If you like to read books about the contemporary world we live in this is a book for you. It is thoroughly entertaining and amusing and very easy to read. You could easily know this woman, actually she could be you. It is a thought provoking, light hearted story of a year in a woman's life, I really enjoyed it.

Deceptively light and easy to read, the book simultaneously considers issues and values relevant to our lives which will leave you musing after you've turned the final page. The text is both thoughtful and witty (genuinely found myself laughing out loud!), with twists and turns to the plot - the unpredictability (and relatability ) of family life!

I have just finished reading The Rollercoaster Year and wold recommend it to anyone who is looking for an optimistic, cheerful read at this awful time. So much of the book resonates with many wives' experience of bringing up children, keeping the home going and the feeling of grinding boredom of day after day of housework, and yet it is witty and entertaining, and there are a lot of laughs to be had. There is a wonderful ending to the book which should encourage all of us to keep going If you are sick of the kids and cooking and housework and long for an escape which reflects your real talents Read this book

Following the twists and turns of Jill Baxter’s rollercoaster year through her journal entries, Hester Thomas gives a wonderful intimacy and insight into Jill’s experiences during a period of enormous change in her life and the lives of those around her. It feels uncannily familiar at times as Hester Thomas puts her finger so accurately on the challenges of family life, relationships, personal and professional identity and the processes and consequences of change, upheaval and growth. Everything is carefully and acutely observed, from the seasons and rhythms of life to the heartache and anxieties of parenthood with a strong sense of place, time, art and culture woven throughout. It is sympathetic and witty. I laughed out loud, but with the sense that I was laughing with Jill Baxter much as I would when catching up with a good friend over a cuppa. The Rollercoaster Year will resonate with many people’s recent experiences of uncertainty and change and with the ongoing challenges that many of us face. It is an enjoyable and positive and above all optimistic read!

What a delightful and engaging account of a year in the life of a relatively ordinary middle class, middle aged woman. (It reminded me just a little of The Diary of a Nobody, but the main protagonist in The Rollercoaster Year, Jill Baxter, is a far more sympathetic character than Mr Pooter.) Jill is seeking purpose in her life now that a career in graphic design has lost some of its appeal and empty nest syndrome is threatening to take hold. We are taken on a journey through Jill’s year of self-discovery, as she starts to throw off the shackles of her old job and the demands of motherhood. An important element is that Jill’s exploration of “Mindfulness” and her well-observed, humorous but also poignant account of the minutiae of family life (with all its joys as well as its frustrations) remind us to appreciate not only our loved ones but also the little things in our lives. I would highly recommend Hester Thomas’ riveting and uplifting novel. It is a triumphant tale of everyday life, with some surprising twists and turns along the way.