Note To Self by Anna Bell is the most charming contemporary novel that will swell your heart and make you smile.
The premise is a wonderful idea – a thirty five year old character receives emails from her seventeen year old self. They are encouraging her to grab life and step out of her comfort zone. “Real living happens when you step outside it [your comfort zone] Remember, your comfort zone does not have a brick wall built around it.”
Too often in life we settle. Routine takes over and we lose sight of who we really are. Life is for living. If we are not careful, it will pass us by and we will be left with regrets. The novel shows what can happen when we decide to live and to have fun.
It is also a study in guilt and grief. The past cannot be altered. Guilt will always weigh us down. Grief threatens to drown a character. It never goes away. We just have to learn to live with it. I loved the idea of a memory jar.
We are never too old to have a fresh start and to start living our dreams.
All the characters are warm and welcoming, absolutely delightful and easy to visualize. They are a group of friends who always have each other’s back no matter how many years have passed or the distance involved. They support each other through life’s ups and downs.
I always love Anna Bell’s books. They warm my heart. Note To Self was positively charming and I am sorry it is ended.
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

A light summer read, ideal for the beach. An unusual premise makes this novel stand out from the crowded market of chick lit
Thanks to netgally for the opportunity to review this book

📄I've been meaning to get around to an Anna Bell novel for the longest time as they all sound so great, so when this blog tour opportunity popped up I jumped at the chance, and now here I am 🙋‍♀️

📄The plot for Note to Self was actually quite unique once I learned what the meaning of the title was, I'm now left wondering, is there such a website where you can send an email to yourself for a date in the future? 🤔 And should I do one? 😂

📄 Apart from that though, the storyline is your big standard Chick-Lit Romance to be honest. It did cover some difficult subjects ie Grief and Alcoholism however, but I find that the majority of this genre covers difficulties some way or another so really it's nothing new.

📄 Enjoy it I did though, it was a quick and easy beach read and one I'd certainly recommend to take away with you on holiday, perfect for summer 👌🌞

what a lovely summer book to read, if you loved the authors previous books you going to love this one
i won't ruin this review with any spoilers but i enjoyed this book

thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for this honest review

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was very clever, and I liked the main character. It was sometimes a little confusing as the book tells the story of the past and the present but after a few paragraphs I would realise where we were! I liked the use of the emails, I thought they added something a bit different to the story. I recommend this book, thank you #netgalley

Edie thought her life was pretty perfect, thirty-five years old, CEO of her family's business, good flat, nice car, great boyfriend. Then a time-drop email from her eighteen-year old self reminds her of the summer she spent working at a local summer camp, the summer before her mother died and everything changed.

The emails from her younger self remind Edie of that summer, her friendships with Sophie, Geoffrey and Joel, her dreams and plans. The emails also serve to show Edie that she is stuck in a rut, her default response is always 'no' and she allowed her grief over her mother to cut herself off from friends. Can reconnecting with her younger self help Edie to live a bit more?

After meeting up virtually on LinkedIn, Sophie and Edie meet up and soon the old gang is back together, but Edie can't forgive Joel for the way he shunned her, or the events which are inextricably linked with her mother's death. But as the group reminisce Edie finds herself rediscovering the feelings she had for Joel. Is it too late to change your life at thrity-five?

I liked this, it was sweet, funny and felt authentic. I don't know if you can send emails to yourself at some future date, but if you can I think it would be cool to read something from your younger self and remember the hopes and dreams you had.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this books. I loved the characters, both the main characters and supporting cast were great and worked really well together, the dual timeline and the long lost/second chance love trope. It was just so cute and so well done. I really loved the idea of Edie getting the emails, her notes to self, giving her little bits of advice and encouragement from her younger self. And then when I realised what else was going to happen with the emails I was really rooting for her and Joel.

Overall this was a great summery read, definitely recommend if you’re looking for a cute contemporary romance!

This had a very interesting premise with the lead Edie receiving emails from her past self that lead her to her re-examining her life. I liked how Edie started embracing new challenges, moving out of her comfort zone and choosing to follow her dreams/ own goals. The jumping between her present and the summer that changed her life was well done. The romance past and present built very nicely as well and had a lovely resolution. A good summer read (3 ⭐️)

It's a good summer read, entertaining and enjoyable. The characters are well developed and the plot is tightly knitted.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I've enjoyed a lot of Anna Bell's previous works so I knew I had to request this one when I saw it - and it definitely didn't disappoint!

Note to Self is the story of 35-year-old Edie, who is having something of a life crisis. She feels stuck in the life she's now living, unable to move onto something new. She has a boyfriend, a great job and amazing friends - but something feels missing and she's not sure what...until she receives a letter from her past self. 18-year-old Edie is full of confidence and verve for life and she has some life lessons for present day Edie, ones that will change her life if she just opens up and listens to them.

This was such a wonderful story of self discovery. The journey that Edie goes through is really heart-warming and there is a lot touched upon here, from her rediscovering old friendships, to making new ones, uncovering a new job she could love, to forgiving herself and letting herself grieve.

There is some romance, and I do wish it had been more fleshed out and developed. We learn much of their relationship through past Edie's letters and I would have liked to see more of it in the present.

All in all though this was a beautiful read filled with some heavy topics (see TWs) but balanced out with some light hearted moments. I can't wait to see what Bell writes next!

TWs: alcoholism, cheating, death of a parent

Having a crisis of confidence, 35-year-old Edie receives an email from her 18-year-old self, transporting her back to a time when she worked in a holiday park. Starting her on a journey of self-discovery, reconnecting with friends and a past love. Flitting back and forth between now and then to see how past decisions have reflected in where she is today and whether it is too late to change things.

The concept of this book was really brilliant, I'd love to receive emails from my younger self that would help me in my current life. This was such a beautiful book about family and relationships and I can't recommend it enough.

Found this one entertaining. Liked the fact you can email yourself! This is definitely summer beach read.

I really enjoyed this book, it kept me entertained and I read it in a couple of days, it’s certainly one to take with you to the beach this summer

What a beautiful, beautiful story, I wish there had been email when I was younger so that I could have sent a Note to Self, such a wonderful idea

Note to Self is an enjoyable read for summer. Light hearted and lovely storyline and great characters. The dual time story moves between 18 year old and 35 year old Edie as she goes on a journey of self discovery. She starts receiving the emails she had written in the past to herself, making her think long and hard about her life now.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I requested this book because of the amount of great reviews it has and I'm so glad I did. This book completely surpassed my expectations in so many ways and I wish I already had the physical copy of it to put on my shelf!

It's my own fault for picking up a romance novel. Once a year I seem to do it. This was a bit of a slog.

There were some touching moments, the parts relating to grieving. The love story though did nothing for me. I know the whole point of these books is that you know what's going to happen before you even start reading, and there's not going to be any surprises or psychopaths. But Edie, the main character, is so nice. Not one single bitchy thought or snarky comment. Entirely beige.

Not sure if the author was on a bet for how many heart related cliches she could include.... pulling on my heart strings, I was heart broken, it warmed my heart, to name a few. But because it's written in first person and because Edie is just so twee and nice, these were particularly grating.

Growing up, I spent most weekends and summers at our holiday home in Ayrshire, Scotland. I have some of the fondest memories of this time and this book brought them all flooding back!

Edie is a 35 year old woman who receives an email from her 18 year old self while she was working in a holiday park and from this a spiral of events happens where she is reconnected with her friends of that time and also a past love.

I loved this book. I felt Anna done an incredible job at dealing with very sensitive topics such as; alcohol abuse and dealing with loss. Edie’s story is definitely one that can help a lot of people just as it did with Lola. (Yes I did cry)

I laughed and cried with ‘the gang’ and now all I want to do is play glow in the dark frisbee. But seriously, if you’re someone who’s still figuring out what they want from life and are just a little stuck, this is definitely a book for you!

Note to self is out on the 23rd of June and I urge you to go and grab a copy! I would like to thank Anna Bell, NetGalley and Harper Collins for an Arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.