Daisy Settle and her husband Jack made a deal when they got married, starting a family would be delayed until Jack will be able to sell his successful but demanding hotel business assuring them of financial security and the time to devote to raising a child, or children. With the terms of the agreement now met, Daisy is thrilled to finally have the opportunity to fulfil her life long dream of motherhood, and as she celebrates her fortieth birthday among family and friends, her future looks golden…until the moment she stumbles upon her husband having sex with another woman in her front garden.

Devastated, Daisy is forced to make some difficult choices, and with the support of friends, if not her conservative family, and a F**k It list she decides that motherhood is one dream she refuses to let go of.

Daisy’s journey through heartbreak, regret, fear and triumph is sure to stoke empathy, especially among readers who can relate to the challenging circumstances Daisy encounters. Though Daisy is far from ‘broke’ and there are some legal issues related to IVF and marital status that are ignored, Cantor’s portrayal of Daisy is realistic. The authenticity of Daisy’s emotions, especially surrounding a particular event I unfortunately have experience of, resonated with me. I appreciated the candour with regards to Daisy’s flaws, she doesn’t have everything figured out but she’s brave enough to chase her dream anyway.

Though perhaps a tad long overall at 400+ pages, the pacing is good, as is the writing. The humour is perhaps less obvious than I expected from the blurb, and Cantor explores several sensitive subjects that may catch a reader unaware. There is no romance in the story, but there is the development of a special friendship which is charming.

I liked The F**k It List!, it delivers an encouraging and uplifting message about it never being too late to start over, this is chick lit for the mature women.

The fuck it list is a riotously funny and uncomfortably relatable starting again story — giving us both the bitter and the sweet in a refreshing contemporary novel.

Daisy was an absolute delight - she took an absolutely devastating moment and let the anger fuel her forwards. She’s had her future, her plans for a family and a life ripped away and not sure where to start and the chaos that ensues in finding her way again was both painfully awkward, messy as hell and hilarious to behold. At times the narration felt a little slow but overall a fabulous read.

A good fun read - you feel for Daisy as she navigates the changes to her life while remaining true to her dream.

It shows how important good friends are and how new ones can come from places you don't expect and can become the most treasured of them all.

I enjoyed this; I like the way it was written along with a strong storyline.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think the premise of it was really good, a woman in her 40s has to reconsider her life goals as her biological clock is ticking… however, I found it kind of boring and predictable and I didn’t really find myself very attached to the characters. I got half way and found myself just willing it to be over, I rarely give negative reviews but this book was not for me unfortunately.

When Daisy, who is just about to have everything she ever wanted, suddenly has her life implode when she catches her long-term partner bonking someone else in the garden at her 40th birthday party – she suddenly has a lot of decisions to make regarding what compromises she may now have to make to still realise at least some of her dreams. Exploring the strength it takes to not take the easy, the conventional, widely accepted and understood route in life. Because the easy route is not right for everyone. The F**k It! List is very funny, albeit heartbreaking at times, but it really reinforces the importance of friendship and a great support network in life.

The publisher advertises this book on NG "Don’t miss this triumphant comedy about a woman taking on the world on her own terms". Yes, it is aout a woman taking on the world on her own terms, but it's, sadly, not a triumphant comedy. It's not witty. It's more like a film drama, to be honest. I've never smiled reading this book, to be honest. It actually left me completely lukewarm. Sure, Daisy's desperation was something special, but the whole book felt flat, forced, repetitive, sad.
What I adored, on the other hand, were Daisy's mates, the circle of her best friends - absolutely uplifting, warm and I loved to read about them and their banter and see them having Daisy's back.

It was actually the title of this book that drew me so in and only then I read the synopsis and saw it was written by Melanie Cantor. I've been expecting much more, to be honest, as the author and the synopsis promise much, much more. Sure, it's relatable, thought - provoking, brutally honest, but altogether it misses this "something" that makes book significant and interesting. I didn't find it interesting. I found it long and dragging. However, I found Daisy well drawn and we need more Daisy in fiction, woman of certain age (hallelujah!), with ups and downs, full of flaws but keeping going.

At Daisy's 40th birthday party she catches her long term boyfriend Jack having sex with an older colleague.

To make matters worse Daisy and Jack had agreed to start trying for a baby after her 40th birthday, something they had put on hold whilst Jack was building his career.

Having children  is something  that Daisy has always wanted but, now with her relationship in tatters  nd time is no longer on her side this dream looks tentative.

This is a light hearted novel but covers some difficult issues, which affect many women today, who are balancing the pressures of career and lifestyle along with a ticking biological clock.

I really felt for Daisy who felt cheated of her own needs whilst trying to  cater for everyone elses. The attitudes of her parents towards single parents and the pressure on her to forgive Jack for his male indescretion, despite her own feelings, is awful but still sadly indicative of some viewpoints in society. An empowering but fun read.

A touching but often times funny story about a woman who is forced to reconsider her life's path at the age of 40. After a series of unfortunate events Daisy finds herself unexpectedly single. Still yearning to make her heart's desire come true, to become a mother, she sets out to try and turn it into a reality. I loved the very real friendships and family relationships featured in the story.

Thank you to Random House and Melanie Cantor for the opportunity to read this wonderful book that is poignant, an emotional roller coaster and woman power to infinity and beyond! I've cried, laughed and cheered reading this book as its brutal, refreshing and I found myself within its pages so often on the journey with Daisy Settle. The portrayal of the real-world of a modern woman in her late 30s and 40s can be glossed over, surely by then we all have Mr Darcy and are on the way if not passed the aisle, mortgage and babies! Life isn't that smooth sailing for us all.

Melanie Cantor has earned a place on my shelf with candidness, her humour and her undaunted voice that whispers its never too late to seize the rains and walk your own path. Her characters are genius and full to the brim with chef kiss humanity with dreams, flaws and plenty of bad ideas to boot. I forgot I was reading about a fictional character at times how life like and relatable I found Daisy's journey.

A wonderful, empowering read to reminding us all never to quit on our dreams.

I really wanted to love The F**k It List but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, I did and I definitely resonated with Daisy Settle and thought she was a solid MC buuut I just wasn’t completely blown away with the story.

After a domino effect of awful events happen to Daisy, she realises her burning desire is to have a baby and we are taken along with her on her fertility journey. Things are definitely slow to kick off, it didn’t take me long to warm to Daisy and I gradually became more and more invested in the winding path of her life.

While this wasn’t necessarily a stand out 5 star read for me, it ended up being enjoyable and witty and I’m glad I read it.

Thank you to Random House UK for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What the f**k! Daisy Settle's story is told in List. She's in a loving, long-term relationship, lives in a stunning house, has a very successful career as an interior designer, her boyfriend has just sold out for millions, and her dreams of starting a family are just around the corner, but on her 40th birthday, those dreams are shattered into tiny pieces.

Her ambitions of becoming a mother appear unachievable as she negotiates a new life alone, single and broke, but she is determined and nothing will stop her. Daisy's tragic journey to become a parent, via IVF and anonymous sperm donors, is followed by the reader.

Daisy's character was fantastic. A selfless and faithful woman who put her partner's demands before of her own, agreeing to wait until he was ready to start a baby, although approaching her 40th birthday and knowing the odds of falling pregnant were stacked against her the longer she waited.

Another achievement is The F**k It! List, a book full of love and hope at the darkest of times. It's relatable and thought-provoking, sad and inspiring, hilarious and poignant, and brilliantly written.

It comes highly recommended.

I found this quite forgettable Im afraid, I understand the reason for the story, but didnt particularly engage with it and found myself skimming over chunks. Not one I would pick up again.

Oooo this one hit me in the feels big time !! As a 31 year old woman who was cheated on & left heartbroken 2 weeks before I found out I had endometrial cancer & pcos & my dreams of having children were squashed out entirely this book hit home hard! Our main character has a similar start (minus the cancer) loving relationship , great home , happy life .. until the cheating. She has to navigate life as a 40 something year old single woman with a dream of having a child. Add in a little IVF, some laughs & a little bit of what the hell do I do now & you have a great book which sooo many of us can relate to in one way or another. I really enjoyed this one!

I admit it.. I'm shallow because I was actually drawn to this book purely for the title! However, when I downloaded it and saw it was written by Melanie Cantor I was delighted as I read her debut novel Death and Other Happy Endings in 2019 and really enjoyed that. Click here to read my full review.

The F**k It! List is the story of Daisy Settle. She's in a loving, longterm relationship, lives in a stunning house, has a very successful career as an interior designer, her boyfriend has just sold out for millions and her dreams of starting a family are within touching distance, however on her 40th birthday those dreams are shattered into tiny pieces.

Having to negotiate a new life alone, single and broke, her hopes of becoming a mother seem impossible, but she is determined and nothing will stop her. The reader follows Daisy through her heartbreaking journey to become a parent, through IVF and anonymous sperm donors.

I adored Daisy's character. A selfless and loyal woman who put her partner's needs before her own, agreeing to wait to start a family until he was ready, despite approaching her 40th birthday and knowing the chances of falling pregnant were against her the longer she waited.

The F**k It! List is another triumph, a book full of love and hope in the darkest of times. It's relatable and thought provoking, emotional and uplifting, funny and heartbreaking and beautifully written.

Highly recommended.

Absolutely loved this book!

The authors writing style is amazing!

I look forward to reading more from them!

Gorgeous! Nearly cried at a a few different points. Loved the descriptions of clothes and interiors. One bit I didn't like was the reaction of the main character of gifting a photo. But other than that, I enjoyed. Would read again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First things first, if you have plans for later in the day when you start reading then cancel it because you will be sucked in and won’t stop until you have finished.

I felt like I went through all the emotions that the characters went through from laugh out loud moments to the pure despair the main character went through.

The whole story was written really well and tackled some tough subjects which I think the author dealt with in the best way possible.

I will be recommending this to all of my friends as I know they will enjoy it as much as I did.

I loved this book. It's hurt my heart and also made it soar.
Finding out that your partner is cheating at your birthday party after delaying plans to start a family.
What happens next is unexpected but totally right. You do not always have to do things the traditional way. Cheer Daisy on her quest to find what she needs.

I enjoyed this book. I could really relate to Daisy and her story. I think there needs to be more books like this about strong women