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Bad Choices
The new laugh-out-loud, deliciously relatable story of female friendship from the bestselling author of HOT MESS
'A furiously, fiercely funny, warm and uplifting page-turner...Bad Choices is a truly beautiful book about love, grief and growing up' Daisy Buchanan, author of Insatiable
Two friends. Two decades.
One big mistake...
Nat and Zoe have always shared everything.
Hopeless crushes, emergency tampons, messy sex stories, work triumphs, those days where you can't stop crying in the loos, those days where you can't stop dancing on the bar. They even share the same birthday, FFS. The struggle is real, but they'll always have each other.
Except best friends forever is a hard promise to keep...
Eye-wateringly hilarious, tender and true, this a story about growing up, falling apart, and the friendships that hold us together.
'A furiously, fiercely funny, warm and uplifting page-turner...Bad Choices is a truly beautiful book about love, grief and growing up' Daisy Buchanan, author of Insatiable
Two friends. Two decades.
One big mistake...
Nat and Zoe have always shared everything.
Hopeless crushes, emergency tampons, messy sex stories, work triumphs, those days where you can't stop crying in the loos, those days where you can't stop dancing on the bar. They even share the same birthday, FFS. The struggle is real, but they'll always have each other.
Except best friends forever is a hard promise to keep...
Eye-wateringly hilarious, tender and true, this a story about growing up, falling apart, and the friendships that hold us together.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 2021
55 people are currently reading
978 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Vine
13 books239 followersLucy Vine is a writer, editor and the bestselling author of Hot Mess, What Fresh Hell, Are We Nearly There Yet? and Bad Choices. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages around the world, with Hot Mess optioned for a TV series. She has been nominated twice for the Comedy Women In Print Award and hosts the podcast and live event series Hot Mess Clubhouse, celebrating funny women. Her journalism has appeared in international publications, including Grazia, Stylist, heat, Fabulous, New, Now, Marie Claire, Glamour Online, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, and The Mirror. She lives in Cambridgeshire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
July 30, 2021
Meet Zoe and Nat, best friends through the years and going through every life situation imaginable
The book is told on a yearly basis, always on or leading up to their birthdays and looks back to what has happened in that time ( well that’s kinda how it works )
And it’s funny, sooooooo funny, and sad, and warm and endearing and rude and joyful and tearful and girly and extra and dramatic and silly and playful and serious and all done with a capital L for Life
I think I blushed, giggled, had a tear and genuinely laughed a lot through this book
The characters are more than wonderful, Nanny Surrey is awesomely evil and together they make a bunch you want to go and meet and be friends with, I think friends sums it up, it felt like they had shared and let you into their friendship and lives
It’s rawly real, gooily fav pudding like and a tonic, a real tonic to read
10/10
5 Stars
The book is told on a yearly basis, always on or leading up to their birthdays and looks back to what has happened in that time ( well that’s kinda how it works )
And it’s funny, sooooooo funny, and sad, and warm and endearing and rude and joyful and tearful and girly and extra and dramatic and silly and playful and serious and all done with a capital L for Life
I think I blushed, giggled, had a tear and genuinely laughed a lot through this book
The characters are more than wonderful, Nanny Surrey is awesomely evil and together they make a bunch you want to go and meet and be friends with, I think friends sums it up, it felt like they had shared and let you into their friendship and lives
It’s rawly real, gooily fav pudding like and a tonic, a real tonic to read
10/10
5 Stars
June 10, 2021
Ahh I loved this book so much. It's not often that a book can make you cry and laugh out loud on the same page but Lucy Vine does that to me every book without fail. This is also a book that I can relate to possibly the most out of anything I have read in a long time. A lot of what Natalie (one of the fabulous stars of this novel) goes through mirrors some of the things that I have dealt with in my life and so I really felt this on a deeply personal level!
Natalie and Zoe meet crying in the school toilets aged 14 and we get to follow them though life right up to present day. I loved that we got to revisit them it reminded me a lot of Firefly Lane in that respect but funnier and less tragic. Natalie, as I have already mentioned, is very easy to relate to. The issues she has at school that follow her into her career and personal life are some which I am sure we have all experienced on some level in our own lives. Then there's Zoe who I feel like we all had a friend like Zoe at some point in our lives. I totally wish she was my friend now but I also see parts of myself in Zoe. She seems ultra confident on the outside but she really struggles with things internally, not being someone who shares easily.
Whilst I love the fact that Lucy Vine always makes me laugh out loud and I loved tracking Natalie adn Zoe's lives over many many years I think the thing I loved most about this book is the fact that is includes real life diverse people and situations. Not everyone is straight and happy and goes on to get married and have 2.4 children so a massive thank you to this author for writing characters like me and putting them in situations that I have found myself in. I am not going to go into specifics because spoilers but I will say I LOVED having a commercial women's fiction book with a bisexual character come out during pride month where that wasn't the only facet of their character, it was just something about them-celebration!
In case you're in any doubt, I loved this book I thought it was amazing and I think that you should absolutely read it right now!
Natalie and Zoe meet crying in the school toilets aged 14 and we get to follow them though life right up to present day. I loved that we got to revisit them it reminded me a lot of Firefly Lane in that respect but funnier and less tragic. Natalie, as I have already mentioned, is very easy to relate to. The issues she has at school that follow her into her career and personal life are some which I am sure we have all experienced on some level in our own lives. Then there's Zoe who I feel like we all had a friend like Zoe at some point in our lives. I totally wish she was my friend now but I also see parts of myself in Zoe. She seems ultra confident on the outside but she really struggles with things internally, not being someone who shares easily.
Whilst I love the fact that Lucy Vine always makes me laugh out loud and I loved tracking Natalie adn Zoe's lives over many many years I think the thing I loved most about this book is the fact that is includes real life diverse people and situations. Not everyone is straight and happy and goes on to get married and have 2.4 children so a massive thank you to this author for writing characters like me and putting them in situations that I have found myself in. I am not going to go into specifics because spoilers but I will say I LOVED having a commercial women's fiction book with a bisexual character come out during pride month where that wasn't the only facet of their character, it was just something about them-celebration!
In case you're in any doubt, I loved this book I thought it was amazing and I think that you should absolutely read it right now!
Read
July 31, 2021It was a bad choice to buy this book. 11% in and it’s not funny or interesting but very annoying.
June 7, 2021
The story of Nat and Zoe's friendship over 20 years starting in 2001 and leading up to present day. This book made me laugh out loud on more tan one occasion, made me reminisce about my own teen years during the same period and just made me generally feel happy whilst reading it.
Each chapter marks a different year of their friendship, and is told from both POV, each character is completely unique and I loved how their friendship ebbed and flowed like all good friendships. I loved how both characters had flaws, that they made mistakes along the way and how each one of these was addressed.
Despite the humour the book does cover some heavy hitting topics including coercive control, abortion, infertility, death/grief and even CV19. The author didn't shy away from these and each was fully developed and discussed.
This is the first book by Lucy Vine, but I shall certainly be picking up her backlist to read more.
Each chapter marks a different year of their friendship, and is told from both POV, each character is completely unique and I loved how their friendship ebbed and flowed like all good friendships. I loved how both characters had flaws, that they made mistakes along the way and how each one of these was addressed.
Despite the humour the book does cover some heavy hitting topics including coercive control, abortion, infertility, death/grief and even CV19. The author didn't shy away from these and each was fully developed and discussed.
This is the first book by Lucy Vine, but I shall certainly be picking up her backlist to read more.
April 13, 2023
Found it cringe
July 1, 2021
Zoe and Nat met in the school toilets and immediately hit it off, the fact that they’re sharing birthday date for sure not without significance. From day one of their friendship they supported each other and were there for each other, through thick and thin, through school, university, bad relationships, new friends, drama, loss and hope, sharing almost everything. Also sadness and disappointment – will their friendship survive really everything?
Oh my, I can’t tell you how excited I was to read this book! I adored Lucy Vine’s previous books, they were so sharp, filled with humour and brilliant characters and I was sure I am in for a treat with „Bad Choices“. The book started brilliantly, in such a promising way, with Nat and Zoe meeting in the school toilets, both crying out of different hilarious reasons, but then it simply went downhills and never got higher again. Sadly.
We follow Nat and Zoe’s lives, through all the trials and tribulations of being a teenager and growing up, through twenties, finding your feet on all levels. Their friendship was really well captured, I think, it was not only milk and honey, but the author also showed all kinds of insecurities and uncertainties, pretending and hiding the truth, just like in reality, and finding your own way, not the one others want you to take. Unfortunately, I couldn’t warm to any of them and sometimes the friendship looked too toxic for my liking. While Nat was all the time unhappy with herself and some of her decisions were debatable ( though I can understand it, we also don’t make the right decisions only), Zoe seemed too controlling to me, wanting to decide about Nat, wanting her to play according to her rules. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see both sides of the friendship, to hear two voices about what they are thinking about the same situations and events and I think it gave us a wider spectrum and view at the events, letting us also make our own decisions.
The book was actually about all kinds of relationships, about growing up, with all the ups and downs, featuring a strong friendship. It was relatable, we all have, or had, best friend in our life, so we know how important it really is. In the end though it was too flat and felt repetitive for me, and even though it jumped forwards with the years, it felt slow. I missed those belly ache from laughing that is Lucy’s hallmark, to be honest, as I didn’t find the story funny. I found it more sad and depressing and the characters, especially Nat, whiny and unhappy.
I liked how the book was built, following the characters basically on one day in each year over the course of many years, on their shared birthday. Of course, we are also told on those days what has happened in the past, usually the most significant events, however this started to feel too chopped and taken out of context. Nevertheless, the author has for sure gave us a chance to see how those events affected the characters and their friendship and sometimes even their closest families and other friends.
The book deals with many, many issues, mostly serious ones, and perhaps this is why it was relatively hard to read. I mean, when there is all the time something wrong or bad happening and we only talk about domestic abuse, cheating, infertility, no body confidence, emotional abuse, absent parents, depression etc, then really, you start to feel completely jaded, exhausted and in a need for a break. Yes, those issues were written with lots of subtlety and gentleness and sensitivity, but they were so serious, and all the time present, there was not a moment for respite, I had a feeling I am flooded with bad news.
But even though it was not my favourite read by Lucy Vine, I am already looking forward her next release. It was actually filled with all kinds of emotions and the feelings were really well captured, you could feel the heartache, the insecurity for yourself.
Copy provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Oh my, I can’t tell you how excited I was to read this book! I adored Lucy Vine’s previous books, they were so sharp, filled with humour and brilliant characters and I was sure I am in for a treat with „Bad Choices“. The book started brilliantly, in such a promising way, with Nat and Zoe meeting in the school toilets, both crying out of different hilarious reasons, but then it simply went downhills and never got higher again. Sadly.
We follow Nat and Zoe’s lives, through all the trials and tribulations of being a teenager and growing up, through twenties, finding your feet on all levels. Their friendship was really well captured, I think, it was not only milk and honey, but the author also showed all kinds of insecurities and uncertainties, pretending and hiding the truth, just like in reality, and finding your own way, not the one others want you to take. Unfortunately, I couldn’t warm to any of them and sometimes the friendship looked too toxic for my liking. While Nat was all the time unhappy with herself and some of her decisions were debatable ( though I can understand it, we also don’t make the right decisions only), Zoe seemed too controlling to me, wanting to decide about Nat, wanting her to play according to her rules. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see both sides of the friendship, to hear two voices about what they are thinking about the same situations and events and I think it gave us a wider spectrum and view at the events, letting us also make our own decisions.
The book was actually about all kinds of relationships, about growing up, with all the ups and downs, featuring a strong friendship. It was relatable, we all have, or had, best friend in our life, so we know how important it really is. In the end though it was too flat and felt repetitive for me, and even though it jumped forwards with the years, it felt slow. I missed those belly ache from laughing that is Lucy’s hallmark, to be honest, as I didn’t find the story funny. I found it more sad and depressing and the characters, especially Nat, whiny and unhappy.
I liked how the book was built, following the characters basically on one day in each year over the course of many years, on their shared birthday. Of course, we are also told on those days what has happened in the past, usually the most significant events, however this started to feel too chopped and taken out of context. Nevertheless, the author has for sure gave us a chance to see how those events affected the characters and their friendship and sometimes even their closest families and other friends.
The book deals with many, many issues, mostly serious ones, and perhaps this is why it was relatively hard to read. I mean, when there is all the time something wrong or bad happening and we only talk about domestic abuse, cheating, infertility, no body confidence, emotional abuse, absent parents, depression etc, then really, you start to feel completely jaded, exhausted and in a need for a break. Yes, those issues were written with lots of subtlety and gentleness and sensitivity, but they were so serious, and all the time present, there was not a moment for respite, I had a feeling I am flooded with bad news.
But even though it was not my favourite read by Lucy Vine, I am already looking forward her next release. It was actually filled with all kinds of emotions and the feelings were really well captured, you could feel the heartache, the insecurity for yourself.
Copy provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
October 22, 2021
As someone who doesn’t listen to Audiobooks very often as I just can’t concentrate on them, this one had me hooked. I listen to Audiobooks when I’m getting ready or when I’m going to sleep (meaning I miss half the story) but when I got a free Audible trial, and this book came out earlier this year I had used one of my credits to choose it and I slowly have been listening to it since June but over the last week, I couldn’t stop and started listening when I worked.
This was partly down to the narrators and the story itself. The friendship between Nat and Zoe over the years became struggled and real life issues were thrown into this story such as boyfriends, girlfriends, unwanted pregnancies, trying and struggling to conceive, struggle with jobs and careers and of course the main topic, friendships.
I loved hearing about their friendships through the years and even when they became estranged, life still brought them back together for various reasons. I found it funny and enjoyable to listen to and it shows that friendships need to be worked on as much as relationships as we get older.
This was partly down to the narrators and the story itself. The friendship between Nat and Zoe over the years became struggled and real life issues were thrown into this story such as boyfriends, girlfriends, unwanted pregnancies, trying and struggling to conceive, struggle with jobs and careers and of course the main topic, friendships.
I loved hearing about their friendships through the years and even when they became estranged, life still brought them back together for various reasons. I found it funny and enjoyable to listen to and it shows that friendships need to be worked on as much as relationships as we get older.
February 4, 2022
I loved this book so very much, I adored the pop culture references, one of the main characters, Natalie was my favourite as I connected with her so much, she suffers from low self-esteem and I loved the fact we got to see her growth in this book. Zoe and Natalie’s have such an amazing friendship and I love when a book focuses on friendship more than romance it’s so rare. This is such a heartwarming read and it really is just the perfect feel-good book.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
May 30, 2024
Book Club Banger #5 !! objectively naff but such silly fun. great palette cleanser after struggling through my last one
August 22, 2025
I enjoyed this book, it made me laugh and cry
November 15, 2023
Bookstagram: @buildmeabookcase
This was the perfect chick-lit, a novel full of nostalgia and emotion. It explored the highs and lows of female friendship over the years, whilst making you fall in love and become immersed in the characters. It danced around hopeless crushes and inevitable triumphs. It was just outrageously funny and brutally honest. It also discussed some hard hitting issues and delved into the lurking insecurities of growing up in today’s society. It was so heartwarming good and just felt it to be so relatable to everyday life. I think the storyline was very easy, a few twists and turns throughout but just so feel good, definitely worth a read!
This was the perfect chick-lit, a novel full of nostalgia and emotion. It explored the highs and lows of female friendship over the years, whilst making you fall in love and become immersed in the characters. It danced around hopeless crushes and inevitable triumphs. It was just outrageously funny and brutally honest. It also discussed some hard hitting issues and delved into the lurking insecurities of growing up in today’s society. It was so heartwarming good and just felt it to be so relatable to everyday life. I think the storyline was very easy, a few twists and turns throughout but just so feel good, definitely worth a read!
June 10, 2021
Lucy Vine truly knows how to represent female friendships so perfectly in her books, and Bad Choices was my favourite of her books so far. In this story we alternate between the points of view of Nat and Zoe, which is a lot of fun because they are such different personalities. Over the years they both have so many highs and lows, and the humour that is always present in Lucy’s books is tempered by some poignant moments too, that will tug at your heartstrings.
Covering the last twenty years, there were so many moments that dragged me right back to the year concerned, so this is definitely a book that whatever age you are will give you full-on nostalgia for the noughties. I was a parent of teenagers in the late noughties, but the references still hit home.
The deeper darker parts of the story dwell on moments covering controlling relationships, abortion, death betrayal and even Covid-19, but these are all sensitively handled and show how in life we are all faced with choices to make that will influence what happens next. Some of those choices may be bad choices, but at the end of the day, true friendships can weather the storms that may follow.
This was a beautifully written story about friendship, that is immensely relatable, and will give you the chance to reflect on your own friendships and how they have shaped you. It certainly gave me pause for thought.
Covering the last twenty years, there were so many moments that dragged me right back to the year concerned, so this is definitely a book that whatever age you are will give you full-on nostalgia for the noughties. I was a parent of teenagers in the late noughties, but the references still hit home.
The deeper darker parts of the story dwell on moments covering controlling relationships, abortion, death betrayal and even Covid-19, but these are all sensitively handled and show how in life we are all faced with choices to make that will influence what happens next. Some of those choices may be bad choices, but at the end of the day, true friendships can weather the storms that may follow.
This was a beautifully written story about friendship, that is immensely relatable, and will give you the chance to reflect on your own friendships and how they have shaped you. It certainly gave me pause for thought.
November 26, 2023
girlhood!
March 22, 2021
This was a strange one for me because it's a good book but didn't quite land with me. I'm surprised by that because it had all the makings of something I should enjoy. Nat and Zoe have been best friends since they met crying in two side-by-side bathroom cubicles as teenagers.
From there, we follow their lives together through all the trials and tribulations that comes with your teens and twenties – finding your feet, relationships, sexuality, body confidence, motherhood, and so much more. It's also the first book I've read where the pandemic features as we hit the year 2020 and that was interesting to think about, whether the over the years books of the future will include it or gloss over it.
The view we get of that is well done. It tells us a lot about the lurking insecurities and bravado we can put on during these years, even with the people that are closest to use. How much we have to deal with over a short few years as we try to get to grips with being out in the world. How sometimes that growth can be in different directions to the people youn love the most.
Somehow for me though, the characters just weren't people I could warm to. I found a lot more to like in Zoe but Nat often frustrated me to no end. While I recognise that this was the journey she was on and the growing up she had to do, that frustration took me out of the book pretty often.
That said, I thought the pacing was fantastic and the path it took through their lives made perfect sense for their characters. It threw up enough obstacles to keep you interested but not so much that it was unrealistic. I'd recommend it to many of my friends in their 20s because I think a lot of them will find something they relate to in this.
From there, we follow their lives together through all the trials and tribulations that comes with your teens and twenties – finding your feet, relationships, sexuality, body confidence, motherhood, and so much more. It's also the first book I've read where the pandemic features as we hit the year 2020 and that was interesting to think about, whether the over the years books of the future will include it or gloss over it.
The view we get of that is well done. It tells us a lot about the lurking insecurities and bravado we can put on during these years, even with the people that are closest to use. How much we have to deal with over a short few years as we try to get to grips with being out in the world. How sometimes that growth can be in different directions to the people youn love the most.
Somehow for me though, the characters just weren't people I could warm to. I found a lot more to like in Zoe but Nat often frustrated me to no end. While I recognise that this was the journey she was on and the growing up she had to do, that frustration took me out of the book pretty often.
That said, I thought the pacing was fantastic and the path it took through their lives made perfect sense for their characters. It threw up enough obstacles to keep you interested but not so much that it was unrealistic. I'd recommend it to many of my friends in their 20s because I think a lot of them will find something they relate to in this.
June 18, 2021
I only managed to read the first 100 pages because I just thought it was boring. Maybe I just couldn’t relate to the characters? Especially when they’re 18 they sound so young still. All they talk about is sex and boys and neither of them have any goals so I struggled with wanting to read it as I just didn’t care about the characters.
I did laugh out loud a few times but not enough for me to finish it.
(Sorry ☹️)
Just so disappointed because I’ve wasted my money.
I did laugh out loud a few times but not enough for me to finish it.
(Sorry ☹️)
Just so disappointed because I’ve wasted my money.
September 10, 2023
3.5/5.
March 14, 2025
I wanted to read this book because I have enjoyed Lucy’s previous work, and I wanted to read more of her work. However, I struggled to get into this book and sort of hated Natalie.
This book is based on two friends over two decades. Based on their point of view, Natalie and Zoe have always shared everything. Hopeless crushes, emergency tampons, messy sex stories, work triumphs, those days where you can’t stop crying in the bathroom, those days where you can’t stop dancing on the bar. They even share the same birthday. The struggle is real, but they’ll always have each other. Except best friends' forever is a hard promise to keep. This is a story about growing up, falling apart, and the friendships that hold us together.
I liked the storyline and how it shows dual POV within the same year and how each chapter was a new year from the two decades. I loved that it was the same day every year being their birthdays. I loved Zoe, she was having a rough time from page one and yet trying to be the perfect friend to Natalie because Natalie was lonely. I liked that it shows the how the other person sees the other one like Natalie thinks Zoe is so sex positive and confident where Zoe was insecure and scared and Zoe thinks Natalie has this perfect family and isn’t fat like Natalie believes but Natalie thinks she is this dork and is massive.
I related to Natalie with the body issues, but she drove me nuts from page one she just had such a pick me vibe and couldn’t be happy with anyone else and only wanted Zoe but also wanted Zoe’s brother and knew Zoe wouldn’t be happy but didn’t care. Natalie took forever to grow up and the years apart were needed for Zoe to either accept Natalie and her brother being together or not and for Natalie to realise how she went about and to understand why she hurt Zoe. When the ending was during the pandemic and that Natalie was ill, I was worried that this book was going to be about losing someone and grief and thought Natalie was going to die of COVID. And then it jumped to someone else but someone that I came to enjoy seeing during the book.
Overall, this book just reminds you that life is messy, and you never know what someone is going through so even though they seem like they have their life together, they might not.
This book is based on two friends over two decades. Based on their point of view, Natalie and Zoe have always shared everything. Hopeless crushes, emergency tampons, messy sex stories, work triumphs, those days where you can’t stop crying in the bathroom, those days where you can’t stop dancing on the bar. They even share the same birthday. The struggle is real, but they’ll always have each other. Except best friends' forever is a hard promise to keep. This is a story about growing up, falling apart, and the friendships that hold us together.
I liked the storyline and how it shows dual POV within the same year and how each chapter was a new year from the two decades. I loved that it was the same day every year being their birthdays. I loved Zoe, she was having a rough time from page one and yet trying to be the perfect friend to Natalie because Natalie was lonely. I liked that it shows the how the other person sees the other one like Natalie thinks Zoe is so sex positive and confident where Zoe was insecure and scared and Zoe thinks Natalie has this perfect family and isn’t fat like Natalie believes but Natalie thinks she is this dork and is massive.
I related to Natalie with the body issues, but she drove me nuts from page one she just had such a pick me vibe and couldn’t be happy with anyone else and only wanted Zoe but also wanted Zoe’s brother and knew Zoe wouldn’t be happy but didn’t care. Natalie took forever to grow up and the years apart were needed for Zoe to either accept Natalie and her brother being together or not and for Natalie to realise how she went about and to understand why she hurt Zoe. When the ending was during the pandemic and that Natalie was ill, I was worried that this book was going to be about losing someone and grief and thought Natalie was going to die of COVID. And then it jumped to someone else but someone that I came to enjoy seeing during the book.
Overall, this book just reminds you that life is messy, and you never know what someone is going through so even though they seem like they have their life together, they might not.
January 18, 2025
Friendship is complex. And a lifelong friendship even more so. I've been best friends with, well, my best friend since we were 5 years old. We've had ups. We've had downs. We've laughed. We've cried. We've yelled and screamed and fought and made up and everything in between. I love her with every fiber of my being. And maybe that's why this book appeals to me so much. I'm used to some romance from Lucy Vine. But this love story - the love between best friends - is the love story I needed to read right now.
Our story opens with a look at the history of Natalie and Zoe's friendship. From how they met, to where they're at with each other as the years go on. We watch them both grow. But we also get a front row seat to how their friendship changes over the years.
I loved seeing them both grow up, and mature, and go through life together. I loved seeing the ups and the downs of their friendship. It was refreshing to see the truth of the changes a friendship can take as the years go on. It was also refreshing to see the messy parts of life told in such an unfiltered, authentic way.
Life is messy. And when life is messy, we make all kinds of choices - some good, some bad, some in the middle. And those choices often affect the ones the love in varying ways that we can't control.
And that's the heart of what this book is about. The choices we make, and the consequences - good and bad - of those choices.
Zoe and Natalie have weathered it all. They've been through various levels of hell together. And they've survived a hell of a lot. But they never forgot their connection. Never forgot about each other. And their love and respect for each other grew all the stronger, even through their toughest patches.
Their friendship wasn't always sunshine and rainbows. No friendship ever is. Ups and downs, peaks and valleys. But that's what growing up is all about. And your best friends have a choice - they can grow with you and support you, or you can leave them behind. I've been through both. And the friends that grow with you? The ones who support you? Those are the people who make surviving on this spinning rock in the sky worth it.
Our story opens with a look at the history of Natalie and Zoe's friendship. From how they met, to where they're at with each other as the years go on. We watch them both grow. But we also get a front row seat to how their friendship changes over the years.
I loved seeing them both grow up, and mature, and go through life together. I loved seeing the ups and the downs of their friendship. It was refreshing to see the truth of the changes a friendship can take as the years go on. It was also refreshing to see the messy parts of life told in such an unfiltered, authentic way.
Life is messy. And when life is messy, we make all kinds of choices - some good, some bad, some in the middle. And those choices often affect the ones the love in varying ways that we can't control.
And that's the heart of what this book is about. The choices we make, and the consequences - good and bad - of those choices.
Zoe and Natalie have weathered it all. They've been through various levels of hell together. And they've survived a hell of a lot. But they never forgot their connection. Never forgot about each other. And their love and respect for each other grew all the stronger, even through their toughest patches.
Their friendship wasn't always sunshine and rainbows. No friendship ever is. Ups and downs, peaks and valleys. But that's what growing up is all about. And your best friends have a choice - they can grow with you and support you, or you can leave them behind. I've been through both. And the friends that grow with you? The ones who support you? Those are the people who make surviving on this spinning rock in the sky worth it.
June 12, 2021
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much whilst reading before!
Bad Choices is the story of two best friends, Zoe and Nat, told over two decades, usually on the birthday which they share. Whilst the two couldn’t be more different, they share the kind of friendship which is more like family - they often live together, they celebrate each birthday together, they even poop together. But there’s always been a bit of an imbalance in the friendship - whilst one is riding high, the other isn’t so successful, and when one’s happiness comes at the price of the others’, it might be impossible to keep their friendship alive...
Let me begin with how bloody relatable so much of this story is - the timeline pretty much fits perfectly with my age so all of the pop culture references just had me so nostalgic.
Whilst this story will have you laughing out loud pretty much constantly, it’s also surprisingly tender and not afraid to tackle emotional topics like abortion, miscarriage, and infidelity - Nat and Zoe go through all of these huge life stages together and the whole novel is just such a beautiful ode to best friendship. I loved the way that the author could easily have turned this into a romance or focused on Nat’s love story (which could be a novel in itself!), but she stayed true to the friendship. Everything else - men, women, careers, family - was background to the star of the show, which is this perfectly imperfect friendship.
The little snippets of the present day were also very clever - whilst I planned on reading maybe half before bedtime, I ended up devouring the whole book in one go because the hint of what might be happening in the present was too intriguing and I was too emotionally involved to wait to find out!
I just loved every second of this book - it’s heartwarming, honest, hilarious and pretty much the first thing I’d put into anyone who says women aren’t funny’s hands. I just felt utterly connected to these characters and their story, and I’ll pretty much be reading everything by the author now!
Bad Choices is the story of two best friends, Zoe and Nat, told over two decades, usually on the birthday which they share. Whilst the two couldn’t be more different, they share the kind of friendship which is more like family - they often live together, they celebrate each birthday together, they even poop together. But there’s always been a bit of an imbalance in the friendship - whilst one is riding high, the other isn’t so successful, and when one’s happiness comes at the price of the others’, it might be impossible to keep their friendship alive...
Let me begin with how bloody relatable so much of this story is - the timeline pretty much fits perfectly with my age so all of the pop culture references just had me so nostalgic.
Whilst this story will have you laughing out loud pretty much constantly, it’s also surprisingly tender and not afraid to tackle emotional topics like abortion, miscarriage, and infidelity - Nat and Zoe go through all of these huge life stages together and the whole novel is just such a beautiful ode to best friendship. I loved the way that the author could easily have turned this into a romance or focused on Nat’s love story (which could be a novel in itself!), but she stayed true to the friendship. Everything else - men, women, careers, family - was background to the star of the show, which is this perfectly imperfect friendship.
The little snippets of the present day were also very clever - whilst I planned on reading maybe half before bedtime, I ended up devouring the whole book in one go because the hint of what might be happening in the present was too intriguing and I was too emotionally involved to wait to find out!
I just loved every second of this book - it’s heartwarming, honest, hilarious and pretty much the first thing I’d put into anyone who says women aren’t funny’s hands. I just felt utterly connected to these characters and their story, and I’ll pretty much be reading everything by the author now!
February 24, 2021
4.5/5
I loved this book. Loved it!
Lucy writes about female friendships so honestly and in such a relatable way. I loved reading about Natalie and Zoe and thought that writing the book in their alternate POVs was great. I felt a part of their friendship and didn’t want to leave once I’d finished.
I loved that the book took place over 20 years, each chapter taking place around the same time each year on their friendship anniversary.
The book explores the complexities of our teenage years, high school, leaving school and coming of age and self and what it means to be an adult, life choices and how they lead us in different paths. I think this is very much a love story about those once in a lifetime special friendships.
The 00’s nostalgia was honestly brilliant and I laughed out loud at loads of the references.
I would read this if you love contemporary fiction about friendship, family, life and love. Great for fans of Lia Louis, Talia Hibbert, Mhairi MacFarlane and Lindsey Kelk.
RIP Little Chef.
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Content warnings:
Bullying, parental estrangement, fat shaming, homophobia, adultery, COVID-19, death, funerals, miscarriage, pregnancy termination, emotional abuse and manipulation.
I loved this book. Loved it!
Lucy writes about female friendships so honestly and in such a relatable way. I loved reading about Natalie and Zoe and thought that writing the book in their alternate POVs was great. I felt a part of their friendship and didn’t want to leave once I’d finished.
I loved that the book took place over 20 years, each chapter taking place around the same time each year on their friendship anniversary.
The book explores the complexities of our teenage years, high school, leaving school and coming of age and self and what it means to be an adult, life choices and how they lead us in different paths. I think this is very much a love story about those once in a lifetime special friendships.
The 00’s nostalgia was honestly brilliant and I laughed out loud at loads of the references.
I would read this if you love contemporary fiction about friendship, family, life and love. Great for fans of Lia Louis, Talia Hibbert, Mhairi MacFarlane and Lindsey Kelk.
RIP Little Chef.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Content warnings:
Bullying, parental estrangement, fat shaming, homophobia, adultery, COVID-19, death, funerals, miscarriage, pregnancy termination, emotional abuse and manipulation.
Read
October 15, 2021As one of the readers of the book, "Bad Choices," I would like to rate it a 5/5 for a comedy book. At times, I would read it when I'm having a bad day, and it would cheer me up because of it's humour. I first read off that Zoe and Natalie were both crying in the bathroom when they first met and who knew their friendship was a lifelong kind of one. The friendship even lasts up to when one of them gets pregnant and gets married. These two main characters went through thick and thin with each other, especially when they took a year gap from each other through a fight. I never knew I was going to laugh so much for this book, yet I have never laughed so much for a book. Throughout the whole book, it was funny, sad, endangering, warm, mad, joyful, dramatic, girly, silly, playful, serious, many things. A book has never made me feel all these kinds of different emotions before. This friendship is a good one to get to know, to even read through 320 pages. It would feel as if you were right there but they can't see you. If you really would like a good laugh and warmth through a good read, Bad Choices is a good choice for you.
May 25, 2021
Enjoyable and funny story about a strong female friendship across the years. Relatable and full of emotion this book makes you realise how important good girl friendships actually are and how much
Written from both Natalie and Zoe’s POV across the years it was great to see both sides of the friendship and what they were thinking as they experience life happenings, relationships and trauma in their lives. Throughout the book there were lots of nostalgic references that made me chuckle and think ‘gosh remember that’. The story starts in early 2000 and goes right through to present day and even mentions Covid which is the first book I have read to do this. Doesn’t it make it real!
Lucy Vine writes really well and this is a past paced novel that flows easily. Quite unlike her previous novels it took me a little while to make the switch in my head from what I was expecting. But it’s a funny, good book with moments of heartbreak that keep it real.
Thanks to Lucy Vine, NetGalley abs Orion Publishing for my gifted copy.
3.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 14, 2023
I absolutely loved this book!
I really enjoyed the way this book was written, how it started out at the beginning of their friendship then progressed every year. At the beginning of the book I wasn't sure if I was going to like it because it felt a bit cringey but as I got further into the book it completely changed.
The author described the events that happened in different years so well, I really felt like I was being transported back to the years she was talking about. The detail was so good and made it much more believable.
I said I never wanted to read about or watch something about the pandemic ever as it was so awful in the first place, but the way that it was wrote about in this book was really brief and didn't make me want to shrivel up into a ball thinking about it again.
There were also a lot of events in the book that people are able to relate too and the author dealt with a lot of sensitive subjects so well. I would 100% come back and read this book as I really enjoyed it.
Would really like to read more of Lucy Vine's books.
I really enjoyed the way this book was written, how it started out at the beginning of their friendship then progressed every year. At the beginning of the book I wasn't sure if I was going to like it because it felt a bit cringey but as I got further into the book it completely changed.
The author described the events that happened in different years so well, I really felt like I was being transported back to the years she was talking about. The detail was so good and made it much more believable.
I said I never wanted to read about or watch something about the pandemic ever as it was so awful in the first place, but the way that it was wrote about in this book was really brief and didn't make me want to shrivel up into a ball thinking about it again.
There were also a lot of events in the book that people are able to relate too and the author dealt with a lot of sensitive subjects so well. I would 100% come back and read this book as I really enjoyed it.
Would really like to read more of Lucy Vine's books.
June 15, 2021
I genuinely think Lucy Vine is the BEST writer of female friendships and feelings out there. I cannot think of anyone better, especially having now read three of her books. She’s also brilliant at feelings and HONESTY. HONESTY. Such a big one that most authors can be so rubbish at.
Big fan of the way this book was written - you didn’t get to hear every word of every argument or the making up afterwards, just what had happened a year later which I found a really interesting and unique style. As someone born in 1985, there was SO much I could relate to in this book (Sugar magazine and Darius to name but a few).
This book is also funny and my heart nearly stopped at the end where you thought the bad thing was happening. Jeez Louise.
Just dropped a star as while it was great to read such realness in the female leads, there were a few odd bits (her dad’s weather puns, Zoe’s mum felt a bit of an odd pathway but I understand why she was built in) but such a great book!
Big fan of the way this book was written - you didn’t get to hear every word of every argument or the making up afterwards, just what had happened a year later which I found a really interesting and unique style. As someone born in 1985, there was SO much I could relate to in this book (Sugar magazine and Darius to name but a few).
This book is also funny and my heart nearly stopped at the end where you thought the bad thing was happening. Jeez Louise.
Just dropped a star as while it was great to read such realness in the female leads, there were a few odd bits (her dad’s weather puns, Zoe’s mum felt a bit of an odd pathway but I understand why she was built in) but such a great book!
September 22, 2021
I really enjoyed Lucy Vine’s latest novel, Bad Choices. I was completely engrossed in this honest, entertaining and, at times, emotional story of two women and their twenty-year-long friendship, with its ups and downs, its secrets and revelations.
Natalie and Zoe met when they were fourteen years old, both crying in a loo cubicle on their own birthday. From that moment, a beautiful, close, and strong friendship is born and we meet them every year as they celebrate their birthdays together, sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with friends and families. As they celebrate yet another birthday, we learn more about them, about their struggles, their hopes, and their dreams. About their love, their jobs, and their lives. Things change, but Natalie and Zoe are still best friends.
I liked the characters of Natalie and Zoe. They feel realistic and relatable, I felt for them at their lowest, I cheered for them when they succeeded. Sometimes, I found Natalie a little annoying – she is the first to admit that she is always annoying -, but I liked her enthusiasm and how she speaks without filters, her dialogue a stream of thought that it often made me laugh. On the other hand, Zoe is bit reserved and introvert, keeping things more to herself. Despite being different, despite a few betrayals and jealousies, their friendship is authentic and strong.
Bad Choices is a brilliant and beautiful story that I devoured in two days. Highly recommended!
Natalie and Zoe met when they were fourteen years old, both crying in a loo cubicle on their own birthday. From that moment, a beautiful, close, and strong friendship is born and we meet them every year as they celebrate their birthdays together, sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with friends and families. As they celebrate yet another birthday, we learn more about them, about their struggles, their hopes, and their dreams. About their love, their jobs, and their lives. Things change, but Natalie and Zoe are still best friends.
I liked the characters of Natalie and Zoe. They feel realistic and relatable, I felt for them at their lowest, I cheered for them when they succeeded. Sometimes, I found Natalie a little annoying – she is the first to admit that she is always annoying -, but I liked her enthusiasm and how she speaks without filters, her dialogue a stream of thought that it often made me laugh. On the other hand, Zoe is bit reserved and introvert, keeping things more to herself. Despite being different, despite a few betrayals and jealousies, their friendship is authentic and strong.
Bad Choices is a brilliant and beautiful story that I devoured in two days. Highly recommended!
April 27, 2021
What a glorious story of female friendship - I loved it.
Natalie and Zoe first become friends when they are hiding out crying in the school toilets one day - they realise they share a birthday, and so much more besides. They decide to share their celebrations, and the book follows them through the years, through school, university, jobs and first loves, switching between the two viewpoints and giving the reader little insights into thoughts that the other friend might not know, It moves from 2004 to the present day, encompassing world changes, new technologies and even Covid along the way.
Emotionally packed and very funny, Bad Choices rang so many bells for me with my friendships across the years and certainly makes me appreciate my brilliant friends too!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it
Natalie and Zoe first become friends when they are hiding out crying in the school toilets one day - they realise they share a birthday, and so much more besides. They decide to share their celebrations, and the book follows them through the years, through school, university, jobs and first loves, switching between the two viewpoints and giving the reader little insights into thoughts that the other friend might not know, It moves from 2004 to the present day, encompassing world changes, new technologies and even Covid along the way.
Emotionally packed and very funny, Bad Choices rang so many bells for me with my friendships across the years and certainly makes me appreciate my brilliant friends too!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it
August 19, 2021
Bad Choices follows the friendship of Zoe & Natalie over the course of two decades, from meeting at high school all the way to fully grown adults - the story is a true exploration of female friendship in all its wonderful and complicated glory.
Whilst this novel is highly entertaining, an at times I could relate it to some of my own friendships, I felt that this was slightly rushed in parts as the book is just under 200 pages. Also a slight spoiler alert, but I also felt a bit gutted when the story brought us up to the present day, and the pandemic was mentioned - fully aware that it's hard to ignore but it would have been nice to have a bit of escapism and a break from what is going on in the world - but that's just me!
That being said, I'll be definitely looking into getting other books written by Lucy Vine as I did thoroughly enjoy her writing style and humour!
Whilst this novel is highly entertaining, an at times I could relate it to some of my own friendships, I felt that this was slightly rushed in parts as the book is just under 200 pages. Also a slight spoiler alert, but I also felt a bit gutted when the story brought us up to the present day, and the pandemic was mentioned - fully aware that it's hard to ignore but it would have been nice to have a bit of escapism and a break from what is going on in the world - but that's just me!
That being said, I'll be definitely looking into getting other books written by Lucy Vine as I did thoroughly enjoy her writing style and humour!
August 17, 2024
I picked this book up hoping for a quick read that would feel similar to some of the Dolly Alderton books Ive read.
I wouldn’t say I was disappointed but just left a little bit bored. The first 250 pages felt like a drag and the spoon feeding of information became a little repetitive.
I loved Natalie as a character and would’ve preferred the book with just her. I found Zoe insufferable and irritating to the point where I’d stop reading when I reached her chapters.
The very obvious references to things like My Space and Little chef were funny at first but then began to feel a little too much, almost used to spoonfeed the reader that this book takes place over 20 or so years.
I think this book just maybe wasn’t for me and concept wise I think ‘One Day’ executed the idea far better with much more complex writing :)
I wouldn’t say I was disappointed but just left a little bit bored. The first 250 pages felt like a drag and the spoon feeding of information became a little repetitive.
I loved Natalie as a character and would’ve preferred the book with just her. I found Zoe insufferable and irritating to the point where I’d stop reading when I reached her chapters.
The very obvious references to things like My Space and Little chef were funny at first but then began to feel a little too much, almost used to spoonfeed the reader that this book takes place over 20 or so years.
I think this book just maybe wasn’t for me and concept wise I think ‘One Day’ executed the idea far better with much more complex writing :)
December 3, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
The 1d fanfic is honestly one of the best book endings I’ve ever read like that’s so me. Anyways. I did enjoy however like one day the concept of it being so many years and shorter chapters always around the same time in the year does allow for you to see the characters outline develop but makes it hard to go deep with that development imo. I feel like not speaking for 3 years would have more of a resolution if they were to be friends again (also Natalie not telling her sister in law/best friend she’s pregnant wtf😭) the book feels kinda skewed towards Natalie tbh and I’m maybe too much of a grudge holder but Zoe is better than me tbh lol. The ending/ second half is kinda depressing but I guess probably realistic? Zoe’s abortion just felt like a plot device to get them to speak again im gonna be honest
The 1d fanfic is honestly one of the best book endings I’ve ever read like that’s so me. Anyways. I did enjoy however like one day the concept of it being so many years and shorter chapters always around the same time in the year does allow for you to see the characters outline develop but makes it hard to go deep with that development imo. I feel like not speaking for 3 years would have more of a resolution if they were to be friends again (also Natalie not telling her sister in law/best friend she’s pregnant wtf😭) the book feels kinda skewed towards Natalie tbh and I’m maybe too much of a grudge holder but Zoe is better than me tbh lol. The ending/ second half is kinda depressing but I guess probably realistic? Zoe’s abortion just felt like a plot device to get them to speak again im gonna be honest
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2021
Lucy Vine writes relentlessly funny and authentic female friendships SO WELL and this book delivers that in bucket loads. Natalie and Zoe are so brilliantly fleshed out that I feel fiercely protective over them. We revisit them every year for twenty years and OH BOY does this pack an emotional punch at times. There’s a brilliant balance of drama, comedy, and a whole heap of nostalgia that you’ll relate to if you were a teen in the noughties. Our female friends are so often our first and most enduring loves, weathering storms and riding the highs. Bad Choices examines the way that friends shape and are shaped by one another and I love that Lucy has given space to this. Also, kudos to the dedication of the 1D fan fiction. If you know, you know.
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