Unlike many authors who think they are good writers, Cindy does not realise how well she writes, and that makes her one of the best. — Jan van Mersbergen

Once I wrote in a column with seventy writers “retired” behind the name of Cindy Hoetmer. Thank God, this appears to be incorrect. — Gerbrand Bakker

Cindy Hoetmer possesses a pen which can transform an evening in bar De Pels into something memorable. Believe me: then you are an extraordinary writer. — Ivo Victoria

Cindy’s pieces are a major gift for every reader, but above all for the people who participate in them. You do not ask her for a gift at your house warming, because you hope to receive it the next day: a pleasant piece about your house (too big), your girlfriend (too beautiful) and your friends (too poetic). — Erik Rozing

A perfect mix of Simon Carmiggelt and Charles Bukowski. — Het Parool

Funniest novel of the year.— Het Parool

Hoetmer knows how to turn even the most insignificant experiences into something remarkable. — **** NRC Handelsblad

She experiences little, does not aspire anything, has no job nor a child, no lovers or a husband, only her local pub in the heart of Amsterdam, but god, how funny she is.— **** NRC Handelsblad

Just like Mizee and Sedaris, Hoetmer suffers from social inability […] but she is also very strong and eccentric, thanks to her remarkable ability for observation, her writing talent and her great sense of humour. — **** nrc.next

A two decennia older Bridget Jones living in Amsterdam and lingering through life. — Trouw

Finally a normal person. I have absolutely nothing (and certainly not a midlife crisis).— Sylvia Witteman, de Volkskrant

Hoetmer describes her adventures in the “would-be-literary circles” of Amsterdam in witty sketches, in which she especially does not spare herself. — NBD Biblion

Hoetmer has the talent to write down ordinary situations so funny and considerate that even the experiences of a midlifer become legendary. — Veronica Magazine

For twenty years I have been thinking: when does the amazing Hoetmer come with her big breakthrough? And here it is. — Susan Smit, author of Gisèle and Vloed

What a waste, thought Cindy Hoetmer when she once saw someone stumbling in a very extraordinary way, that all those humorous moments I witness and experience cannot be filmed. Cindy cannot film – according to herself she cannot do many things – but she can write. That is way she decided to write down the most remarkable occurrence of the day.

At first the life of this midlifer seems not very exciting: every Friday she drinks beer in her favourite bar De Pels, every Sunday she loyally visits her retired parents, and walks through the Jordaan, a neighbourhood in Amsterdam, with its typical inhabitants. However, Hoetmer describes these everyday situations with so much humor, melancholy and love that they almost adopt epical perspectives. In this way she creates a life which is both airy and gloomy, where fears and issues sometimes are laughed off and sometimes are tackled. Briefly, life as we all know it. Does not any of us navigate from time to time between ‘Is this everything in life?’ and yourself and taking life particularly not too serious?