Sometimes you want to read slightly melodramatic books with lots of miscommunication and overinflated grand gestures. Then, sometimes books like "The Life I Didn't Plan" represent the complete antithesis and are just as well received for it.
Beth is 37, a hospice nurse and mother to a 19year old daughter. The 20 year anniversary of the school that kicked her out when they discovered she was pregnant looms and with it, Beth's need to question the dreams of her younger self.
This is a lovely book. The writing is self-aware enough to swerve away from saccharine and there is something reassuring about characters who don't ignite their whole lives over one misunderstanding. I was genuinely touched by the ending and thankful for a TBR that can do it all and allow for extremes.

I’m always drawn to books featuring second chances and/or ones featuring a character who is faced with a choice.

Beth didn’t expect to get pregnant at 17. Now, twenty years later, she realizes there’s a huge gap between the life she’d hoped for and the one she’s currently living. As her school reunion gets closer, she sees an opportunity to get the answers that she needs to move on.

I was curious what Beth would do next. Would she get closure to her question and then chase the adventures she’d imagined, or would she be none the wiser after attending the reunion?

I’ll remember this book for the encouragement to embrace new opportunities and for the realization that what I want isn’t necessarily what I need.

If you enjoy a book with family dynamics, a character at a fork in the road, and a narrative sprinkled with humour, this one’s for you.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This novel delivers far more than the book synopsis indicates. Yes, the protagonist does get to explore the differences between teenage dreams for the future and the reality of life as a mature adult. However, that theme is like the lyrics without the melody that brings a song to life. Her work as an end-of-life caregiver and the impact she has on friends, family and clients is more profound and, for me, far more interesting.

Fostering doubts about the wisdom of meeting former classmates, Beth attends her 20-year school reunion and is presented with a “Letter to My Future Self written by her at age 17. The stark contrast between what the letter writer envisioned and how her life has unfolded serves as a catalyst to move out of her comfort zone and explore new possibilities. These include travel, investigating a possible career change, a budding romance, and tracking down the father of her child.

It was easy to relate with Beth as she faces her future now that her daughter has left home for college. I admired her courage and resilience in the face of her insecurities. While parts of the storyline stretched the limits of plausibility, I still found it enjoyable and satisfying. The humor shines through in just the right places, especially in the interactions with Jack, son of a former client, as their attraction turns into romance.

The author sums up the underlying message toward the end of the book, by noting that the future we think we want doesn’t compare with the beauty of the one we are living. She further notes that joy is found in the present…in quiet moments when we stop pursuing the “shoulds” and listen within to what is truly important.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

Beth had her life all figured out but unexpectedly fell pregnant at 17 by a French boy that she met on a school exchange.
Twenty years later, Beth and her daughter Maisie are very close. With Maisie about to go to university, Beth has to figure out what her life will look like now.
At her school reunion, Beth and her classmates are given their ‘Letter to my Future Self’ written at 17, and for Beth just before she became pregnant.
She is faced with a list of hopes and ambitions that she dreamt of as a teenager but which she swapped for motherhood. Is it Beth’s chance to fulfil these dreams now?

This is a lovely uplifting and emotionally packed story which I thoroughly enjoyed

An emotional yet funny book about a women growing up to be very different to who her 17 years old self wanted to be.

Beth, a single mother, reads her time capsule letter to her future self and starts to question her life choices, at the same time her daughter wants to find her father.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes emotional, yet light hearted books.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

This is fabulous. Yes it is a romance, but it is more than that. Beth got pregnant on a school trip to France and was thrown out of school. She had beautiful Maisie who is just off to university. Beth has made do, but life makes her want more than making do and she starts to open doors and take down the odd brick from her wall.
This is tenderly written and since Beth sits with people as they are terminally ill or about to die, the full circle of life is covered and done well.

Beth is an amazing student with big plans for college and beyond. But she unexpectedly gets pregnant at seventeen with her daughter, Maisie, and her life plans change. Her story unfolds in The Life I Didn’t Plan by Charlotte Butterfield.

This book is charming, with characters who are lovely, quirky, and multifaceted. Without giving anything away, there are times within this story where you will think back to your younger self and wonder “what if…” At other times, you might think about what you wish for your older self. All these thoughts will come as Butterfield tells Beth’s and Maisie’s stories with love and humor.

In the end, Beth holds tight to the family she has and the new friends and family she finds, along with the things she learns about herself at the young age of thirty-seven.

Quite an enjoyable read!

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I loved this book. I was immersed in Beth's story, finding her an entertaining and likeable character, in a book filled with humour and heart. I enjoyed the plot, a useful reminder that the lost dreams of our seventeen-year-old selves are not necessarily what we want or what's right for us as adults, and the supporting characters were all realistic, well-written, and added a great deal of warmth and depth to the story. I enjoyed that the romance storyline was not the main thread, yet a side story which I was so invested in. A funny, heartwarming, moving read, I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

A nice book that it is perfect for summer, the characters are nice and I enjoyed the character development. Also the cover captured the story perfectly.

If you’re looking ahead for an emotional, reflective read, *The Life I Didn’t Plan* by Charlotte Butterfield is one to keep on your radar.

It follows Beth, who got pregnant as a teenager and never expected to reconnect with that part of her life—until a school reunion and a long-forgotten letter send her searching for her daughter’s father years later.

From what I’ve seen, it leans into that “what could have been vs. what is” feeling, mixing a bit of mystery with a lot of heart. It looks like a story about second chances, missed opportunities, and figuring out how to move forward.

I’ll be recommending this to readers who enjoy character-driven stories about life taking unexpected turns, especially if you like a mix of past and present timelines with an emotional core.

I have read three of her books I think and I've enjoyed them all. She writes books that, at first glance might not feel relatable, but then you get to know the characters and you realise that the story could be your own.

It's a book with a powerful message behind it, but it's also fun and enjoyable to read.

I mean, it's advertised as a "laugh out loud" story. But I can't say I found it funny at all. That's not a negative on the book, and if it hadn't have said it, I wouldn't have mentioned it, because it's not something I thought the book needed.

It did take a while to get going. The opening half wasn't bad, but it was a bit too genteel with not much happening. Which I generally don't mind. But it started with this strong look at your past and realising you haven't achieved what you wanted to, but then it continues in that vein for a while, a lot of thinking and talking and very little doing. So I'd have liked it to have picked up a bit earlier.

I like this idea of what you should have achieved by a certain age. When I was a kid, my life plan was: graduate at 21, get my dream job, buy a house at 24, marry at 26, kids by 30. Instead, I am 32, still living with my mum, chronically ill, and unemployed. So life doesn't always turn out the way you think it'll be. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. It's about finding the positives from your dream life in your real life.

I enjoy it, I did, don't get me wrong. It was fun, exciting, hopeful, and everything I wanted. But it didn't grab me. So, when I was reading it, I was enjoying it. But when I put it down, I didn't find myself thinking about it or rushing to get back to it. But I can't give you a reason why that is. Everything about it - setting, plot, characters, message - I enjoyed, but there was just this excitement level, this spark that was missing.

The Life I Didn’t Plan was an unexpected joy of a novel! It’s about the expectations we have for our lives and how those expectations can turn into a perception of disappointment when things don’t go the way we imagined. The story really leans into examining what truly makes us happy, and how actually seeing what’s right in front of us—rather than obsessing over what “should have been”—can be enough, and even better, leading to a path to happiness in the here and now. It was witty, laugh‑out‑loud funny, and genuinely heartwarming, and I just loved the characters so much. It has found family, a little closed-door romance, and self discovery. Chef’s kiss!

I loved everything about this book! The humor, the deep reflections, the quotes. Palliative/Hospice convos. I truly didnt want to put this book down. Loved the character development, especially Beth of course. I cannot recommend enough! This was such a fun surprise and I will be purchasing a hardcopy ASAP!

What happens when the life you planned has never even got started?

I've read two previous novels by Charlotte Butterfield - The Second Chance and The Sister Switch - and really enjoyed them both. So I was excited to read The Life I Didn't Plan.

Pregnant at seventeen (following a brief romance on a school trip to France), and a mother at eighteen, Beth has spent her life looking after others - daughter Maisie, and the terminally ill patients she cares for as a palliative carer. What Beth hasn't managed quite so well is forging any kind of life of her own. Forced to leave school due to her pregnancy, the career as a midwife that she dreamt of never got off the ground, and her love life has been a non-starter.

Now, with Maisie away at university, life is about to develop in unexpected ways. A New Year's Eve callout to a dying elderly man takes an extraordinary turn. And it looks like it's time to finally track down Maisie's father, the boy who never answered Beth's letters...

Sometimes the future we plan isn't nearly as beautiful as the one we never saw coming.

A great read with a really engaging main character who it was easy to warm to. Recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. I absolutely loved this book. The writing was great and it had all the feels.