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Messy
Not yet published
Expected 30 Dec 26Jane the Virgin meets Bridget Jones's Baby in an outrageously funny and entertaining novel about a woman ready to go to any lengths to have a baby, even if that means using the frozen embryos she made with her ex ... who has inconveniently gone missing.
These embryos were made in a grand gesture of panicked love. The love is gone. But the panic is real.
When Daisy is hit with early perimenopause, her plans to start a family suddenly come with a deadline. Since she's single and competing for her dream job as a TV weather presenter, the timing isn't ideal. It's a good thing she already has embryos on ice.
Their origins are ... complicated. She and her ex made them after Xavier's cancer diagnosis - before Xavier's miraculous recovery, when he'd dumped Daisy for his oncology nurse, Erik.
Giving Daisy his blessing to use the embryos is the least Xavier can do. Except Xavier says no. And then he goes missing.
The date for the embryo transfer is fast approaching. Xavier will turn up eventually, right? So Daisy goes ahead. She just can't tell her sister, or Xavier's grieving parents, and definitely not Xavier's brother, Max, her teenage crush, who turns up wanting to talk. If the procedure works, she'll figure the rest out later.
But Daisy isn't the only person telling white lies, and things are about to get more complicated than Daisy could have ever imagined.
A novel about the unforgiving nature of biological clocks, the impossible battle between career and motherhood, the messiness of adult relationships and how quickly a few little white lies can spiral out of control.
These embryos were made in a grand gesture of panicked love. The love is gone. But the panic is real.
When Daisy is hit with early perimenopause, her plans to start a family suddenly come with a deadline. Since she's single and competing for her dream job as a TV weather presenter, the timing isn't ideal. It's a good thing she already has embryos on ice.
Their origins are ... complicated. She and her ex made them after Xavier's cancer diagnosis - before Xavier's miraculous recovery, when he'd dumped Daisy for his oncology nurse, Erik.
Giving Daisy his blessing to use the embryos is the least Xavier can do. Except Xavier says no. And then he goes missing.
The date for the embryo transfer is fast approaching. Xavier will turn up eventually, right? So Daisy goes ahead. She just can't tell her sister, or Xavier's grieving parents, and definitely not Xavier's brother, Max, her teenage crush, who turns up wanting to talk. If the procedure works, she'll figure the rest out later.
But Daisy isn't the only person telling white lies, and things are about to get more complicated than Daisy could have ever imagined.
A novel about the unforgiving nature of biological clocks, the impossible battle between career and motherhood, the messiness of adult relationships and how quickly a few little white lies can spiral out of control.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication December 30, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Daisy is in an absolute mess….but what a journey it is.
The second I started reading this book I was instantly captivated. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but what I know is that the writing grabbed me straight away and I knew this was going to be fun.
The story follows Daisy as she faces some tough decisions and basically everything that can go wrong does. I mean when you find out you’re in early perimenopause, your ex says no when you want to use the embryos you have stored, then he up and goes missing. Inconvenient to say the least. The transfer date is fast approaching, and yep, you can definitely say it’s by no means smooth sailing, and that’s not even the half of it.
Daisy is a strong single woman with a determination and confidence, most days, and on the others, she’s a hot mess of indecision and second-guessing herself, but her character works brilliantly with this story. Bridget Jones’s Baby vibes throughout.
The characters are so well created, and I must say that Freddy was one of my favourites. His flamboyance, humour and larger-than-life personality adds so much fun to the story. Everyone needs a friend like Freddy.
Messy is fun, humorous, reckless, and heartfelt, and has the three E’s of reading….easy, enjoyable and entertaining….and I highly recommend grabbing a copy and checking out just how much of a wicked sense of humour life can have.
Thank you HQ Books for my fabulous ARC to read and review.
Publication date | 30 December 2026
#messy
#annikajohansson
#hotmess
#hqbooks
#harpercollinsaustralia
The second I started reading this book I was instantly captivated. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but what I know is that the writing grabbed me straight away and I knew this was going to be fun.
The story follows Daisy as she faces some tough decisions and basically everything that can go wrong does. I mean when you find out you’re in early perimenopause, your ex says no when you want to use the embryos you have stored, then he up and goes missing. Inconvenient to say the least. The transfer date is fast approaching, and yep, you can definitely say it’s by no means smooth sailing, and that’s not even the half of it.
Daisy is a strong single woman with a determination and confidence, most days, and on the others, she’s a hot mess of indecision and second-guessing herself, but her character works brilliantly with this story. Bridget Jones’s Baby vibes throughout.
The characters are so well created, and I must say that Freddy was one of my favourites. His flamboyance, humour and larger-than-life personality adds so much fun to the story. Everyone needs a friend like Freddy.
Messy is fun, humorous, reckless, and heartfelt, and has the three E’s of reading….easy, enjoyable and entertaining….and I highly recommend grabbing a copy and checking out just how much of a wicked sense of humour life can have.
Thank you HQ Books for my fabulous ARC to read and review.
Publication date | 30 December 2026
#messy
#annikajohansson
#hotmess
#hqbooks
#harpercollinsaustralia
October 13, 2026
Thanks HQ Insiders for the ARC!
Messy was an entertaining read, I flew through it, but it felt a tiny bit undercooked for me. I feel like an epilogue would have really tied everything up nicely.
Loved the aussie backdrop. Daisy was easy to root for and there was a lot to like about the supporting cast. Not sure about some of the medical logic, but I’m not a doctor and I’m just here to be entertained (which I was).
Would definitely read more by this author!
Messy was an entertaining read, I flew through it, but it felt a tiny bit undercooked for me. I feel like an epilogue would have really tied everything up nicely.
Loved the aussie backdrop. Daisy was easy to root for and there was a lot to like about the supporting cast. Not sure about some of the medical logic, but I’m not a doctor and I’m just here to be entertained (which I was).
Would definitely read more by this author!
October 11, 2026
First of all I would like to thank HQ insiders for gifting me this ARC.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️¼
Well wow, what did I just read?!
Messy is an absolutely chaotic, fast-paced and utterly irresistible look at a woman’s race against her biological clock and the lengths she’ll go to when motherhood suddenly comes with a deadline. And honestly? It’s just as messy, wild and unpredictable as our FMC, Daisy!
Add in frozen embryos, a missing ex-boyfriend, his very inconveniently attractive brother, some amazing side characters and enough white lies to keep an entire soap opera running, and you have one seriously entertaining modern read.
I loved how Annika Johansson explored the realities of modern fertility treatments while tackling the very real battle between career and family. Throw in the gender pay gap, the grubby complications of adult relationships and the pressure women face when their biological clocks start ticking louder, and there’s actually a lot to unpack beneath all the chaos and comedy.
Daisy is a LOT, and this book is definitely not short on inner monologue! Her thought processes are a ride all on their own, and the sheer number of increasingly complicated situations she manages to find herself in had me wondering how on earth any of this could possibly end well. Of course, that’s half the fun!
What I particularly enjoyed was how the story balanced its outrageous humour with some genuinely thought-provoking questions about motherhood, relationships and the choices women make when time feels like it’s running out. Because behind all the ridiculousness is a woman trying to figure out what she wants, what she’s willing to sacrifice, and whether she can really have it all.
This is a fast-paced, slightly bonkers, gloriously messy ride with plenty of drama, questionable decisions and inner monologue galore. Think Jane the Virgin meets Bridget Jones’s Baby, with a healthy dose of reproductive panic thrown in for good measure.
Buckle up, because Daisy is about to take you on one CRAZY ride!
A thoroughly enjoyable, outrageously funny read that proves sometimes life doesn’t go according to plan… and sometimes the plan was a questionable idea to begin with.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️¼
Well wow, what did I just read?!
Messy is an absolutely chaotic, fast-paced and utterly irresistible look at a woman’s race against her biological clock and the lengths she’ll go to when motherhood suddenly comes with a deadline. And honestly? It’s just as messy, wild and unpredictable as our FMC, Daisy!
Add in frozen embryos, a missing ex-boyfriend, his very inconveniently attractive brother, some amazing side characters and enough white lies to keep an entire soap opera running, and you have one seriously entertaining modern read.
I loved how Annika Johansson explored the realities of modern fertility treatments while tackling the very real battle between career and family. Throw in the gender pay gap, the grubby complications of adult relationships and the pressure women face when their biological clocks start ticking louder, and there’s actually a lot to unpack beneath all the chaos and comedy.
Daisy is a LOT, and this book is definitely not short on inner monologue! Her thought processes are a ride all on their own, and the sheer number of increasingly complicated situations she manages to find herself in had me wondering how on earth any of this could possibly end well. Of course, that’s half the fun!
What I particularly enjoyed was how the story balanced its outrageous humour with some genuinely thought-provoking questions about motherhood, relationships and the choices women make when time feels like it’s running out. Because behind all the ridiculousness is a woman trying to figure out what she wants, what she’s willing to sacrifice, and whether she can really have it all.
This is a fast-paced, slightly bonkers, gloriously messy ride with plenty of drama, questionable decisions and inner monologue galore. Think Jane the Virgin meets Bridget Jones’s Baby, with a healthy dose of reproductive panic thrown in for good measure.
Buckle up, because Daisy is about to take you on one CRAZY ride!
A thoroughly enjoyable, outrageously funny read that proves sometimes life doesn’t go according to plan… and sometimes the plan was a questionable idea to begin with.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I want to acknowledge and call out Annika Johnson for exploring and sticking with a pretty crazy plot! This book packs a lot of complicated (maybe even ... messy?!) elements into a few hundred pages. It goes in many different directions, and it’s never easy to guess what will happen next.
I personally struggled to connect with the story & Daisy; I think this was mostly because I found some of the plot developments difficult to understand or relate to. There were some pretty heavy choices characters in this book needed to navigate, and I'm not sure I fully understand how they landed where they did at times. There was also the introduction to a lot of nuanced and pretty relevant issues (like early menopause and expectations of motherhood), and I would have really liked to spend a bit more time with them.
I always enjoy an Australian backdrop, and the Sydney setting was lots of fun, especially with the references to familiar landmarks. The pacing was also fast which kept the book fresh.
I admire the author’s willingness to tell a big, messy, unconventional story rather than playing it safe, but ultimately, I think this one just wasn’t for me.
I personally struggled to connect with the story & Daisy; I think this was mostly because I found some of the plot developments difficult to understand or relate to. There were some pretty heavy choices characters in this book needed to navigate, and I'm not sure I fully understand how they landed where they did at times. There was also the introduction to a lot of nuanced and pretty relevant issues (like early menopause and expectations of motherhood), and I would have really liked to spend a bit more time with them.
I always enjoy an Australian backdrop, and the Sydney setting was lots of fun, especially with the references to familiar landmarks. The pacing was also fast which kept the book fresh.
I admire the author’s willingness to tell a big, messy, unconventional story rather than playing it safe, but ultimately, I think this one just wasn’t for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Advanced reader copy review of Messy by Annika Johansson
Messy is an apt name for this story, oh my goodness.
Daisy has recently found out she has early perimenopause. Suddenly, her dream of having children needs to happen now. She made embryos with her ex, Xavier, before he dumped her for his oncology nurse, Erik. The embryos would be an easy way to fulfil her dream - Xavier gave her full rights when they made them - but when she talks to Xavier, he says no. Then he goes missing.
This book is chockful of little white lies that amount to a whole lotta drama.
I really enjoyed this book. Daisy's inner monologue was great and felt realistic, if a little chaotic at times. I kept reading for the mystery of what happened to Xavier.
Disclaimer: I was not incentivised to read or review. Thanks to Annika Johansson, HarperCollins Australia, and Netgalley for the ARC.
Messy is an apt name for this story, oh my goodness.
Daisy has recently found out she has early perimenopause. Suddenly, her dream of having children needs to happen now. She made embryos with her ex, Xavier, before he dumped her for his oncology nurse, Erik. The embryos would be an easy way to fulfil her dream - Xavier gave her full rights when they made them - but when she talks to Xavier, he says no. Then he goes missing.
This book is chockful of little white lies that amount to a whole lotta drama.
I really enjoyed this book. Daisy's inner monologue was great and felt realistic, if a little chaotic at times. I kept reading for the mystery of what happened to Xavier.
Disclaimer: I was not incentivised to read or review. Thanks to Annika Johansson, HarperCollins Australia, and Netgalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I loved this book. It was a pre read from Harlequin Insiders.
Daisy has found out that she is peri menopausal. Does she want children before it’s too late.? She was in a relationship with Xavier for 8 years and then he got cancer. They/he wanted to freeze fertilised eggs so they could have children later.
BUT Xavier finishes with Daisy and falls in love with his nurse, Erik.
This story revolves around Daisy’s decision, Xavier, and Erik and her wish to have a child.
It is further confused when Xavier goes missing and his brother Max returns when they have a memorial event for him.
Daisy has found out that she is peri menopausal. Does she want children before it’s too late.? She was in a relationship with Xavier for 8 years and then he got cancer. They/he wanted to freeze fertilised eggs so they could have children later.
BUT Xavier finishes with Daisy and falls in love with his nurse, Erik.
This story revolves around Daisy’s decision, Xavier, and Erik and her wish to have a child.
It is further confused when Xavier goes missing and his brother Max returns when they have a memorial event for him.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love reading any and all Australian romance books I can and was thrilled to get my hands on this. Was this outlandish? Yes. It was, indeed, verrry messy. Really enjoyed this, but I did find the plot moved at breakneck speed a bit. If anything I would’ve liked the pace slowed down and a bit more character interaction between Daisy and Max…and also maybe a bit more backstory of Daisy and Xavier. All in all though, this was a good time!
October 19, 2026
Such a great book!
October 12, 2026
Messy by Annika Johansson certainly lives up to its title!
When Daisy is diagnosed with early perimenopause, a spanner is thrown into her perfectly laid plans. Starting a family suddenly has an earlier than planned deadline. Luckily she has some embryos on ice, but with them comes complications, as she’s no longer with the partner she made them with. After talking to her ex, he goes missing and then things just spiral from there, making things downright Messy.
Overall a great read, I loved the seriousness, yet also the humour in this novel. Daisy was such a funny character and I’m glad things worked out the way they did for her.
Thanks to HQ Insiders for the chance to read and review.
When Daisy is diagnosed with early perimenopause, a spanner is thrown into her perfectly laid plans. Starting a family suddenly has an earlier than planned deadline. Luckily she has some embryos on ice, but with them comes complications, as she’s no longer with the partner she made them with. After talking to her ex, he goes missing and then things just spiral from there, making things downright Messy.
Overall a great read, I loved the seriousness, yet also the humour in this novel. Daisy was such a funny character and I’m glad things worked out the way they did for her.
Thanks to HQ Insiders for the chance to read and review.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews