Review: More Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up

I happened upon Alexandra Potter’s novels when her book Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up was published back in 2020. I thoroughly enjoyed it (review here) and was so excited when I learned there would be a follow up book. More Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up was published here in Canada in early October and I devoured my egalley in July. It was such a great read!

Here’s the book’s description:

There is no magical land you finally arrive at where everything is figured out, fixed and sorted. Life, like us, is a sum of moving parts, and if we’re lucky, we get to keep f**king up, figuring it out and laughing in the face of it all.
Nell’s back. Her life still isn’t going to plan. And she’s still asking the big questions and getting none of the answers. Like, for

1. Why is falling in love so easy, but staying in love so hard?

2. What do you do when your friendships are put to the ultimate test?

3. Can we ever really live in the moment and leave the past behind?

4. When everything goes tits up, do you fall apart or jump on a plane to LA with Cricket (an eighty-something widow and your BFF)?

5. And when all else fails, will celebrity-scented candles, smashed avocados and Instagram filters save us?*

But first, Nell has some more confessions . . .

* #onlyjoking #sortof #LOL

Being able to reunite with Nell was an absolute joy. I loved her when I first met her in the first book and reading this one was like when you get together with a friend you haven’t seen in awhile but you immediately pick up where you last left off.

It was interesting to read a book that was set during lockdowns, now that we’re getting further removed from that time. The first time I read a fictional story that referenced the pandemic I was completely put off - I wasn’t ready to have that time invade my reading time. I think I’m more accepting now, plus Potter did an exceptional job of making it real but not a scary reminder of what we all went through.

I find Potter’s books exceptionally difficult to review and I think part of it is because the stories mimic real life so much that it would be like trying to write a review of the last year of my own life. There are highs and lows, just like you’ve likely had in the last year or so. You have great friends whose lives have also had ups and downs and you want to be there to support them but it can be hard sometimes, especially when your life looks a lot different, and, hello, pandemic. What I’m trying to get at is, there’s a lot of heart and soul in this book. You’ll laugh, nod in agreement, cringe in embarrassment, and maybe even tear up a time or two. None of the emotions will hit you especially hard but packaged together they create a wonderful story that’ll leave you with a warm glow.

If you haven’t yet read Alexandra Potter’s books, you’re missing out. More Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up was a great read - it’s a well-written novel that’s full of characters I adore. What’s not to love? I can’t wait to read whatever Potter writes next!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor of this novel, Publishers Group Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own*

Review: One Good Thing

I stumbled upon Alexandra Potter’s Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up back in 2020 and absolutely loved it (review here). When I saw she had a new release coming this year, I knew I had to read it. One Good Thing was full of good things and I really, really enjoyed reading it.

Here’s the book’s description:

In life, nothing is certain. Just when you think you have it all figured out, something can happen to change the course of everything . . .
Liv Brooks is still in shock. Newly-divorced and facing an uncertain future, she impulsively swaps her London Life for the sweeping hills of the Yorkshire Dales, determined to make a fresh start. But fresh starts are harder than they look and feeling lost and lonely she decides to adopt Harry, an old dog from the local shelter, to keep her company.
But Liv soon discovers she isn’t the only one in need of a new beginning. On their daily walks around the village, they meet Valentine, an old man who suffers from loneliness who sits by the window and Stanley, a little boy who is scared of everyone, hides behind the garden gate and Maya, a teenager who is angry at everyone and everything. But slowly things start to change…

At 35, I’m still sort of the right age for most rom coms, but I have to come to grips with the fact that I am getting older and, with that, comes the appreciation of reading about older heroines. While I can’t recall if we ever learn exactly how old Liv is, I do know Liv has lived a good chunk of life and life has not been the most kind to her lately. We’re meeting her at pretty much the lowest point of that life as she’s buying a total fixer upper in the middle of nowhere after her divorce. But you just know that reading as she figures out this newly single life is going to be so rewarding. And it really was.

I was initially wary of all the different characters mentioned in the book’s description. I kind of just wanted Liv’s story and didn’t want all the confusion of other characters muddying the waters. However. The stories of Valentine, Stanley, and Maya are so important to Liv’s own story that it wouldn’t be the same novel without them. And, really, it still is Liv’s book. The other characters only have the odd chapter dedicated to them but it helps make the overall story stronger.

Another reviewer on Goodreads said that this book is a like a “snuggly blanket”, and I couldn’t agree more. Potter has written a book with all the feels that leaves the reader feeling warm and happy and so very comfortable. That’s not to say there aren’t hard moments in the book, because there definitely are. She runs into her ex at a party, her home renovations aren’t running smoothly, Valentine’s wife’s dementia is getting worse, and there are tricky family secrets that come to light. But Potter makes everything alright in the end, just as life should be. It’s lovely.

Alexandra Potter has become a must-read author for me. I really enjoyed One Good Thing and highly recommend it for anyone looking for a great read.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Confessions of a Forty-Something

 

I'm not sure if I ever would have picked up Alexandra Potter's new book, Confessions of a Forty-Something, if I hadn't been offered it for review. And you know what? That would have been an absolute shame. I loved this book so much and it will probably end up being one of my top reads of 2020.

Here's the synopsis:

Nell Stevens' life is a mess.

When her business goes bust and her fiancé with it, Nell's happily-ever-after in California falls apart and she moves back to London to start over. But a lot has changed since she's been gone. All her single friends are happily married with children, sky-high rents force her to rent a room in a stranger's house, and in a world of perfect Instagram lives, she feels like a f**k up. Even worse, a forty-something f**k-up.

But when she lands a job writing obituaries, Nell meets the fabulous Cricket, an eighty-something widow with challenges of her own, and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Whereas Nell's friends are all busy with their families, all Cricket's friends are dying off. Together they begin to help each other heal their aching hearts, cope with the loss of the lives they had planned, and push each other into new adventures and unexpected joys.

And because Nell is determined, she's going to turn her life around. This time next year things are going to be very different. First though, she has a confession...

One of the reasons I was initially wary about the title, when I came across it for the very first time, was simply this: I'm not a forty-something (I'm a thirty-something). I wondered if it would be alienating to me and my generation or if there would be pockets of the story I would be able to identify with (not that you have to identify with every story). What drew me in was that I knew I could understand how it would feel to be a childless woman in a world where it seems like everyone I know is becoming a mother or has plans to become a mother in the next little while. That's not a world I understand, since my plan is to stay childless. So, I thought, why not give Nell's story a try? Thank goodness I did!

I loved Nell. I wanted to hang out with her and be whatever she needed - drinking buddy, sounding board, friend date. I especially wanted to tag along on her adventures with Cricket. I'm seeing more stories focus on a friendship between those in their seventies or eighties and someone two or three decades younger and I'm loving it. It's a subtle reminder that folks that age have a lot more going on than we may think and they definitely have way more stories to share than the friends who are your own age. I don't have any grandparents left so do me a favour and ask yours for some stories, ok? Especially right now.

I don't want to say much about the romance because spoilers but I will say I loved it. It was so real, all the way along, and so perfect.

I could also really identify with Nell's feeling of being a fuck-up. There are a whole lot of us who are going along and aren't really sure what we should be doing. Does anyone? I would say this book shows that no, most people are bumbling along with no idea what they would really like to be doing. You just do what you have to do to be able to live and pay bills and, you know, Adult. I can't imagine how hard it would be to have your dream little business and a great relationship and then *wham* everything blows up. So, all that said, I just loved reading as she sorted things out and started (re)building a life she could be proud of.

Finally, I liked how the story was told. It was divided into sections, one for each month of the year. It had a bit of a Bridget Jones feel but I think it's really just because it was a woman of similar age, it started at the same time of year and was a diary of sorts, and it's also set in England. Plus, it's clever and heart-warming. So there are similarities but Nell is her own character.

Confessions of a Forty-Something was such an enjoyable read and I didn't know what to do with myself when I finished Alexandra Potter's novel. It's actually taken me months to review it because I had such a book hangover when it was done and I just wasn't sure what I was going to say except: READ THIS BOOK. It had everything I was looking for in a novel and I hope others pick this up and love it as much as I did.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*