Not Going To Plan: A powerful verse novel

Kicked out of the exclusive boarding school, where she has been a scholarship student, because of her disruptive behaviour, Marnie has only a few months until her GCSEs, which she must now sit at the local secondary. Unfortunately, Jessica, Marnie's nemesis from primary school, is in her class - and is not ready to let bygones be bygones. So Marnie strikes up an unlikely friendship with Zed, who is the other narrator of this verse novel.

On the face of it, the two could not be more different but agree to trade tutoring to help each other with their worst subjects. Out-and-proud Luca, and hockey-loving Christian, Rakel, join them in a diverse foursome, navigating their way through the ordeals of Year 11. Harry Borman is one such ordeal. Loud and bullying, but also handsome and flirtatious, Marnie thinks his birthday party could be their chance to get together. But the evening does not go to plan, with consequences Marnie didn't expect. Can her newfound friendships survive the fallout, just when she needs them the most?

There are some important messages in Not Going to Plan about toxic masculinity, consent and self-acceptance. Without wanting to give away any spoilers, there is a scene featuring a sexual assault, as well as a no-holds-barred description of a medical procedure which readers may find distressing.

I found Zed the most interesting character. He is a brilliant physicist, yet no good at Spanish, has an unusual relationship with his mum, and is portrayed as neurodiverse without that ever being spelled out. Otherwise, our four main characters tick all the boxes; in-work poverty, single-parent families, LGBTQ+, sporty, brainy, religious. Would these four really be friends? Meanwhile, the other characters feel rather one-dimensional - the bitch, the bad guy, the cool art tech.

By the end of the book, everything has been neatly wrapped up - relationships repaired, justice meted out - in a way that feels at odds with the serious nature of sexual assault and its aftermath. The issues in this book need to be talked about, and I am glad that the author is doing that. But we owe it to teenagers - to everyone - to be honest with them and I am not sure that Not Going to Plan achieves it.

400 pages / Reviewed by Kimberley Lawson, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 14+