Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up: The Funniest WTF AM I DOING? Novel of the Year (Confessions, 1)

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Funny but layered, light-hearted but surprisingly deep, this is a perfect and inspiring new year read' - Red

FREE: REGISTER NOW] Gateway Women Masterclass: ‘Reclaiming Your Childless Festive Season!’– Sat 8th December, 7pm UK (and recorded) Nell’s openhearted candor is proof that the more we love, and the more we give, the more love we have to give. Rather than her insecurities making her a viciously jealous Mean Girl, the bumbling heroine’s compassion and understanding make her an unwitting advocate for the downtrodden. Brilliantly written, extremely relatable, honest, full of humour and totally uplifting, Everyone needs to read this (you don’t have to be forty-something) and realise it’s never too late to change what you don’t like in your life and their are tons of women dealing with the same thoughts and feelings. The story of Nell Stevens’ struggle through her imperfect, messy life doesn’t just make brilliant fiction, it’s turning into a cultural revolution!' Matt CainIn this hilarious, un-put-downable follow-up to the bestselling Confessions of a Forty-Something F## k Up, now the basis for the major TV series called Not Dead Yet, there are laugh-out-loud lessons to be learned, truths to be told, adventures to go on and joys to discover. I loved the way Alexandra Potter incorporated the pandemic into the start of the novel. It was the perfect way to have Nell reevaluate herself after finding peace with her life in the first novel. It reminded me of how much our lives got completely tipped upside down thanks to COVID-19. The inspiration for NOT DEAD YET, ABC’s “Most Watched Comedy Debut in More Than Four Years” ( Deadline ) Mothers & Childless Daughters – a very hot topic for our next free Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen webinar

Now, we're 2.5 years on from that, I am now 30, and I am 1) still single, 2) still childless, and 3) have no job but still refer to myself as a writer, albeit a failed one when it comes to actually finishing anything. Nell’ faces the dilemma that I, and so many other women arriving childless at midlife face. How the hell do we do this when everything around us has prepared us for something different? In this book the pair decide not just to help each other but through their column in a newspaper magazine they’re sharing their experience, humour and common sense with the world in general. I’ll leave you to find out if they both get their happy ever after.. I've said it before that I'm not overly fond of books that talk about the pandemic, as I want escapism, I don't want to read about something I lived through. But Alexandra has found a balance here. She's mentioned it - as anyone would if their book is set during that time - but it's not a main plot point. It helps give context to a few things, but the story would equally be as great without it. After reading the first book earlier in the year and loving that, I just knew I had to read this! And I’m pleased to say, this was every bit as good as the first book, I loved it. ❤️

Featured Reviews

Single - nearly 29 and single, and I'm still being asked "when are you going to find a man and settle down? Synopsis (It's a fiction book, so it helps…from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)

My bookclub friends will appreciate this one. ——‘When did I stop buying expensive lingerie and start buying expensive hoovers? Worst still when did I start getting excited about my new hoover?’ A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. Told in a diary style format by Nell (first person) be prepared to embrace what everyday life throws at you and how you deal with it . . . . . family,friends,laughter,sadness,gratitude.

Summary

Similarly, she welcomes the opening up of discussion around the menopause. “It used to be a dirty word and something to fear, but midlife now isn’t what it used to be. I have a picture of my grandmother at 45 and she looks like an old lady.” First of all, thank you NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, and Alexandra Potter for allowing me access to this e-ARC! But then something happened that no one expected, turning the world upside down in a way no one could have ever imagined. Eighteen months on, life is finally returning to normal! But what is normal anymore?

I highly recommend this book, it is for every one of us, for the ‘outcasts’ like me (childfree by choice, gasp!) who try to walk life through a different path than one that is deemed acceptable, or for someone like you who may have achieved the so-called ‘milestones’ in life, is considered a ‘success’ by society but like Nell’s friends in the book may feel like a f-up nonetheless. My other favourite character is, of course, the gorgeous Arthur. I can’t resist a slightly mischievous, four footed ball of fluff. Living in London, Nell is content with her life. She enjoys her job writing obituaries, has a strong circle of friends (including the ultimate frenemy). Yet people, especially her parents are worried that she hasn't married, had children, is not successful. Nell is apparently a "Forty-Something F**k Up".I really loved this catch up with the characters. I leave them at the end of this book wishing them well, and wondering if we will get another peek into their lives again in a few years, I hope so. Of course, I realize this is just a new stage of life, and one that–if all this midlife stuff is to be believed–I should be embracing. But what if you’re not ready for this new stage? What if you haven’t even reached the old stage yet? Even if you’re not sure about having kids it’s comforting to know you’ve got options. No one wants to be The Woman For Whom Time Ran Out. You want to be the one making the decisions. Sitting on the fence is one thing, but what happens when the fence is taken away from you? Do you jump off joyfully or fall crashing to the floor?” Alexandra Potter is a guest for January 2021’s Nomo Book Club, hosted within the Gateway Women Online Community by Lisa Kissane, the Host of the Nomo Book Club. Come and join Lisa, Alexandra, and plenty of other forty-somethings (or fifty-somethings now in my case!) on Saturday 23rd January 2021 at 10am UK time as together we show that it’s not only in rom-com that we get to write our own endings. But the well-structured story of Nell’s journey into light develops like her podcast, building organically, not forced, as she navigates her gloominess. After deriding trite hashtags and motivational messages, she ends up writing a slew of her own. At the end of each chapter, listing things for which she’s grateful, many are quotable enough for social media posts. (Also, the clever easy-to-miss footnotes are like tiny secret prizes.) It’s rare for any book to actually make me laugh out loud like this one did (more than once) and for a book to resonate on so many levels with me.