Book Review: Quiet by Fearne Cotton

What’s it about?

From Sunday Times bestselling author Fearne Cotton, this is the handbook for modern life we all need. Including expert advice, ideas to put into practice, adventures to complete and interviews with everyone from Bryony Gordon to Billie Piper, Quiet seeks out ways to help you tune out the negative backchat that holds you back, so you can hear the positives that will guide you forwards . . .

 

My thoughts

After having a particularly stressful week and my brain going into overdrive with constant negative thoughts (I won’t go into the why’s) I found myself going out for some well-needed fresh air and ended up in my local supermarket where I came across this book.  It was a tenner for a paperback which I thought a bit excessive so I got a copy from the library instead.

This was my first experience of a self-help book and as I took it out of the library I raised my eyebrows and rolled my eyes, really not knowing what to expect or that it would possibly help.

I liked that it was written in a very chatty way, just like Fearne was in the room having a chat with you, so it didn’t feel like being lectured. I also found it refreshing to hear that a celebrity you might think has a cushy lifestyle still has the same negative brain “Chatter”!

There are activities scattered throughout the book but I didn’t do these (it’s a library copy, remember) to help you understand where your own negativity is coming from.  I know where my current issues breed from and I didn’t feel like I needed these, perhaps a few steps too far for me but I can see their value and how they could be helpful.

I found the chapter on sleep and dreams particularly interesting as getting to sleep and making my brain switch off is something I often suffer from in times of stress or high emotion.

Overall, the book has a restful “Quiet” colour palette together with cute illustrations.  It remains to be seen if what I’ve read will stay with me going forward but here’s hoping!