Jennifer Joyce’s The Grown-Up To Do List is a heartwarming and relatable journey into adulthood, self-discovery, and the societal pressures of "growing up." The story centers around Cleo, a 27-year-old living in a small seaside town with her parents, working in a fish and chip shop. While content with her simple life, she starts questioning her choices when her childhood crush announces his return to town. In an effort to reinvent herself, she creates a "grown-up to-do list" filled with aspirations like moving out, learning to drive, and finding a more "adult" job.

The novel balances humor with poignant moments, capturing the universal struggle of measuring oneself against societal expectations. Cleo’s journey feels authentic and heartfelt, especially as she learns that adulthood isn’t about meeting others’ standards but embracing her own path. The book is peppered with quirky characters, touching family dynamics, and a slow-burn romance that adds depth to the narrative.

Fans of contemporary romantic comedies, especially those who enjoy authors like Emily Henry or Beth O’Leary, will appreciate the humor, relatable struggles, and life-affirming messages in this story. It’s a delightful read for anyone who has ever felt stuck or unsure about where life is heading.

There should be a legal limit on the use of parentheses in a novel (it’s very distracting when every other thought the main character has is written like this). I did not like the narrative style of this book, nor did I like the main character. I think she felt very cringey and not relatable, but trying very hard to be. Just not my cup of tea at all.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel!

When Cleo meets an old high school mate, she realizes how all her friends have matured chasing their dreams, while she is stuck in her teen life, still living with her parents in her little coastal town, and working at the fish & chips. So she decides to change her life, becoming a responsible and independent adult. She has only a few months to show her new self to her friend, so she starts a To Do List.

This was a great romcom that I really enjoyed.

Cleo wants more from her life and constantly feels like she needs to be better and more of a grown up. Her list of achieving that grows throughout the book and I loved seeing what she was going to add rather than cross off 😂.

Cordy was my favourite character. She was brilliant and I just think everyone needs a Cordy in their life. I was skeptical of her relationship with James to start with but I thought it was lovely how she was backing him up and trying to get Cleo to like him.

The ups and downs of Cleo’s life were comical and her reasons behind things did make me laugh out loud. She was relatable for most 20 year olds and I think it taught a good life lesson.

My only reason for not giving 5stars was that I wasn’t constantly picking it up to read and it took me a while to get into it.

Cleo is generally happy with her life working at the chippy and living at home with her parents until she runs into an old school crush and lies about where she's at in life. She decides she needs to start adulting and making some changes in life. But does becoming a grown up really mean giving up everything you love or can you do both?

I really enjoyed this I liked watching Cleo grow and realise what she really wanted in life. The characters were really well written and I enjoyed watching new friendships grow. Cleo seems a bit annoying at first but I really grew to love her as she came into herself. Highly recommend.

This was an ok read not my favourite. I usually love a good Rom com but I found the story went a bit slow.

I think it was just personal preference though so others may love it

This was a very cute, likable twentysomething coming of age book. I didn't always like Cleo's actions/decisions, but I thought she was a realistic protagonist worth rooting for. The lists were amusing and the book as a whole made me smile.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

A thoroughly enjoyable and laugh out loud, feel good book.

Although you can work out what happens in the end, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this "growing up" book, following Cleo in her attempts to feel more like an adult.

Such a fun and relatable story!
I really enjoyed following Cleo's journey in "The Grown-Up To Do List". The book is a quick and easy read ideal for everyone who enjoys a good rom-com.

I absolutely adored this book. The colourful cover and the quote on the cover 'A relatable romcom about NOT having it all' made me want to read it. Cleo is 25 and after bumping into a old crush, realizes that she is not successful and has done absolutely nothing impressive in her adult years. She's stuck at a dead in job, doesn't know how to drive, and still lives at home. So she devises a plan to become a grown up - hence the Grown Up To Do List. Cleo soon finds out that the list isn't as easy to follow as she thought - she has some struggles - but perseveres. With a cast of great side characters, she grows as a person and a 'grown up'..

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The premise of this seemed interesting but the main character wasnt really likeable so I just could not get into the book unfortunately.

Really enjoyed reading this. I think we’ve all been Cleo at some point in our lives and I really was cheering her on all the way. I loved how she handled herself when bad things did happen and I don’t think she gave herself enough credit throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this book! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but this storyline was fast paced and Cleo was great. I read this book in one setting, it was light and fun and a sweet rom com. I really enjoyed it. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Looks/sounds like a cute book but I couldn’t get into it and felt like the same style of something else I had already recently read.

I was unsure what to expect from this book as it was unlike any other I had read, but it did not disappoint.

It was fun, relatable and I wanted to keep reading. Cleo, the main character was likeable and quite real which made the book work in my opinion.

Very much like the rom coms of a few years ago. Thank you!

If you've ever felt like you're not a real adult, don't worry, Cleo also doesn't feel like a real adult. When she bumps into her high school crush, Paul, on the street, she finds out her former friends have all done impressive, successful things and she doesn't measure up. She works in the same fish and chips shop, she still lives at home, and she doesn't know how to drive. But she has a plan: her grown-up to-do list! By the time she sees Paul again, she'll be a proper grown-up and they can live happily ever after! But it never works out just that easy does it?

I absolutely adored this story. Cleo was a hilarious main character, and I enjoyed going along with her on her adulting journey because I too am an learning to adult. She was relatable in trying to figure out how to plan her to-do list and finding out each entry has like 3 other steps before it lol I loved all of the side characters as well: James, Gran, Russell, Jed, Arlo, and Claire were all fantastic!
The only thing I was really disappointed with was that Cleo spent so much time thinking about Paul. But that's it. It annoyed me quite a bit though. I also didn't understand some of the British, but I'm definitely not British so...my fault.

Overall, if you enjoy books with lists, or great character development, or the TV show Baby Daddy (minus the baby, focusing on Ben Wheeler becoming responsible), you'll probably enjoy this one!
Thank you to Hera and NetGalley for the chance to read this! All opinions are my own :)

I enjoyed reading The Grown-Up To Do List by Jennifer Joyce. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

I read this book in one sitting , loved the storyline .
It was mainly funny but with a bit of family drama,upsetting parts and romance.
Reading this book put in front of my mind to be grateful what you have , I’f you like it , and it’s for you stick with it, don’t change for anyone .
The main character was loveable, witty, strong , but lacking self confidence.
I don’t normally rate books as they never have everything for me , but this one ticked all the boxes for me . It’s a strong 5 star plus from me:

This book does it exactly what it says on the tin. The cover tell you all you need to know, light-hearted, Rom-com that’ll make you smile.
This was such a fun, easy read. Gave me the perfect getaway from my usual genres and left me feeling warm and significantly cheered up aft we finishing it.
I was a bit dubious in the beginning (was it a bit TOO cringey? Etc..) But nope.
It was perfectly balanced, characters were good, and altogether made it the relatable and entertaining read we have before us.
Will definitely be recommending this one.

I actually really enjoyed this book! I wasn’t sure if this book would be for me or not, and initially I found it to be a slow start. However I soon fell totally in love with this book and found it reminiscent of romcoms of my childhood which I absolutely loved!