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

By: Julia Tuffs

Narrated by: Isy Suttie

"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.

Remarkably relatable for a very complex time in Womanhood

Excellent. So well written and relatable it has helped me to better understand what the heck is going on my own life mind and body these days of 40 :)

Kindred-ship

When I first read the title, I expected a general story about a list of ambitious but unattainable things to do.

Well! That theory was quickly shown to the door.

This is such a beautiful way to engage readers because nothing was predictable.
Not only is it relatable but captivating. It feels like such a day to day way of life but the spins at almost every turn demystify that quickly.
Loved it!
Can’t wait to read more of her books.
🥂 to womanhood.

I thought it was relevant and funny

Great narration. Love the righting style. Very funny and relevant to being in your mid forties.

Mid-40s Woman Self Destructs

The main character of this story was so selfish and self-absorbed. Not an enjoyable read.

A fun very relatable read

This was a cross between chick lit and self help lol not actual advice given but relatable as hell!

Warning label needed

This started out light and fluffy and took some deep dives in the middle. If you are ready for a deep dive into a mid-life crisis then this is for you!

laugh out loud

totally relatable, GREAT performance, I'm getting old too. 😭 well-developed characters, so funny! 15 words yet?

Nice read

Tons of character development. Deep dive into main character. Interesting buildups. Looking forward to another read by this author.

Selfish Main Character

I really didn’t like this character she was a terrible friend, selfish and self focused. The premise had more to say for her mental health issues than actually working toward something productive. I did like the evolution of the bucket list and the background characters but the main character drove me nuts.

I am 44…

And I loved it! Not only was the main character the right amount of insufferable, but she was funny, too. Narrator was awesome too!