Great story that keeps moving the whole way through the book. Loved the main character and how the story unfolds for the reader.

This was a delightful book (I listened to the audio, narrated by the author) and I really enjoyed following this family as they go to live in a tent around the UK for a year. I was particularly interested in the logistics of beating the poor weather and there were some truly scary moments with high winds and terrible rain. What struck me the most was the sheer determination of Jen and her husband to make the most of the little things, something that is so rarely enjoyed in this era of technology. I loved the nature writing and the talk of English hedgerows and woods. The kindness of strangers really helped buoy them along on their journey and they met lots of memorable people along the way. I really lovely read.

I was looking forward to reading this book, however, despite several tries I was unable to download the kindle copy and read and review it, so I cannot give feedback, sorry.

This book was inspiring. It’s not my usual read but nether less I really enjoyed it and found it very informative. I now follow Jen on Instagram to keep up with the family.
Many thanks netgalley for this arc.

The Wild Year is the very real story of Jen Benson and her husband Sim, struggling to make ends meet and taking a very daring decision. As they are using credit cards to be able to do groceries, Jen sits at home to take care of the two young children (a toddler and a newborn), and debts mounting, the couple and their kids go on a camping trip. Clearly being able to relax, the pair decide to give up their rental, and take their family and their little tent around the UK for a year.

The writing in The Wild Year is beautiful and the locales are described full of life. I love camping, hiking and nature, and as such was able to connect to the feelings of belonging and togetherness, being grounded and genuine relaxation. I also am fully convinced that even those who would be horrified by the idea of spending some time in a tent (let alone with two kids, or in the UK during winter) will be able to enjoy this read and take some lessons from it. I also appreciate that Jen did not shy away from the rough patches and the less-than shiny aspects of their experience. A worthy read for those who have enjoyed The Salt Path and other similar books.

A very good read about a family due to money reasons camp in the UK for a year with a very young family . I loved the descriptions of the places they stayed. Very strong characters to do it . It was an enjoyable read . I love camping but no way in the middle of winter. Made you think about your life. . Much enjoyed.

Jen Benson writes so beautifully about nature and the landscape that I'm almost tempted to buy a tent myself! That a die-hard anti-camper can be swayed by her romantic descriptions of an almost idyllic experience is saying something. But then, I wouldn't have a baby under 1 and a toddler in tow! And I wouldn't have to work as well and I could pack up and go home at the first hint of bad weather. Thus I am just so awed and impressed by this family's achievement - it really can't have been a romantic idyll all the time. While the author didn't sugar coat the bad times at all, I would have liked to have found out more of the nitty-gritty details of coping with 2 small children in a tent for a year - probably because I barely coped with 1 small child in a house! My mind boggles - how did they cope?!

I guess that's what makes this such an enthralling read, it really was a huge adventure for this family. I could never do anything like this myself but having read about Jen and her family's experiences I'm actually quite envious. It seems like they made some amazing memories and I enjoyed sharing them.

I was able to read 40% of this text before I was unable to access it from my NetGalley shelf. In that section, I felt the author created a relatable and emotive text and I feel a wide variety of readers may be able to relate. It covered debt and finance, parenthood, relationships, mental barriers and working to overcome them.

It was a fabulous blend of advice (via her personal journey) and quirky anecdotes. Very enjoyable for the section I was able to read.

When financial pressure started to wear them down, Jen Benson and her husband made the incredibly brave decision to take a year out and live in a tent, travelling around the UK with their two small children. The Wild Year is such a lovely, wise, gentle book. I really enjoyed it.

a true story of a family that decides to live in a tent and travel around Britian for a year. very interesting read.

Really enjoyed reading about this young families year long adventure living in the wild.Finding them selves having financial problems they decide to take a year and move to the wild two babies the two parents embark on this adventure,#negalley#Th

When this book opens, the author, Jen, and her husband, Sim, are struggling to make ends meet, are under a great deal of stress, and are generally unhappy with some of the circumstances of their lives. With a toddler and a newborn, Jen is at home all day with them, trying to freelance, while Sim is gone all day working for a cycling charity. They are a long way from where they were when they met and married—they bonded over their love of the outdoors and ‘wild running’ when they worked in an outdoor shop. Now they have to use credit cards to pay for groceries and find themselves with mounting debt just to acquire the basics. Jen doesn’t qualify for maternity benefits because she is freelancing and their landlord won’t allow tenants who get housing benefits. When Sim has time off, they decide that they will go camping just to get away from the stress. Jen feels herself relax and is able to sleep well for the first time in ages—until the last night when she is stressed and awake wondering how they will manage. Then she has an idea. They are short on money, but have an abundance of gear, so what if they gave up their rental and lived in tents for a year, camping around various parts of the UK? They decide to give it a go and this book is an account of their year as well as thoughts about the difficulties faced by regular people during hard times.

I loved this book. It’s well written and really captures both the stress of their pre-wild year life and the joys and difficulties of living in a tent with two very small children in all kinds of weather. In spite of their experience being outdoors there were things they learned the hard way. The adventure was even more interesting because they began their year in November, so jumped right into the experience with some less-than-ideal weather! The book also gives readers a sense of what is possible. We are right there with Jen and Sim as they discover what they need and how much they don’t need and how much they’d just gone along with conventional wisdom. It was only when they could not make it work and thought outside the box that they found solutions. The book brought back memories for me because my husband and I embarked on a similar sort of journey a decade and a half ago, getting rid of most of our stuff and moving from the west coast to the east coast, tent camping across the northern US for 99 days. Later, when we got to our destination, we lived in a tent for a few months until we found work and an apartment. I was surprised to love the experience as much as I did and I still remember it fondly. I was delighted to read this book and I highly recommend it.

WOW, I needed this book.
Benson, details her journey with her husband and two young children packing up their lives and setting off on a year of living in a tent and traveling all around the UK. She talks about the crippling debt they had to deal with, the rising costs of living that overwhelmed them, and then the joys (and some of the hardships) of living in nature with young kids and unpredictable weather.
I felt this book was so relatable in a way I didn’t know I needed. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the writing. I highly recommend this book.

Jen and Sim have two young children and, like many familiies today, struggle with the rising cost of living and the pressure of trying to make ends meet.

This inspiring book describes how they decided to take to give up their jobs and rented house and adopt a nomadic lifestyle for a year travelling around the UK with their kids, sleeping in a tent.

Jen talks about how this experience  brought them closer as a family and connect with nature whilst escaping the pressures of everyday finanical worries. Lovely to hear decriptions of areas that are local to me in Hampshireand Devon. A fascinating read!

The wild year is about family that going camping for a year . I found it very interesting and fascinating. I like the front cover is very pretty and that’s what drawn me to the book. I like how there is picture on each chapter as well.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book.

The first question I had when I first came across this book was : how on earth does one camp in winter? I have lived in the UK for a few years and I vividly remember how cold it could get even in spring! My curiosity as to how this family with a baby and toddler to boot survived and even thrived!

I must say I found the story quite engrossing but I sure am glad they are doing better now and no longer have to live in tents!

I enjoyed this book detailing the year this family spent living wild with 2 small children .Full of ups and downs it gave a really insightful story about their adventures .

A young family trying to balance home, work and crushing debt make a daring decision. Jen and Sim move out of their rental, sell their possessions and decide to travel rural Britain for a year, living in a tent….with a baby and a toddler. What may seem like insanity to some people, for the Benson’s the decision to reconnect with the natural world will become the best decision they’ve ever made. Granted, there are plenty of small catastrophes along the way, but ultimately, this young family connects with both nature and each other in ways that will have a profound impact on them all. I only wish I was as brave

The Wild Year by Jen Benson

With a baby and a toddler, mounting debt, work demands and stress trampling over their desire to spend time together as a family in nature, Jen and Sim Benson move out of their rented accommodation, sell up their possessions and decide to live in a tent for a year as nomads around rural Britain.

I've read a few other biographies of people that for whatever reason have had to make the decision to take to travelling about the UK with little more than a tent to live in. I've never read about a couple that had to go that with their children who were very young.
It might seem an idyllic lifestyle but of course this is not the case especially in the ever changing weather that we get here.
I very much enjoyed hearing about the life that Jen and Simon and their children experienced with the highs and lows that doing it , and the way that they shared their journey with us the reader.