Alan Opts Out

by Courtney Maum

For readers of Rufi Thorpe and Taffy Brodesser-Akner, the story of an ad exec who bombs the biggest pitch of his career and decides to forgo capitalism and live off the land of his suburban Connecticut home--a timely and comedic take on ambition, consumerism, and the sticker price of happiness from an author known for her stealth, comedic satires of the industrial happiness complex.
 
Alan Anderson is a powerful advertising executive who has built a successful life and thriving business by making people buy stuff they don’t actually need. He’s up for the biggest pitch of his career and the account everyone wants, US cow’s milk sales are plummeting, and the C-Suite wants to see trendy oat milk kicked to the curb. But when an anarchist farmer tanks Alan’s presentation, Alan bombs the pitch but ends the day with an epiphany. No longer will he exploit the insecurities of others in the service of capitalism. Alan is opting out. 
 
This development is anathema to his wife, Vivian. She’s just a few positive affirmations, a swimming pool, and an exacting series of social tests away from finally becoming part of the elite women’s club, the Queen Annes, in their adopted town of Greenwich, Connecticut. As if contending with a daughter who wants to write plays (!) and another who has an unnatural empathy with animals isn’t enough to manage, she can only watch as Alan moves into their backyard playhouse to live off the land and—worse—spend time with the family. But instead of shocking the neighbors, Alan’s commitment to a less-is-more lifestyle seems to be catching on. Could everyone want what Alan’s not selling? 
 
Funny, sexy, intelligent, and poignant, Alan Opts Out is the most ambitious novel to date by celebrated author Courtney Maum, acclaimed for her stories that tackle big, chewy subjects of our post-modern America with wit and heart.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication 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

[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.

[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.

[Betty Stoneking]

it was very good

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a subscriber to Courtney Maum's Substack, Before and After the Book Deal. I first became aware of her when I read her book of the same title, which I sincerely believe to be one of the top five writing craft books I have read. Although her Substack is geared more toward fiction, much of what she offers (especially given her nonfiction oeuvre) works for the nonfiction writer.

I have to admit that I was hesitant when offered the opportunity to read this before its scheduled release date of June 2. I haven't read fiction for at least 20 to 25 years, since I finished "Sophie's Choice" by William Styron. When I started this book, I soon found myself engrossed not only in Maum's writing style, which can best be described as breezy (never a bad thing for a novelist), but by the intricacies of the story itself. Working as a journalist, I knew people like ad agency owner Alan Anderson and his wife, Vivian. Of course, given that I am not a parent, I had to take Maum's word for how Alan and Vivian's daughters, Bailey and Sunny, were. As I got further into the book, I could see that Maum's characters were realistic and sharply drawn and never cartoonish, which can be a hazard for a less-talented writer.

After a horrendous meeting with a dairy promotion council, where a radical "spokesman" that Alan was not expecting (the dairy farmer he hired didn't show up), sabotaged his presentation, Alan began to take stock of his life and soon started seeing his life and purpose differently, much to the consternation of his socially-ambitious wife, who before marrying Alan was brought up in a trailer by an single mother abandoned by her husband who seemed more interested in her cats than in her daughter. Vivian, who is equally prominent in the story as Alan, soon realizes that to get ahead (as she understands it) sometimes life requires compromises. Unable to understand what Alan is going through, because she is laser-focused on being invited to join a woman's club in their Connecticut hometown, Vivian keeps moving forward (so she thinks) even as life with Alan, Bailey, and Sunny continues to spiral out of control.

I liked the characters of Bailey and Sunny, who I imagine are typical of young girls their age. I especially like that Sunny insists she can talk with animals and that they talk back to her. Maum takes what could be viewed by some as nonsensical and makes it into something one could imagine a young woman doing.

After the disastrous presentation, the remainder of the story explores how Alan and Vivian appear at odds in handling what life hands to them. Obviously, I don't want to give anything away, but one of the reasons I don't read fiction is that I feel that sometimes authors rely on cheap tricks to reach the payoff of the story. There is absolutely none of that here. Maum's conclusion is not only realistic but is definitely something the reader will not see coming.

When this book is finally released in June, it will be well worth your time to read. I now want to read Maum's memoir, "The Year of the Horses." It's on my list at the library.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Anderson was well on his way to his tenth Cannes Lions Award, the most prestigious trophy an ad campaign could win. He had his pitch ready for American Dairy that would burnish the image of milk from old and uncool to real food itself, as American as one could get. His absolute brainstorm for this presentation was an old Wisconsin dairy farmer named Turner. Alan would interview Turner, who would wear his own overalls and John Deere hat, and  instead of the expected Powerpoint, the client would get the real story of milk straight from the farmer's mouth. It can't miss.
The day of the pitch everything was tracking on plan-the team had worked hard and Alan was ready to go. But at the last minute, his assistant had bad news-Turner was too intimidated to attend and sent another farmer in his place. Not great, but Alan could work with it. The guy replacing Turner was named Daniel, and he looked like a Hollywood movie star dressed as a cowboy. As Alan began his questions, Daniel started a diatribe about how corporations were hurting the small farms by forcing the cows to provide more milk than they were comfortably able to produce. When Alan tried to direct him back to the points of the presentation, Daniel stayed on his "less is more" rant-it was a disaster.
His wife, Vivian, was having her own problems. After many years of supporting Alan in his successful ad agency, she now had everything she wanted...almost. They had a beautiful house in Greenwich Connecticut, in Belleport, the most exclusive neighborhood in this most exclusive town. Her dream was to belong to the invitation-only town club, the Annes. If she was allowed admission to that club, her life would be complete. But she knew, to attain this honor, she, her husband, and their two girls would have to be perfect...and all of the neighbors were watching (and judging.) This was not the time for Alan to have a mid-life crisis/nervous breakdown.
Alan comes home and doesn't return to the agency. He wallows in misery in his bedroom, and won't come out. The more he thinks about what Daniel said, the more he becomes convinced that he had a point. The life he was leading was meaningless...could there really be another way?  The more Vivian tries to social-climb her way to acceptance, the less Alan does to fit into their society until their lives literally explode.
This novel explores the philosophy of Henry David Thoreau in a very modern setting-can a man upend his whole persona and be a better human being for doing so? What would happen to his family and his livelihood if he turned inward and devoted himself to exploring the natural world?
 Thoreau began his great experiment at Walden Pond almost two hundred years ago. He understood that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation,"  and would approve of Alan's search for a new way of living..."simplify, simplify."

[BansheeBibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am extremely grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the privilege of reviewing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I was excited to request this ARC because I enjoy a good sendup of suburban living and consumer culture. There is some excellent dark satire here, but I wasn't expecting so much magical realism.

The titular Alan is a well-to-do advertising executive living in an uber-elite enclave in suburban Connecticut. Alan's wife, Vivian, has spent her lifetime reinventing herself and curating the perfect life and family so that she can finally gain entrance to the upper echelons of society. She especially yearns to become a member of the exclusive Queen Anne's, an invitation-only women's group that focuses on maintaining traditions of keeping the perfect home. Alan and Vivian have two daughters who struggle to find their own place in the private schools their mother has chosen for them. In fact, Vivian insists on micromanaging every aspect of their lives in an effort to elevate her own status.

When Alan loses a huge account, he experiences a humiliation that leaves him uncertain of his purpose. He soon begins to check out of life completely, giving up bathing, taking up residence in the children's playhouse, and befriending a rescue lobster. Alan suddenly turns on the world of capitalist greed that used to sustain him and his family and decides that the path to true bliss is "less is more." Vivian is gobsmacked by this sudden turn of events and is concerned that Alan's new lease on life might mean the end of her financial security and her dream of becoming a Queen Anne.

This was an entertaining read with plenty of humor and satire. Most of the characters are unlikeable, but I think that is to be expected, especially among the spoiled, coddled wealthy. It came across as a little preachy by the end, and it was hard for me to really care what Alan did or how his decisions impacted others when they started out so rich that it didn't really matter. I think it is challenging to make profound statements against consumer culture or "opting out" of the real world when the characters are already so stunningly wealthy that these decisions have little real effect on them. No one misses paying a bill, private school tuition is still covered, and lobster dinners are still eaten... what exactly did Alan opt out of? Then we have the leap into magical realism, and I was left somewhat confused by the end.

I can't exactly put my finger on it, but this book reminded me quite a bit of the film I Heart Huckabees—both deal with characters having existential crises and examining their own personal philosophies. If you enjoy explorations of the absurd, suburban drama/comedy, and rich-people shenanigans, I think this would be a good pick. It is a fast read and definitely a good escape from reality. 3.5 stars

[Cass (Late Reads)]

Thank you to Courtney Maum, Alyssa Flori, and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC!

Alan, a rich ad exec living in Greenwich, CT, goes through a "menty b" after losing possibly the biggest account of his career (US Dairy). An anticapitalist dairy farmer becomes the inspiration behind his next move — which is to stop going to work, move into the backyard playhouse, and live by the motto "less is more." His wife, Vivian, who can't let go of her current life of abundance and overconsumption, thinks he's gone batshit. It doesn't help that this occurs right around the same time as she becomes recruited to possibly join the elite women's club of their affluent neighborhood, the Queen Annes. Think Real Housewives of WASP-y Connecticut. While Alan walks the neighborhood barefoot, bathes in the bird bath, and fends off mosquitoes, Vivian is going to tablesetting classes and planning her end-of-summer bash meant to impress the queen bee of the Queen Annes.

The tension between these two worlds (existing on the same property) is palpable. Vivian's situation is particularly anxiety-inducing, what with the guerilla-style activities of the Queen Annes, the things she's keeping from Alan, and the pressure she feels to fit in. She's spiraling just like Alan, it just looks a little different.

I think what Courtney Maum does the best in "Alan Opts Out" is make unlikable characters likable. I don't normally need my characters to be likable, but at first, I was worried I would never sympathize with or root for them. That changed in the last third of the book.

I did like Sunny, one of Alan and Vivan's daughters, the whole time, though. She's hands down my favorite character. I don't want to spoil why, but she brings some magical realism into this white-picket-fence world that provides some levity.

Underneath the absurdity of the plot is a message I like, which is to think about what matters most — fitting in vs. cultivating authentic relationships, money vs. people, overconsumption vs. appreciating the little things. While that sums up what Alan talks about for most of the book, in my opinion, this message was muddled by what happens at the very end.

"Alan Opts Out" is funny and totally unexpected. Give it a shot when it comes out in June!

[Luca Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan is a big time ad executive. He has built a picturesque life in a gated community in Connecticut.

Alan takes a chance by recruiting a working class farmer as a prop for the biggest pitch of his career, and as you may have guessed, it backfires spectacularly. Alan does not get the account! He has offended the powers that be! And worst of all, he is starting to question the state of advertising and capitalism all together. Alan is bereft! Alan is unmoored.

Luckily, Alan has both cushion and options. He retreats to the $30,000 play structure in his back yard and opts the hell out of life as he knows it. He adopts a pet lobster that he had planned to eat, bathes only in the ocean, connects with his children once he actually starts paying attention to them, and stops wearing shoes. He is selfish but he's also right. His wife. Vivian, wants—I cannot stress this enough—nothing more than a pool. She is a working class girl and she has finally made it! Does Vivian deserve a pool? As much as I am an anti-capitalist myself, I'd still like to see her have it.

This is a rich story about rich people! I don’t typically read about rich people without ten thousand eye rolls a second but I love Courtney Maum and I trust her vision. This book made me laugh! The characters were nothing like the people in my life but I found them relatable in small ways and I was generally sympathetic to them, even when they were being vapid (I'm lookin' at you, Vivian!). I think it is an incredible feat for a writer to make characters that are on paper unlikable but multi faceted enough to still find reader sympathy. This is a fun book and I'd say a perfect beach read. It didn't teach me anything I didn't already know but I think in the wider scheme of things, it will reach an audience that needs the message.

[Nicole Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

I just finished Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum and it definitely left me thinking… and low-key wanting to opt out of everything for a bit 😅

The story follows Alan, a high-powered ad executive whose life starts to unravel after a major professional setback. What begins as a career crisis turns into something much deeper, as he starts questioning his lifestyle, priorities, and what actually matters. His response is… unconventional, to say the least—pulling away from the polished, high-pressure world he’s been living in and experimenting with a very different way of being.

At the same time, his wife Vivian is moving in the opposite direction—deeply focused on maintaining status in their ultra-wealthy community and trying to secure her place in an elite social circle. Her storyline really highlights the pressures of appearances, social climbing, and how easy it is to lose sight of what your family actually needs.

Their kids add another layer to the story, each quietly pushing back in their own way against the expectations placed on them, which I thought was such an interesting contrast to the adults.

The whole book has this slightly surreal, satirical tone (there are definitely some quirky moments), but underneath that it’s really about identity, values, and how far we go to fit into the lives we think we’re supposed to want.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s sharp, weird in a good way, and surprisingly thought-provoking.

Would definitely recommend—especially if you’ve ever felt like stepping outside your own life for a minute just to figure out what actually matters.

[Nana_Rea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me so conflicted.
Th beginning was slow and somewhat difficult to engage with, but once Alan ‘opted out’ I was hooked, his ephinany* comes after a failure at work, and has him questioning everything he has devoted his life to, as an advertising executive he has spent all his time convincing people they need more. His wife Vivian is literally his Frankensteins monster, she believes that in order to ‘be somebody’ she must have every coveted item in triplicate. She believes her worth comes from having things and all she really wants is to have friends, be perfect enough to belong to the most elite group in Belleport; The Anne’s.

As the book progresses we see Alan change from the uber focused working man to someone finds solace in nature, a father who reconnects with his children. At first, Vivian fights against this, she is ashamed and selfish, only thinking of the impact others behaviour has on her standing in the community. Then too, Vivian’s outlook changes.
It is a fascinating book - makes you consider what would happen if we all ‘opted out’, and how quite possibly, the world would be a kinder place if we did.
This book was easy to read and I consumed it in almost one sitting so clearly I was invested. But, I disliked all of the characters, even the MC’s. Yes there was a change and one could argue they became better people, well, some of them. But I didn’t ‘care’ about them, at some points I wanted to reach in to the book and shake them (Vivian I mean you!!) perhaps I wasn’t meant to like them? This is definitely a book I will revisit, for now, I’m off to contemplate; ‘less is more.’

[Maria Marmanides · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing in this novel is excellent. The sentences are clean, confident, and often beautiful. From a purely technical standpoint, this is a very well-written book.

But I didn’t care about Alan or Vivian—or their very Greenwich problems.

I was genuinely intrigued by the premise: a copywriter at the heart of consumer culture having a kind of moral or existential awakening. That setup felt ripe for a real critique of capitalism, ambition, and self-delusion. Instead, the book gestures toward that reckoning without ever really going there.

Alan’s attempt to “live off the land” while still owning a home in Greenwich, still holding a job, still having all of his basic needs met, felt like the novel wanted credit for rejecting capitalism without actually interrogating what that means. For most people, the desire to opt out is impossible precisely because those safety nets don’t exist. Here, there are no real consequences, no real costs—and the book never fully addresses that contradiction.

Daniel, the character who forces Alan into his capitalist crisis, could have been a fascinating foil. As copywriters and writers, people like Alan are trained to inhabit other perspectives—to study desire, to locate motivation, to sell meaning. I kept waiting for the novel to explore that tension between empathy, performance, and manipulation. It never does.

I’m not criticizing this book for not being the story I would have written as a copywriter. I’m criticizing it for its unwillingness to follow through on the questions it raises.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, proactive and an all around good read, this book takes on “consumerism, class snobbery and greed.”

Alan Anderson and his social climbing wife, Vivian, have moved from the Midwest to Belleport, Connecticut, four years ago. Alan is the creative director for a large firm and has won international contracts and awards while Vivian is set on “rebranding” herself as a New Englander by entering into the cutthroat competition of her closed community to become a member of the exclusive Queen Anne club. When Alan’s big dairy contract sours after the company’s dairy farmer spokesman states that there should be “less milk, less advertising and less excess”, Alan looks at himself and realizes he’s sold himself out. He starts changing his life, living in the playhouse, unplugging his life from the smart house, and confounding his wife.

The book has such interesting pacing - chapters start with Alan and then flow to Vivian with email communications between the Queen Anne club members acting like a Greek chorus to announce almost what’s going to happen next. The snobbery of the women is so ripe and nauseous. Alan’s opting out of the rat race and late capitalism is a daunting feat - not many could do that.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were nicely drawn as were the themes of futility, greed and snobbery. Lots of laughs but also lots of provocative thoughts. This is a gem of a book.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little, Brown,& Company for allowing me access to this ARC.

[Anne Wolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a Greenwich, Connecticut-like suburb, Vivian struggles to lose her mid-west lower-middle=class upbringing to become part of the Annes, a desirable social club that will mark her as belonging. Vivian is married to Alan, co-owner and creative head of a successful advertising agency. When his clever presentation for a milk company goes off the rails, it throws a monkey wrench into Vivian's plans as well as throwing Alan into a strange mindset. Perhaps, he thinks, less really IS more.

It all sounds like it would be a heap of fun. It even has a daughter who communicates with animals *and birds) and an older girl who wants only to go to the public high school and write plays. Vivian, (formerly Valerie) spends Alan's income as fast as he can earn it. No one is really happy, until Alan, shaken up by his failure, stops bathing and shaving and wearing shoes. All this leads to a renewed physical relationship between Alan and Vivian (Why?) and improves the relationship between the couple and their children.

There are some very annoying chapters of chat groups in the community and some very dull descriptions of food, clothing. and decor and etiquette.

There are some amusing story lines not developed enough though to be entertaining (Lenny the lobster, taming fish, talking to horses and moose).

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an early copy of this book to read and review. This is my honest opinion.

[Kate Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels like a fantastic combination of Emma Rosenblum’s Bad Summer People and Kristin Bair’s Clementine Crane Prefers Not To. Alan is a fiftysomething ad executive who’s counting on the big payday from his new milk campaign. But when the pitch goes awry, Alan loses that lucrative account and is forced to reconcile with the way he’s always made his living.

Vivian, Alan’s wife and mother of his two children, has relied on him for the financial security she lacked during a tumultuous childhood. She is determined not to let that kind of humiliation happen to their two daughters. As part of that goal, she’s ready to be accepted into the Queen Annes, an exclusive women’s society in their posh Connecticut community.

Alan’s revelation about capitalism's limitations and flaws is a huge thorn in Vivian’s side. As she must contend with tense tests from the Queen Annes about garnishes and flower arranging and party hosting, Alan’s ridiculous ways of “opting out” of the consumerist society he’s always promoted and profited from threaten to derail her hopes of finally fitting in with the rich women she admires.

This is both an entertaining and incisive read that will make you consider just what constitutes enough in a world of instant deliveries and accumulation of more. I loved every page of Vivian and Alan’s story. Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for the ARC!

[Chrissy Hampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courtney Maum’s Alan Opts Out is witty, insightful, and just the right amount of chaotic. When ad executive Alan has a breakdown after a disastrous pitch and decides to completely opt out of consumerism, his wife Vivian is left trying to maintain their carefully curated life — and keep up appearances in their status-obsessed Queen Annes neighborhood. Meanwhile, Alan is quite literally unraveling in the backyard with no shoes, questionable hygiene, and a pet lobster.

I found this book incredibly entertaining and genuinely enjoyed every character. Maum does such a vivid job capturing Alan’s slow unraveling alongside Vivian’s growing frustration and desperation to hold everything together. The contrast between Alan rejecting modern consumer culture while Vivian leans harder into it made the story feel timely, sharp, and surprisingly relatable.

What could have felt over-the-top instead comes across as funny, uncomfortable, and eerily believable. I could perfectly picture shoeless, unwashed Alan living in the backyard while Vivian attempted to preserve the illusion of their perfect life for the neighbors. The satire is clever, but there’s also a lot of heart underneath the absurdity.

This is absolutely a conversation-starter of a novel and would make an excellent book club pick.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced reading copy. All opinions are my

[Georgine H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take one existential crisis and a secret women's society, add a child who talks to animals and a pet lobster, then smother it all in fast-paced, witty dialogue and you have the recipe for a hilarious read! Alan Opts Out is a whip-smart satire on consumerism and excess—a story that elicits both laughter and reflection.

When Alan Anderson, a successful advertising executive, has a pitch go disastrously wrong, he begins questioning everything about his consumption-driven life. Meanwhile, his wife Vivian pursues admission into Queen Anne's—an exclusive women's society that epitomizes the privilege and self-promotion Alan is starting to reject, creating the perfect backdrop for his unraveling. Maum takes us on an entertaining ride that shows what happens when "enough is enough."

But this isn't your regular midlife crisis. While stereotypical middle-aged men buy a Harley-Davidson and pursue an affair with a younger woman, Alan moves into his daughter's backyard playhouse, stops wearing shoes, and washes his hair in the neighbor's bird bath. His crisis is quirky, endearing, and refreshingly absurd.

I loved the combination of social consciousness and comedy in this book. Maum's gift for wordplay and sharp dialogue makes Alan Opts Out a rhetorical delight. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate smart satire with heart.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this but it wasn't for me.

It didn't start well. I wasn't going to make a decision on the opening chapter or two, but I did struggle almost instantly. The sentence structure felt weird. I mean, the first few pages were all about milk. Which is fine, I understood the reason why in terms of the whole novel, but for me anyway, it wasn't the most understandable or exciting starts to a story.

And if I'm honest, it didn't get much better for me.

I don't mind an unlikeable character, if they're written in a way that almost makes them likeable, the kind we love to hate. But every single character was unlikeable and not in a good way. And so I didn't care about them or what happened.

And it doesn't have a strong plot. I don't mind a weak plot if the characters are good, but as I said earlier, they are not, and so it was failing on all parts.

It felt like it was trying to be this big novel that was saying something really profound but it became too aware of itself and felt like wading through mud.

I seem to be one of only a handful of negative reviews so I won't say the book is bad, because if it was bad then there would be no positive reviews at all. I'm just saying it had a lot of problems an it wasn't the book for me.

It gets an extra star for it's concept because that felt strong, even if it didn't come through.

[AnisaAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Opts Out is about a man named Alan who suddenly decides to stop taking part in normal life. He pulls away from his office job, ignores emails, and avoids people. At first, it seems like a quiet protest against stress and routine, something many people might relate to. But as time goes on, Alan doesn’t just quit his responsibilities—he starts to fade out of everyday life in a much deeper, stranger way, and the people around him don’t quite know how to react.

As the story continues, Alan becomes more distant and detached. He spends more time just observing instead of participating, almost like he’s testing how invisible he can become. Things start to feel a bit surreal, and it’s not always clear whether Alan is fully in control of his choices or just drifting away. What’s unsettling is that the world doesn’t really stop him—life keeps going, even as he slowly disappears from it.

The book mixes simple humor with a slightly creepy feeling. It explores ideas like burnout, identity, and the desire to escape from everything. It doesn’t give clear answers or a neat ending, which might not work for everyone, but it leaves you thinking about how easy it might be to step away from life—and what that really means.

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

This social satire is filled with sarcasm, snark and humor. Ad executive Alan has an epiphany after a failed client presentation derailed by a speaker who rants about rampant consumerism and espouses minimalism. Alan is furious at the time, but can't stop thinking about what the man said.

Meanwhile, his wife is the ultimate social climber. After a poor and unhappy childhood, she is obsessed by visible success: the right house, school, clothes, etc. etc. to an incredible degree. And that is the story of their neighborhood. She is applying to become an elite member of a group of snooty women and the lengths they go to to seek approval is hilarious.

Alan sort of goes walkabout from his job and gradually changes his appearance and outlook. He moves out of their huge McMansion and quits wearing shoes. His wife couldn't be more mortified as she worries about their image. Their two daughters are rebelling in their own way and their mother tries to herd them into line.

The ending ties everything together, although it felt a bit rushed to me. But this was a fun read with a worthwhile message tucked inside. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tess · Rating 2 out of 5]

So admittedly I am in a reading rut. Life is a little crazy right now, I started a new (and fantastic) job last week, I have a fun and crazy 1 year old on my hands, and I’m tired. Never to tired to read books (never once in my life have I been too tired to read a book) but books just aren’t hitting for me right now. All that to say - I truly don’t know if ALAN OPTS OUT is a good book or not.

My instinct is to say, it doesn’t really have a plot and a book with no plot better have great characters right? Eh, this one not so much either. It’s about really really rich people and that also bores me right now, and I find it hard to care about a multi-millionaire ad exec who decides he wants to “opt out” of the real world despite his wife’s longing to be part of the elite crowd in their rich and fancy neighborhood. The best characters are their two high school daughters, one of whom does 1 woman plays and the other seemingly talks to animals? I wanted a whole book about them instead!

So yeah, book rut or not this book did not hit for me at all and maybe sleep deprivation didn’t help so I’m curious to hear what others may think of it.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Courtney Maum and it will not be my last.
I loved the over-the-top humor here, especially because it is applied to very real issues like greed, overconsumption, and the pressure to keep up appearances. The story follows Alan, a successful advertising executive who unravels after bombing a major pitch and suddenly decides to opt out of capitalism, moving into his backyard to live a stripped-down life. Meanwhile, his wife Vivian is focused on climbing the social ladder in their wealthy Connecticut town, and the contrast between the two of them drives much of the story.
As someone who works in advertising, I really appreciated how accurately the author captured agency life. It felt very real, just with the volume turned up.
The humor is sharp and a little absurd at times, but underneath it is a story that has a lot to say. It is fast, engaging, and just a really fun read.
4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan owns a successful marketing agency, but loses a lucrative contract due to a disaster of a pitch. Something that was said during the pitch gives him sleepless nights, and he realises that all his life he has been selling more, bigger, better, newer, improved - which he now thinks is all wrong, and that in fact, less can be more.
So Alan changes his life completely. Which is unfortunate, because his wife Vivian is planning on becoming one of the golden girls in their community, by joining an exclusive group of very rich women.

There are times in this book where you want to shake them both and scream at them to "wake up"!

It's a fun read. I wasn't sure how I wanted it to end, or expected it to end, but I enjoyed the final scenes, as the juxtaposition between having more and having less came to a satisfactory conclusion.

Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A timely, satirical examination of America's futile attempts to keep up with the Joneses. This desperate reaching to belong...all while considering one's origins...comes at what cost?

Who am I, even?

This is an up to the minute rendition that feels a little bit like Where's You Go, Bernadette, with some Lewis Caroll thrown in. You can also broaden your vocab with this one, though if you hate the f-word, this book isn't for you.

Be careful - reading this might make you take the week off to contemplate life, and your friends and the neighbors might think you've had a "menty b."

Worthy of reading, because of the thoughts that will come to mind, and the conversations you will have with friends after this.

3-3.5. Lots of good fodder for discussion, but the number of f-bombs are off-putting and will turn some readers away. (And that's too bad.)

I received this as an advance ebook from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking exploration of modern work culture, ambition, and the quiet, often invisible labor of both career and family life. She highlights the gendered expectations that persist in both professional and domestic spaces.

The idea that stepping back from work carries vastly different social consequences depending on who you are is one of the book’s most resonant themes.

The writing tone is curious rather than judgmental, which allows space for nuance—particularly in conversations about privilege, burnout, and the redefinition of success.

Overall, an insightful read for anyone questioning traditional career paths or grappling with the pressures of productivity-driven culture. It invites reflection, making it especially relevant in an era where more people are reevaluating their work—and opting out of it.

Thank you- Courtney Maum, Alyssa Flori, Little Brown and Company for the ARC.

[Shinjini · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise — an advertising executive who decides to opt out of consumer culture after anarchist farmer tanks his presentation. I was expecting a witty take on consumer culture, living with less, and how Alan’s decision would impact his family.

But it was really difficult to get into this book, because Alan and his family are already obnoxiously rich. Alan opting out isn’t really going to affect them much.

And then there was his wife, Vivian. Manifesting a pool, oblivious to almost everything happening around her; single-mindedly focused on getting into an ultra-elite women’s club.

I get that this was supposed to be satire, but it was hard to really care about any of these characters or what happens to them. But if you don’t mind reading about the obnoxiously rich and their pretensions, you may well enjoy the book. It is very well written, I will give it that! I just wish it was a bit more relatable!

[Jesaka Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan may opt out, but Vivian soars.

I have been a fan of Courtney Maum's book on publishing and her Substack for some time, but this is the first novel of hers I've read. I had no idea how brilliant she is in her fiction. ALAN OPTS OUT is delicious for its voice, its vivid world, and its richly developed characters.

On thing that really stood out in this novel is that Maum lets Alan fail--and I mean really fail. It's not that he had a bad day, it's that he truly MESSED UP and can't pull himself back together. Meanwhile, Vivian determination that a pool will change her life (and her daughter's lives) is out of control, which drives much of the narrative and creates opportunities for some wild decisions.

Overall, ALAN OPTS OUT is a perfect summer read: fast-paced, funny, and filled with dreams of a pool of one's own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown for the ARC.

[Fannie Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews, as anyone who follows me here knows. I was moved by Erdrich’s Nightwatch and am surprised to find myself here again but let’s do this!
Maum has pulled off a rare feat; she’s written a gripping, scintillating tale about consumerism and the pitfalls of high society whilst also giving us a really well written piece of literary fiction. Do you like a poolside read which quotes Marquez and suggests a Mies Van der Rohe approach to lifestyle? Check. Do you like a nice rakish discourse on American Housewifeism? Check. Maum grabs you by the Brioni lapels with her opening paragraph and has you turning pages for the comeuppances and comedowns you expect but never takes the slapstick bait. Alan might opt out but you should definitely opt in for this quick paced tale about the trappings of American success.

[Addison Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much! It’s both absurd and utterly realistic at the same time. I loved the bits about advertising slogans peppered throughout the book, and the contrast between Alan’s new way of life and his wife’s striving was cleverly done. I also really enjoyed Travis! My only wish was that Sunny’s “talent” had not been a key part of the book because its unrealistic nature detracted from the otherwise believable story. Be forewarned, there’s not a ton of plot here, but if you enjoy stories set in the modern US with interesting social commentary, I think you’ll enjoy this one like I did. This was my first read by this author, but will certainly check out Maum’s other work if this one was anything to go by.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest feedback!

[Katrina Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Opts Out is a fun romp through the lives of an ad exec, his social-climbing wife, and their two quirky kids. The writing is brilliant and hilarious, but the story also offers a poignant statement about keeping up with the Joneses and the gift that comes with slowing down... and opting out. Maum's sense of humor is sharp and laugh-out-loud funny, and her attention to detail is both stunning and informative. (I learned so much about lobster molting and table settings!) I predict this will be a summer favorite--fun enough for the beach, but deep enough to encourage readers to reflect upon the choices that shape their everyday lives. A page-turning masterclass from one of today's most versatile writers.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot remember the last time a book made me laugh this much. Alan Opts Out is so sharply written that I found myself pausing just to reread the funniest passages. Between the Handmaid’s Tale dress, the "criminal" prayer beads, Sasquatch feet . . . too many to name and I realize they don't make sense out of context, but trust me. Some funny shit.

But beyond the comedy, this story nails this desperate (and quite sad) need to belong, even if it's something you don’t entirely believe in. As much as Alan wants out, his wife, Vivian, demonstrates a willingness to sacrifice her dignity to be invited in--to a club that made my skin crawl. The story entertained . . . and I've already recommended it to friends.