This was a really interesting and inspiring book. Julia Samuel is a psychotherapist and this book explores a range of life issues / crossroads and how to deal with them. Through client case examples, she discusses things like retirement, gender identity, trauma and many more. It's a fascinating read for anyone interested in personal development and growth.
With grateful thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I felt this was a good insight to the therapists room. It showed the thoughts and feelings of clients as well as the thought process of the author/psychotherapist.

I enjoyed seeing what the different clients were struggling with and if/how the solved the struggles. However I got slightly bored at the over analysis. The multiple sections of conclusion and analysis were repetitive and to some extent, unnecessary.

There are bits I will take from this book but it isn't one I would recommend to a friend.

I really love the cover of this book, it is gorgeous. This was a book I received from @netgalley and one that I probably wouldn't have picked up in a shop but that I actually really enjoyed.
I'm really into psychology and the relationships people have with themselves and this was an exploration into different aspects of peoples lives and I loved it! You can feel the compassion coming through the words. One thing I really liked as well was that @juliasamuelmbe was really honest about her own feelings of being annoyed or angry with certain behaviours. I dont think we hear enough about the back story of psychotherapists roles and this was a really lovely insight. I think this is a good book to read for anyone going through change or that knows someone who is and wants to help them as it may help you to understand their story a bit more.

An intimate, accessible and often emotional insight in the case notes of the practitioner of person centred counselling. Julia Samuel adeptly conveys the reflecting back of what has been communicated from her clients demeanour and body language and much as from what they say which lends completeness to what she is saying. I also really appreciated her ability to convey her own internal thoughts and responses as it layered authenticity in to the narrative. I've already recommended this to my friend - and she's already bought, read and appreciated it!

An endlessly fascinating exploration of how change touches us all. The inclusion of an array of stories, told intimately, means that there is something in this book for everybody, regardless of their age, gender, sexuality or ethnicity. The inclusion of the 8 Pillar Plan is similarly valuable - Samuel suggests easy-to-implement techniques that will help readers to adapt to the changes they face, whatever they are.

This is a particularly apt title for these difficult times of Covid.

Samuel's premise is that change isn't easy .Major changes in life can be precipitated by events outside our control or a sense of dissatisfaction within ourselves that builds up. She looks into the psychological background to why we do find change so hard.

The book then uses case studies of Samuel's patients/clients to identify major themes in change :- family, love, work, health, identity. Through the case studies Samuel then pulls together common threads.

Some people will find the * 8 pillars of strength of practical use to help build up resilience and a "toolbox" to use when difficult changes are occurring.

There are useful chapters on Developmental tasks/stages which links in with generational differences and Life Tasks

I think many people will find something in this book to help them reflect on their life and see what they might like to change.

Samuel doesn't underestimate the difficulty that changing may bring. with every gain there are accompanying losses. However I like the idea of the uncertain time being a "fertile void".

This book will be of interest to practitioners to reflect on their own work with clients but also for the general reader.

It has much to say at this time of change going on all around us when the crisis has made us all have to change so many things.

A lovely, intelligent and moving book which made a deep impression on me. It will remain in my memory for a long time, I think, and I will definitely be recommending it to others.

I enjoyed reading this book over a longer period of time, allowing the examples to sink in and understand the message within the book. This is the sort of book that I could return to periodically when in need of advice or an uplifting message. The many examples contained within it are from a wide variety of situations, circumstances and people of many different backgrounds which added to its depth.

Felt very poignant to be reading a book called "This too shall pass" about change during Lockdown for COVID 19! A collection of case studies by psychotherapist showing many different predicaments people can face and how they respond to the situation. Change is not always negative and can be a tool for growth once we learn to adapt to


"Pain is the agent of change: if we build walls around it, it remains untouched and alive inside us, slowly contaminating our other feelings"

Change is unsettling for everyone, even changes we want. In this book, psychotherapist Julia Samuel talks about the process of change and how we can adapt and grow through change if we allow it to be felt, rather than suppressed or denied. She covers four areas - Family relationships, work, health and identity, using case studies of clients who have come to her for help in dealing with difficult changes. At the end she lists the 8 Pillars of Strength which offer practical advice for coping with change. Definitely a book to give the reader food for thought, and a comfort when facing life's obstacles. Accessible and candid, I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels stuck or anxious about change.

I read Julia Samuel's previous book (Grief Works) and found her new book interesting too. The underlying message is that change in our lives can be beneficial and does not have to be feared, rather if is it embraced better times await - hence "this too shall pass". The author writes clearly and sensibly; she comes across as a caring therapist that does not shy away from acknowledging when her feelings threaten to get in the way of her professional detachment. Occasionally I found it a bit dry (hence 4 stars), but that may be my reaction to the scenarios described in those chapters, rather than the writing style and also I am a lay person. Recommended for readers interested in the dynamics of psychology and the benefits of therapy as set out by a skilled practitioner.

This Too Shall Pass is a series of case studies covering all aspects of life, especially the changes to our lives. I think everyone has or will have similar experiences to the clients Julia focuses on but as a reader I failed to warm to or empathise with any of them and therefore struggled to read it all.
However as everyone is different this book will be of great support to some readers.

I was given a copy of This Too Shall Pass by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an honest review.

This is a valuable and important book by the renowned psychotherapist Julia Samuel who provides details of anonymised case studies from many of her clients who are all contemplating change in some shape of form.

These are sympathetic and insightful accounts of the problems faced by others and how they have coped which has helped me conduct my own self-analysis and hopefully will motivate and inspire me to seek change in various aspects of my own life where I currently feel stuck.

The writing style is very accessible, but despite that, I managed to truly enjoy it. Julia was a breath of fresh air. She comes across as a very down to earth person, humble even; accepting of her limitation and 'errors' in dealing with some clients, willing to improve herself in order to give the best or herself to her clients.
The subject of the book is very interesting: change. Change is essential to life, yet very hard to deal with, yet essential because without change we cannot develop, we cannot progress, we cannot have a good life. The author is convincing, especially that it's not a dry presentation but more of an emotional one as one cannot stop from getting involved in the stories used to exemplify each category. While the stories are good, as it helps the reader to visualize or even identify with a certain issue, I would have liked for the general conclusions after each section to be more ample, more complex, maybe present some research that back them up.

This Too Shall Pass is a book of case studies of Julia Samuel MBE’s patients illustrating that there is no ”normal” way to act or react in a stressful situation; this helps people to realise they are not alone in their actions which is important. Psychotherapist Samuel’s pens another work of non-fiction that should be in EVERYBODY’s arsenal when it comes to tackling the stresses or strains of everyday living. It is comprehensively researched and each case is fascinating in its own right and offers insight into the way people cope with adversity. An inspiring read that belongs on everyone bookshelf. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Penguin Life for an ARC.

I enjoyed this case study from Julia Samuel.

I found this book intriguing and interesting to see how people cope in everyday situations.

It has case studies of real people and that's what I found gripped me too the pages.

It was a well researched book and if you like case studies then I recommend picking this up.

This book is full of wisdom and compassion. It's not one that I feel that you race through - it's one that you savour, put down, process, and pick up again. Although it can feel rather dense at times, it makes you feel human and perfectly normal as we navigate challenges of change and crisis in our lives.

This is not the kind of book I was expecting it to be. All the stories are told from the perspective of the author who is a psychologist. I was expecting the stories to be told by each of the people they are about themselves.

I found that each story was basically describing what had happened and there was not enough of the underlining feelings involved. It felt like I was reading a text book.

I gave up reading this just 25% the way through. Didn't really enjoy it.

2/5 stars

Psychotherapist Julia Samuel uses real case studies to illustrate the five main aspects that make up our lives, namely Family, Love, Work, Health and Identity. Each section has several stories of her clients in great detail and how she helped them to work through their struggles. The personal stories are followed by a more academic discussion about that topic, backed up by research and statistics. The stories were of interest in the main, except for some topics that do not impinge on me personally, but I found the analysis and follow up text dry so ending up skim reading some of that.

I was slightly bothered by a few things in the book. One is the level of detail given for the 15-20 clients she writes about. The author states that she has worked hard to protect the identify of her clients but there is so much detail on each that I wonder if they are truly protected or whether the stories are changed so much to protect that client that they border on fiction. Another worry was that when talking about a client called Isabel the author says ‘I was truly worried about her safety’. I am assuming she meant of Isabel harming herself but Julia does not mention taking this to her supervisor or other authority which I understand should be done if anyone is this worried about someone’s safety. My main concern with this book is something the author says in the foreword which is “the five different marriages I’ve had (all with the same man)”. She repeats this fact in the ending acknowledgements “My beloved husband Michael, he of the five marriages....”. I was finding it hard to take wisdom and advice from someone who’s divorced the same man four times but I don’t think she has so I am still confused as to why she’s said this (twice).

The author concludes with The 8 Pillars of Strength’ we should seek to have to deal with times of change when life can be stressful. These are .
1. Relationship with Oneself
2. Relationship with Others
3. Ways to Manage Emotions
4. Time
5. Mindbody
6. Limits
7. Structure
8. Focussing
The advice in this sections and how to put them into practice (one or two at a time until they become part of your daily life) is helpful.

This is a good manual but felt more like that than a book to read. The author's conversations with the clients and her responses, along with her personal thoughts on each outside of the session was helpful and insightful in the main but I found the more academic aspects dull. I think it is best read in sections if one is applicable to your own situation such as health issues or work issues. The ‘8 Pillars of Strength’ section is definitely worth a read for all.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Julia Samuel's makes a careful exploration of life transitions through sharing a number of her patient case studies alongside her own analysis. I was really interested in some of the topics she explores, such as marriage, ageing and menopause. Unfortunately, I just could not gel with the author's writing style. I found it very dry, scholarly and not very engaging. I was reasonably interested in a few of the case studies - Maria, Esther and Sara were my highlights - but for the rest I found this slow and hard-going.