Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: The No 1 Sunday Times bestseller by Dr Julie Smith

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: The No 1 Sunday Times bestseller Reviews

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  Emelie

  If you've never read a self help book before or gone to therapy, I think this book is a great one to start with. Julie makes you understand that you are not alone in your emotions and has some great tools to help you get started on your journey of self improvement.
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  Henrik S

  I ordered the pocket version of this book and recieved a large brick. The cover was also just a paper wrapper, the book itself was just plain blue. A bit dissapointed but I'm exited to read it.
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  Katie Hughes

  after following Dr Julie on social media for the longest time and being a massive fan of her work I knew I HAD to get this book. I have just started it and I can’t put it down. The 1st Chapter about low moods honestly made me cry when reading.. I actually feel seen! I thought it was just me who gets these feelings but I am so relieved to learn other do too. I am so excited to carry on reading to learn the life skills of dealing with these feelings. Thank you so much Dr Julie. 💕
• 
  Robert ‘Bob’ Macespera

  The first thing we read about the author in this book (in the dust jacket literally after the book's title), is that Dr Julie Smith is "a social media superstar ". First things first; these are the signs of these times. Truth to be told, then the entry carries on introducing Dr Smith as a "trained psychologist" there's still hope.A large online presence has brought Dr Smith remarkable fame. In her social media "bites" (as she likes to call them), short pieces of advice to cope better with everyday life uploaded to online platforms, Julie always looks relaxed, happy, often enthusiastic. She likes retorting to basic examples, using often pieces of fruit and biscuits to explain her theories; cups of grains of rice become large populations. Sometimes she jumps up and down on a chair to explain why is OK to be happy, or turns the screen into black and white to denote pessimism. These snippets have given Dr Smith followers by the millions. Too much? No, because she's good at what she does, which is explaining an intricate science (psychology) to the layperson. Even better, her advice is always practical, not abstract so the viewer will know how to put the advice to work. She reaches a large audience because she's thorough in what she does, but also simple in the best sense of the word, she knows what's good for the spectator and how to reach him, she's indeed, and thankfully, no “celebrity” blabbing platitudes. She's an actual scientist, and it shows.At the beginning of her book (her first, surely not her last) Dr Smith explains that said book contains the further "details" of her mini clips. She thought that there was something missing in those short clips, due to the format constraints, so here it is. Quite a fair point; this book is the elaboration beyond the "bites": what she's left behind for clarity and brevity. And, yet again, she's nailed it, because the book is a worthy piece of counsel and which can be enjoyed with or without the mini videoclips.Dr Smith gathers the right skills necessary to succeed in "popular science": she's knowledgeable, passionate and writes well; and also, she expresses herself very clearly there's no jargon or unnecessary long words for show or to impress her audience. Further, she's very warm, so much that the pages read like long letters writen by our favorite cousin. And so, with these foundations, the book starts and goes well, and then never drags, never fails; it never loses the reader's attention.Dr Smith goes for width rather than depth and this helps: the book feels well balanced. And at the same time, the author's honesty and cautiousness are ever present: she explains (repeatedly) that the text is no magic formula for happiness, only a set of tools that, consistently applied, will help the reader. There're some examples along the pages, but Dr Smith never falls for the mistake (tediously common in popular science books) of retorting constantly to examples to fill whole chapters. She does not need that: she knows quite well her trade and is merely willing to share her knowledge and experiences with the reader. And yet again, in the clearest of ways, perhaps at some points treading dangerously (but never falling) for a too simplistic ground. Yet Dr Smith never crosses this line and she never addresses her readers from above, lecturing, much less patronizing her audience. There are many icons and arrows in the book, but the reader never feels treated lightly. On the contrary, the surface is plain, but the core of the book (the “tools”) is quite worthy.And what's wrong with the book? Not much, nothing important. Perhaps the reader could do with less graphics, drawings and charts. These take a good percentage of the total space, a bit too much. For instance, a simple box with three blank columns "Values goals day to day", a template for the reader to make his / her own charts, takes a whole page. Is that necessary?And related to the previous, this is one against the publisher. The book falls for a common failure: it has 352 pages in the first hardback edition and should have been 152. Not that the text should be shorter, but the spaces, the whole pages containing a title, the chapter divisions and the pages with one or two paragraphs in massive font are all unnecessary and mere distractions (and a sad waste of paper), and all just to make a longer book, perhaps thinking that this will make it interesting or worthier. As if a volume would be better for merely being thicker. A big mistake, unfortunately quite common these days.But yet again, the book is very good and it could (and should) be only the first of a long and illustrious career. Dr Julie Smith has a lot to tell and she's happy to share it; that's very good news.
• 
  Catherine_C

  I discovered Dr Julie Smith on Social Media throughout *that pandemic* and was delighted to buy this book yesterday.The book is concise, informative and designed to be read and picked up when there are certain emotions we are finding difficult to tackle how to recognise short term numbing processes and alleviate the negative thought/emotional biases we encounter when life deals us an unfair hand.As one who has suffered innumerable setbacks in life, with frequent “Why am I so different for feeling so strongly when others seem to ride through life and tell me I’m too over sensitive” thoughts and feelings, I’m going to learn to counter them with helpful tools Dr Julie has set out so that I can build “resilience” in future.In my mid 40s I thought I would have it all figured out. It’s not the case at all and I’m reassured this book is going to help me identify where I could help myself better in future.
• 
  Frank

  This was the easiest 5 star review I could write! Over the last few years we have had our challenges but Dr Julie has been by the proverbial side through different forums and the book is the cherry on the top.While reading this book you can feel a sense of warmth around you making you feel that you are not alone or not to be ashamed of our vulnerabilities. It is out emotions that define us and we should embrace them. The book guides you in a concise and empathetic manner sitting proudly beside me wherever I am / should I need to refer to it. You can target each topic as and when you need.It is than a book for me, it is a symbol of hope that we all have our place in the world and there are good people out there caring and supporting us raising mental health awareness. My only wish was that Dr Julie and the book were there when I was younger in my darkest times but I am glad she, and the book is by my side now when my thoughts started to wonder in a negative zone or feeling low. I would go as far to the book is inspiring and life saving, I genuinely mean that.Even writing this I am tearful but have a sense of joy knowing that I am not alone and that mental health is no laughing matter or makes me a lesser person. I am grateful for everything Dr Julie does and will continue to spread her good work to friends and family.Dr Julie comes across as someone an absolute expert in her field with a genuine care, the world could really learn a lot from her. My final comment is "WHY HASN'T NOBODY TOLD ME THIS BEFORE!"
• 
  goodreads Customer

  I starting following Dr Julie during lockdown and found her posts so helpful explaining why I was feeling the way I was feeling.I then have started training to be a therapist myself and I work as a freelance hairdresser so hand in hand this book will fascinate me and help me understand the brain even .You can tell how passionate she is and that she actually does care.I will leave another review once i've read the book!congratulations on your dream of writing a book, and thank you for raising awareness!