I respect and admire Ms. Keiser for recognizing that the life she was living was not sustainable and having the courage to make a major change. Going from hectic big city life in Tampa to rural farm life in northern Mississippi did not solve all of her problems. Rather, it brought its share of new problems. However, the slower pace, increased need for self-reliance and ingenuity, and the benefits of being surrounded by nature reduced the constant sense of stress/pressure she had felt for years, especially living in an environment and having a job (PR) where appearance and social status was the primary currency. Her new life allowed her to recognize how much of her past behavior was unfulfilling.

The story of becoming a “farm girl” is enjoyable and amusing. Ms. Keiser is very open and upfront about how ill-prepared she was for rural life, and the various mistakes and mishaps that resulted. However, she also focuses on what she learned, with the assistance of friends and neighbors, and how this benefited her, not only in making a success of the farm but in helping her address major issues that had been limiting her for years. Ms. Keiser talks a lot about her animals and their personalities and behaviors, along with the mistakes she made, and lessons learned while caring for them. She also discusses the various ways her farm animals helped her. The stories about her animals are some of the most enjoyable content.

Really fun book about a woman discovering her own path by leaving the conventional norms of "success" and creating her own path. I was hooked by all the twists and turns of this book and felt myself championing Jake at the end and rooting for her!

I guess I’m in the minority here… this book doesn’t live up to the hype here in the reviews. If I can’t make it past the first few chapters without it feeling like a chore, it’s not for me. The author comes off as pretentious and judgmental, and the story did not flow as expected. DNF @ 11%.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a great read to start a new year!

Daffodil Hill by Jake Keiser is a memoir about goats & chickens & turkeys (Oh My!) but it's a memoir featuring on so much more.

This book is more than just deciding to trade city life for country life. It's about the search for a new life that brings satisfaction and contentment. And while I am not personally researching baby chicks on a spreadsheet, I definitely loved this book and the messages of hope I received while reading it.

I loved following along on her journey, and I loved the sweet, uplifting, and engaging tone of the book! I have recommended it to many friends!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book. However, it left a lot to be desired. The first half of the book is too focused on the author’s pre-farm life. And even when you get to the point in the book where she is supposedly learning to bloom, her condescending attitude overrides any positive growth. I was very disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

This was a interesting Memoir. It was a quick, lighthearted read. Moving from a busier lifestyle to a completely different lifestyle, a farm. She seemed she was honest/raw throughout. She talked about a failed marriage and miscarriages and how she had grown through this all.


I tend to not rate Memoirs, but needed too. THank you NetGalley and publishers for the E-ARC book for an honest review.

When I started this book, I was a bit lost - firstly due to the author's male nickname and her lifestyle in Tampa - it was not what I was expecting (especially since I didn't really pay attention to the blurb). But thankfully I got hooked and carried on reading and things made so much more sense.
I really loved the style of writing, although to me it doesn't seem in chronological order which might confuse some folk, but that didn't bother me much.
I loved her adventures in the beginning on the farm. As I read about her first delivery of day old chicks, I watched my brood of week old chickens fight over a twig. Having had friends who have kept goats before I related to her stories of the goats.
It was a beautiful read - not only the farm and the animals, but how the author comes to experience life and the breaking out of her cocoon and being herself.
Discovering her farm Facebook page was a big bonus - I loved seeing the images of her animals - nostalgic when I saw pictures of Luca as my uncle had a dog just like him and we loved him and his big goofiness.
One of my best reads for 2022.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

I loved this book. There is just something about memoirs for me. I think it is because they are putting their life, their wins, and their lowest points in writing for the world to read.

Daffodil Hill
Jake Keiser

Daffodil Hill by Jake Keiser is a beautifully written memoir about the life of a high powered professional woman who after a failed marriage and miscarriages decides enough is enough, and takes a 180 turn to live a simple life in a farm in Oxford, Mississippi.
I found the writing raw, honest and vulnerable. I resonated with her as a professional woman trying to be the best in every hat I wear, and what would happen if I gave it all up and tried something else. There were a lot of lessons learned, and self-reflection that helped hearing from another person, the similarities and how to move forward when life takes a turn.

I loved how Keiser writes – very easy to read and in a very nice manner than can poke fun of yourself when you have to.

Overall, great book I enjoyed.

What a fun look into the life of Jake Keiser....38 yr old professional city girl who decides life is passing her by and she's ready to do something about it! I loved the farming adventures, the trial and error style she lived by and the simple truths that she wrote within the book. The personal growth adventure that Jake took us on is amazing to watch transpire as well as her humor spattered throughout the book, made this book so enjoyable.

*Thank you to Netgalley, The Dial Press and Jake Keiser for allowing me to have this e-reader arc version in exchange for my review.

In Daffodil Hill you really get to see Keiser transition into really becoming herself. Moving from the city and living on a farm really caused her to deal with all the trauma from her past and just forge ahead. She learned quite a few lessons along the way and her bond with the animals was very healing and therapeutic for her. She was really able to blossom and this book with take you on an emotional and honest journey.

As someone who has chosen not to have children, I couldn't identify with Jake's strong desire for having children or the pain of multiple miscarriages. I did however, find her story of moving to a farm in rural Mississippi interesting, as I grew up in a very rural area in the South. The stories about the animals were especially heartwarming and it was nice that she found some fulfillment and was able to engage in a process of healing from prior traumas after the extreme change in lifestyle. A part that I didn't like though is that it seemed that Jake felt she was superior to those who lived in the area and appeared to be somewhat condescending towards them.

Jake Keiser comes to her memoir with humility, honesty and a lot of humor. As the story opens, the thirty-something seems annoyingly fixated on superficial things like designer clothing and partying. Her life as a publicist seems soul-sucking. Even so, for many people, hers would be considered a dream life.

I loved reading about her personal growth once she gets onto the farm and her self-deprecating humor had me chuckling along at her early mistakes and cheering for her as she grows stronger and happier.

I love the underlying message of gratitude and self-reliance. An inspiring read.
#netgalley

I loved this story of a brave woman who moves from the glitz and glamour of Tampa to a farm in Mississippi. Jake needs a change and boy does she get one. Having a working farm is quite different from her virtual farm. The author's writing is expressive, humorous, and relatable. She doesn't gloss over her mistakes or her misfortunes, but meets them head on. Thank you #netgalley for the wonderful #daffodilhill.

Jake has everything-lots of friends, her own PR consulting business and a fashionable life in Tampa, FL. She's also burnt out and pushing memories of failed relationships and miscarriages aside. She decides on somewhat of a whim (there were Excel spreadsheets but still) to buy a farm in rural Mississippi and raise cute vegetables and cute animals. As you can imagine, she realizes quickly how shallow this dream is but her determination to have the authentic life that she wants makes her keep going. The anecdotes that she tells about life by herself on her farm are both eye opening and also heart warming. Loved all the animals! Keiser is forced to confront everything that she is running from. Great memoir from a pull yourself up by your bootstraps kind of person.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Jake Keiser's story grew on me. After running her own PR and marketing firm in Tampa, FL, Keiser's dark feelings of past losses including miscarriages, a failed marriage, and childhood sexual trauma continued to overshadow the polish veneer she presented to the outside world.

Taking a tremendous leap of faith, Keiser leaves her Tampa life behind for a farm in middle-of-nowhere Mississippi. Daffodil Hill -- the name of her farm -- tells Keiser's story of adjusting to this 180-turn in her life -- from dealing with loneliness (since her neighbors are few and far between) to learning the daily workings of farm life. I found her interactions with her farm animals (and their human-like feelings) to be the most interesting part of the book.

This is a compelling read about Keiser's ability to grow more confident and truly find herself in this rural environment. Mississippi definitely gives Keiser back her soul.

I would like to thank #NetGalley and Random House, The Dial Press for this electronic ARC of #DaffodilHill.

This is about a woman living a fast-paced, stressful city life who decides to buy a farm in Mississippi. As she reconnects with nature, she also works through the traumas of her past. Funny enough, I was reading it one day and thought to myself, ‘I’m getting Eat Pray Love vibes from this book,’ and not two paragraphs later the author mentions that book.

This book had me laughing out loud at the antics of learning about life on a farm, with little to no experience. I loved how Jake worked to learn and fix her problems, with the help of a caring farming community around her.

Nature worked as Jake’s therapist in this book, and it was interesting to read about how her animals and farm challenges ultimately helped her find her way.

Read this if …
- you liked Eat Pray Love
- you are intrigued by the different ways people work through trauma
- you like to see people overcome big challenges.
- you enjoy reading a variety of memoirs

I did not find author Jake Keiser very likable at the outset of her memoir, DAFFODIL HILL. She may have been trying to depict her life as wonderful and worth living but I was exhausted just listening to her list her clothing and appointments. Frankly, I am not interested in her wardrobe issues and wonder why anyone would be. About halfway through, she starts sharing personal growth issues that do become interesting and provide some context for her life changes. Then the memoir makes some sense. The second half of the book is quite good. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

A great premise-but the book itself falls flat. The writing is so bad that it was a struggle to get through it.

At the beginning of this memoir, I was wondering if picking it up had been a mistake. The author seemed to be living a shallow, appearance-oriented life, and I worried that I would not be able to relate to her. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to discover that this memoir is written by an older, more self-aware and authentic woman who I enjoyed spending time with.

I don’t want to give away any of the surprises that slowly unfold, but I appreciated Jake’s story of personal discovery, growth, and healing. I also laughed a lot. She shares many humorous and touching stories of life on a Mississippi farm with a menagerie of animals with vivid personalities. Be prepared for suspense and grief, laughter and tears.

Animal lovers and those who enjoy stories of personal growth will probably appreciate this.

Be aware that there is some swearing, as well as sometimes-graphic descriptions of violence, birth, and death. Trigger warnings for discussion of sexual molestation of children and miscarriages.

I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.