Last year while in Hawaii I read – and adored – Helen Russell’s The Year of Living Danishly. It was a rather odd juxtaposition; sweltering in the Hawaiian heat while day dreaming of candles and cushions and all things cosy. And, as happy as I am with the life I’ve built down under; the endless stretches of sun and a bustling beach on my doorstep, Russell’s bestselling memoir certainly depicted the Danish way of life as an appealing alternative, should I ever wish to leave Sydney’s sandy shores.

And so, having since followed her writing – on both happiness and the Danish way of life – religiously, it was with a great deal of delight that I discovered she’d penned a follow on; Leap Year: How to make big decisions, be more resilient and change your life for good. As often happens; the book was to come at a rather apt time. Of late, my future in Australia has become increasingly uncertain, and – like many people facing change – I’ve found it unsettling to say the least.

Thankfully I’m not alone. In Leap Year, Russell reassures her readers that a fear of change is a common one in today’s society; whether job, location or relationship related. And while the author’s reasons for change may differ to my own, with some life-changing decisions afoot, Russell decides to not only face them head on, but to to document the ways in which we can deal better with alterations in life – however big or small.

Written in Russell’s signature style that fuses honesty with wit, Leap Year is both a heart-warming tale and a useful guide with hints and tips on how to better deal with change. From overcoming the fear of making decisions, to accepting things that are beyond our control to knowing that – ultimately – few things in life are truly irreversible, Leap Year is a charming book that will resonate with readers the world over.