Roller Coaster

by Karin Kallmaker

Two very different reasons brought Laura Izmani and Helen Baynor to the Beach Boardwalk for a symbolic ride on the biggest wooden roller coaster on the west coast. They part strangers, but only after sharing an experience that shifted both of their lives onto new tracks.

Their paths cross again decades later when Laura interviews with Helen to become the private chef for the Baynor household. Given what Laura revealed during that fateful coaster ride, she's relieved that Helen seems to have forgotten her.

Fiercely protective of her children, Helen-now a famous stage actress and widow with teenage twins-divides her time between home in a sleepy California enclave and the bright lights of Broadway. Continuing her carefully managed life until her children leave for college is all she wants.

Their first roller coaster ride together may turn out to be only a prelude . . .

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Fiction, LGBT, Celebrity, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published December 12, 2011

About the author

Karin Kallmaker has been exclusively devoted to lesbian fiction since the publication of her first novel in 1989. As an author published by the storied Naiad Press, she worked with Barbara Grier and Donna McBride, and has been fortunate to be mentored by a number of editors, including Katherine V. Forrest.

In addition to multiple Lambda Literary Awards, she has been featured as a Stonewall Library and Archives Distinguished Author. Other accolades include the Ann Bannon Popular Choice and other awards for her writing, as well as the selection as a Trailblazer by the Golden Crown Literary Society. She is best known for novels such as Painted Moon, Simply the Best, Touchwood, The Kiss that Counted and Captain of Industry.

The California native is the mother of two and lives with her wife in the Bay Area. You can catch her blogs at Romance and Chocolate: https://kallmaker.com/blog/. Find her on social media by searching for "Kallmaker" - there's only one.

Reviews

[Agirlcandream · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. I’m reminded how excellent writing raises a sweet romance into something special. From the opening scene on the roller coaster when both Helen and Laura talk about their hopes and dreams to decades later when Laura interviews for the position of personal chef in stage actress Helen’s busy home we are rooting for these two women to find their HEA.

I loved the realistic peek at living with teenagers in a busy working mom household. I liked the authentic feel to the worries of that working mom, Helen. Worries like aging out of her profession, a future empty nest and securing work to ensure a comfortable life for her children are concerns shared by women everywhere. We may not be actresses but we all work to ensure the same security for our loved ones.

Excellent secondary characters, mouth watering food served throughout the novel and two mains easy to love make for a 5 star read. Kallmaker rocks.

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this full roast, plenty of ingredients that spiced up the tale - an excellent collection of side dishes that complimented the main dish. Beautifully served with a wonderful ambience.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a celebrity romance, but about a stage actor instead of film or television. It's about women as they age, with the hot flashes to prove it. It's a romance, but doesn't follow any of the typical conventions of romance novels. It addresses addiction, but in a way that neither romanticizes or demonizes it. Beautifully done. I loved this book.

Full review here: http://www.thelesbianreview.com/rolle...

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

4.5 ⭐️

[Joc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a romance is all about how two people meet and how they forge their relationship right from the beginning and sometimes there is a much heavier emphasis on each character's self-discovery before a relationship happens. This is definitely in the latter.

Laura and Helen meet on a roller coaster when Laura is 22 and Helen is 27. They have a brief interaction while trapped on the ride then the story skips to 23 years later. Helen is famous with teenage twins and Laura is a chef applying for a job as Helen's private chef.

From here on in is there journey of who they are and how they got there and it is beautiful but I find myself torn by what I would have preferred versus what the story actually is. The writing is good (I'm rarely disappointed by Kallmaker), the characters are well-developed (nice to have older characters) and the premise is interesting. This in itself deserves four stars. I would have preferred their relationship to have started way earlier than it did but I enjoyed the novel in spite of my hopes.

[Elske · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this book years ago and loving it. I am going to read it again after reading the review from Agirlcandream.

[Ty · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This was different. It's actually got a pretty unique set up, and I enjoyed reading something different. It's decently well written as well. Where it fell short for me, though, is how little it did with what it had. It was a unique premise, but there was so much story that was left unexplored. Particularly in the area of conflict. These were two characters who each bring a lot to the table with them, and even though this story made us wait longer than most for their romantic entanglement (good!), it still felt like they came together too easily, too seamlessly.

[Siddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura and Helen meet when they are in their mid 20s, on a rollercoaster which breaks down; it is at this point when Laura learns Helen is terribly afraid of heights. It’s also where they discuss their pasts and their aspirations for the future; Laura wants to someday become a great and famous chef, Helen wants to become a great stage actress. They each strengthen the other’s resolve for the future, and remember it throughout their lives.
Many years later Laura applies for the position of private chef to top Broadway actress and widow Helen and her children, at their LA home.
This is a long, slow burn and thoughtful story. We see both Laura and Helen with other people, and Helen discovers much more about herself. There are many witty scenes, lots of thought provoking ones, and a few negative ones. My favourite is a brilliant scene in a party in NYC. Eventually they discover their fleeting past together, and that only reinforces the love they feel for each other.
I couldn’t stop reading this. Excellent.

[Jae Jae]

Laura Izmani and Helen Baynor meet on a roller coaster that is stuck on the highest part. "If you're not following your heart, you're a chump," Laura tells Helen. And both of them do during the following years. Helen becomes a famous stage actress, and Laura battles her cocaine addiction and becomes a chef. 23 years later, they meet again when Helen searches a private chef for her and her teenaged twins.

We learn a lot about the characters' background and really get to know them (we see them in their professions and in another relationship) before they fall in love and become a couple.

I like the way Karin Kallmaker portrays addiction. It's a monster that you can never really defeat once and for all, but you can keep it at bay.

It's a solid novel but it doesn't have a lot of conflict. An entertaining, not too short read with good character development.

Editing is good with a few exceptions.

[Vita L. Licari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely slow burn story, that flows along nicely. The first book I've read by Karin Kallmaker and I enjoyed it immensely. The characters are well written, and very believable. I really enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend it.

[Rey Hawke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as lezzie romances go, this has been the best one I've read so far. The characters were well developed, the story made sense, the conflicts were reasonable. The biggest problem I had with it was the dialogue. Who in their right mind would say, "You haven't asked me if I'm a lesbian" in an interview for a chef's job? wtf? Also, one of my pet peeves with newly queer characters is having them jump to the lesbian label despite them having had a valid heterosexual romance in the past. Would it really kill so many readers' ladyboners to have one of the romantic leads be bisexual?

Overall, props to a well rounded story with believable characters. I'm impressed that the kids were fully developed characters and not just props in the romance plot. I put other Kallmaker books on hold at my library after reading this one.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[William Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceeded my expectations, I just wanted a simple romance to distract at work but I found it really engaging and interesting and decently deep enough to get me invested.

[Jay Odon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"25 and many a woman is now alive" is an understatement.
Another awesome outing from Karin Kallmaker! Karin has this ability to not only bring her characters to life on the page but also makes the characters likeable and relatable to the average person. I swear that sometimes she is spying on Lea and me! While the whole story does not apply there are snippets here and there that are exactly like our relationship. Laura and Helen meet one day on a fateful roller coaster ride, while it is stuck on the last hill the two ladies end up conversing on everyday things as Laura tries to calm the height phobic Helen down. Little did they know that they would ever see each other again, yet Laura knew deep down inside that there was more than just crisis between them. 23 years later and Helen has accomplished her goal of becoming a famous Broadway performer and Laura has been around the world cooking for the rich and famous. Laura is tired of the stress and frustration of working for and with angry inflexible people so she decides to go home to California and be a personal chef. The family she is interviewing for is no other than Helen and her 16yo twins. While Laura has always known that she would want more than just a job from Helen, it seems Helen is unaware that Laura was the one to save her on the ride so long ago. As Laura bonds with the children while Helen is in NYC half of the week, Helen herself is realizing feelings that she never knew she had and never knew wanted. As the women get closer there is also a large wedge between them, Laura, not wanting to admit she was the one on the roller coaster since it didn't seem important to Helen and Helen who was oblivious to her true self.

[Tempe Luvs Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another beautifully written love story by Karin Kallmaker. The blurb tells it, about meeting on the roller coaster and years later, coming together. But, first, what happens until then….
The story flowed smoothly as Laura, a chef, went to work as a personal chef for Helen, a stage actress.
Helen was a widow who had been happily married for many years. When she hired her, Laura revealed to Helen that she was a lesbian but failed to mention that she was a recovering cocaine addict.
In the course of the story, both ladies had a sexual encounter with another. For Helen, the wonderful experience caused her to question her sexuality. I read one reviewer completely dispute this, but it is a real occurrence. There are many, many women who had previously been married to men and later in life discovered they were lesbian. I won’t share my personal experience, but this is real.

My only complaint about this book is that it took so long for them to come together, and when they finally did, the rest of the book was rushed to finish.

[Alena · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day this week I forgot the book I'm currently reading at home, and didn't have the kindle with me either. Thank goodness I still had stuff on my phone.

I picked this one for a fluff distraction and it drew me in. The conflicts were predictable from the get go, and when you know the endgame, as you do in romance novels, any distraction relationships are kind of boring (I skipped large parts of the cruise).

But, the characters totally worked for me and so I enjoyed the ride. Sweet story. It's been a while since Kallmaker created characters that I'll fondly remember for a while, so I was happy for that.

Also, remarkably typo free for a Bella novel.

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a slow burn oh my god. i was on call with my friend during the entire time i was reading this and literally screamed when they kissed


this is my second karin kallmaker book and i look forward to reading more of her work

[Carleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the day – when I was growing up – I spent a lot of time at amusement and theme parks. I grew up in San Diego, CA. Not a year went by when I wasn’t at Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and/or Knott’s Berry Farm at least once. There was always something – a class field trip, Senior Night, a visiting relative, simply the want for getting away for a weekend. They were close by; they were convenient.

I was that kid that annoyed my friends, but thrilled my parents. I liked the shows and the “theme” rides, particularly at Disneyland – Country Bear Jamboree; America, the Beautiful; Journey Into Innerspace; It’s a Small World (really) – they were awesome. I still love that stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I loved those thrill rides, too. The Corkscrew at Knott’s Berry Farm was a favorite, as were the ones at Disneyland. But my favorite of all of them was the Colossus at Magic Mountain. Oh, what an awesome roller coaster! It’s a wooden, double-track roller coaster…and it’s huge! The best thing about it for me – the cars on one of the tracks were turned around so that we could ride backwards! Holy Crap, that was fantastic! And the line for that was never long. So we could just ride and ride and ride.

That is precisely how I feel about Karin Kallmaker’s novel Roller Coaster (Bella Books) – it’s a book that I can just read and read and read. It’s very likely that I will reread this one many times. (This will be the 3rd of Kallmaker’s books that have made my “comfort read” list. The others are One Degree of Separation and Just Like That.)

The first meeting between Laura Izmani and Helen Baynor happened in rather unusual circumstances – in the front car of the largest wooden roller coaster on the west coast. Each had a specific purpose for taking that ride. What a ride it turned out to be – life altering, to say the least.

More than two decades later, they meet again. This time, Laura is interviewing to be the private chef for Helen’s family. Laura is very aware of who she’s interviewing with – she hasn’t forgotten Helen over the years. Helen, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to remember that fateful day at the amusement park. Much to Laura’s relief.

As Laura and Helen’s “employee/employer” relationship turns to friendship, they find themselves on a completely different kind of roller coaster ride.

What can I say about Roller Coaster that hasn’t already been said – or that I imagine has been said. (I don’t read reviews of books I haven’t already read, unless it’s an author with whom I am completely unfamiliar.) So, I imagine that others have said very nice things. I’d like to say some very nice things, as well.

As I have blogged in the past, I can always count on Kallmaker to put out a well-written novel. The same is true here. The thing that I really appreciate about Kallmaker’s writing is that it makes me think. Really think. I love that my vocabulary is challenged just enough to keep it interesting, but not so much that I feel less-than-intelligent. I love that I’ll stop reading just to go back and reread the sentence or paragraph I just finished because there was something in it that spoke to me. I love that Kallmaker will have some small hook or theme that she’ll come back to periodically – it doesn’t really have anything to do with the plot or the romance. It’s just a little device that makes her writing uniquely hers.

Another part of Kallmaker’s writing that just enthralls me with each novel is her knack for description. The sights, sounds, and smells are so wonderfully described. It’s like watching a movie – the location of every scene is vivid and colorful. If any of the culinary delights Kallmaker describes throughout the novel were to appear on a menu, I would already know what it smells and tastes like. Delightful!

Once again, I’ve been exposed to some really wonderful secondary characters. Helen’s children – Justin and Julie – are intelligent and witty. Kallmaker has written them well. They’re typical siblings who bicker and tease and argue. But, when push comes to shove, they totally have each others’ backs. Though twins, they each have a very unique voice – something that many people forget about twins is that they’re actually two, separate people. Kallmaker doesn’t forget this. Other supporting characters are also clearly defined and fully three-dimensional. Even the characters who aren’t around that much stand out and make their presence known.

Contrary to what we might expect from the title, the romantic relationship is slow going in Roller Coaster. With Helen spending most of her time in New York and Laura staying in California, it stands to reason that they wouldn’t be around each other much. Thus, that separation makes it a bit more difficult to form a romantic relationship. Throw into it that Helen is presumably straight and romance seems unlikely. For Laura, the attraction is easier – she’s a lesbian attracted to another woman. Yup, that’s how it’s supposed to happen. It’s not as easy though since Helen is straight. Hm, unspoken rule: don’t fall for straight women.

Helen’s attraction to Laura is significantly more subtle and, at first, completely devoid of anything physical or sexual. As a private woman who is very protective of her children, Helen’s attraction manifests itself in a feeling of security. Her children are safe with Laura. She is safe with Laura. She trusts Laura. Without realizing it, she’s started considering Laura a member of the family. An integral member of the family, at that.

It’s Helen’s coming out that gives me the slightest bit of pause, however. I thought it was a little too easy. Now, this is not to say that I think the only kind of coming out is one that is fraught with pain and struggle. No. However, I missed the build up. Helen had a happy relationship with her late husband. She loved him. After his sudden death, she became committed to her children and her career. But, after one really good bit of flirting by an attractive woman, Helen couldn’t get the thought of being intimate with another woman out of her head. Within days of this revelation, she experienced that intimacy – with no emotional or psychological repercussions. Again, this is not to say that I think Helen needed to lock herself away and suddenly doubt herself. But, after 50 years of living a straight life, I wanted to see a bit more self-examination. Surely there was a twinge of attraction at some point in her life, right? A co-star in one of her plays, perhaps?

Trust me, the romance and the story were not ruined for me. Far from it. As I said, this is one for the reread pile. Actually, it’s one for the “reread many times” pile. I just wanted to see a little more inner-reflection on Helen’s part.

Ultimately, this one is definitely a keeper. So pull buckle your seat belt, pull down the safety bar, and throw your hands in the air. But be sure to keep your eyes open – this is one ride you do not want to miss.

[Celina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura and Helen met in their twenties on a roller coaster. Over twenty years later and they have found each other again. The only thing is that Helen doesn't remember Laura, but Laura remembers Helen. When Laura goes for an interview to become Helen's personal chef she becomes uncertain that she wants to remind Helen of their first meeting. When they first met Laura had admitted about her addiction and now that Helen is a famous Broadway actress Laura doesn't want her to look at her as just an addict.

I truly enjoyed this book. It is definitely a slow burn romance, but the story doesn't lack because of it. There is a rich amount of side characters that allow the two leads to move through their journeys throughout the book. Each of the characters is well developed and it is easy to become moderately invested in more than just Laura and Helen's paths.

I had two pet peeves in this book. The first is super small and that is that the roller coaster they meet on is called a different name from the real word coaster. The author goes into great detail to describe that it is the wooden roller coaster on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. However, instead of calling it the Giant Dipper the author calls it the Great Wave. I don't know if that was a copyright issue or not, but if so there was no reason to describe such a particular roller coaster and then call it the wrong thing. Those of us from this area of California will automatically know that it's wrong.

The second issue I had was the over fixation on the negative view Helen has of her body and aging in general. To me it was severely overplayed and kind of a tired theme. The world tries telling women enough that they lose their worth after a certain age I don't feel like books written specifically for women should be saying the same things.

Overall this was a book that I had a hard time putting down and enjoyed breezing through it. It had a unique storyline and was both entertaining and emotional. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a mostly lighthearted Sapphic slow burn romance.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm making my way through Kallmaker novels and there is a wide variety. I've read clean and steamy from her. A few like this one I would consider women's fiction with a slice of romance. The romance is the overall arc but the main characters only have a couple of conversations until over 2/3's way through the book. And their romance isn't acknowledged until the last few pages.

Laura Izmani and Helen Baynor have a conversation while stuck on a roller coaster each sharing their goals and some background. The story jumps 23 years and Helen Baynor is the celebrated Broadway actress she always wanted to be. She is widowed with twin 16 year olds. She interviews and hires Laura as a person chef for her family. Her daughter has dietary issues that need to be carefully observed. Laura knows and remembers their previous encounter but Helen does not. The story follows each as Laura befriends the teens and fits into the California household. Helen story follows her work on stage where she spends most of her week flying to CA on weekends to be with her kids. So a lot of the story really is about these two when they are not together. Both have a brief relationship before eventually realizing their attraction. Well written characters, likable people including the kids and manager best friend. (3.5 stars, from 2011)

[Diana Nolen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book a lot. There was so much going on. Broadway theater (bts), culinary arts, a cruise, ageism, coming out late in life, and addiction. Almost every character is likeable, and the ones you don’t are meant to be charmingly despicable so by the time the character is dealt with finality? Well, it’s one of my favorite scenes.

I thought the two main characters would never get together, but if you’re looking for “sexy times”, each main characters do have their moments of those before they get together & even though one ends very badly (the next morning), it’s helpful in setting things up better and moving the plot forward more deeply.

Karin Kallmaker is a good storyteller. I was a fan of hers in the 90s but am now catching up on her library because I fell away from wlw books simply because I didn’t have enough time with my own career. You can see how hard she works to do the writing and emotions we want to read. I’ve been kind of bingeing on her books lately to get caught up and man, she has quite a library.

The best secondary characters in this book are Helen’s 2 teenage twins. I simply loved their banter and that they were really good kids.

I highly recommend this book for its diversity and heart. It tackled a lot of issues in a very enjoyable read.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

as a romance 👎
as a sweet story where two people get an HEA, it's not bad

Review breakdown:

Writing: easy enough

Characters: all the key players were fine, although miss helen could certainly do better when she's experiencing big emotions. believe it or not, I wasn't really rooting for the pairing, but that's mostly because there's nothing to root for. author wrote a love story and forgot to include the falling in love bits

Plot: 2 women share a pivotal moment on a roller coaster and then part ways only to reconnect 23 years later and have it mean nothing? listen, the plot is not plotting in this. there are several storylines (probably too many tbh), but a romantic one between the "mains" isn't really one of them. these two people do not even interact with each other in any meaningful way until 65% into the book.

What would make this an extra star read for me: have the character development happen between the love interests instead of in separate story arcs.

Vibes: gentle enough

[Shannon Massey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have gone back and forth on whether or not to rate this. As an author, I know how hard it can be to get a dreaded 1 star. I still don't know if this is the right thing to do but here we go.

Angela Dawe, the narrator, does a wonderful job with what she has to work with and she is the reason I didn't DNF this book even though I really should have.

While this is a fun premise and has potential, the book doesn't get its momentum. Roller Coaster is a perfect example of why sensitivity and authenticity readers are such a vital part of the publishing process. The character of Laura Izmani could have been a rich, vibrant, nuanced character; unfortunately she is reduced to a caricature plagued by harmful stereotypes, (hopefully unintentional) racist language, and some cringy dialogue (both inner and outer). Helen isn't much better with some rather cringy takes and actions throughout. I couldn't engage with the characters or the story because of how often these issues popped up. If these sorts of things bother you, I'd suggest you skip the book and find something else to read.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors of sweet romance, Karin Kallmaker does not disappoint. Even with the book written 6 more than 6 years ago, it is still relevant today.Issues of addiction and multi-racial angst are at the forefront of issues facing the American scene today. A Broadway star and a chef find a bi-coastal relationship after a brief encounter decades ago when they were young. The story is sweet, with the main character Helen finding herself after allowing herself to start a journey of discovery. Laura, the chef, deals with her demons every day, but secretly hold a torch for many years. Wonderful character development, children, oily suitors, distraction sex and the wise cracking second banana agent round out a wonderful cast of characters. My only real issue is that the relationship evolves pretty quick and from seemingly out of thin air. Oh, and I am a sucker for theatre actresses. Really nice read. Big plus is that my local library owns a copy of this book.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

More women's fiction than romance, with our two female leads spending very little time with one another, and more narrative time spent on their jobs (and in the case of one, on the exploration of her sexuality) than on their interactions. Very distanced feel to the narrative, too; lots of telling, rather than putting us in the heads of chef Laura and stage actress Helen. The cultural references all felt like those of a generation older than me, and the manners/behavior, especially re: the teenagers did, too.

Finally, it's not a really good look for a white author to create a black character who writes off her entire family back in Jamaica for being users (both of people and of drugs). And then who finds happiness in the arms of a white woman.

[Robin Kenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a daring topic with awesome results!

Karin Kallmaker took on a monster and defeated it with love, humor and class! I am impressed with the extent of character building and the real chemistry between each of the characters. The story one that normally I would avoid as too dark was handled so well and fully impressed me. I am pleased I read this and suggest many others really read and appreciate the delicate way the issuers have been handled. This is going on my reread many times shelf!

[SUTTON (Kade) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an audiobook review. The author is good but lost some excitement. The narrator is the best. The kids are the best part of the book and mostly too angelic (as every book in the genre so not really a negative). Unique reason for a celebrity to need a personal chef. There could have been more depth and angst and way less of the introductory cruise. It is more like a 4.4. Can’t round up but solid thanks to the kids and the narrator. And the effort to support trans people (although person was mis-read) and touch on addiction without being about addiction.

[Amounah Works · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a treasure. The characters were intelligent and growing. They were powerful and vulnerable. I was worried that Laura would be one-dimensional due to cultural limitations in developing the character. As with all her books, Karin Kallmaker conducted thorough research and enlisted good consultation. I wish a few other authors would broaden their main character bases. This book also felt epic. So much ground was covered. This will definitely be added to my frequent-read list. Thank you, K.K.

[Michelle Schuler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow burn

My two favorite themes come together in one book, what's more its by famed author Karin Kallmaker. The last 5 percent of the book is the relationship between the MCs. The book doesn't include many interactions of them together. This is why the 4 star rating. I love her books normally and will continue to read them.