while Alan’s has yet to come.

On that same night when Alan gets home from work (chapter 6), Vivian reveals to her husband her inciting incident: a Queen Annes candidacy invitation.

Queen Annes is Belleport’s elite women, driven by status, tradition, and quiet social power.

Of course, Vivian is desperate to get accepted and is giddy with excitement. By contrast, Alan’s cautious reaction highlights their disconnect, ending their conversation—and the chapter—with Vivian dousing him in a perfume Alan hates: frankincense.


First Story Arc (Part One: April):
The story began with Alan, but Vivian soon took the driver’s seat for the first arc of the story. The beginning was weak, but it gained momentum and finally captured me by chapter 8.

I was pleasantly surprised to finish Part One wanting to keep reading.

Though the story feels sloppy, I can see the appeal—not in its absurdity or "satire", but in its unique cast and secrets of the Queen Anne Club. I liked the little "twist" Vivian discovered after her inciting incident. That will make things interesting, I hope.

5/21/26—Pages 65-76
AMY OPTS OUT!

“‘Well, this is a waste of a Thursday,’ said the marketing director, sheathing his laptop.”—CH.11 pg.76

That was the last line I read from this novel. I agree. This is a waste of my Thursday.

DNF.

Chapter 10 Opening Scene (Part Two: May):
Pitch day begins poorly for Alan as a series of frustrations and disruptions undermine his carefully controlled routine. While preparing to present O+A’s highly engineered milk campaign, Alan learns that Tucker Brannigan—the dairy farmer central to the pitch—is drunk…or something. Then comes Daniel Ellery, an unconventional “cowboy” as Tucker’s replacement.

*I noticed at this point a repeating “twist”. Replacing characters with other unconventional characters was interesting at first, but doing it twice failed my continued intrigue.

“What in the fuckity fuck of all the fucks was going on?”—CH.10 pg.67

From the blurb, we are told that this “anarchist farmer tanks Alan’s presentation to US dairy” which is why I don’t consider it a spoiler and am mentioning it my review.

Chapter 10 was about this disruption in the short span of 3 pages.

Chapter 11 rolls straight on from this, so why the new chapter?

Chapter 11 Opening Scene (continued):
Chapter 11 follows O+A’s US dairy pitch as Alan attempts to manage the last-minute spokesperson change, only for Daniel Ellery to derail the presentation by condemning advertising and consumer culture, turning the carefully crafted campaign into a public clash over authenticity and excess.

“He wished the pitch were taking place a decade earlier when admen still did coke.”—CH.11 pg.70

*It made sense that this guy did coke.

“Behind jumbo espresso machines, waifish baristas dripped pour overs from on high as if it were the Arabian Peninsula in 600 CE instead of Abbot Kinney.”—CH.11 pg.72

*But it doesn’t make sense to use obscure cultural humor and think it will land.

Final Verdict:
I had planned to read this book to its entirety (no matter how bad) but it really is that bad. Reading 258 more pages of this would be like swallowing a gallon of expired milk.

Choosing milk was a bad choice for this story. It was uninteresting, slandered vegans left and right, was used to make a few racial comments (with everyone in the room being white as milk), and was, frankly, a stupid execution.

I know I probably quit “right before it got good!”. But I’ve seen enough. This isn’t funny, the writing is very immature, and even if the story got better, it wouldn’t be worth reading. Judging by the cover with Alan walking a lobster on a leash, I’m afraid this story is going to try being funny using Sunny’s weird ability and other silly things to “impress” its audience. I’m sorry, but my 5-year-old nephew can come up with better stories on the spot.

This was my first real-time review and a bit of an experiment. I definitely need a tighter format next time. Thanks for reading all this if you came this far!

Don’t buy this book unless you still think fart jokes are funny!

[Jaclyn Shelton Hamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced, witty, yet poignant—this novel has it all.

When an ad-exec decides to “opt out” of consumerism after a bad pitch, his wife (the very definition of consumerism) must try to hold their perfect life together lest the neighbors think anything is amiss. It’s laugh-out-loud funny at times, but I also found myself caring about every character—even the ones I loathed at the beginning. Maum is a fantastic writer, and I’ll read anything she puts out there.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an early copy of this book to read and review.

[Dena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I thought it would be. I finished it but I didn’t really enjoy it. Found the characters mostly annoying and everything just a bit too much unbelievable.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book was a hoot! Quirky characters and rich people behaving badly. Pick it up if you’re craving something different.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

A real stinker. I disliked every member of this obnoxious family. Vivian, aka Valerie, is a shallow striver who cares more about cocktail sauce than her own family. The kids are basic sketches of children and the traits intended to make them individuals are introduced and then never developed (one is a theater kid and one is an animal kid); the youngest daughter has full-blown magical powers for some reason. Alan was somewhat compelling when he was single-minded businessman, but he became an undefined blob of a person when he moved into the backyard and started pooping in the woods. What a mess!

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, an easy read but I hated all the characters and the story was boring.

[Leemor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t believe I got through this one

[Elaine Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

So stupidly funny yet amazing. Like "Lost Lambs" but with a pet lobster 🦞

[Caroline pg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny and silly. Shoutout to motherfucking Lenny ! 🦞

[Cammie Busser · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes a long time for Alan to opt out and frankly, Alan is not even really the main character in the story. Once he actually opts out the book is great. Some silly isolated incidents but struggles to commit to comedy or consumerism critique. Light read for the beach and silly moments, a less developed version of Lost Lambs

[Bobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny…enough
Interesting…enough
Characters…enough…huh?
Ending…not quite enough

3.75 rounded up.

[Piper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painfully boring

[Barbara Boustead · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounding to 4, and listened via audiobook. I'll admit to not seeing the ending coming. Strong points to me included its humor, as well as the character arcs of Alan, Bailey, Sunny, and a couple of the other Queen Annes (Eleanor, Margaret) whose depth emerged through the story. I also appreciate that Vivian was an unlikeable MC and properly satirized, rather than her viewpoints being presented seriously and unironically as in some other recent reads - the author really danced that line well. I do think that for someone who was a social climber, Vivian's inability to find words in social situations was often surprising and seemed a bit outside what I'd think would be her character. I'm also not sure if she actually transformed by the end of the book - we are left with her being just sort of stunned silent. I appreciated the message of consumerism vs having just enough, as well as the girls' awareness (Sunny's magic was a little weird but also humorous and somehow worked for me). She's about the only one who does not do morally questionable things, though I kept waiting for her to sic an animal on Whitby.

[Lauren]

100+ pages in and alan has still not opted out.

[Carolyn Hagemann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited about this book after seeing it on tik tok. It was just slow and not enough of a story for me.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courtney Maum is the best at satire in my opinion. I’ve loved everything she’s written in that department and Alan Opts Out is another winner. Alan is a pro in the advertising world but when he experiences a constructed sort of epiphany, he says 🎶 bye bye bye 🎶 to consumerism. It’s funny and over the top in a way that almost matches real life these days lol. I loved it.

[Lexi Greenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was…like fine. I finished it, but tbh, maybe wouldn’t have if it didn’t get me closer to my book goal. I focused, like others have said, and I know it was satirical and I will say the twist at the end wasn’t what I was expecting with Whidbey’s tax evasion arrest (one of the Anne candidates was an undercover cop) but I feel like the book got interesting in the last like, 30 pages, I almost didn’t keep going after 100 pages in. Not enough character development of Alan and the girls, the more interesting characters in my book, and we never really understand why Alan opts out or why his agency lets it drag on all summer.

[Kristen Cook - A Book Ninja · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the summary of this book, Alan Opts Out should have been my kind of book.

Alan a top level advertising executive blows the biggest advertising pitch of his career. Some of the flop can be blamed on Alan and some was out of his control.

Then his wife and girls are brought in to the story. I am all about books that have unlikeable characters but they have to be written in such a way that we are rooting for them despite our dislike.
Vivian, Alan's wife, was so dislikable to me, I couldn't even want things to go well for her. One of Alan's daughters was the only character that I was kind of liking but then that got ruined.

Maybe this is a case of the wrong book for the wrong person at the wrong time. I just don't know. It was all about a bunch of entitled people that I could not find any redeeming qualities.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be so much better. What a disappointment. I liked Alan but wanted more Alan and less Vivian (his wife). Her story was a trope: her social climbing could not have been more cliche. As he’s opting out, she is climbing. Don’t bother with this book.

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I married a guy who loves the outdoors. Camping? Sure. Rowing? Absolutely. Hiking? Definitely. Spending a weekend without wi-fi? Easy-peasy. But moving into the playhouse in our backyard? That would be the moment I’d wonder if he was having a midlife crisis. In Courtney Maum’s Alan Opts Out, that is exactly the kind of leap that Alan Anderson takes in this book. It’s a modern satire about ambition, consumerism, and suburban life that kept me giggling throughout the story.

Vibe Scorecard:
😂 Humor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ The idea of a grown man choosing a backyard playhouse as his escape plan is ridiculous in the best way. The look at suburban life made me laugh the most.

🏡 Suburban Satire: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you enjoy reading about society’s obsession with success and appearances, this book delivers.

❤️ Emotional Depth: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
There are thoughtful moments about marriage, family, and happiness.

🤔 Makes You Think: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
You may find yourself asking: Do I really need everything in my house? Is all this stuff actually making me happy?

📖 Book Club Potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So many conversation starters: ambition, marriage, consumerism, happiness, and whether “opting out” is actually possible.

My Thoughts on Alan Opts Out:

Humor:
You have to love a good satire on human life, especially in the suburbs. I kept thinking, “This is ridiculous.” Then I kept laughing and thought about how this could really happen. It makes you wonder What if I walked away from this life that I built? After thirty years of teaching middle school, I understood Alan’s desire to question whether the daily stress was worth it. I wouldn’t trade my personal life for anything, but like Alan, I occasionally wondered if there was another way. The fact that Alan’s job was to convince people to want things, and then he decides to give it all up is what made the story interesting.

Characters:
The family relationships were my favorite part of the book. Maum did a wonderful job of making them so realistic. Alan’s family was messy, chaotic, and yet, Maum also created the feeling of love between them. As a teacher of teenagers, the characteristics of Alan’s two daughters were spot on.

The “Queen Anne” group that Vivian, the mom, strived to get into was both horrifying and hilarious at the same time. The suburban social competition was next level. It made me dislike the mom a lot, but I could actually see it happening in real families.

Alan, though? I would totally hang out with him. I love how he was willing to question things and make changes, even if it meant looking crazy in his neighborhood. He was an influencer without being on social media. Not an easy task! Instead of convincing people to buy things, he was unintentionally convincing them to question everything.

Pacing:
The pacing of the story was mostly good, but it did slow down for me a little in the middle. The ending was satisfying and wrapped up the story nicely.

My Rating:
I gave this book four out of five stars. Overall, Alan Opts Out was a well-written book that had humor and an interesting storyline. It had a funny outlook on suburban life and consumerism. It made me laugh quite a few times, it’s weird, and it made me think. You might even start looking at that playhouse or shed in your backyard a little differently from now on.

Let’s Chat!
What’s your idea of the perfect escape? A cabin in the woods? A beach house? A quiet weekend away? Or are you ready to move into the backyard playhouse? 😉 Let me know in the comments below!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Anderson is the exec of an advertising firm who has won awards for his campaigns and fully expects to be back on the podium at the industry's awards when he nails his pitch to "big milk" (whose sales have been flagging no thanks to trendy oat milk). Meanwhile, his wife Vivian, whose chief concern in life is fitting herself and her family into the socialite mold of their exclusive Connecticut town has already pre-spent the bonus that winning the pitch will net Alan, putting down a deposit for the backyard swimming pool she is sure they *need* to improve their standing among the ladies of the town. But things completely start to fall apart for the Anderson family when Alan bombs the pitch, and he goes a bit off the deep end, going in a mental about-face about consumerism and materialism, things that he made his career off of; he takes up residence in the backyard playhouse and eschews worldly things... internet and phones, wearing shoes, taking showers. Meanwhile, their eldest daughter goes rogue and rebellious, their younger daughter starts talking to animals, and Vivan is frantic that her application to the Bellport ladies' social society is in jeopardy.

You've got to be in the mood for a satire here because that's absolutely what this is. At first the characters don't seem to have any redeeming qualities as they are the most extreme versions of their respective roles in order to make a point about materialism, consumerism, ambition, social comparison, capitalism, our attempts to buy happiness. But as the characters actually start to grow and develop a bit (Vivian takes the longest, be warned, and certain ladies of the town remain caricatures) the points are illustrated with wit and heart and some hope for all of us in turning out okay despite the craziness of living in the modern world, even as the plot of the book gets a bit less real-life like and zany.

The reading experience reminded me a bit of Lost Lambs - though more satire and a bit less madcap, and I was endeared a bit less to the characters in Alan Opts Out - so I'd recommend Alan if you enjoyed Lost Lambs, but maybe just give a bit of space in between them or you might get tired of the farce of it all and not fully appreciate both. The publisher blurb mentions that it's for fans of Rufi Thorpe; the only book I've read of hers is Margot's Got Money Troubles, and I didn't find Alan Opts Out to have as much heart and warmth in addition to the quirkiness. But I can see how it could get a comparison to her, and maybe also Kevin Wilson and Annie Hartnett (though again, those lean less pure farcical feeling), and I was quite engrossed the whole way through. A fun/comedic yet timely/thought-provoking read.

[tanvi ✶⊹ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
this was such a weird book but honestly...it kinda worked.

alan bombs the biggest pitch of his advertising career and suddenly has an existential crisis about spending his entire life convincing people to buy things they don’t need. so naturally, he decides to opt out of capitalism and lives life as minimalistically as possible. because obviously that’s the only logical response.

meanwhile, his wife vivian is basically his complete opposite. she’s obsessed with social status and retail therapy. watching these two go in completely opposite directions was probably my favourite part of the book because they’re both, in their own ways, chasing some version of happiness that they think will fix everything.

despite the title, alan didn’t really feel like the main character to me. if anything, the story felt much more centred around vivian and her obsession with getting into this ultra-exclusive social club. and while i did enjoy reading about it, i can’t lie, it did feel a little misleading.

that being said, i really enjoyed the satire. underneath all the ridiculousness, there’s a lot here about consumerism, privilege, and the pressure to constantly want more. some parts definitely worked better than others, and it did get a little strange at times, but i think that was also part of the charm.

overall, this was funny, bizarre, and surprisingly reflective. definitely not a book i expected to be thinking about afterwards, but here we are.

[Jason Musko · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED. THIS. BOOK. Hilarious satire of the haves, the have-mores, and the want-mores on the Gold Coast of Connecticut. The beauty is, inside all of the satire is a really resonant message for today’s world: “More is less”. A fav of 2026 to be sure!

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this quirky group of characters. I rounded up to 5 stars because this book should not average below 4 stars!