I really enjoyed this book. It’s refreshing to read a story that makes it perfectly ok to not conform with societal pressures to have your life together by your mid 20s. I loved the emotional moments as much as I did the funny and heartwarming moments.

An enjoyable and light-hearted read, that also deals with issues like mental health. I loved the bookshop and, as you might expect from Isy Suttie, there was a lovely humour to the book too.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this read. Quick paced, funny writing style and a plot that delivers. Highly recommended!

Isy Suttie is brilliant and I loved her memoir 'The Actual One' released a few years ago. For anyone not aware, Suttie has acted in a lot of loved shows but her favourite role of mine is playing Dobbie in Peep Show. I was also lucky enough to see her at the Fringe years ago and she was hilarious!

This is her first foray into fiction and I loved how fast-paced and chaotic the story was, while also being deeply emotional and tackling some tough subjects. The characters were all really distinctive and had strong personalities, especially the protagonist Jane.. Jane is in her late-thirties and life isn't exactly going to plan - she's going through a breakup from her fiance and dealing with heartbreak after trying for a baby for so long.

I saw Suttie talking about this book and reading some snippets at an event so I couldn't help but read the whole book in her voice! This definitely added to my enjoyment. There's some genuinely funny, laugh out loud lines in this.

I recommend this if you're looking for a light-hearted, fun, but meaningful novel - especially about life not going to plan in your thirties!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I was really pleased to hear Isy Suttie was writing a novel, as I've loved her comedy for a long time and we come from the same county. I definitely recognised Matlock and elements of other Derbyshire towns in her depiction of Foley. I thought Jane Is Trying was a very good debut, dealing with issues of mental health and pregnancy at a later stage, as well as challenging the idea that you have to stick with the way your life is just because it's always been that way. As a librarian, I also loved the depiction of the bookshop and the highs and lows of author events! It's a great start, and I'll be interested to see if Suttie writes more.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orion for a copy of “ Jane Is Trying” for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book as an admirer of Isy Suttie’s comedy work, and I was intrigued by the premise of someone who was full of anxieties trying to get through life .
I liked the first half of the book but I’ve got to confess that I struggled with the rest of it .
An ok read but nothing that really makes it stand out for me.

I really enjoyed Jane is Trying. It wasn't what I expected, which was a light-hearted quick read. Instead Suttie delivers a sensitive interesting take on anxiety and mental health issues. I loved the characters and really warmed to each one.

This is not my usual read but I was intrigued by the blurb on this one. It spoke to me as I’m sure it will others— many of us know the reality of these types of ‘trying’. Trying for a baby is a huge one, but also trying to hold it together, trying to overcome trauma, trying to understand and manage our own minds.

I think Isy Suttie handles all this really well in her latest novel, Jane is Trying – a warm and funny observation of one woman’s attempt to start over.

I liked Jane, I really warmed to her and empathised with her situation. Her anger and unwillingness to forgive her cheating husband or her suffocating relatives was very real, and I was rooting for her to be able to take that step away from her almost-forced dependency on others.

There is some intricate commentary at play around mental health and agency, and I liked how Jane’s growth directly explored this.

There are some truly chaotic and humorous family scenes and an overall warmth running through the book, with a large cast of quirky characters and a dose of community action to boot.
It’s a nice easy read that I’m sure will appeal to fans of the genre.

I'm always a bit wary of books about middle class 21st century British women in their thirties, because I am one. And so often I find not only that I dislike the characters but also that I can't identify with the people depicted. I gave 'Jane is Trying' a go though as I like Isy Suttie's radio shows. I was pleased to find that I did like, and to some extent could identify with, the protagonist.

At the start of the book, 38 year old Jane has moved back to live with her parents in the small town in which she grew up. She has left behind a successful career in London and a cheating fiancé, drained after years of trying unsuccessfully for a baby. Jane describes herself as a 'bit anxious' but it's clear that she is suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and pathological levels of anxiety. As a sufferer myself, I found the depictions of the illness really well done and true to life, which isn't always the case. I could identify with the feelings Jane experienced and the underlying sense of self-doubt which leads you to worry constantly despite knowing that your thoughts aren't rational.

Jane wants to forge a new life for herself but finds it difficult to do so from the stifling (although well meaning) environment of her childhood, surrounded by well-meaning but domineering people who have their own ideas about what she should be doing. Not to mention that her ex continues to call her begging to be forgiven.

I was a bit worried it would turn into a shmaltzy love story but I'm pleased to say that it didn't. The breakdown of Jane's relationship is of course an important theme but the book is much more about Jane herself than whether she can get together with 'Mr Right' or not. That is hugely refreshing to find in a book and I praise Suttie for not falling into the trap of bringing everything back to being about whether a woman has a partner or not.

Whilst not always grittily realistic, this is not a fluffy piece of feel good fiction with easy answers. It's also not a comedy (although it does have funny moments), which those who know Suttie as a comedian might have expected. The depiction of how women in Jane's age-group and social group can be bulldozed by people around them and left trying to conform to an old-fashioned ideal of marriage and motherhood, despite their apparent modernity, rings true. It also shows how mental illness can undermine a person's sense of self and worth and allow others - even those whose intentions are not unkind - to manipulate them. I also liked the contrasting character of Jane's friends Kelly and Becca, who as women without financially secure parents to fall back on had very different choices and responses to personal crises - indeed, weren't really in a position to have them.

All in all, the book was more nuanced than I'd expected and subtly feminist in a way I felt I could relate to. It was a great deal less saccharine than many 'feel good' type novels and it didn't present simple solutions to Jane's problems. If you want to read a book about a modern 30-something having 'ordinary' life problems then this would be an excellent choice.

This is the debut novel by comedian and actor Isy Suttie.
“Jane is trying”-
to get pregnant
to forget her cheating fiancé
to conquer her overwhelming anxiety and OCD tendencies
to forge a new future without relying on her parents or fiancé

This is a funny and sweet story about trying to start afresh when your past haunts you, and the realities of being an independent adult. Returning to her home town from London means Jane is forced to adapt to her new circumstances and face her future head on.

There’s an abundance of quirky characters scattered throughout this story, a hint of romance and lots of funny moments - though Jane definitely has some bad luck and unpleasant memories of The Arch lurking in the background. Jane suffers from anxiety and intrusive thoughts that affect her constantly, and I felt the author dealt with this aspect in a particularly sensitive manner.

Whilst enjoying the storyline I didn’t really connect with Jane. To me she was just a bit too self absorbed and passive, relying on others rather than making assertive choices, though she did evolve towards the end. I loved some of the other characters who were well written and believable - especially Monica the hopelessly unprofessional therapist and Kelly a single mother who takes Jane under her wing.

Overall a good read, but not one that will linger in my memory.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the e-arc in return for an honest review.

Genre: Adult Fiction | Womens Fiction

Release Date: Expected 22nd July 2021



Jane is trying.

She's trying to get to grips with her (hopefully) temporary job in the book store.

She's trying to figure out when it's too late to be living rent-free in her parents house.

She's trying to convince herself her anxiety is totally under control.

And she's trying to forget her cheating ex-fiance and just how desperate she is to be a Mother.



Jane is Trying is charming, funny and down-to-earth story about starting over when the past just won't leave you alone. It definitely strikes a chord with any woman who feels like they've grown up but never grown.

Dealing with anxiety and how it can come to be in a sensitive matter, this book really highlighted those fatalistic intrusive thoughts that are often out of our control but become all-consuming.

There were some delightfully funny moments scattered throughout the gloom and absurd bad luck Jane has to deal with but unfortunately I found Jane to fall flat as a narrator and couldn't fully get into the story - some of the characters were brilliantly written but not all and this made me drag at certain parts. It was still a great read, but I don't think it's going on my book shelf.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐



Thank you to Isy Suttie and Orion Publishing Group for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Jane is Trying by Isy Suttie is about a woman stuggling with fertility issues, a cheating partner, an unexpected pregnancy and a change of life direction.