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The To-Do List and Other Debacles
'Thrillingly honest, funny, incisive and hopeful, this is the perfect gateway into a discussion on mental health' Marian Keyes 'Truly one of the most powerful books about mental health that I’ve ever read.' Daisy Buchanan One of the Independent 's top ten millennial memoirs of 2019 How not to be good? Let me list the ways… Are you a woman? Do you make to-do lists to stop you losing your mind? Have you ever cried in the toilets at work, had a meltdown in the supermarket, or gone off the rails at a hen party? And have you ever been saved from any of the above by your truly brilliant friends? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then this is the book for you. A moving, funny and brutally honest memoir of one woman’s millennial misadventures, The To-Do List and Other Debacles follows Amy Jones on her journeys through friendship, marriage and mental health disasters in a story that’s as relatable as it is riotous.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 4, 2019
About the author
Amy Jones
1 book44 followersAmy Jones was born in Wales in 1990, but moved to the Midlands when she was seven. After a brief sojourn in London she's now back, living in a tiny Leicestershire village with her boyfriend, two sons, cat and dog. She has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen - everything from fantasy stories about mermaid-fairy hybrids who live in her curtain rail, short horror stories described by one teacher as "really creepy", or a 70,000 word Harry Potter fanfiction describing a torrid relationship between Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy. In a previous life she was a writer and AV producer for The Pool where, alongside making the site's videos and podcasts, she was known for her articles on feminism, body positivity, and 18th century cartoons about the devil being scared of a woman's hairy vulva. Now she makes a video game about pirates, and writes whenever she can.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 1, 2019
I don't know about you but I write lists for a lot of things, shopping lists, housework lists and the main ones are reading lists, what I want to read, what I've read etc. There's nothing more satisfying than ticking things off, it makes you feel like you've accomplished something and Amy Jones is a list maker, every day she has a list for all the things she wants to accomplish that day, everything is added to the list whether it be taking a shower, meeting friends or cooking a meal.
In The To-Do List and Other Debacles , Amy Jones takes us through a very difficult part of her life and anyone reading this will feel some kind of connection to Amy, I know I certainly did. We've all had body confidence issues, we've all felt like what we're doing isn't quite good enough and Amy Jones has all of these and more.
It was actually quite frustrating at times reading this book, Amy is putting herself down, feeling like she isn't worthy or a bit of a failure and I could see she wasn't, in the book her friends and husband could see she wasn't and I wanted to reassure her, tell her she was great and to stop being so hard on herself but obviously that wasn't possible and I had to keep reading and see how she dealt or didn't deal with things in some cases.
Honest and quite raw at times this book gave me a lot to think about as I'm sure it will with everyone who reads it. Depression is a bitch, it really is and even though it's a tough read at times it's a blooming good one as well. I had so many emotions floating round while reading and the belly chuckles, oh boy.The To-Do List and Other Debacles is a powerful book about mental health, it's about getting the help when you need it and it's about hope, friendship and love. It's a book that will have you laughing and crying and crying with laughter. It's a truly inspiring story that everyone should read and definitely take something away from it.
July 5, 2019
In The To-Do List and Other Debacles, video producer and acclaimed writer Amy Jones lifts the lid on what like is really like for 20- and 30-something women today covering everything from work to friendship to love to body image.
I must admit, I signed up for this blog tour purely based on the title and the cover of this book and until I sat down to read it, I didn’t really know what to expect. I think I thought it might be something to do with using the art of list writing to help get my act together! It isn’t about this, although Amy does use lists a lot in her life to help manage things. It becomes clear by the end of the book that perhaps they aren’t the best thing for her…
This a memoir of a short period of her life and my goodness it is funny! She is a fantastic writer who draws you into her confidence and makes you want to become her best friend (or maybe I just wanted to mother her!) But there is a very serious side to this book: Amy has for some years suffered with her mental health. She has a lovely husband and a cat, some great friends and is successful in her job but in her head she just doesn’t feel she is as good as everyone else.
What I realised as I was reading it, was that many things I thought were only in my head, were perhaps being thought of by other women as well. I’m 46, so a bit older than maybe the target audience of this book, but I found it immensely eye opening. I think some of Amy’s issues also apply to me but as I’ve got older I care a little less about them!
The first half of the book, is like a diary of Amy’s life. She talks about her struggles with her weight including body envy and the “right” food choices. She talks about always striving for the perfect Instagram moment and how annoyed she feels when a weekend with her husband isn’t as picture perfect as she hoped. She talks about feeling unappreciated in her job but having no confidence in applying for anything else. Then after a hen weekend, which is about as far out of her comfort zone as she can get, she has a breakdown. When she gets home, she realises she needs help. She starts seeing a counsellor and we hear about these sessions and how they help her, and although she isn’t completely “recovered” by the end of the book she starts to get a better idea of how to cope with her feelings.
A bold, brave and honest memoir that is laugh out loud funny while being deeply moving. A great read, especially for those of the millennial generation who may be struggling but will hopefully realise they are certainly not alone!
I must admit, I signed up for this blog tour purely based on the title and the cover of this book and until I sat down to read it, I didn’t really know what to expect. I think I thought it might be something to do with using the art of list writing to help get my act together! It isn’t about this, although Amy does use lists a lot in her life to help manage things. It becomes clear by the end of the book that perhaps they aren’t the best thing for her…
This a memoir of a short period of her life and my goodness it is funny! She is a fantastic writer who draws you into her confidence and makes you want to become her best friend (or maybe I just wanted to mother her!) But there is a very serious side to this book: Amy has for some years suffered with her mental health. She has a lovely husband and a cat, some great friends and is successful in her job but in her head she just doesn’t feel she is as good as everyone else.
What I realised as I was reading it, was that many things I thought were only in my head, were perhaps being thought of by other women as well. I’m 46, so a bit older than maybe the target audience of this book, but I found it immensely eye opening. I think some of Amy’s issues also apply to me but as I’ve got older I care a little less about them!
The first half of the book, is like a diary of Amy’s life. She talks about her struggles with her weight including body envy and the “right” food choices. She talks about always striving for the perfect Instagram moment and how annoyed she feels when a weekend with her husband isn’t as picture perfect as she hoped. She talks about feeling unappreciated in her job but having no confidence in applying for anything else. Then after a hen weekend, which is about as far out of her comfort zone as she can get, she has a breakdown. When she gets home, she realises she needs help. She starts seeing a counsellor and we hear about these sessions and how they help her, and although she isn’t completely “recovered” by the end of the book she starts to get a better idea of how to cope with her feelings.
A bold, brave and honest memoir that is laugh out loud funny while being deeply moving. A great read, especially for those of the millennial generation who may be struggling but will hopefully realise they are certainly not alone!
March 23, 2022
One of the best books I have ever read. ❤
October 12, 2019
An absolute delight! I laughed, cried and resonated with so much of it. She writes as if she's your friend and it's such an enjoyable read. Brilliant for anyone who has felt adrift and in need of some humourous guidance
January 19, 2020
I picked this up at the library simply because the front cover is designed as a list and I love lists. Sigh. I really am that shallow.
In this book, we follow Amy Jones through a difficult period in her life, covering love, friendships, body image, career – and comparison and accomplishment, and their impact on mental health. I connected with Amy immediately: she is so open and real about her life and her thoughts that it’s difficult not to think you actually know her.
So, Amy and her lists. I love making lists but I’d never seen it as being problematic before. On the first page, Amy says that lists are “little lifebuoys that keep me afloat” which she writes to help her feel like she achieves something, to make herself feel better, and so she feels like she’s in control. Amen to that. She’s also terrified of forgetting things – which is my fear too: for me, forgetting to take milk to work (so I have to eat cornflakes with water for breakfast instead) is on the same level as forgetting to pay my council tax bill, forgetting to collect my babysitting kids from school, or forgetting an appointment and being shunted to the bottom of the NHS waiting list. “This”, Amy writes, “is the cage I had built for myself”. Yup.
Reading this book, I cried at least 3 times – a combination of empathy, self-pity, and the conclusion of a dawning realisation that I am not OK. That in itself should tell you this is a good book. I did, however, have a few problems (hence 4 stars, not 5).
1. There was waffle. Some of it was fun waffle, some of it I skimmed: who wore what, the minute details of other people’s lives and conversations, the descriptions of exactly what happened when (probably a metaphor for anxiety, which made me anxious in itself). It wasn’t filler per se, but some of it felt ‘in the way’.
2. Nothing truly ground-breaking was revealed (other than the fact that an overreliance on lists is not healthy). This was a memoir, not a self help book. Maybe other people got more out of it *shrugs*
3. I just said it’s a memoir, but parts have been fictionalised; Amy writes that it's “entirely made up”. It’s raw and unapologetic, and very honest – but that honesty is blurred.
And finally, less of a complaint: Amy tells her therapist that how well everyone else is doing is “the only barometer I have for how well I should be doing”. That barometer, of course, is what everyone else is portraying of themselves – the breezy persona that covers deep-seated anxieties, the outfits which hide the discomfort we all feel about our own bodies, and the social media posts of our ‘perfect’ lives.
It isn’t new information that Instagram is not reality, but what I both like and disliked was the unfiltered honesty of the book (you haven’t showered for 3 days? me neither and that’s kind of OK!) and the unconscious comparisons I made (Amy goes swimming before work? why don’t I have the motivation to do that?). But that is what society has taught us to do, and that is the problem being unpacked.
(Also: knowing that everyone else thinks this kinda stuff about other people means they are thinking it about me too. Oh, and it made me both sad and grateful that I don’t have a group of female friends.)
OK back to the book. I really enjoyed it – I read it in 48 hours, and I’ll be thinking about it for a while yet. The blurb says it’s perfect for women who “make lists to stop you losing your mind”, who cry and have meltdowns, and who have been saved by friends. But really I think it’s for anyone who needs a brutal insight into the state of mental health among millennial women. We’re a group who are told, in endless contradictions, that we aren’t enough, but we’re too much; we can do anything and we’re capable of more, but there aren’t any opportunities; we’re perfect as we are but we could be better if we did/bought/changed x; and we’re ‘all in this together’.
If we’re truly all in this together, we might as well be open and vulnerable about it: reading this book helped me realise that I make lists because I’m scared of forgetting something amongst all the noise in my brain, and I can’t forget anything if I want to pretend I’m coping as well as everyone else. Because, above all, I’m very much not OK, and this book made me question: is anyone?
In this book, we follow Amy Jones through a difficult period in her life, covering love, friendships, body image, career – and comparison and accomplishment, and their impact on mental health. I connected with Amy immediately: she is so open and real about her life and her thoughts that it’s difficult not to think you actually know her.
So, Amy and her lists. I love making lists but I’d never seen it as being problematic before. On the first page, Amy says that lists are “little lifebuoys that keep me afloat” which she writes to help her feel like she achieves something, to make herself feel better, and so she feels like she’s in control. Amen to that. She’s also terrified of forgetting things – which is my fear too: for me, forgetting to take milk to work (so I have to eat cornflakes with water for breakfast instead) is on the same level as forgetting to pay my council tax bill, forgetting to collect my babysitting kids from school, or forgetting an appointment and being shunted to the bottom of the NHS waiting list. “This”, Amy writes, “is the cage I had built for myself”. Yup.
Reading this book, I cried at least 3 times – a combination of empathy, self-pity, and the conclusion of a dawning realisation that I am not OK. That in itself should tell you this is a good book. I did, however, have a few problems (hence 4 stars, not 5).
1. There was waffle. Some of it was fun waffle, some of it I skimmed: who wore what, the minute details of other people’s lives and conversations, the descriptions of exactly what happened when (probably a metaphor for anxiety, which made me anxious in itself). It wasn’t filler per se, but some of it felt ‘in the way’.
2. Nothing truly ground-breaking was revealed (other than the fact that an overreliance on lists is not healthy). This was a memoir, not a self help book. Maybe other people got more out of it *shrugs*
3. I just said it’s a memoir, but parts have been fictionalised; Amy writes that it's “entirely made up”. It’s raw and unapologetic, and very honest – but that honesty is blurred.
And finally, less of a complaint: Amy tells her therapist that how well everyone else is doing is “the only barometer I have for how well I should be doing”. That barometer, of course, is what everyone else is portraying of themselves – the breezy persona that covers deep-seated anxieties, the outfits which hide the discomfort we all feel about our own bodies, and the social media posts of our ‘perfect’ lives.
It isn’t new information that Instagram is not reality, but what I both like and disliked was the unfiltered honesty of the book (you haven’t showered for 3 days? me neither and that’s kind of OK!) and the unconscious comparisons I made (Amy goes swimming before work? why don’t I have the motivation to do that?). But that is what society has taught us to do, and that is the problem being unpacked.
(Also: knowing that everyone else thinks this kinda stuff about other people means they are thinking it about me too. Oh, and it made me both sad and grateful that I don’t have a group of female friends.)
OK back to the book. I really enjoyed it – I read it in 48 hours, and I’ll be thinking about it for a while yet. The blurb says it’s perfect for women who “make lists to stop you losing your mind”, who cry and have meltdowns, and who have been saved by friends. But really I think it’s for anyone who needs a brutal insight into the state of mental health among millennial women. We’re a group who are told, in endless contradictions, that we aren’t enough, but we’re too much; we can do anything and we’re capable of more, but there aren’t any opportunities; we’re perfect as we are but we could be better if we did/bought/changed x; and we’re ‘all in this together’.
If we’re truly all in this together, we might as well be open and vulnerable about it: reading this book helped me realise that I make lists because I’m scared of forgetting something amongst all the noise in my brain, and I can’t forget anything if I want to pretend I’m coping as well as everyone else. Because, above all, I’m very much not OK, and this book made me question: is anyone?
February 9, 2020
First published at Booking in Heels.
The To-Do List is more or less about Amy Jones’ struggles with her mental health – sometimes up, sometimes down, but always relatable. This is illustrated with the use of illustrated to-do lists – first her intended goals, and then followed by what she actually managed to achieve. Amy uses these to manage her day and her emotions, to variable effect. Whilst I felt these did become slightly repetitive, they were unique and managed to break up the prose in a whimsical manner.
For a memoir-style book about mental health, The To-Do List is hilarious. Not the to-do lists themselves, but the self-deprecating, informal way in which Amy Jones writes. I genuinely giggled out loud to myself on multiple occasions. On looking back at my list of quotes, however, it turns out that I didn’t write down a single, funny one. You’re just going to have to trust that this book is just as amusing as I say it is.
The reason for that is, as much as I loved the humour, it wasn’t the main reason for the high rating. It was because of how much I damn well related to this book. I’ve suffered with depression and anxiety for most of my adult life, as have a large portion of us. What makes this so interesting, is that Amy Jones refers to a lot of thought patterns and niggling doubts that I also feel, and which I hadn’t clicked were a symptom. Honestly, at times, it was like she peered into my head and scrawled down exactly how I have felt. The detail and the nuance she has captured when recording these episodes is impressive, and I simply cannot imagine how she got it all down during a period when she wasn’t currently feeling all that. It’s astounding.
I don’t remember how long it took for me to fall asleep. But I do remember listening to his sleep and letting impotent rage churn in my chest. Rage at him for snoring, rage at myself for listening to it rather than disturb him, rage at how the day had gone. (…) I listened to Garry’s snoring and the jittery, uncomfortable energy racing through my blood. I felt sad, and heavy, and desperate.
And, as I lay there in the dark, I listened to the voice in mthe depths of my brain wich explained, patiently, how I was fundamentally wrong…. The problem must be me, it whispered. I am ruining everything. My crappy life is my own damn fault, and I’m trapped in it. I’m going to keep fucking things up for myself and for the people I love most forever, and there’s nothing I can do to change it. It was this thought that held me in its arms and rocked me to sleep, and this thought which chased itself round my dreams all night. The problem is me. The problem is me.
My one criticism was the ending. It’s difficult and probably a bit unfair to complain about the ending of a memoir, when it’s perfectly feasible that maybe everything did just sort itself out like that. The To-Do List just ends a bit too… nicely. She has all these revelations about her friends, her appearance and her job, and just… feels better. This is after some NHS counselling sessions and she just say that she expects her struggles will come back, but she hopes that she now has the tools to be able to deal with it more effectively. And I hope she does. But it felt unrealistic and unhelpful. I realise it’s not a self-help book or anything like that, but the ending was just very sudden.
I really did love The To-Do List and Other Debacles. I’ll definitely be purchasing a copy as well as following any other books that Amy Jones writes – which I hope she does. For an interesting, hilarious, relatable foray into mental health, I really can’t recommend this highly enough.
The To-Do List is more or less about Amy Jones’ struggles with her mental health – sometimes up, sometimes down, but always relatable. This is illustrated with the use of illustrated to-do lists – first her intended goals, and then followed by what she actually managed to achieve. Amy uses these to manage her day and her emotions, to variable effect. Whilst I felt these did become slightly repetitive, they were unique and managed to break up the prose in a whimsical manner.
For a memoir-style book about mental health, The To-Do List is hilarious. Not the to-do lists themselves, but the self-deprecating, informal way in which Amy Jones writes. I genuinely giggled out loud to myself on multiple occasions. On looking back at my list of quotes, however, it turns out that I didn’t write down a single, funny one. You’re just going to have to trust that this book is just as amusing as I say it is.
The reason for that is, as much as I loved the humour, it wasn’t the main reason for the high rating. It was because of how much I damn well related to this book. I’ve suffered with depression and anxiety for most of my adult life, as have a large portion of us. What makes this so interesting, is that Amy Jones refers to a lot of thought patterns and niggling doubts that I also feel, and which I hadn’t clicked were a symptom. Honestly, at times, it was like she peered into my head and scrawled down exactly how I have felt. The detail and the nuance she has captured when recording these episodes is impressive, and I simply cannot imagine how she got it all down during a period when she wasn’t currently feeling all that. It’s astounding.
I don’t remember how long it took for me to fall asleep. But I do remember listening to his sleep and letting impotent rage churn in my chest. Rage at him for snoring, rage at myself for listening to it rather than disturb him, rage at how the day had gone. (…) I listened to Garry’s snoring and the jittery, uncomfortable energy racing through my blood. I felt sad, and heavy, and desperate.
And, as I lay there in the dark, I listened to the voice in mthe depths of my brain wich explained, patiently, how I was fundamentally wrong…. The problem must be me, it whispered. I am ruining everything. My crappy life is my own damn fault, and I’m trapped in it. I’m going to keep fucking things up for myself and for the people I love most forever, and there’s nothing I can do to change it. It was this thought that held me in its arms and rocked me to sleep, and this thought which chased itself round my dreams all night. The problem is me. The problem is me.
My one criticism was the ending. It’s difficult and probably a bit unfair to complain about the ending of a memoir, when it’s perfectly feasible that maybe everything did just sort itself out like that. The To-Do List just ends a bit too… nicely. She has all these revelations about her friends, her appearance and her job, and just… feels better. This is after some NHS counselling sessions and she just say that she expects her struggles will come back, but she hopes that she now has the tools to be able to deal with it more effectively. And I hope she does. But it felt unrealistic and unhelpful. I realise it’s not a self-help book or anything like that, but the ending was just very sudden.
I really did love The To-Do List and Other Debacles. I’ll definitely be purchasing a copy as well as following any other books that Amy Jones writes – which I hope she does. For an interesting, hilarious, relatable foray into mental health, I really can’t recommend this highly enough.
July 27, 2020
this book, wow. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the feels that are possible to feel.
Amy takes us through a very difficult part of her life and anyone reading this will feel some connection to her, I know I certainly did. Whether it be body image issues, imposter syndrome, anxiety, depression or even just a crummy job, I feel that this book is relatable to a lot of people in their mid 20s-30s. It is a powerful book that shows the message of hope, love and friendship.
I 100% recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of Bryony Gordon. Amy is very real, honest and hilarious and I really connected with her in this book
Amy takes us through a very difficult part of her life and anyone reading this will feel some connection to her, I know I certainly did. Whether it be body image issues, imposter syndrome, anxiety, depression or even just a crummy job, I feel that this book is relatable to a lot of people in their mid 20s-30s. It is a powerful book that shows the message of hope, love and friendship.
I 100% recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of Bryony Gordon. Amy is very real, honest and hilarious and I really connected with her in this book
July 24, 2019
These are hard won “lessons in life, love and losing my mind”, all seen through the eyes of Amy Jones, contemporary woman and entirely honest narrator of a fictional version of mental health issues. This is not really a self help book, though it does include a section of “Useful Links” for help with mental health issues. It is perhaps difficult to sort fact from fiction in this book, but ultimately that does not matter as it is such a strong testament to the real everyday problems of living with body image problems, depression and even suicidal impulses. It would appeal to anyone who looks on social media or just around themselves at friends and others who seem to be winning at life, especially in terms of jobs, clothing, confidence and so much more. It is about those familiar questions of whether certain foods are healthy or provoke feelings of guilt, if the present job is the only option, why clothes and other things always fail, why even changing energy supplier seems like a bridge too far. Featuring events in the life of a woman who seems to have so much, apart from mental wellbeing, this is a fascinating study of what it can feel like to live in the twenty first century. I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this unusual and timely book.
The book opens with Amy rather mournfully going through her latest to do list, a list of things she has assembled that seem rather obvious, but such is her mental state that she proposes to do “mindful baking” as well as “put the washing on”. She realises that her coping strategy of writing lots of lists can make sure that she remembers what she must achieve, as well as give as give a sense of completion when she does manage to tick things off. As she struggles to think through what she can do before going out, it is obvious that she is struggling with every task. When she meets her friends, we discover that they care deeply about her , and do their best to support her. She analyses what she finds scary; talking to a large group of people or appearing on camera does not worry her, but simple pieces of life administration makes her anxious. Her relationship with her husband is strong, despite his shift work which means he often sleeps when she is at a loose end, or works at the weekend. Thus she has a lot of time alone, and looks at social media to see her friends and others enjoying photogenic moments. At specific times she really struggles; she becomes so upset at a hen weekend that she comes to the realisation that she must seek professional help. This is a terrifically honest book, as Amy talks about swimming and looking at other people, her family and their quarrels, her work and reactions to everyday situations.
There is a lot of humour in this book which eases the difficult subject matter. The members of her family are frequently very funny, especially the argumentative grandmothers. This is a book which is often painfully honest, which makes it a good read, sometimes uncomfortably so, as Amy plunges into despair. I found it a fascinating read, giving new insights into another person’s mindset, and finding some recognisable elements of discomfort with some everyday situations. This is an immensely powerful book, with some humour, some hope, but a lot of genuine friendship and love. It can affect the way we look at the world, and reassure us that we are not alone.
The book opens with Amy rather mournfully going through her latest to do list, a list of things she has assembled that seem rather obvious, but such is her mental state that she proposes to do “mindful baking” as well as “put the washing on”. She realises that her coping strategy of writing lots of lists can make sure that she remembers what she must achieve, as well as give as give a sense of completion when she does manage to tick things off. As she struggles to think through what she can do before going out, it is obvious that she is struggling with every task. When she meets her friends, we discover that they care deeply about her , and do their best to support her. She analyses what she finds scary; talking to a large group of people or appearing on camera does not worry her, but simple pieces of life administration makes her anxious. Her relationship with her husband is strong, despite his shift work which means he often sleeps when she is at a loose end, or works at the weekend. Thus she has a lot of time alone, and looks at social media to see her friends and others enjoying photogenic moments. At specific times she really struggles; she becomes so upset at a hen weekend that she comes to the realisation that she must seek professional help. This is a terrifically honest book, as Amy talks about swimming and looking at other people, her family and their quarrels, her work and reactions to everyday situations.
There is a lot of humour in this book which eases the difficult subject matter. The members of her family are frequently very funny, especially the argumentative grandmothers. This is a book which is often painfully honest, which makes it a good read, sometimes uncomfortably so, as Amy plunges into despair. I found it a fascinating read, giving new insights into another person’s mindset, and finding some recognisable elements of discomfort with some everyday situations. This is an immensely powerful book, with some humour, some hope, but a lot of genuine friendship and love. It can affect the way we look at the world, and reassure us that we are not alone.
July 6, 2019
I love a list! I will quite happily compile a list for anything – shopping list, birthday list, books to be read list….if it can be added to a list then it does. So you can imagine my sheer delight when I saw this book! The author takes the reader through a very difficult time in her life and in her mental health. For her, making lists and ticking things off the lists kept her sane!
The book doesn’t just cover times in the author’s life where she has suffered with mental health problems, but it also covers other issues that are probably more “normal” life stresses – bills to pay and just growing up in general! Everyone who’s anyone would be able to find something in this book which they could relate to and go “yeah, I do that” or “I’ve thought that”! I know I found more than enough examples and that was just in the first couple of chapters!
The mental health issue though is the main theme running through this book and as you’re reading it you feel like you are on the same emotional rollercoaster that the author was on. To be honest, I felt every emotion for her and whilst this book was full of laughter, it had me in tears at times also. It’s a very honest and genuine account of what the author went through and having been through similar it did bring back memories and I could really connect with some of the stories. For me it was interesting to see what mental health issues look like from someone else’s perspective and how, at times I may seem to other people!
At the beginning of each chapter is the author’s to-do lists. If it had to be done that day, it went on the list! I loved these parts and felt it broke up each chapter nicely! A word of warning though, the book does have some bad language so if you are offended by this, perhaps this isn’t the book for you. It does though have some powerful messages and some inspiring thoughts which stay with you long after you have finished the book. I would definitely recommend this book! Thanks to the author for sharing her story!
The book doesn’t just cover times in the author’s life where she has suffered with mental health problems, but it also covers other issues that are probably more “normal” life stresses – bills to pay and just growing up in general! Everyone who’s anyone would be able to find something in this book which they could relate to and go “yeah, I do that” or “I’ve thought that”! I know I found more than enough examples and that was just in the first couple of chapters!
The mental health issue though is the main theme running through this book and as you’re reading it you feel like you are on the same emotional rollercoaster that the author was on. To be honest, I felt every emotion for her and whilst this book was full of laughter, it had me in tears at times also. It’s a very honest and genuine account of what the author went through and having been through similar it did bring back memories and I could really connect with some of the stories. For me it was interesting to see what mental health issues look like from someone else’s perspective and how, at times I may seem to other people!
At the beginning of each chapter is the author’s to-do lists. If it had to be done that day, it went on the list! I loved these parts and felt it broke up each chapter nicely! A word of warning though, the book does have some bad language so if you are offended by this, perhaps this isn’t the book for you. It does though have some powerful messages and some inspiring thoughts which stay with you long after you have finished the book. I would definitely recommend this book! Thanks to the author for sharing her story!
July 27, 2019
God I love Amy's writing. This is a fictionalised memoir about mental health, being a woman in your twenties and feeling like you're failing at everything, and about trying to cope through endless to do lists. It's true to life, sad, and heartwarming all at the same time - the story is unflinchingly honest about mental health, body image and not feeling like you're enough.
August 3, 2019
I read the first two thirds of this when I got the proof a couple of months ago and then got sidetracked for a while but just finished it today and it’s BRILLIANT. Amy is hilarious, and brutally honest. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one thinking all these things, and that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
September 8, 2019
Lovely brilliant fun book, I laughed a lot with some of the excerpts of the book, I just love how the author put witty fun points for a book that's about a very important and serious topic. This book creates awareness of the different aspects of mental health and it's a good way to understand mental illness from a perspective of someone who isnt a doctor but actually living it.
January 12, 2022
Easy reading/listening.
A good insight into how we can see ourselves very differently to how others see us.
Very true regarding the poor support in the UK for those struggling with mental health.
Good that at the end of the book all support services and contact details were provided.
A good insight into how we can see ourselves very differently to how others see us.
Very true regarding the poor support in the UK for those struggling with mental health.
Good that at the end of the book all support services and contact details were provided.
September 23, 2019
I LOVED this book. It made me feel so many feelings, really tough going emotionally at points but brilliantly rewarding. The tone is so fresh and frank and perfectly in-tune with young women's lives.
October 23, 2019
Love. Every. Single. List. And all the rest of the book. Thank you for talking about mental health in such a light but serious way.
November 13, 2019
One of my favourite reads this year; I really resonated with the author and her experiences, especially managing relationships and family judgements. Fantastic read.
October 26, 2020
Have to say, I really enjoyed this book! Proper eye opener towards mental health
May 3, 2025
What I liked:
1. Jones' character development, and how she eventually learned better coping habits for her anxiety and depression. The ending felt hopeful, and the author provided multiple mental health resources for readers.
2. Several parts of the story were universally relatable: family drama and expectations, feeling insecure in your body, comparing your life to the lives of others, stress at work, etc. I personally related most to the chronic list making side of Jones, as I have 1000 lists for everything, always.
3. Social media, and the addiction we all have to it, was definitely present in this book. I thought it was very truthful to include examples of doom scrolling, and creating a 'good enough life' if only for the purpose of posting it on Instagram. I firmly believe one of the best things anyone can do to improve their health is to strictly limit or even completely remove social media from their life.
4. The friends, husband, family, co workers and therapists were all incredibly patient, kind and supportive. This is essential to anyone struggling with mental health. It was nice to see such support.
What I didn't like/annoyed me:
1. The writing was quirky, and at times too much.
2. It makes me feel like a total asshole to be critical of another person's experience with mental health, but here goes. Jones would experience anxiety over basic, even trivial things such as having to wash laundry, schedule a meeting at work, and paying a utilities bill. I found it difficult to have real compassion for her when she did nothing logical to solve her problems. One of her main challenges was her struggle with her body image, yet she consistently ate poorly and did little exercise or other things to help her health. I found this very frustrating to read over and over, as the solution to her problems is so obvious to me.
I think my main takeaway from reading this book is to try to build compassion for others struggling with issues, even if I disagree with or don't understand their struggles. And to try to help them as best I can.
1. Jones' character development, and how she eventually learned better coping habits for her anxiety and depression. The ending felt hopeful, and the author provided multiple mental health resources for readers.
2. Several parts of the story were universally relatable: family drama and expectations, feeling insecure in your body, comparing your life to the lives of others, stress at work, etc. I personally related most to the chronic list making side of Jones, as I have 1000 lists for everything, always.
3. Social media, and the addiction we all have to it, was definitely present in this book. I thought it was very truthful to include examples of doom scrolling, and creating a 'good enough life' if only for the purpose of posting it on Instagram. I firmly believe one of the best things anyone can do to improve their health is to strictly limit or even completely remove social media from their life.
4. The friends, husband, family, co workers and therapists were all incredibly patient, kind and supportive. This is essential to anyone struggling with mental health. It was nice to see such support.
What I didn't like/annoyed me:
1. The writing was quirky, and at times too much.
2. It makes me feel like a total asshole to be critical of another person's experience with mental health, but here goes. Jones would experience anxiety over basic, even trivial things such as having to wash laundry, schedule a meeting at work, and paying a utilities bill. I found it difficult to have real compassion for her when she did nothing logical to solve her problems. One of her main challenges was her struggle with her body image, yet she consistently ate poorly and did little exercise or other things to help her health. I found this very frustrating to read over and over, as the solution to her problems is so obvious to me.
I think my main takeaway from reading this book is to try to build compassion for others struggling with issues, even if I disagree with or don't understand their struggles. And to try to help them as best I can.
July 11, 2019
Thank you to Anne Cater for my invitation to the tour and to Ebury Press for my gifted copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.
I was attracted to this book immediately when Anne posted the tour as I, like Amy love a to do list. I have notepad to do lists and I have electronic to do lists and I still write more.
I loved Amy straight away, any woman who lives in a head like mine deserves love ! Anxiety and depression is exhausting and Amy is honest about it all. Amy has supportive friends and family who help her through her crisis times.
The over sharing, the feelings of failure and the desperation when things don't turn out the way you plan ( when do they ever ) ! I was hooked and I will be recommending to everyone and anyone that I know.
I can not remember a book where I laughed out loud so much my OH asked if I was OK.
The description of her romantic weekend had me crying with laughter one minute then feeling really sad the next when it did not go the way she planned.
After she hits a crisis she starts to get help and her therapy sessions were truthful and candid. I felt that this book could be really helpful to anyone who had not had therapy and so that they could read how it can be and how it is possible to work out strategies sometimes to help us cope better.
So much of the book resonated with me and Amy's humour and senstivity about the subjects turned it in to really cracking read.
I was attracted to this book immediately when Anne posted the tour as I, like Amy love a to do list. I have notepad to do lists and I have electronic to do lists and I still write more.
I loved Amy straight away, any woman who lives in a head like mine deserves love ! Anxiety and depression is exhausting and Amy is honest about it all. Amy has supportive friends and family who help her through her crisis times.
The over sharing, the feelings of failure and the desperation when things don't turn out the way you plan ( when do they ever ) ! I was hooked and I will be recommending to everyone and anyone that I know.
I can not remember a book where I laughed out loud so much my OH asked if I was OK.
The description of her romantic weekend had me crying with laughter one minute then feeling really sad the next when it did not go the way she planned.
After she hits a crisis she starts to get help and her therapy sessions were truthful and candid. I felt that this book could be really helpful to anyone who had not had therapy and so that they could read how it can be and how it is possible to work out strategies sometimes to help us cope better.
So much of the book resonated with me and Amy's humour and senstivity about the subjects turned it in to really cracking read.
July 18, 2019
Audiobook review. What a fantastic listen! Sometimes things happen that are so weird you start to truly believe in fate. I switched on the radio a few weeks ago, something I rarely do, and an interview with Amy Jones was just about to start. In the interview Amy discusses her obsession with to-do lists and her new book based around this and her struggles with her mental health. This interview ticked a whole load of boxes for me and I downloaded the audiobook immediately.
I wasn't disappointed. Amys passion for this subject shines through in her narration and what starts as a kind of quirky look at to-lists and organising of ones life turns into a truly gripping personal story that had me hooked all the way to the end.
I've read synopsis's of this book which appear to target women in the main. Whilst I fully understand this I still felt I got so much out of listening to it and can draw a few parallels with my own life. I'd urge any man stumbling across this to do the same. Amy quite rightly points towards useful links for both womens and mens mental health at the end and I applaud her for that.
I hope any future readers of this book get as much out of it as I did. Thank you Amy for having the courage to go through all you have and to then produce something of this calibre.
I wasn't disappointed. Amys passion for this subject shines through in her narration and what starts as a kind of quirky look at to-lists and organising of ones life turns into a truly gripping personal story that had me hooked all the way to the end.
I've read synopsis's of this book which appear to target women in the main. Whilst I fully understand this I still felt I got so much out of listening to it and can draw a few parallels with my own life. I'd urge any man stumbling across this to do the same. Amy quite rightly points towards useful links for both womens and mens mental health at the end and I applaud her for that.
I hope any future readers of this book get as much out of it as I did. Thank you Amy for having the courage to go through all you have and to then produce something of this calibre.
August 26, 2019
Through the first couple of chapters I though it's another one that some young London chicks complaining about their lives. I'm glad I didn't stop and carry on. It rings true about mental health, it feels real. I don't have a mental health problem but a close relative has had stress and depression. I generally think 'pull yourself together' but reading this I realise how unhelpful that can be. Being politically correct I will never say that to people's face but that's what I thought. I know better now. The only complaint about this book is the constant swearing f***.
March 23, 2021
There was a fair amount of relatable bits that were very well rendered, but the overarching narrative fell flat for me. It also felt "too good to be true" from a timeline and "tidiness" perspective - which (almost) made me feel inadequate dealing with my own similar stuff, which I'm pretty sure would not be the desired outcome of this book :)
February 26, 2026
This book came at just the right time for me.
The feeling of work not feeling right and the absence of progression, feeling like you’re not being productive enough etc is so relatable.
Amy feels like a friend talking to you about her struggles and like you can talk it out and get through it together. I really enjoyed it, highly recommend.
The feeling of work not feeling right and the absence of progression, feeling like you’re not being productive enough etc is so relatable.
Amy feels like a friend talking to you about her struggles and like you can talk it out and get through it together. I really enjoyed it, highly recommend.
July 9, 2019
**Listened via audible**
Based on the blurb I thought that this book would be amazing and right up my street but found it really quite dull. There were some great bits but not enough of them! I don’t feel like this book will stick in my mind.
Based on the blurb I thought that this book would be amazing and right up my street but found it really quite dull. There were some great bits but not enough of them! I don’t feel like this book will stick in my mind.
August 15, 2022
I finished this book feeling relieved 😌 So I too need to work on my lists… Not making so many would be a good start. Taking each week, one day at a time and most importantly, doing shit that makes me feel good. Putting me first, all that other stuff and all those other people can wait ;/ 😌🖤
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2026
My mum ‘borrowed’ this from a waiting room as it immediately reminded her of me and my to-do lists. I laughed and a cried in the one sitting it took me to read this book. Call it a mum’s intuition or a coincidence but I really needed to read this book - I think more people should read it too.
Read
March 19, 2021DNF at 31%
I have acute anxiety, and even I couldn't stand such an annoying MC.
I have acute anxiety, and even I couldn't stand such an annoying MC.
January 14, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. Honest and funny I enjoyed every page.
August 7, 2026
I’m not sure how I felt about this book. Found it a bit tedious and repetitive at times….but perhaps that’s the point. I do feel like it was an important book about struggles with mental health.
July 18, 2019
Really made me think and hit home many times
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