Tia Fisher comes in hard again with a beautiful verse novel that manages to balance a number of very serious issues with real hope and optimism. The friendship between Marnie and Zed is a lovely example of how to support people even when their decisions are not the ones you would make!

I already know a number of not-so-avid readers who will eat this one up.

A fabulous verse novel which really utilises the medium to its full effect.

Tia Fisher doesn't shy away from addressing super important themes - and many of them - in an intelligent manner, perfect for the readership.

Thought-provoking, powerful and super engaging.

Not Going To Plan is a powerful and emotional verse book that captures the raw intensity of teenage life with honesty and compassion. Marnie, recently expelled and starting at a new school, finds herself seated next to Zed, a brilliant but solitary student who is her opposite in almost every way. What begins as a reluctant exchange of tuition soon grows into a meaningful friendship, one that becomes all the more vital when Marnie faces an unwanted pregnancy after being betrayed by a boy she trusted.

Tia Fisher writes with clarity and heart, using verse to bring immediacy and rhythm to the story. The voices of both Marnie and Zed feel authentic, and their friendship is at the centre of the book, offering support, humour and hope amidst difficult circumstances. The challenges they face—unwanted pregnancy, peer judgement, parental expectations and self-discovery, are handled with sensitivity and truth, never shying away from the weight of the choices teenagers are forced to make.

What makes this book stand out is its emotional depth. Fisher ensures that Marnie and Zed are not defined solely by their struggles but by their resilience, creativity and the unexpected connection that sustains them. The story is unflinching yet compassionate, showing both the fear and courage involved in growing up.

Not Going To Plan is a rollercoaster of emotions, heartbreaking at times yet ultimately uplifting. It is a book that speaks directly to young readers while resonating with anyone who remembers the turbulence of teenage years.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

"Not Going to Plan" by Tia Fisher is a really thoughtful, engaging and hard hitting YA book - it's about consent, control and how to adapt when things don't go to plan. This is a YA book but it does not shy away from heavy topics including teen pregnancy, stealthing and abortion so check your triggers.

Marnie has been attending a distinguished boarding school but things as the title would suggest have not got to plan, Marnie does not enjoy following rules that she feels are unjust or just don't make sense and planting bulbs to flower a rude message was the final straw and Marnie finds herself out of boarding school and starting a new at the local comp where she meets Zed. Zed is totally different to Marnie yet they become the friends they didn't realise they needed. When Marnie seems to be heading in a direction she wants to go in an unexpected situation at a party throws her world in to a head spin.

The book is written in verse and mixed media which I absolutely loved, I think that this also increases accessibility for a wide range of YA readers, Tia Fisher has managed to pack in so many issues facing young people and humans in general into this book including LGBTQIA+ rights, misogyny, bullying and poverty without ever feeling like you are being lectured to and exploring both sides of the argument.

This is a book that feels so hopeful, raises awareness and shows how small acts can produce monumental change.

Not Going to Plan was an interesting novel about teen pregnancy and identity. I will say, however, that I found Zed's narrative less developed than Marnie's and sometimes it felt as if Zed existed purely to further Marnie's story. I wish we saw more of the stealthing aspect in relation to Marnie's experience as it did feel slightly brushed over and only mentioned in passing.

This will be a good novel for teens to read but I wish we only saw it from Marnie's perspective so that her story could be more well-rounded.

Marnie attends a prestigious boarding school and is in her GCSE year. However she has hated every minute, singled out as the scholarship girl. Her answer was to rebel, and when bulbs she planted flowered in the spring in a pattern with a rude message the school decided they had enough and excluded her despite her approaching exams. She was therefore forced to enroll at the local comprehensive.
Zed too is the only child of a single mother but in very different circumstances. Zed’s life is governed by planned activities, filled with study periods for each of his subjects so he has few friends as he hasn’t allowed himself time for such things.
Thrown together, an unlikely friendship forms with each of them reliant on the other although neither realise this.
But a party throws an additional problem at Marnie.
The book is about choice and standing up for yourself. There’s a warning of over reliance on AI, double standards towards the different sexes and homophobia but there is hope in standing up for yourself and not following the crowd. A narrative verse novel from the perspectives of the two main characters and an important story for young people.

Not Going to Plan is a brave, moving and important YA verse novel which confronts taboos surrounding teenage pregnancy. When Marnie has sex with a boy who lies about using a condom, she is left to deal with the consequences and experiences the stigmas associated with this. Tia Fisher sensitively explores a range of issues including stealthing (non-consensual condom removal, which is a form of rape), abortion and STIs, showing how teenage girls are often made to feel ashamed and alone when they are not to blame.

The novel also deals with a range of other topics including bullying, misogyny, LGBTQ+ identities and financial hardship - in a way that feels integral to the novel rather than bolted-on. Fisher's characterisation is always convincing, and she shows how all of her characters are capable of growth and development.

Like Fisher's first novel, Crossing the Line, this will be a popular and important book to share with teenage readers, imparting invaluable advice without feeling didactic. Fisher's playful, creative use of verse adds to its accessibility and emotional immediacy. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

Fisher has written a thoughtful, fast-paced YA story here about consent, stealthing, friendship, teenage pregnancy, art and abortion to name just a few of the themes. Sure, it discusses important topics in a sensitive matter but what I was most impressed by was the way in which she showed how it was possible to disagree with the choices of others but still respect them and be friends with them. It's a page-turner of a book, with characters that you really care about but it's also informative. I'm not the target market but I learned things about contraception and abortion that I genuinely didn't know. A book to encourage empathy, knowledge and understanding but also a gripping read.

This is a wonderfully bold story with a strong and confident protagonist at its heart. Marnie is a rebel and, as the story develops, she becomes a rebel fighting for an exceptionally good cause: to rid society of coercion and judgement. The book unashamedly confronts issues of stealthing and abortion through its engrossing storyline. Marnie becomes a victim of stealthing after a rash drunken encounter at a party and, as a result, she falls pregnant. The big question then is…what should Marnie do?

The story is told as a simultaneous dual narrative from both Marnie’s and, her unlikely best friend, Zed’s perspectives. The two voices are cleverly paralleled, highlighting the pair’s polar opposite personalities but also their mutual appreciation. The emotions between the characters are tender and powerful throughout. Tia’s beautifully written verse ensures that you’re easily swept along by the emotions, feeling every pain and upset as well as triumphant satisfaction as conclusions are reached near the end. And her widespread creative use of typography that illustrates the story is visually exciting and highly attractive for reluctant readers.

This is a truly passionate story, innovatively told, that conveys phenomenally important messages for teens about consent and the freedom to make decisions. Yet another powerful book from Tia that highlights the importance of YA fiction as a tool for raising awareness and fuelling social change.

I was expecting a story about an unexpected pregnancy and having to make decisions on the future, which I did get. What I wasn’t expecting was the added element (which only really came in towards the end) of consent.
Marnie is an interesting main character, it’s difficult to condone her behaviour at school but you do understand why she acts that way. Her friendship with Zed seemed unlikely initially, but I liked the way it slowly developed.
It works well as a verse novel, clearly showing which character we are with. The creative layout on some pages help to illustrate the story.

After her debut Crossing the Line, @tiafisher would have been completely forgiven for taking years to write something as good again. Instead, her second novel is out already and it's another perfectly pitched heart-wrencher.

​N​ot Going to Plan deals with themes that are the day to day experience of our young people - the pressure of exams, the pressure to behave a certain way, the pressure to find a label and stick it on yourself with superglue, the pressure of social media in your face ​all the time. ​On top of all this, for some, there is more. Zed, for example, dreams of a sixth form scholarship. And for school newcomer 16yo Marnie​, there is the need to belong and be liked. Harry Borman (what a character name​!) is a boy who, it seems, will give her instant credibility. But when she has sex with ​him, it's not the type of sex she thinks she's consenting to.
​
​Abortion rights continue to be weak and further eroded in some parts of the world,​ and it's so important ​that books like this ​are written​, published​, and put into the hands of young people. Not Going to Plan will hopefully make it possible for a few more young people to take an informed and nuanced view of the practical and emotional fallout of unplanned pregnancies​. I think it will be another award-winner, but also that it will fly off the shelves and be read and read and re-read. I hope ​that grown ups and parents of boys are amongst the readers. The stealthing conversation is one every family needs to have.

​Main characters with alternating control of the narrative voice, Marnie and Zed are brilliant creations - they leap fully-formed off the page​ in deft, light verse, making me laugh and cry.​ I love Marnie's art project and Zed's beautifully precise ​expressions. The supporting cast have authentic, strong presence too, which must be hard to do in so few words. And I was particularly pleased that Jessica, who sadly reminds me of so many desperate teenage girls, gets an empathetic hearing in the end.

Thank you @tia_fisher_writes and @hotkeybooks for another potentially life-changing book.

#NGTP is out on 28 Aug. I read a @netgalley advance copy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLf0KdBI263/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=dGdmYTFqbHQ0bjdk

Once again, I'm in awe. Tia's writing for teens is timely, topical and, importantly, accessible. As with Crossing the Line, she uses well chosen words and playful formatting to deliver a powerful message but sealing the deal is her ability to create relatable characters a reader can root for and rally behind. Zed is a brilliant antidote to the toxic Andrew Tates of this world and, on more than one occasion, I wanted to give him a massive hug (even though he'd probably find that most uncomfortable!). Not Going to Plan should be a staple in every secondary school library.

Tia Fisher once again shines a spotlight on an important subject and spins a story around it with sensitivity, realism and humour in this powerful verse novel that explores consent, unplanned pregnancy, bullying and friendships. I enjoyed the dual narrative told by two very different, equally quirky voices. The more I got to know Marnie and Zed, the more I cheered them on as they navigated their way through challenging times. An ultimately hopeful, even triumphant, novel. Definitely one I will be stocking for my school library and promoting heavily.

After loving Crossing the Line, I was eager to get my hands on Not Going to Plan - and it did not disappoint. Told in verse through a dual narrative, the lives of two misfits as weaved together as they navigate personal struggles and an unlikely friendship.
This book tackles difficult themes - something that Fosher doesn’t shy away from - teenage pregnancy, abortion, the right to choice, and bullying - whilst allows showcasing the power of art to create change.
Loved it.