Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Pocket Therapy by Sarah Crosby is a lovely self-help guide for people who are unsure how to answer the big questions in life. This book can be used as self-care or self-therapy for the difficult parts of life. According to the description, "using accessible language, cheerful graphics, and fun exercises, Sarah helps readers tackle their “big” questions, one small step at a time."

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1: Self-Discovery:

"The phrase “Just be yourself” is something we often hear from well-meaning loved ones before things like a job interview or a date. But it’s a phrase that I have personally struggled with, as being yourself can be a tricky task if you’re not sure who that person is.
“Be myself?” But what if others don’t like that person? What if they don’t want to hire that person? What if they don’t want to date that person? I have a better plan: I’ll suss out who I think they want me to be and I’ll give them that! Good idea, right . . . ? I certainly used to think so."

Overall, Pocket Therapy is a fun self-help guide that would make the perfect gift for the anxious friend in your life. One highlight of this book is how funny it is. It's definitely a bonus that the narration is humorous instead of dry. I also liked how the book was written to-the-point and was easy to understand. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of self-help guides, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in February!

Well-organized and full of good information.

It’s a great read, but the cover is a little disconnected from the actual content. I was expecting something cutesy and maybe directed to a younger audience, I was also not expecting so much information because the concept of a “pocket” book implies that it could be read in one sitting while waiting for the bus or before a doctor’s appointment in the waiting room. I’m not sure if the cover would draw me toward this book in the self-help section. It suggests that is a light-hearted and perhaps comedic take on mental health, when it’s not. It takes a serious, informative, and mindful stance on how to direct it’s readers on self-reflection and growth.

I particularly liked the grounding and breathing exercises included in the book. Mindfulness and clarity can be easy to access through these simple meditations. They may not be a cure-all, but they certainly don’t make anything worse.

Overall, it’s a very well laid out book and helps the reader to reflect inwards on themselves and their actions, as well as on situations and relationships.

"Our sense of self is a journey of accumulated choices each of us makes".
Anything pocket sized certainly appeals to most of us which is why i picked up this book to read. It gives bit sized information about things that make us feel like imposters daily and create actionable items out of them.
She says there is no ideal version of ourselves, its mytical. We have possibly come across this notion via social media. And it's hard to work against this stream of ideating ourselves.
The author also states that we are constantly evolving thereby making an ideal self redundant.
I enjoyed the book and want to thank the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

Pocket Therapy by Sarah Crosby A small book packed with a wealth of information in an easy to read and understand format. Valuable insight into discovery and learning how to care for ourselves and others. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of therapy, such as boundaries, triggers, and relationships. The chapters begin with an introduction to the topic and why it is relevant to self-reflection, -exploration, and -evaluation. Also included are questions to help you begin journaling/ processing information.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This book is more comprehensive than the cover appears. There are many bullet points throughout the Chapters and intentional questions at chapter's end..I noticed many terms used in actual therapy, although the information in this book should not be a replacement for receiving therapy.
I felt this book may be more geared toward a younger adult. That being said there were more than a couple scenarios portrayed that I learned from.
I'd like to thank NetGalley, St Martin's Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book which publishes on 2/22/22

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pocket Therapy: Mental Notes for Everyday Happiness, Confidence, and Calmby Sarah Crosby is a self-help book that provides the reader with some information and tips for their mental health. While not a substitute for a therapist, this book helps provide you with helpful insights to help you get started.
There are several different exercises and mental notes that the reader can do to help guide them on their journey of healing. This book is broken down into sections that are easy for the reader to refer to when needing to focus on specific areas. The advice is practical and well-written.
This book is one that I would honestly recommend to others.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of Pocket Therapy, Mental Notes for Everyday Happiness, Confidence, and Calm by Sarah Crosby to review. Even though the title of the book has the word therapy as part of the title, this is not a therapy book. What I find great about it is that it feels like your therapist, after helping you for a few sessions with a particular issue, has given you a fantastic set of notes for you to keep and review. This is invaluable because you can't remember everything that was discussed. Each issue discussed in the book is its own standalone chapter and does not need to be read in order. Read and work on what is important to you. Each chapter also has "Take 5" features that have exercises for you to do. And at the end of each chapter is "Mental Notes", questions you ask yourself at the end of each day for a month so that you have your own resource of how you are thinking about the issue and ways to improve. This is absolutely a book that you will refer back to throughout the years or as an aid to help with your own therapy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Pocket Therapy by Sarah Crosby. This is an excellent pick-me-up and reminds us to be kinder to ourselves. Crosby uses her personal experiences as a guide for her readers to find happiness through self-acceptance and setting realistic boundaries. She doesn't just preach about mindfulness; Crosby sets clear and easy to follow goals for her readers. This is the first "self-help" book that I've read and it won't be my last, thanks to Sarah Crosby!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read
in exchange for an honest review.


I have now read both the ebook and listened to the audiobook. Both are excellent! I love the gentle voice of the narrator (author). There are great explanations, activities, and suggestions to try. Nothing in the book is meant to be used in place of professional help but it certainly lends its self to being more aware of yourself and ant issues you may have. I cannot wait to have a physical copy of this book. I want to see the "Take 5" steps in print so I can really immerse myself in them.

Pocket Therapy: Mental Notes for Everyday Happiness, Confidence, and Calm provides helpful insights into understanding yourself better and how to address issues that you may need to deal with to help you become the best and happiest you possible.

The author presents the material in an easy to understand, relatable, and actionable manner. Some of the chapters that were most helpful to me were Self-Talk, Recognizing Triggers, Self-Regulation and Setting Boundaries.

It is made clear that the book is not equivalent to therapy, but it is wise, helpful, and empowering. It's nice to have something on hand to refer to that can help you gain/regain perspective and remind you that you have the power to change your life experience by how you choose your actions, reactions, and outlook/attitude.

Very well done! I highly recommend it.

My thanks to the author and St. Martin's Essentials for permitting me to read an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley. The book is scheduled for publication on 2/22/22. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book. I switched back and forth between the audio and ebook.

As someone who is trying to read more non-fiction and self-help this year, this looked like a good place to start. I had trouble making connections to my own self, but I think that was less the author's fault and more me not having worked on that very much before now. This covered a nice range of topics, some that my own therapist has brought up and some that she has not. This being read by the author was another point in it's favor, and she had a lovely voice, though I had to slow the audio down from my typical listening speed to get used to her accent. I would recommend this for anyone wanting to get an idea of basic therapy concepts.

Simply put, this is a guide to self-discovery. It's easy to read and understand. There are 8 chapters, each with a clear description in the title. It can be read as a novel from beginning to end or one can choose a random chapter.

The book starts with “Who am I?" and goes from there.

I liked the simple descriptions and I plan on buying this book for each of my adult children.

Something about the title and cover of this book made me think this was going to be a very high level self-help style book, and this book is so much more than that.

I recognize that this is not a replacement for therapy, I have been in therapy for the last 6 months, and while I love my therapist, I still read this book in less than 24 hours and highlighted more passages than I ever have before. I now want to re-read it and really take the time to soak in every page and section.

Not only did I enjoy the content, but also the writing style. Sarah Crosby is able to lay out tough topics in ways that you are still able to be reflective and gentle with yourself. While she writes about very serious topics, it is also done with a voice that makes this book somehow a page turner, in that I wanted to know more.

Some quotes below that resonated with me:
“The main issue with positive affirmations is they can feel uncomfortably positive. So, let’s remove the pressure of positivity, and begin with neutrality.”

“Anxiety is a rational feeling attempting to communicate with me in an irrational way.”

“My feeling is valid and my responsibility. What kind of reminder can I offer myself, in light of this?”

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC!

Frist off, thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advanced reader copy of this book.

Pocket Therapy, by Sarah Crosby, that explores self-discovery, attachment, self-talk, recognizing triggers, self-regulation, setting boundaries, and reparenting.
This was a very informative read that I will go back and reference later depending on life situations. If any of the above topics interest you or you need insight on them, pick this book up. It won't disappoint!

This is a straightforward, excellent guide to better emotional intelligence. Broken into broad sections, there is focus on inner work as well as guides for how to interact with people in a way that is positive for both oneself and others. The writing style is clear and conversational--this is easy to understand and doesn't include a lot of complex terminology or abstract thought experiments.

I especially liked how much practical advice was offered. Each concept included exercises and questions to consider and then concrete suggestions on how to apply a healthy approach in one's own life. Emotional intelligence and self-knowledge are always worthy pursuits and literally everyone could benefit from giving this a read and considering the ideas presented!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Pocket Therapy by Sarah Crosby takes readers on a journey of self-discovery to find ways to feel happier and more confident. The author is a therapist with a large Instagram following (@themindgeek), and the paperback version of the book comes in a square shape à la Instagram. The reviewer copy I got didn’t have graphics, but from the preview on Amazon, it looks like the book has graphics in the same style as what the author posts on her Instagram. It appears that the book was originally published in the UK a couple of years ago under the title 5 Minute Therapy.

The author is upfront about this book not being a quick fix or a replacement for therapy. Throughout the book, she points out things that can be done most effectively with a therapist, particularly in the realm of dealing with the effects of trauma. While the book isn’t geared specifically towards people who’ve experienced trauma, it’s certainly very trauma-informed. I also think it would be good for people with or without a mental illness.

The book has chapters on self-discovery, attachment, self-talk, recognizing triggers, self-regulation, boundaries, reparenting, and going beyond the self to be a good friend. It covers a range of topics, including cognitive distortions, the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response, the window of tolerance, grounding and mindfulness practices, and codependency.

I liked the author’s explanation of triggers: ”Triggers are emotional buttons. They connect the present moment into a memory or situation in the past that was painful or traumatic for us. This can happen either consciously or unconsciously, and can be felt both emotionally and physically.”

I also liked how the author handled the chapter on boundaries, including framing them as self-care, giving ideas of language to use to establish them, and laying out an approach to addressing crossed boundaries (recognize, regulate, reinstate, reconsider).

I was unsure if the chapter on reparenting would be relevant for someone like me without a history of childhood trauma, but I thought the author had an interesting take on it. She explained that reparenting is about both learning how to provide for needs that went unmet and unlearning limiting thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. She presented it as something that could be useful to address things like believing that self-care is indulgent, struggling with negative self-talk, or people-pleasing. I liked this bit: “So remember that self-care, self-nourishment and self-parenting (or reparenting) are for the self, not by the self. So, although time alone can serve us well, if we ever start feeling disconnected from people, overwhelmed by the path we’re on, lacking in support, or feeling that our attempts at self-care and reparenting are turning into emotional isolation and re-traumatization, then be sure to reach out for help.”

The author has a warm, friendly, genuine tone to her writing, and I can see why she’s popular on Instagram. The book is very grounded in reality, and there are no promises of any of it being a quick and easy way to cure you of what ails you, which I very much appreciate. If you’re looking for a down-to-earth book about improving mental well-being, this would be a great choice.



I received a reviewer copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

**Thank you for the ARC! All opinions are my own.**

4 stars. Reflective, engaging, and simplistic.

This is a short and concise book with a lot of big insight. It includes lessons on dealing with different attachment styles, thinking traps, self-talk, reaction styles, and much more. It definitely packs a lot of invaluable lessons into less than 200 pages. Additionally, the simple boxes of mental notes, practices, and advice are easy to follow.

This is a great book with concise insight. It covers a lot more topics than I anticipated and is well written. It provides great advice in navigating life and its different situations. You learn how to deal and have peace.

Not going to lie - I think I grabbed this book because I thought it would be a cutesy little post it note type of things to be like "here is some jargon that you can use!" But as went through it, I realized very quickly that the cover doesn't really do it justice. This book is really like.... a pocket therapist lol. It has a bunch of terminology that one would discuss in therapy, as well as ways that you would be able to process those things.

The book emphasizes that this book is not a replacement for therapy, but really the beginning of the conversation that someone would have regarding therapy. But this was really such a fascinating book especially for someone who is interested in starting therapy but doesn't know where to begun.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.