I have read countless books about mothers - post natal depression, mums struggling to cope, mums struggling with society’s expectations to be perfect. I have to admit that I am probably not the intended audience for this kind of novel, as this may appeal more to women who are at a similar stage in their lives and of a similar age to Nell, but there were a lot of aspects of this novel which I really appreciated. They were going to get married, have babies, and spend the rest of their lives together, until they weren’t.

Following the poignant and relatable journey of a lead that you just can’t help but root for, we bear witness to Nell Stevens’ disaster movie of a life. I despaired with Nell as she dealt with a number of common problems faced by forty somethings, there were funny moments, but also areas of pure understanding. But I decided to give Confessions of a Forty Something the benefit of the doubt and I started to read the Prologue.I wondered if it would be alienating to me and my generation or if there would be pockets of the story I would be able to identify with (not that you have to identify with every story).

There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. And I could relate to Nell quite a lot which is a credit to Potter writing her character really well.

What drew me in was that I knew I could understand how it would feel to be a childless woman in a world where it seems like everyone I know is becoming a mother or has plans to become a mother in the next little while. But the most unexpected surprise is when Nell strikes up a friendship with an eighty something year old widow whose husband she’s writing an obituary piece about. And by “everything” she meant an Instagrammable idyll: husband, children, beautiful home, and, somehow, the body of a bikini model. Confessions of a Forty-Something was such an enjoyable read and I didn't know what to do with myself when I finished Alexandra Potter's novel. Că societatea îți impune un anume model chiar dacă nu ți se potrivește și, de-a lungul timpului, te face să te îndoiești de tot ce crezi tu că ai realizat.