Not Going To Plan

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR WRITING 2026

A powerful verse novel about sexual consent, unplanned pregnancy and the breaking of taboos.

MARNIE'S REALLY MESSED UP THIS TIME.

Expelled and forced to change schools, the only empty seat in Marnie's new school is next to Zed, a nerd with zero tolerance for mistakes. Marnie (skilled at art and Spanish, struggles with numbers) can't wait to lose her virginity. Zed (brilliant at maths and physics, loathes languages) is a loner who can't stand being touched. They couldn't be less alike, but they both need good grades in the subjects they hate.

What starts as a trade in tuition turns into an unlikely friendship - and after Marnie has sex with a boy who lies about using a condom, she needs Zed's help to make the hardest decision of her life.

Review: NOT GOING TO PLAN is a truly hilarious, moving and beautiful novel that captures teenagehood, its pressures and its complexities so perfectly; it's such a vital story that I hope will spark much needed and long overdue conversations about agency, consent and our right to choose, and I absolutely adore Marnie and Zed; they will stay with me for a very long time. -- Margaret McDonald, author of Glasgow Boys
Told from two perspectives, this poignant, powerful, often hilarious 14+ verse novel asks questions about respect, consent and how to hold it together when the plan falls apart. -- Imogen Russell Williams * The Guardian *
After being expelled from private school, Marnie forms an unlikely friendship with class nerd Zed, which is then stretched to the limit when she falls pregnant by a boy who only pretended to use birth control. Fisher doesn't shy away from contentious topics - her excellent debut, Crossing the Line, explored county line recruitment - but her writing never feels preachy and her characters are real and complex. Her new book is a resonant and thought-provoking read, unsentimental but warm and funny. * The Observer *
Fisher doesn't shy away from contentious topics - her excellent debut, Crossing the Line, explored county line recruitment - but her writing never feels preachy and her characters are real and complex. Her new book is a resonant and thought-provoking read, unsentimental but warm and funny. -- Fiona Noble * The Observer *
Gorgeous, innovative and bold writing. UKYA at its finest. -- Sara Barnard, author of A Quiet Kind of Thunder