Melanie Cantor

Back in 2019 I read Melanie Cantor's first book, Life and Other Happy Endings (I read it as Death and Other Happy Endings before the title was changed). I loved it and I've always hung onto my copy hoping that another Cantor would join it and here it is! I'm delighted to say I loved The F**k It List just as much, if not more.

Daisy Settle has a really good life. She's running a very successful interior design company with her friend, Marcus, and she's in a happy long-term relationship with high-flying businessman, Jack. The only thing left to make her truly content is a baby and one of those is hopefully the next step for her and Jack. Unfortunately, Daisy catches Jack in flagrante at her own fortieth birthday party and she sees her dream floating away from her.

Daisy is an inspirational character and I loved her for the fact that she doesn't just curl up in a ball and think that her hopes and dreams are gone forever. To give any more details would spoil the story but let's just say that Daisy and her f**k it list grab life by the horns and give it a good shake. There are some other brilliant characters too - Daisy's family, some of whom struggle with her choices, her friends who are a big support to her, and there's a male character who made me swoon every time he appeared on the page.

I found this book such a joyful and uplifting read, one that is witty, but also moving and very real. It's a slice of life story and they're probably one of my favourite kind of story. I like to read of characters dealing with life's ups and downs and coming out the other side stronger. I also enjoyed Daisy's challenge of convention: who needs a man to have a baby? Indeed! I hope there will be a third Cantor book to join the others at some point. I loved, loved, loved The F**k It List.… (meer)

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.… (meer)

Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

Wow. This book ended up not working for me at all. Probably because the initial premise (Jennifer Cole) being diagnosed with an incurable condition giving her months to live didn't really get focused on too much. Instead we focused on Jennifer writing letters to her ex-husband, her ex's current wife, her ex-lover, her ex-childhood friend, and her sister. Yeah these are all people that Jennifer had or has issues with and who she wants to clear things off her chest. It could have been done in a funny way, but it didn't work for me. Don't get me started on how the big suddenly changes mid-stream into Jennifer becoming obsessed with her ex, then a lie, another lie, and then the book tries to jump to some chick lit ending. That is not to disparage chick lit by the way, it just didn't fit with the initial parts of the book at all.

"Death and Other Happy Endings" has Jennifer just being told she has 90 days before she will die. After telling her best friend and crying (I would be too) her friend encourages her to write letters to people she still has a lot of complicated feelings about. So she does. And then mayhem ensues. I won't get into everyone's response, but am going to say that Jennifer and her sister's relationship being changed was the only highlight in this story. After Jennifer reconnects with her ex it just becomes about him. And believe me if I got a deadly diagnosis I would not give two shits about any of my ex's. I would be trying to squeeze things in that I want to do and let the people I love know how much I love them. Anyway.

I didn't like Jennifer much. Her life seems really empty and her house is always cold and apparently dirty. It's like she gave up on anything before her diagnosis. It would have been wonderful to see her embrace life or something, but nope she's just obsessed about her ex.

Jennifer's sister is a mess. You read about their past relationship and I can see why they are not close. But them trying to be close had some laugh out loud moments which is why I gave this book two stars.

Jennifer's ex I think was named Harry. Harry sucks and the fact that Jennifer refused to see it was frustrating to read after a while.

Jennifer writing a letter to her ex's current wife was a bit much for me. It had been a decade I think in the book's timeline so her acting like a woman scorned and her saying what about the sisterhood didn't work for me.

Jennifer's ex was a wanker.

The writing felt choppy after a while. I got bored and then Cantor throws in a twist I saw coming. And then there's another twist I didn't see coming, but at that point I didn't care. The flow of the book was all messed up honestly. I don't know a way to fix it. I think trying to shoehorn everything into one book didn't work.

The book ends on what I think they see as a happy ending but I went oh boy that's going to be a mess eventually.… (meer)