This is the story of Edie, , having a bit of a crisis of confidence. She starts to receive emails sent to her on a 17 year delay, by her younger self, which prompt her to look up, old friends and her teenage old flame.
It sounds a bit formulaic but it’s not. There are plenty of sub plots and the story keeps your interest all the way through.
Edie is a good character who has had her fair share of challenges which have shaped her life.
The time hops are realistic and weave well into the book.
An easy and enjoyable read which I would recommend.

Edie has just turned 35, and for some reason she is just not feeling it this year.

Out of the blue, an email arrives on her inbox, bringing flashbacks of some things she would choose not to remember. It seems while Edie was 17, and had a summer job at Hartlands, she found a website whereby she could send her future self an email.

Slowly over the course of receiving emails from her 18 year old self, Edie finds herself pushing her own boundaries and pushing herself to do things out of her comfort zone.

One of the emails she receives from herself, inspires her to look up a friend from her time at Hartlands, which leads to them meeting and redeveloping their previous friendship.

Along the way, she also meets up with the love of her life from when she was 18, and despite a frosty greeting and coldness when they meet, the connection they once shared when they were younger provesto be undeniable.

This was a delightful book to read and I thoroughly enjoyed this. If you are looking for an enjoyable read with a few tear-jerking moments, this is for you!

This one just didn't work for me. I have to be honest, I ended up skim reading it after I'd reached about 1/3 of the way through. I just did not care about Edie as a main character and the writing style wasn't to my personal tastes!

TWs: alcohol consumption, alcohol addiction, cheating, death of mother (before book), car accident, hospitalisation, heart attack

Tropes/themes/rep: emails from past self, found family, friendships, friends to lovers

Note to Self is a light hearted romantic read that flows beautifully and has a cast of characters that add much to this story.
Seventeen years previously she had met Joel and others when working at a holiday camp. For her and a Joel there was an instant attraction but a misunderstanding occurred that kept them apart, added to that tragedy strikes as her mother dies. With her father grieving badly she gives up her university place and start working for her father
Fast forward seventeen years from then and Edie starts receiving the emails she had written in those past times and for them to be forwarded to her in the future. These make her think long and hard about her life now as nothing is as she expected it would be and does she have the courage to change it.
This story is her journey to rediscover herself and old work mates, this includes Joel when he unexpectedly comes back into her life. There are humorous moments but also a serious side of dealing with grief and alcoholism which is well written.
I would of liked a little more of the relationship between Joel and Edie in the past to give more depth of their feelings for each other. That said an enjoyable read with a satisfying ending.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Another great read from Anna Bell.

The lead character, Eddie, discovers a website where you can write a note to your future self- the site stores the note and then sends at a time of your choosing. When she turns 35, a series of letters from her 17 year old self with life advice.

The storyline flicks between 18 year old and 35 year old Eddie as she goes on a journey of self discovery and remembers the ‘old’ her.

This was a great summer read, and I really enjoyed it. There are themes of loss and addiction but they are handled sensitively.

Very nostalgic, put it in your hand luggage! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was always going to be a winner for me as I absolutely love Anna Bell's light-hearted writing style and brilliantly funny romcoms. But I particularly loved this concept of writing to your future self with advice and hopes for your life, and enjoyed both the past teenage chapters and current day Edie's story just as much. Another great cast of characters complemented the storyline, and once again littered with spot-on humourous one-liners. For example, Layla who when asked how school sports day was replies: "Brutal. We spend the day watching our kids, who aren't allowed to be seen as winners or losers, and then when they let the parents race, all those rules go out the window and its a fight to the finish line."

The plot does tackle some serious subjects too like grief and alcoholism but in a light-hearted, digestible way. And, some of the advice the friends give each other really resonated with me such as "No's usually the wrong answer", "nothing has to be for the rest of your life" and "the only thing you should ever be scared of in life is not trying." So a not unexpected but totally deserved 5-stars from me.

I absolutely adore an Anna Bell book. This was witty, engaging and packed full of entertainment - loved it.

Another really fabulous concept from Anna Bell that has had me smiling and really happily reading.

I loved the idea that you could send yourself emails quite far into the future, and that they would give you goals to achieve in them, sort of like a bucket list but from yourself. These emails that Edie sent to herself 17 years ago, start arriving quite suddenly and catapult her back to what was the best but worst summer of her life.

From them she starts to reconnect with the friends she has that summer, as well as is challenging herself to be more open to opportunities generally. So we see her taking on a reading with children volunteer scheme and also becoming put of the Impenserators which are moments that are very amusing!

These emails are a catalyst for so much change for the positive in Edie's life, and I relished seeing it. I also thoroughly enjoyed the chapters written in the past, from Edie's life 17 years previous, and seeing her as a teen working in a summer camp for the summer. So much of which I could relate to and although we know early on how that summer ends, the lead up to exactly what may have led to the event was well worth discovering.

I loved seeing Edie change and her confidence grow as the book progresses.

It's a really enjoyable story that I romped through, thoroughly enjoying my time spent between the pages.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A romantic and moving love story daring to find a second chance in life and love. I read this book within a day, I couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters and the way I had to keep asking myself if I was right in how I thought the plot was turning out.

Great read, flows perfectly. Well-written and completely engaging. I have devoured this book in one sitting with no regrets. I NEED more.

I love Anna’s books, they always hit the spot! Wonderfully told with some fab characters!! I couldn’t put it down

I really enjoyed this story, it was quite thought-provoking. Maybe there is a lesson to us all that there's an 18 year old in all of us, and even when we age and get responsibilities, we can still let loose a bit. The story had a good mix of past and present. fun stuff and life-changing events. I don't know if there is such a service as sending emails to yourself in the future, but what an interesting concept.

A Perfect five-star read for everyone who ever wonders what if? I love this author and the way they have of making you really feel so deeply for the characters, you are there with them in their younger days, watching them have campfires and do night watch. Feel their pain and have the need to help them overcome you. Then understand the pain they are in now, and the horror of not knowing what to do, but watching them as they release the hold and catch up again. That brought joy to my heart. Edie, Joel, Douglas and Sophie all have their part within this story, their lives both in Westerly and away from it, all bring an extra piece of the puzzle together. This is such a great story, and I would give anything to be like Edie and be able to write emails to my future self, I wonder what I would tell myself, and if like Edie mine would stop because of the same reason. I don’t know if it was because Edie and I have lots in common that I could identify with her so much, or simply because like the rest of the characters in this story, they were so easy to read and so easy to relate to.

Having read Anna Bell’s previous books I was looking forward to reading this one and it certainly lived up to expectations.

A teenage love. A misunderstanding. A broken heart. Now 17 years later, Edie’s about to receive an unexpected communication that sets her on a trail of discovery. Does she still feel the same way about her old teenage love but more importantly does he have feelings for her?

A great book with a good mix of characters. An easy and enjoyable read.

I absolutely loved this book! Beautiful, sad, and brave. Anna Bell writes beautiful, heartfelt stories that stay with the reader for a long time. Highly recommended.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a quick, easy and funny read that was well written and with well developed characters. I was gripped right from the beginning and I couldnt put it down.

Edie hasn't had the easiest of journeys and seventeen years ago her whole world was forever changed. It didn't help that her friend and crush, Joel, broke her heart just when she built up the courage to tell him how she felt. She used to be brave, spontaneous and full of life, but one event changed it all... She then became cautious, a creature of habit and stayed within her bubble.

Fast-forward to the present and on Edie's 35 birthday, she receives an email from her 18 year old self who is telling her future self of her adventures and dreams. It wakes Edie up from her slumber, she starts to remember who she was and who she wants to be. She remembers the girl she left behind and the people with it... Edie starts to step outside of her comfort zone and starts to live again, she starts by heading back to where it all began that fateful summer. Her path crosses with some old friends, including Joel. Will she learn where her heart truly is...

Note to Self is an emotional and powerful read, I loved every second of the book and lost count of the amount of times that I cried. The memory jar scene was just wow and my heart broke, I was in floods of tears. It is such a beautiful book and touches so perfectly on how grief is continuous.

Edie was a fantastic main character and she had a heart of gold, she was a strong and sassy character who really stepped up when her world fell apart. I loved how she challenged herself when she received each of the email letters. I adored her friendship with Sophie and the pair were quite comical together.

Joel was an interesting character, I loved seeing the past and present Joel as it explained so much. Edie, Sophie, Joel and Douglas made quite a team back in the day, and I liked seeing the friendship group coming back together.

Note to Self was a fantastic book and my new favourite that Anna Bell has written, I was so sad when I got to the last chapter and I didn't want the story to end. It was beautifully written, I fell in love with the story and characters.

This was a thoughtful and heartwarming read about how life and adulthood can change us from the person we once were and how we can become afraid of living. Seventeen years ago Edie sent some emails to her future self whilst having a full on summer working at a holiday park before she started university. That summer ended in heartbreak for Edie and changed the course of her life, now 35 she has a decent steady life but receiving the emails and the encouragement they give her she starts rethinking her life and facing up to her past.

Edie was a good character, much like all of us we’ve taken a few knocks in life as well as grown as people and we’re far from who we were when we were in our teens. Her fears over dads new relationship were really well represented and the dynamics of the new old friendship group were great. I loved the concept of the reading scheme and that added a nice dimension. Overall this is a very thought provoking but uplifting and well considered read.