I Used to Have a Plan: But Life Had Other Ideas

by Alessandra Olanow

Balm for the soul—Alessandra Olanow offers advice, inspiration, and encouragement for anyone who needs a shoulder to lean on during a difficult time.

“I Know This Too Shall Pass. (But It Would Be Helpful to Know When).” After a series of events left her a divorced single mother questioning herself, her relationships, and basically, everything she thought was true about her “picture-perfect” life, Alessandra Olanow began drawing and posting illustrations on Instagram that reflected her feelings and struggles to right her life. She chronicled her journey of healing, expressing the shock, delusion, denial, self-pity, and self-doubt she experienced and the self-empathy and forgiveness that ultimately helped her regain a sense of self—but stronger, more fearless, and more hopeful than before. Her charming illustrations and keen, memorable observations—struck a chord. Within a year, her audience grew dramatically, from 9,500 to 157,000 followers, including celebrities Katie Couric, Jennifer Garner, Elise Loehnen (chief content officer at Goop), the poet Joao Doederlein, and Joanna Goddard (founder of A Cup of Jo).  I Used to Have a Plan brings Olanow’s soothing sensibility to a wider audience, featuring new drawings and ideas that touch upon the universal experiences of unexpected change and loss. Divided into five parts—“I Didn’t See That Coming,” “It’s OK That You’re Not OK,” “Where’d I Go,” “The Only Way Out Is Through,” and “I Like It Here, Can I Stay a While?”—the book beautifully encapsulates the experience of encountering difficulty, processing it and healing from it, and becoming stronger and with a better sense of self.  Full of advice, commiseration, empathy, and wit that is comforting, helpful, direct, and remarkable in its truth, I Used to Have a Plan helps everyone through the painful yet ultimately uplifting process of healing. I Used to Have a Plan includes 75-100 illustrations.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Poetry, Graphic Novels, Mental Health, Art, Memoir

128 pages, Hardcover

Published December 29, 2020

Reviews

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Harper Design) in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a gem of a book!

The book is full of illustrations and sayings to help you through tough times. It is divided up into 5 sections for every step in your journey. I found the whole thing to be so relatable. My life has definitely not gone according to plan. There were many pictures/sayings that resonated with me. I particularly liked one in the beginning that said, “This was not how it was supposed to go” with a headstone that said “My ego” on the opposite page. That one hit hard.



I loved the overall aesthetic of the artwork. It was very clean and simple yet still packed a punch. Because of its simplicity, it had a calming effect.

I also liked the short introduction that the author wrote explaining the inspiration of the book. I can tell that the book comes from her heart and experiences.

The book is fairly basic, so I wished there was a little bit more in terms of depth and content. It could have been expanded more.

Overall, I loved how relatable this book is! I recommend it for anyone who may need a little pick me up after life knocks them down.

[STEPH · Rating 2 out of 5]

Happy New Year!

First read of 2023!

This book made me feel good about myself. Reminded me that my problems and my struggles are not permanent.

The illustrations were also spot on and aesthetically beautiful. Totally represents my mood most of the time. But the message is clear and I appreciate it.

Pick up this book if you're feeling a bit morose and broken. This just might help you feel hopeful.

Cheers to more books this year! 🎉

[luna_inthesouth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed a short read because nothing is getting me out of my slump atp!!!

A beautiful quote from this book:

the only way out is through

[Daina Chakma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short yet so powerful!

[Fareya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet, with the cutest illustrations and a line or two accompanying them, most of which were oh so relatable, I Used to Have a Plan: But Life Had Other Ideas by Alessandra Olanow is truly a "balm for the soul". I mean how often do you read something that's both uplifting and hilarious, not to mention adorable. This is the type of book you can put on your side table and just flip through whenever. I loved every page, and it has earned its spot near another one of my favorites - Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You.. If you're a fan of cute little books with beautiful illustrations and inspiring lines, please add this to your list.

** A free finished copy was provided by Harper Books. All opinions are my own**

[Karley Essington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the simplicity of this book. It's something to keep on your bedside table for the hard days. I loved the drawings. Every page was relatable and hit home.

[GabbyGetsReading · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are very well done but the message barely scraped the surface. When I was flipping through this in the bookstore I thought it would be something that would make me feel vulnerable in my struggles and how the author overcame these constant emotions. However, this book could have been written on one page because all the pages mean the same thing, "life sucks right now but just take it one day at a time, dont try to understand everything and realize that it gets better". This kind of made me angry because as someone who suffers from mental illness it felt like the author really wasn't addressing anything but rather wanted to showcase their illustrations and had to slap some "self help/ learn to love yourself" quotes in there.

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I USED TO HAVE A PLAN is a gorgeous book with the best messages to lift you up when you are down or when life takes an unexpected turn. And we all have days, weeks, months, heck we all had a year if being honest.

The message is simple yet sears through - this will definitely help through a patch when life gets a bit tough.

Hopeful and fun to read, and with illustrations that says a thousand words, everyone can surely relate to this book.

This also makes an amazing gift for a friend.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and simple gem reminding that while your plans for life may blow up, you learn and continue on.

A couple of her words of wisdom:

“On the other side of fear is freedom.”

“Dear Self, I am not where I want to be, but at least I’m not where I used to be. XO, Me.”

[Mariem · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
********
_ the painful times
The once we think will bury us , are often the exact ones that open us up .


“Some of our greatest battles are with ourselves “

“I have no idea where I’m going,but I’m on my way “.

[Kiera · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a super cute illustrated book, very quick read.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ "Today I will live in the moment and that moment is in bed." 😂

A heartfelt collection filled with timely reminders about embracing life with all its changes and unpredictability. Funny, comforting and feels like a much-needed hug.

❤️ It's okay to be messy
❤️ It's okay to not have everything planned out
❤️ It's okay if you are still finding your way
❤️ Grow through what you go through
❤️ Life is about starting over and over and over again
❤️ I'm not where I want to be but at least I'm not where I used to be

[Kiera Kuzinski · Rating 1 out of 5]

read with soph in line for onyx storm

[Olivia M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and effective

[lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I really liked the illustrations!!! The book had a good message to it! I just wished the words used weren’t so bland.

[Niyousha · Rating 3 out of 5]

موقع هات چاکلت خوردن توی بارنز اند نوبل خوندمش... ده دقیقه ای تموم شد... بعدشم رفتم گذاشتمش سرجاش...

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book costs $16.99.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The visuals were lovely, but I wish the narration hadn't been so uninteresting.

[Rhea · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really liked this book! the illustrations capture certain emotions so well - they are cute, genuine, and sincere. it was uplifting yet also empathetic. i'm excited to check out more of alessandra olanow's work!

[Rainy Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light read and I finished it in one go. The illustrations are cute but the messages did not really moved me. There's also a lot of blank pages in this book, hence it felt like I'm skipping most part of it. What I like about this book is only the illustrations. Otherwise, it's quite... bland.

[Sophia Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this while waiting for Onyx Storm with Kiera, who can’t read.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alessandra Olanow’s I Used to Have a Plan is an illustrated pickmeup. As she says in her introduction, “This book is a tribute to letting go of my need for predictability and embracing life with its twists and turns.”
.
The illustrations are comforting and the message is uplifting. It’s the sort of book you’ll want to open again and again when things aren’t going your way. Second image is from Olanow’s introduction.
.
My favorite page: “Maybe if I change my hair, it will all work out.” Because who *hasn’t* tried that as a strategy.

[Hannah Degn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to know I’m not alone

(Just some fun, cool sketches + words that offer moral support when you’re feeling down!)

[Almedina · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dear self,

I'm not where I want to be, but at least I'm not where I used to be."

[Rachel Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this darling little book at Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City. I was drawn in by the gorgeous illustrations and the compelling + completely relatable title. This would make a great gift, so I’m glad I treated myself to a copy.

There were a few spots where I thought the author could have gone a little deeper/moved away from some cliched phrases, but overall I thought the writing was vulnerable and profound.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this beautiful little book.

[Eva S.T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ilustraciones sencillas pero que a la vez te llegan. Frases cortas pero con mucho mensaje. Creo que viene bien leerlo para sentirte comprendida cuando tenemos esos días en los que estamos más bajitas de ánimo, y la vida sigue.

[Donna Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I needed at this time.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

A one-sitting read. The character drawings are compelling but I was not a fan of all the other filler pages of just shapes with words in them. Maybe some would like those though. A few of the pages were profound on their own but over all the sentiment is shallow for the reader. I empathize with the author but there's not much for the reader. Again, the figure drawings, the postures of the figure, even without any words at all are really compelling on their own.

[Weronika Zimna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ | It's a cute little book, though I must admit it feels a bit... forgettable.
Still, I enjoyed flipping through it. It's oh so easy to empathize with the feelings caught between these pages. And as I love @aolanow's illustrations and her aesthetics in general, I do not regret supporting the artist :)