Absolutely brilliant. Nell returns from USA following a break up with her fiance, can only afford to rent a room in Edwards house and has no job, all her friends have moved on in the 5 years she's been away. Brilliantly written, funniest book I've read in ages but true to life.

A bit like a U.K. Sex and the City blog and just as good!
Nell, back from USA after a break up from the love of her life, is living at her parents and is jobless. Can life get any worse in your 40s?!
She rents a room off Edward who works in London and goes back to family at weekends. She is on her own and lonely as all her friends are now married with kids. she feels out of place and starts a blog to document this.
It’s a great style of writing in the first person. Nell blogs about everyday things that affect us all as well as thinking each day of things to be grateful for.
It’s a clove my read and it gives you hope and optimism!

I really enjoyed this book! Not my usual genre but I am glad I moved out of my comfort zone! Nell was great and as a 50 plus year old I still saw so much of what she talked about in me! Would definitely recommend as a page turn, with a lovely ending.

It took me a little while to get into this story but once I did I was hooked. The story is well written and has a quite unique way of putting the story across, which I really enjoyed. I loved Nell's "I'm grateful for" lists at the end of each chapter, I looked forward to reading them all.

I loved watching the characters develop and their lives intertwine. Nell was great, I really loved her attitude and perseverance. I liked the way she learnt to look at life and it actually made me think about my attitude to getting older too. Saying that though the real inspiration was Cricket, what a lady. The "Things I've Learned From Cricket" list is going to my new mantra, that's for sure.

There were plenty of laughs in this story as well as some more poignant moments. I did find the ending a little drawn out but overall it was a great read and I highly recommend it.

****** ALERT EVERY WOMAN OVER 40 *****
You NEED to read this book, it is a long time since I laughed out loud at 2.30 in the morning. But Alex Potter has made you feel part of this book if you are going through these issues; marriage, childbirth,separation, divorce or surprise babies
It will make you look at all your girlfriends on every day of the week with a renewed sense of kinship especially Monday's!
If you want to know what it's like to never have children will you feel bad hell no it's not very everyone then again those of us that seem to never be left in charge of the tv remote suddenly handle their newborn like an old pro - who would have seen that coming
If you are breastfeeding, menopausal or just a woman you will laugh, cry and totally understand how other women feel
Love it ❤️

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of ‘Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k Up’ by Alexandra Potter from Pan Macmillan via Netgalley. I requested the book for two reasons: the title and I had positive feedback from the author’s previous work and was curious to see how her new title would fare.
So, onto the title – let’s be honest, it does tend to stand out a little. While the professional barriers to swearing are still (largely) in place, swearing seems to be more commonplace in everyday life and indeed throughout our media. So, it is hardly surprisingly that the term ‘F##k Up’ should appear in a book title. Also, what is exactly is a ‘fuck up’ – how do you define one?
Well, according to Nell, this is someone who has discovered that their life is not at all going to plan and in fact seems to be missing out on the many ‘steps’ accomplished by her friends. Nell is going through the heartbreak of a recent breakup, the loss of her business and the subsequent return to London. A traumatic time for any woman but added to the difficulties for Nell, is the realisation that at the age of ‘forty-something’ she will need to find a housemate and start the relationship game all over again.
It’s rare that I can find a book where I laugh out loud from start to finish - ‘Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k Up’ by Alexandra Potter is one of those rare finds. Unwittingly, Nell seems to stumble from one incident to another. Yet, so many of these situations remain plausible despite being a work of fiction. Written as a strong woman who faces the disappointments of life head on (though sometimes after some wine), Nell is a character that many woman could identify with and does not fall into the trap of becoming pitiful or blaming others for her misfortunes. I found myself cheering on Nell and also disappointed to come to the end of her adventures.
Read it and enjoy!!

So beautifully written - I’m going to miss Nell and Cricket now I’ve finished the story! I hope I’m like cricket when I get to 80!

While I’m not forty years old yet, I could totally understand everything that Nell goes through. It’s a story about trying to make something out of her life after a broken relationship and moving back in England while all her friends have their lives settled with kids and jobs and weekends already planned.
It’s funny, poignant and heartwarming while interesting in being so opened up about nowadays lifestyle and changes that people around us are going through.
Thank to the publisher @panmacmillan and @netgalley for my review copy

Keeping it real and very refreshing. A take on modern romance, but... this book is so much more. I’m sure most can relate to the characters and their lives. I’ve typed and rewritten this review because I didn’t want to do this book an injustice! All I can say is, it fantastic and well worth reading.

A forty year old should be in control of their life not trying to start again after moving back to the UK from America.
All her friends are at that successful and settled stage of their lives and there is Nell, looking for a job and living in a rented room.
Accepting a job writing obituaries Nell meets Cricket with whom she forms a friendship and a more positive outlook on her life.

Well observed characters that everyone can identify with no matter your age. A basic romance bought up to date.

When we're in our twenties maybe even younger we have a plan, a vision of how we'd like our life to pan out. But what happens when all those carefully laid plans don't work out the way you'd hoped, what then?

This is Penelope or Nell to all who know her. This is Nell's life, in the midst of her forty's and everything suddenly seems to have gone belly up. She never envisaged renting out a room in a shared house, not being married to Ethan and living happily ever after in California, and instead back in London writing obituaries for a living. What now? Well if you're Nell you just suck it up and get on with it, hoping something better might come along.

I loved this book, most of all because it was so funny. That was the character of Nell, covering up how she really felt by taking a light hearted approach to all that went wrong. This is a quote from the book:-

"Embrace your sense of humour, don't ever take yourself too seriously, every day is another chance to laugh instead of cry, and when nothing is certain, everything is a hell of a lot less scary when you make fun of it."

That's a great philosophy to have in life and certainly made for a humorous read. But there is a deeper side to Nell. The disappointments, friends who seemingly have it all who she feels she's losing touch with.  Children? Nell would love children but the opportunity hasn't come up. Loss, she has suffered loss. So as well as all the laughs there are some very poignant scenes in the book too.

There are some wonderful supporting characters. Edward her landlord who she rents a room from, Cricket an 80 year old lady who Nell becomes great friends with after writing an obituary for Cricket in memory of her husband Monty. And all Nell's friends who she's known most of her grown up life.

At the end of most of the chapters Nell writes a gratitude list. I loved reading these so much so that when I stumbled on a gratitude app in the app store I downloaded it, and now I've got my very own. She comes up with the unlikeliest of things to be grateful for which makes you realise that a gratitude journal can be fun to look back on.

It's fiction but I'm sure so many women could easily identify with Nell and her not so perfect, not so insta-worthy life. There are lots of references to hashtags and social media and giving that outward appearance of having it all, when really we're all human with the same problems, the same 'lemons' to deal with. The message being just accept things the way they are and stop trying to live up to an impossible dream.

Just read it, it'll make you smile, cry but most of all you'll feel there's hope. You never know - you might even find yourself keeping a gratitude journal.


Review to be posted to blog 1 week before publication.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters and story line are so relatable. It was poignant, funny and warm - everything you want in a novel of this genre. Thank you!

Hilariously relatable! Brilliantly written with wit, charm, romance and self-deprecation. Nell is the ultimate hero and her friendships are truly realistic and often aspirational. I wish I had a Cricket in my life! Highly recommend.

Such a brilliantly funny book. Where do I even start? I absolutely truly related to this book and it made me cry laughing! such a great read!

I will be recommending to all!

An entertaining read. It doesn't matter what stage of one's life your're at we all have challenges to face whether at 20, 40, 60 or 80-something. Fun read with some wonderful observations of people trying to keep up appearances in this day and age. A relaxing light read whatever your age.

Being 40 something myself I found this book refreshing. Funny at times, poignant at others, I loved the realism. So many people seem to be focused on posting perfect pictures on Instagram. It's not real life and sets other people up to feel like they're failing if they don't match up. The subject matter of women and babies (and not having babies) was tackled well. Nell's friendship with Cricket was beautifully written. I loved Cricket. More older characters please! Nell's podcasts were great too. There's a bit of romance in the book, but it's not the focus. I really liked Edward. His interactions with Nell over all things eco were funny. I also loved Arthur (the dog). This is a book about friendship in the main, the most important friendship being the one with yourself of course.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Confessions is a very amusing book which documents the journey of 40 something Nell on her return to the UK from the US following the loss of her business and relationship. She feels a failure as all her friends seem to have moved on, with successful jobs, relationships and children. Nell has to rent a room with persnickety, eco obsessed Edward, which is made more bearable by sharing with his dog, Arthur. She secures a job writing obituaries for a newspaper. Her first assignment introduces her to a widow in her eighties, Cricket. Nell and Cricket soon form an unlikely but firm friendship and Nell learns so much from Cricket.
This really is such a delightful, amusing book. The main characters are well-developed and so likeable, the plot flows beautifully and the humour is great but there are also some heartfelt moments.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter is about Nell's life falling apart and how she learns that even people who look like they have it all are struggling.

Being a forty something myself I could totally relate to this book. I have always wanted to own a bookshop/ coffee shop so really felt for her loss here. I did laugh out loud, but also felt this rather tricky phase of life was dealt with really well in this book.