45 Things To Do Before You're 45: A Novel cover art

45 Things To Do Before You're 45: A Novel

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45 Things To Do Before You're 45: A Novel

By: Julia Tuffs
Narrated by: Isy Suttie
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About this listen

"This isn’t how I pictured my life, you know? It was going to be fabulous. I was going to be fabulous.”

Meet Charlie; unfulfilled and perimenopausal, Charlie’s suburban life is a far cry from the Manhattan glamour she once dreamed of. Her husband is incapable of talking about anything other than his latest Ironman challenge, her sex life consists of fictional encounters with Hollywood stars, her kids need constant man-management, and to make things worse, her optician has just prescribed her reading glasses.

Oh, and she can’t stop crying at TV adverts…

In the hope of re-discovering her sense of self, Charlie begins writing a list: 45 things to do before she’s 45.

  1. Eat an oyster
  2. Take up parkour
  3. Read War and Peace
  4. Take ecstasy
  5. Try stand-up comedy
  6. Go to a sex club

Determined to complete them all, Charlie embarks on a chaotic odyssey through her own spectacular midlife crisis, challenging herself to become the person she wants to be. But what happens if we’re not that person? How do we learn to let them go? Or does something else have to give?

Uproariously funny and deeply human, 45 Things… is an all-too relatable story of what it means to be alive and how much living we all still have to do.

Narrated by the inimitable Isy Suttie (Peep Show), 45 Things... is the perfect listen for fans of Dolly Alderton, Caitlin Moran and Marian Keyes.

"There is so much to relate to. I can guarantee that if you're a woman and over thirty, you'll be nodding and laughing along!” – Laura Pearson, author of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont

©2024 Julia Tuffs (P)2025 Audible Ltd.
Contemporary Family Life Genre Fiction Romantic Comedy Funny
All stars
Most relevant  
The friendships, the honesty around human behaviour and struggles. The denial around alcohol misuse was pretty spot on. The workload of mothers also spot on. Forgetting to appreciate what we have when our friends are struggling was very well portrayed.
Overall very enjoyable!

The humour !

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I enjoyed the humour and the situational description.
It wasn’t too fanciful to be unbelievable as I’m guessing real-life experience was interwoven in the narrative. Life can be challenging but also rewarding.
Well read. Thank you for the performance.

A mid-life realisation journey.

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I just couldn’t do it. The narrator wasn’t for me, and the storyline just didn’t grab me. I was excited about this one too but only made it through four chapters

Only made it to chapter 4

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Started out a bit average but thought it might pick up, good narrator at least. The main character went through whatever the opposite of a redemption arc is and became truly unbearable. If you don't like her at the start - it really does not get better.

Good narrator but very frustrating story.

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The main character was horrible and completely self centred - really not an enjoyable read. Save yourself the time and look at other reviews too

Had to like a book when the main character is a terrible person

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