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I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You
I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You. I know – what an intriguing title!
Basically, I have had an unexpectedly difficult decade – there have been surprising joys, but also deep revelations and challenging lows. I shall be honest about those, because what I discovered in the difficult times were my, what I call, treasures. Treasures – practical tools, values, ways, answers researched from some great scientists, neuroscientists, therapists, sociologists (all the ‘ists’) out there, that have genuinely led to a sense of freedom, joy, peace and physical recovery I never would have thought possible. Life now, amazingly, with what I will share, is – SUCH FUN! (always important to quote your own catch phrases. . .)
If you fancy having a read, then I hope my story might help your story. After all, we are in this beautiful, mysterious, challenging life together. Rest assured there are funny stories along the way – we will have a laugh too, my dear reader chum. Oh, and I couldn’t possibly say if there is a love story in it . . . (There is - shush) Exciting.
Basically, I have had an unexpectedly difficult decade – there have been surprising joys, but also deep revelations and challenging lows. I shall be honest about those, because what I discovered in the difficult times were my, what I call, treasures. Treasures – practical tools, values, ways, answers researched from some great scientists, neuroscientists, therapists, sociologists (all the ‘ists’) out there, that have genuinely led to a sense of freedom, joy, peace and physical recovery I never would have thought possible. Life now, amazingly, with what I will share, is – SUCH FUN! (always important to quote your own catch phrases. . .)
If you fancy having a read, then I hope my story might help your story. After all, we are in this beautiful, mysterious, challenging life together. Rest assured there are funny stories along the way – we will have a laugh too, my dear reader chum. Oh, and I couldn’t possibly say if there is a love story in it . . . (There is - shush) Exciting.
448 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2024
2847 people are currently reading
7202 people want to read
About the author
Miranda Hart
21 books951 followersMiranda Katharine Hart Dyke (born 14 December 1972), known professionally as Miranda Hart, is an English actress, writer and stand-up comedienne. She writes and stars in the BBC sitcom Miranda. She also appeared in French and Saunders, the BBC television series Hyperdrive and her semi-autobiographical sitcom Miranda Hart's Joke Shop on BBC Radio 2. In 2012, she began appearing in the BBC drama Call the Midwife as Camilla (Chummy) Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,355 reviews
October 31, 2024
I was prepared to defend this book. Although Miranda’s experience and beliefs about chronic illness are very different from my own, I was prepared to argue that everybody has their own story and as long as it’s made clear that they’re sharing their own truth and don’t speak for everybody, then there would be no real repercussions. I thought it wrong that people were jumping to conclusions and inciting hostility before the book even came out, so I waited until I read it cover to cover before forming my judgement. And now that I have… I no longer want to defend this book.
To her credit, Miranda states several times that ME/CFS is a real and serious condition linked to the body’s immune system. She also makes some excellent points about learning to live as your authentic self and (correctly) identifies that levels of stress and insecurity can affect the way our bodies function. However, she leans very heavily into the psychosomatic approach to ‘healing’ and recovery, with the book stating that “Thoughts really can make you feel and stay ill” and “I was going to take responsibility for [following my personal values], those which were curing my body of exhaustion and viruses”.
I’m choosing to focus this review on the book itself rather than the contentious approach to illness it takes, but I will briefly say that it was very difficult and jarring to read about healing yourself through your thoughts when at this very moment young women are losing their lives to M.E. and even more are experiencing gaslighting and abuse from medical professionals who incorrectly psychologise their condition and withdraw care. If anybody happens to read this review who isn’t part of the community and wants to broaden their understanding, I urge you to research the stories of Merryn Crofts, Maeve Boothby, and Sammy Lincroft, only a few of the young women who have lost their lives in recent years.
Of course, no singular person can represent an entire, diverse community, nor should they be expected to. Miranda can only speak on her own experiences, as any of us can, and is perfectly within her rights to share her truth. I’m genuinely glad that she’s doing better and at a much brighter stage in her life. However, I do take issue with the statements she’s making on behalf of everybody living with conditions of this nature. She describes a lot of research findings in the book, so I was very surprised by the absence of citations so that people could do their own further reading and if desired, verify these findings for themselves. Especially as I work for one of the organisations mentioned in the book (though speaking only in a personal capacity here) and was slightly heartbroken to see a finding from our recent research report used in a very different context to how it was intended, to illustrate a point in the book that was very different to the actual research outcomes and implications. But as there was no citation included for this or other claims, readers can only take in what is on the page. I also think this book would have hugely benefitted from a few rounds of sensitivity reading before being published, and I definitely think a more compassionate balance could have been struck between telling Miranda’s personal story and acknowledging those with different lived experiences from her own.
I’m a big fan of Miranda’s work and know how hard it can be to translate all the complexities of your story to the page,but reading parts of this book as somebody with an ongoing chronic illness was difficult and painful. If I’m totally honest, some parts left me feeling worse about myself and my disability status rather than better. However, there were genuinely some positive takeaways from the book, with words on living as your truest self and stepping away from conformity that I found comforting and quite inspiring. Miranda states in the book that she has a newfound sense of purpose to help others and I completely believe she has the power to do a lot of good in this world. But rather than approaching this through her illness beliefs, I hope her work in the future leans into the other side of her story instead. It’s here, speaking on being your truest and most authentic self, where she can and will be a role model for many.
To her credit, Miranda states several times that ME/CFS is a real and serious condition linked to the body’s immune system. She also makes some excellent points about learning to live as your authentic self and (correctly) identifies that levels of stress and insecurity can affect the way our bodies function. However, she leans very heavily into the psychosomatic approach to ‘healing’ and recovery, with the book stating that “Thoughts really can make you feel and stay ill” and “I was going to take responsibility for [following my personal values], those which were curing my body of exhaustion and viruses”.
I’m choosing to focus this review on the book itself rather than the contentious approach to illness it takes, but I will briefly say that it was very difficult and jarring to read about healing yourself through your thoughts when at this very moment young women are losing their lives to M.E. and even more are experiencing gaslighting and abuse from medical professionals who incorrectly psychologise their condition and withdraw care. If anybody happens to read this review who isn’t part of the community and wants to broaden their understanding, I urge you to research the stories of Merryn Crofts, Maeve Boothby, and Sammy Lincroft, only a few of the young women who have lost their lives in recent years.
Of course, no singular person can represent an entire, diverse community, nor should they be expected to. Miranda can only speak on her own experiences, as any of us can, and is perfectly within her rights to share her truth. I’m genuinely glad that she’s doing better and at a much brighter stage in her life. However, I do take issue with the statements she’s making on behalf of everybody living with conditions of this nature. She describes a lot of research findings in the book, so I was very surprised by the absence of citations so that people could do their own further reading and if desired, verify these findings for themselves. Especially as I work for one of the organisations mentioned in the book (though speaking only in a personal capacity here) and was slightly heartbroken to see a finding from our recent research report used in a very different context to how it was intended, to illustrate a point in the book that was very different to the actual research outcomes and implications. But as there was no citation included for this or other claims, readers can only take in what is on the page. I also think this book would have hugely benefitted from a few rounds of sensitivity reading before being published, and I definitely think a more compassionate balance could have been struck between telling Miranda’s personal story and acknowledging those with different lived experiences from her own.
I’m a big fan of Miranda’s work and know how hard it can be to translate all the complexities of your story to the page,but reading parts of this book as somebody with an ongoing chronic illness was difficult and painful. If I’m totally honest, some parts left me feeling worse about myself and my disability status rather than better. However, there were genuinely some positive takeaways from the book, with words on living as your truest self and stepping away from conformity that I found comforting and quite inspiring. Miranda states in the book that she has a newfound sense of purpose to help others and I completely believe she has the power to do a lot of good in this world. But rather than approaching this through her illness beliefs, I hope her work in the future leans into the other side of her story instead. It’s here, speaking on being your truest and most authentic self, where she can and will be a role model for many.
October 21, 2024
I too love Miranda, but I cannot support the kind of advice that featured in this book.
As someone who has suffered from chronic illness for over 15 years I really struggle with the invalidation that comes from "thinking yourself well" claptrap. If we just acknowledge we've been too busy, let out all our built up stress and emotions and learn to accept who we are we'll be cured of all our physical symptoms. Unless we're not.
There is undoubtedly a connection between stress and illness and definitely relaxation and being at peace more has an effect on symptom severity. But no one with a broken leg will be able to fix themselves with mindfulness. No one with the flu gets better overnight after they've meditated. No one tells a diabetic to throw away their medical records, stop identifying as a diabetic and their symptoms will disappear.
No illnesses are misunderstood as much as those relating to debilitating fatigue, immune system dysfunction and neurological damage. But they are real and whilst the causes are not fully understood these kinds of theories continue to perpetuate the misconceptions surrounding these illnesses.
I am glad Miranda has found happiness and better health and wish her well. But I will not be recommending this book.
As someone who has suffered from chronic illness for over 15 years I really struggle with the invalidation that comes from "thinking yourself well" claptrap. If we just acknowledge we've been too busy, let out all our built up stress and emotions and learn to accept who we are we'll be cured of all our physical symptoms. Unless we're not.
There is undoubtedly a connection between stress and illness and definitely relaxation and being at peace more has an effect on symptom severity. But no one with a broken leg will be able to fix themselves with mindfulness. No one with the flu gets better overnight after they've meditated. No one tells a diabetic to throw away their medical records, stop identifying as a diabetic and their symptoms will disappear.
No illnesses are misunderstood as much as those relating to debilitating fatigue, immune system dysfunction and neurological damage. But they are real and whilst the causes are not fully understood these kinds of theories continue to perpetuate the misconceptions surrounding these illnesses.
I am glad Miranda has found happiness and better health and wish her well. But I will not be recommending this book.
January 6, 2025
First up - I LOVE Miranda! Always have, probably always will…
And, as if it was even possible, I love her all the more after reading this brilliant new book! She is one of the REALISED people I have ever seen in the public eye. She is pure, honest and genuine to her very core. She lifts me up and makes me feel worthy, loved and seen.
Within this fantastic read, you will hear not only of Miranda’s most troubled time but also the ‘treasures’ she has found during this period of darkness that have lead her to become wildly at home in herself.
Super easy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love Miranda’s writing style because she can write so eloquently and accurately yet, she also has the ability to sneak in humour and jokes at ease. She brings such an uplifting and lighthearted tone to a book that deals with some hefty material. Furthermore, one of the things I loved most about was the structure in which she wrote. As I mentioned before, she writes about ‘treasures’ she has discovered - surrender, thoughts, loving ourselves etc. Each treasure is a chapter and at the beginning of each chapter she shares treasures she has picked up, patterns she has smashed, a watchword and, even a powerful soundtrack to go with it. I found this methodical approach extremely helpful.
She shares many, many personal stories and experiences which makes this book feel rich with meaning and emotion. Moreover, she shares practical tools, values, ways, answers researched from some great scientists, neuroscientists, therapists, sociologists. She had me laughing and crying in equal measures. I was literally in tears at one point because what she was explaining felt so true to myself. It was like she was writing directly to me 🥺
Miranda speaks passionately throughout the book about ‘Coming home to yourself’ - operating from a place of peace and power, where you are afraid to be who you are rather unbuffered by other others opinions of you or worldly measures of success.
‘If you are digging in among any personal life difficulties at this moment, know that you can be okay. More than okay. You already are. You are fabulous. Fact. Whether you believe it yet or not.’ ♥️
Furthermore, Miranda explains how darkness is a part of life. It cannot be escaped or ignored. It is allowed. We’re allowed to feel, and naturally we will experience a range of emotions from sadness, joy, fear, anger, disappointment, embarrassment and hysterical laughter all within the same day. We are allowed to feel all of these. We cannot simply ignore the darkness.
But, she then goes on to touch on the bedrock of trust that she gets from her faith, and the love that accompanies this. I found this to be a powerful reminder 🙏🏼
‘Peace is this moment without thinking
That it should be some other way,
That you should feel some other thing,
That your life should unfold according to your plans.
Peace is this moment without judgement,
This moment in the heart-space where
Everything that is is welcome.’ 🙏🏼
I absolutely LOVED this book and have taken a lot from it. Miranda has written an entertaining book filled with important messages and I had SUCH FUN (if you know, you know 😉) reading it. I know I will come back to this book when I am in need of a pick me up.
‘You know how every once in a while you do something and the little voice inside says, “There. That’s it. That’s why you are here…” and you get a warm glow in your heart because you know it’s true? Do more of that.’ - Jacob Nordby 😌
Side note: I seem to be ticking off a lot of ‘Firsts’ - First Non-Fiction book of the Year 📕
And, as if it was even possible, I love her all the more after reading this brilliant new book! She is one of the REALISED people I have ever seen in the public eye. She is pure, honest and genuine to her very core. She lifts me up and makes me feel worthy, loved and seen.
Within this fantastic read, you will hear not only of Miranda’s most troubled time but also the ‘treasures’ she has found during this period of darkness that have lead her to become wildly at home in herself.
Super easy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love Miranda’s writing style because she can write so eloquently and accurately yet, she also has the ability to sneak in humour and jokes at ease. She brings such an uplifting and lighthearted tone to a book that deals with some hefty material. Furthermore, one of the things I loved most about was the structure in which she wrote. As I mentioned before, she writes about ‘treasures’ she has discovered - surrender, thoughts, loving ourselves etc. Each treasure is a chapter and at the beginning of each chapter she shares treasures she has picked up, patterns she has smashed, a watchword and, even a powerful soundtrack to go with it. I found this methodical approach extremely helpful.
She shares many, many personal stories and experiences which makes this book feel rich with meaning and emotion. Moreover, she shares practical tools, values, ways, answers researched from some great scientists, neuroscientists, therapists, sociologists. She had me laughing and crying in equal measures. I was literally in tears at one point because what she was explaining felt so true to myself. It was like she was writing directly to me 🥺
Miranda speaks passionately throughout the book about ‘Coming home to yourself’ - operating from a place of peace and power, where you are afraid to be who you are rather unbuffered by other others opinions of you or worldly measures of success.
‘If you are digging in among any personal life difficulties at this moment, know that you can be okay. More than okay. You already are. You are fabulous. Fact. Whether you believe it yet or not.’ ♥️
Furthermore, Miranda explains how darkness is a part of life. It cannot be escaped or ignored. It is allowed. We’re allowed to feel, and naturally we will experience a range of emotions from sadness, joy, fear, anger, disappointment, embarrassment and hysterical laughter all within the same day. We are allowed to feel all of these. We cannot simply ignore the darkness.
But, she then goes on to touch on the bedrock of trust that she gets from her faith, and the love that accompanies this. I found this to be a powerful reminder 🙏🏼
‘Peace is this moment without thinking
That it should be some other way,
That you should feel some other thing,
That your life should unfold according to your plans.
Peace is this moment without judgement,
This moment in the heart-space where
Everything that is is welcome.’ 🙏🏼
I absolutely LOVED this book and have taken a lot from it. Miranda has written an entertaining book filled with important messages and I had SUCH FUN (if you know, you know 😉) reading it. I know I will come back to this book when I am in need of a pick me up.
‘You know how every once in a while you do something and the little voice inside says, “There. That’s it. That’s why you are here…” and you get a warm glow in your heart because you know it’s true? Do more of that.’ - Jacob Nordby 😌
Side note: I seem to be ticking off a lot of ‘Firsts’ - First Non-Fiction book of the Year 📕
October 12, 2024
If I could give 100 stars, I would.
Everyone needs to listen to this book. ❤️
Everyone needs to listen to this book. ❤️
July 24, 2025
I love Miranda Hart and everything she stands for, truly I do. I have nothing but respect for the things she's struggled with. I think it was brave of her to tell her story, and I know she's sharing it from a place of compassion and an honest desire to help others. I'm sure that many people who read this book will find it helpful, insightful, and possibly life changing.
That said, this book was not what I was expecting and just wasn't for me. It seemed like Miranda was mostly expounding upon things she'd gleaned from various medical and mental health sources, and oftentimes rambled on for way too long before she got around to the point. It too often came across as "If we all do this, we'll feel so much better." Again, I know Miranda was coming at this with all the best intentions, but that sort of "advice" can sometimes make people feel worse or even more isolated because they've already tried these things but perhaps did not meet with the same level of success, or simply lack the resources to fully access or apply such assistance.
I wanted to like this book, but about a third of the way in I couldn't do it anymore. Not to mention that the English press spoiled the ending just as I had started reading, so I couldn't even enjoy that nice surprise. Still, I wish Miranda all the best, and I'm happy for her. But I'm giving this book a pass.
That said, this book was not what I was expecting and just wasn't for me. It seemed like Miranda was mostly expounding upon things she'd gleaned from various medical and mental health sources, and oftentimes rambled on for way too long before she got around to the point. It too often came across as "If we all do this, we'll feel so much better." Again, I know Miranda was coming at this with all the best intentions, but that sort of "advice" can sometimes make people feel worse or even more isolated because they've already tried these things but perhaps did not meet with the same level of success, or simply lack the resources to fully access or apply such assistance.
I wanted to like this book, but about a third of the way in I couldn't do it anymore. Not to mention that the English press spoiled the ending just as I had started reading, so I couldn't even enjoy that nice surprise. Still, I wish Miranda all the best, and I'm happy for her. But I'm giving this book a pass.
October 16, 2024
I rarely give books a one star but this took the biscuit. Miranda has definitely been through the ringer with years lost to chronic illness which she finally disclosed as ME induced Lyme Disease.
The book is publicised as a memoir but there is very little genuine connection to Miranda as a human being. It is self help through her treasures and the Miranda persona/character. Don't read this is you looking for a Maggie O'Farrell or Hilary Mantel memoir on illness. This is not Susan Sontag!
One can feel the selling machine of the publicity machine all over this. The arc is contrived and convenient - it starts with her collapse and how she doesn't know what to do, then she goes on her journey of 10 treasures and by the end claims recovery and now knows what to do in a time of crisis or collapse. There's no mention that anyone should maybe seek medical help if they collapse not Miranda's book!
The tone is cloying and saccharine with the release of her diagnosis and marriage all conveniently revealed for her book launch and comeback re- entry into Telly land after her years of being ill. This might be a bit cynical but it feels like due to this period of economic activity she is writing the book for financial reasons and not for the chronic illness community. I kind of felt used even reading it.
But there is just some really strange advice that seems directed at anyone with chronic illness (which is alot of people). She refuses to say Lyme or any diagnosis terms as it might perpetuate her symptoms. She burns all her medical records so she doesn't identity with her illness. And she gives up all other medical involvement and relies on brain rewiring or brain retraining which basically is some pseudoscience mind-body thing where you have to stop all your fear and unsafe thoughts, emotions and feelings to stop being ill.
Apparently the root cause of her Lyme is her inability to say no and she might let people down??!
She even claims Mediterranean people live longer and can eat all the pizza they like because they release their emotions (she obviously hasn't met any Japanese). And if you project bad or good thoughts over rice and bluebells the plants/food reciprocally thrive or die?!?
Self help and positive advice for those with chronic illness yes, linking it to recovery and how to treat illness is a bit far fetched. But you can see Miranda is fully convinced of this. And one can understand why if she's been told she was anxious and agoraphobic by doctors for so long. But all the ISTs as she calls them are basically fringe mind-body folk who are not well recognised.
I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who is going to get this for Christmas. It's kooky and is just going to continue the gaslighting cycle as people blame themselves, their fear, insecurity or lack of attached relationships for their illness
Some of the more perplexing quotes:
“As I burned records and journals, I honoured my story with a grief I hadn't allowed from the start. (I was veritably Spanish).”
“if we're constantly repeating a story like “I'm so exhauted’ our physiology will respond and it will affect our mood and disorder. MIND BLOWING. The number of times I would say things like, “it's like wading through treacle,” or “ its such a battles. Now, phrases like that make me feel instantly weak…Eventually I stopped saying Lyme or any of the other diagnostic words…to reduce its power.”
“Why do you want to get better? When one of these specialists, or should I say the specialist ‘ists’ (bitt of fun), on brain retraining to reduce the chronic stress response said that to me, i knew it was important but considered it in some ways rather cruel…The IST continued that without a clear answer to that question, it would be hard for me to recover.” (TBH her brain training therapist sounds like a manipulative arse who's got her wrapped round his little finger which is awful as she's so vulnerable.)
“I already believed the treasures to be right and true, but to experience them all in a 10-minute moment in my garden to placate myself was extraordinary…I now knew what to do in any moment of chronic crisis. I knew what to do in the next 10 minutes. All the treasures releasing me. Wow.”
“It's not the disease causing the symptoms, it's our brain. MIND BLOWING.”
She just ends up sounding deluded TBH through the whole book, taken in by pseudoscience grifters. I feel quite sorry for her.
The book is publicised as a memoir but there is very little genuine connection to Miranda as a human being. It is self help through her treasures and the Miranda persona/character. Don't read this is you looking for a Maggie O'Farrell or Hilary Mantel memoir on illness. This is not Susan Sontag!
One can feel the selling machine of the publicity machine all over this. The arc is contrived and convenient - it starts with her collapse and how she doesn't know what to do, then she goes on her journey of 10 treasures and by the end claims recovery and now knows what to do in a time of crisis or collapse. There's no mention that anyone should maybe seek medical help if they collapse not Miranda's book!
The tone is cloying and saccharine with the release of her diagnosis and marriage all conveniently revealed for her book launch and comeback re- entry into Telly land after her years of being ill. This might be a bit cynical but it feels like due to this period of economic activity she is writing the book for financial reasons and not for the chronic illness community. I kind of felt used even reading it.
But there is just some really strange advice that seems directed at anyone with chronic illness (which is alot of people). She refuses to say Lyme or any diagnosis terms as it might perpetuate her symptoms. She burns all her medical records so she doesn't identity with her illness. And she gives up all other medical involvement and relies on brain rewiring or brain retraining which basically is some pseudoscience mind-body thing where you have to stop all your fear and unsafe thoughts, emotions and feelings to stop being ill.
Apparently the root cause of her Lyme is her inability to say no and she might let people down??!
She even claims Mediterranean people live longer and can eat all the pizza they like because they release their emotions (she obviously hasn't met any Japanese). And if you project bad or good thoughts over rice and bluebells the plants/food reciprocally thrive or die?!?
Self help and positive advice for those with chronic illness yes, linking it to recovery and how to treat illness is a bit far fetched. But you can see Miranda is fully convinced of this. And one can understand why if she's been told she was anxious and agoraphobic by doctors for so long. But all the ISTs as she calls them are basically fringe mind-body folk who are not well recognised.
I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who is going to get this for Christmas. It's kooky and is just going to continue the gaslighting cycle as people blame themselves, their fear, insecurity or lack of attached relationships for their illness
Some of the more perplexing quotes:
“As I burned records and journals, I honoured my story with a grief I hadn't allowed from the start. (I was veritably Spanish).”
“if we're constantly repeating a story like “I'm so exhauted’ our physiology will respond and it will affect our mood and disorder. MIND BLOWING. The number of times I would say things like, “it's like wading through treacle,” or “ its such a battles. Now, phrases like that make me feel instantly weak…Eventually I stopped saying Lyme or any of the other diagnostic words…to reduce its power.”
“Why do you want to get better? When one of these specialists, or should I say the specialist ‘ists’ (bitt of fun), on brain retraining to reduce the chronic stress response said that to me, i knew it was important but considered it in some ways rather cruel…The IST continued that without a clear answer to that question, it would be hard for me to recover.” (TBH her brain training therapist sounds like a manipulative arse who's got her wrapped round his little finger which is awful as she's so vulnerable.)
“I already believed the treasures to be right and true, but to experience them all in a 10-minute moment in my garden to placate myself was extraordinary…I now knew what to do in any moment of chronic crisis. I knew what to do in the next 10 minutes. All the treasures releasing me. Wow.”
“It's not the disease causing the symptoms, it's our brain. MIND BLOWING.”
She just ends up sounding deluded TBH through the whole book, taken in by pseudoscience grifters. I feel quite sorry for her.
October 17, 2024
Awful, harmful advice.
Brain rewiring does NOT cure your physiological illness. There is a lot to like in the book (it’s Miranda after all) but also many cure suggestions/reasons for recovery that have no scientific basis, that have been debunked, and that are more likely to cause (potentially significant) harm to people with ME or Long Covid.
Please don’t buy into it.
Read the updated NICE guidelines on ME, reach out to ME charities and to the amazing online chronic illness community instead.
Brain rewiring does NOT cure your physiological illness. There is a lot to like in the book (it’s Miranda after all) but also many cure suggestions/reasons for recovery that have no scientific basis, that have been debunked, and that are more likely to cause (potentially significant) harm to people with ME or Long Covid.
Please don’t buy into it.
Read the updated NICE guidelines on ME, reach out to ME charities and to the amazing online chronic illness community instead.
October 23, 2024
One of my many many bones to pick with this book was that for the audio they changed what I can only assume was ‘my dear reader chum’ to ‘my dear listener chum’, perpetuating the common assertion that audiobooks somehow don’t count as reading? The audio edit also meant you could hear noticeable jumps and shifts in voice, when they’ve clearly gone back in to add certain caveats about massively generalised statements after the initial recording session.
Addressing these serious health concerns, and claiming that symptoms come from the brain and not the disease is ‘mindblowing’ indeed! As someone suffering from many of the same long-term conditions as Miranda including chronic Lyme, chronic pain and PoTS, I’m genuinely quite insulted by the way she dismisses very real physical reactions as being able to be thought away?! Incredibly disappointing on so many levels. I bought this book after watching her speak on Graham Norton (I’m not historically a Miranda fan as her comedy isn’t my style), but reading this burned away any of the positive response I’d felt from what had been an emotional interview. Considering how hard it is to get people (medical professionals and the general public alike) to acknowledge that these chronic illnesses even exist, with so much misinformation and jokes spread, this book does nothing at all to help the cause, and does a great disservice to so many suffering with debilitating symptoms over many years.
I’m glad she’s doing better, but claiming you can think yourself well of these kinds of illnesses is NOT someone who is being ‘entirely honest’.
Addressing these serious health concerns, and claiming that symptoms come from the brain and not the disease is ‘mindblowing’ indeed! As someone suffering from many of the same long-term conditions as Miranda including chronic Lyme, chronic pain and PoTS, I’m genuinely quite insulted by the way she dismisses very real physical reactions as being able to be thought away?! Incredibly disappointing on so many levels. I bought this book after watching her speak on Graham Norton (I’m not historically a Miranda fan as her comedy isn’t my style), but reading this burned away any of the positive response I’d felt from what had been an emotional interview. Considering how hard it is to get people (medical professionals and the general public alike) to acknowledge that these chronic illnesses even exist, with so much misinformation and jokes spread, this book does nothing at all to help the cause, and does a great disservice to so many suffering with debilitating symptoms over many years.
I’m glad she’s doing better, but claiming you can think yourself well of these kinds of illnesses is NOT someone who is being ‘entirely honest’.
October 14, 2024
As a girl who has MECFS, who has been a fan of Miranda for years, I cannot thank her enough for this book. I FINALLY feel seen.
November 5, 2024
Not half way through it, but OMG it's fabulous!
Update
Finished the audio book and now need a hard copy to make notes and refer back to different sections. I was never a "think yourself into health" but i have to say, there were lots of excellent points made here, and whilst I'm still in a mindset, there is a lot to help here. Wonderful book
Update
Finished the audio book and now need a hard copy to make notes and refer back to different sections. I was never a "think yourself into health" but i have to say, there were lots of excellent points made here, and whilst I'm still in a mindset, there is a lot to help here. Wonderful book
November 7, 2024
I finished this last week and haven’t stopped thinking about it. I got emotional several times. It’s an incredible experience to see yourself written in someone else’s words and I truly cannot recommend this book enough to those who are suffering with a chronic illness, or want to understand how to better support someone with a chronic illness. Thank you so much Miranda for your vulnerability.
January 22, 2025
Felt half and half about this book felt could of been shorter
October 17, 2024
As a fan, not what I hoped for
I am a solid Miranda fan. I am so glad she’s back and healthy (diagnosed) and pleased on the news of her marriage. While I could easily read the book and hear her voice and picture her and giggle a little, this was ultimately a letdown. I expected so much more reality instead of constant platitudes and quoting and lecturing as if she had become an armchair psychologist or life coach. It was as if she took all her short blurbs from her Miranda Shop emails and threw them in a book with no real connection or reasoning.
I am a solid Miranda fan. I am so glad she’s back and healthy (diagnosed) and pleased on the news of her marriage. While I could easily read the book and hear her voice and picture her and giggle a little, this was ultimately a letdown. I expected so much more reality instead of constant platitudes and quoting and lecturing as if she had become an armchair psychologist or life coach. It was as if she took all her short blurbs from her Miranda Shop emails and threw them in a book with no real connection or reasoning.
October 29, 2024
A vulnerable account of chronic illness and a brilliant exploration of self help with a sprinkle of humour throughout - loved it!
November 1, 2024
While I find Miranda and her work charming, I can't be charmed long by this prescriptive positivity memoir. My own experience is that positivity can lure me into overdoing, with harm to my health.
If this is meant as memoir, I'd be better entertained and illuminated if she stuck to her own story.
If this is meant as a self-help or health information book, I'd be better informed if she would report the research faithfully to its conclusions, and with full citations so that I could look up the studies referenced.
I'm fine with a combination actually, of memoir and advice, but with complex chronic neuroimmune illness, one person's cure can be another person's doom. We have to be super-careful about our suggestions for ourselves, let alone for one another.
If this is meant as memoir, I'd be better entertained and illuminated if she stuck to her own story.
If this is meant as a self-help or health information book, I'd be better informed if she would report the research faithfully to its conclusions, and with full citations so that I could look up the studies referenced.
I'm fine with a combination actually, of memoir and advice, but with complex chronic neuroimmune illness, one person's cure can be another person's doom. We have to be super-careful about our suggestions for ourselves, let alone for one another.
October 14, 2024
I love Miranda at her most unhinged, but I really love this slightly more hinged Miranda too. As someone who has also endured years of chronic pain & “invisible” illness, it was so refreshing to hear how she has navigated through her brokenness by becoming honest with herself & everyone around her! An encouraging & easy read, still told in the most Miranda way possible. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ - 4.5 stars
February 19, 2025
This book took me over a month to read and I felt like I really had to force myself to read it to try and get it finished.
As someone who lives with a chronic condition, I was so excited to read this book because I loved that someone with such a high profile was opening up about living with a long term condition.
Although there were some bits of interest, I found quite a lot of it patronising and preachy.
I’m happy that Miranda was able to help her condition through positive thinking and the power of her mind, but to suggest it’s a cure for chronic conditions didn’t sit completely right with me. I also don’t see the relevance in burning medical records.
This book was a bit self-help, a bit of a literature review and a bit of a memoir. It couldn’t really decide what it was.
I’m so glad to finish this book and it was really hard going. I had such hopes for this but I didn’t feel it delivered.
As someone who lives with a chronic condition, I was so excited to read this book because I loved that someone with such a high profile was opening up about living with a long term condition.
Although there were some bits of interest, I found quite a lot of it patronising and preachy.
I’m happy that Miranda was able to help her condition through positive thinking and the power of her mind, but to suggest it’s a cure for chronic conditions didn’t sit completely right with me. I also don’t see the relevance in burning medical records.
This book was a bit self-help, a bit of a literature review and a bit of a memoir. It couldn’t really decide what it was.
I’m so glad to finish this book and it was really hard going. I had such hopes for this but I didn’t feel it delivered.
February 28, 2025
This is a very brave book by one of Britain's best known comedy actors which highlights her health battle over a number of years. For three of those years, Miranda was actually housebound after collapsing at her home, finding herself unable to move and experiencing extreme tiredness.
Many readers will be able to associate with her situation and with the frustrations faced in trying to get a diagnosis. A telling anecdote mentioned is the doctor who wrote a dismissive TATT (tired all the time) on her notes which resulted in her running from the surgery in tears. Eventually, the core cause of Miranda's condition was diagnosed as Lyme's Disease, a debilitating illness caused by tick bite which she caught as a child while living in America and is still living with the consequences of.
The book details the coping mechanisms that Miranda advocates to keep well after she recognised the impact of good mental health on physical wellbeing. She shares her 'treasures' (mental health strategies) with the reader in a chatty non-preachy style and how these have helped her manage her physical health when she gets ill and helped her to remain positive when illness becomes worrying and you start to think the worst. She advocates the need for honesty to move forward e.g. saying no to social engagements when you are too tired to attend and reaching out to friends, family and colleagues when you are struggling with parts of your life.
This is a frank memoir told in a chatty way about a serious subject which I found very enlightening and think quite a few people will find comforting.
Many readers will be able to associate with her situation and with the frustrations faced in trying to get a diagnosis. A telling anecdote mentioned is the doctor who wrote a dismissive TATT (tired all the time) on her notes which resulted in her running from the surgery in tears. Eventually, the core cause of Miranda's condition was diagnosed as Lyme's Disease, a debilitating illness caused by tick bite which she caught as a child while living in America and is still living with the consequences of.
The book details the coping mechanisms that Miranda advocates to keep well after she recognised the impact of good mental health on physical wellbeing. She shares her 'treasures' (mental health strategies) with the reader in a chatty non-preachy style and how these have helped her manage her physical health when she gets ill and helped her to remain positive when illness becomes worrying and you start to think the worst. She advocates the need for honesty to move forward e.g. saying no to social engagements when you are too tired to attend and reaching out to friends, family and colleagues when you are struggling with parts of your life.
This is a frank memoir told in a chatty way about a serious subject which I found very enlightening and think quite a few people will find comforting.
October 31, 2024
If a book was one of those cringeworthy, wooden “Live, Laugh, Love” signs you see in nearly every suburban, whitewashed home in the uk, this would be it lol
2 stars purely for the audio delight of listening to Miranda
Realistically though, it’s probably more like 1 star for the actual content (sorry Miranda)
Hey ho -at least it was a free audible listen !
2 stars purely for the audio delight of listening to Miranda
Realistically though, it’s probably more like 1 star for the actual content (sorry Miranda)
Hey ho -at least it was a free audible listen !
January 21, 2025
As a sufferer from chronic illnesses, I cannot recommend this book.
I respect Miranda's story, all her points and opinions, all the things she did and does to make herself feel better. I'm also glad she achieved that.
Stress worsens my symptoms, however if my stress disappears, I'll still be ill. Anxiety worsens my symptoms, however if my anxiety disappears, I'll still be ill. Bad thoughts will make me feel even worse, however if those disappear, I'll still be ill. Conclusion - chronic means forever, no cure. We can work in our mental health and in our diet how much we want, but we will still be ill. We may feel or manage it a little bit better, but it's not a cure. And this type of speech is toxic and dangerous for those who cannot do any of this, who are depressed about their illness, and will feel more guilty listening to this type of discourse.
I respect Miranda's story, all her points and opinions, all the things she did and does to make herself feel better. I'm also glad she achieved that.
Stress worsens my symptoms, however if my stress disappears, I'll still be ill. Anxiety worsens my symptoms, however if my anxiety disappears, I'll still be ill. Bad thoughts will make me feel even worse, however if those disappear, I'll still be ill. Conclusion - chronic means forever, no cure. We can work in our mental health and in our diet how much we want, but we will still be ill. We may feel or manage it a little bit better, but it's not a cure. And this type of speech is toxic and dangerous for those who cannot do any of this, who are depressed about their illness, and will feel more guilty listening to this type of discourse.
December 1, 2024
One of the loveliest things I have read (listened to) in a really long time. Also the second book I’ve ever cried at so that says it all really. Don’t really want to say anything in case I spoil, but Miranda has some pearls to share. She suggests ‘achieving dreams at 70 will likely taste sweeter than those at 25’ which is all rather lovely isn’t it.
January 11, 2025
lowkey cringe, highkey mumbo jumbo - shocking that you can write a book espousing think-yourself-well platitudes in the year of our lord 2024 and get away with it. DNF
June 22, 2025
I love Miranda Hart. Her outlook on life is wonderful! This book is filled with great things to focus on when you are going through a hard time. And neuroplasticity works!!
October 30, 2024
Miranda is a very talented comedian and actress. I adore her Miranda series and her performance as Chummy in Call the Midwife. I mention all of this just to say that I am a big fan. This book is not what I expected and it just didn't work for me on multiple levels. For folks who do live with long Covid or other ME/CFS ailments, maybe this book would, on some level, be helpful. This is just my opinion, as someone not currently battling any long term illness.
I wish this book had been clearly labeled as/marketed as a self-help/self-improvement book, as I was hoping for more stories about Miranda. Perhaps this was my mistake when pre-ordering, but it wasn't clear to me upon purchase. To my knowledge, its genre is labeled as Biography/Autobiography. While that classification might technically be true, I would not categorize the majority of this book in that way. The language/framing used is far too prescriptive, coming across as giving advice rather than sharing stories. She references several other authors, books, resources, in declaring her revelations for this to come across as anything but self-help from a non-medical/non-therapist professional.
My proposal to Miranda would have been to have separated the self-help part; the "treasures" and all the cloying, grating language around the various realizations along her health journey, from the actual stories from her life (those not framed as "you can do x,y,z to re-frame your thinking and live a better life", MDRC). Even the cutesy MDRC (My Dear Reader Chum) acronym became excruciatingly annoying after the 10th time it was used. Perhaps the self-help stuff could have been sold as a companion piece to a more story-driven novel (of which, I would have skimmed and tossed aside)? I would have appreciated a 200-page novel/memoir (with another 200-page self-help companion guide) which would have been remarkably enjoyable, compared to this 400-page mess, which I had to parse out all the aforementioned cutesy/grating/cloying language along its entire read time. The framing of chapters around "treasures" is interesting and I appreciate her insights based on her experience, but overall none of it worked for me. The stories themselves were wonderful, it's just everything else that bothered me.
I am truly happy she received a diagnosis for her chronic and debilitating health issues, and that she is in a loving relationship, now married. This book was a challenge to finish. I almost DNF'd it after page 10, and again after every 10 pages or so after that, for its entire 400 pages, but kept going, looking for those stories within the mess. I also finished this book because I paid $50 for a signed edition, pre-ordered from Waterstones, in the UK, and didn't want to feel as though that money was wasted (time, money, what say you). Don't even get me started about her incessant use of "The Boy" or "I KNOW, RIGHT!" or "GET THIS". Ugh. No.
My extra long title for this book:
I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You (about this book): it is a self-help discovery book about my health journey. It is filled with language around how you, yourself, can re-frame various debilitating aspects of your life or your health, to make it more digestible or to help you better navigate rough times. I am not a medial professional, but maybe you can find some of my cutesy framing language helpful, even though, oftentimes, it comes across as advice from me, as a licensed medical professional or licensed therapist or licensed mental health professional (again, seriously, of which, I am not).
I wish this book had been clearly labeled as/marketed as a self-help/self-improvement book, as I was hoping for more stories about Miranda. Perhaps this was my mistake when pre-ordering, but it wasn't clear to me upon purchase. To my knowledge, its genre is labeled as Biography/Autobiography. While that classification might technically be true, I would not categorize the majority of this book in that way. The language/framing used is far too prescriptive, coming across as giving advice rather than sharing stories. She references several other authors, books, resources, in declaring her revelations for this to come across as anything but self-help from a non-medical/non-therapist professional.
My proposal to Miranda would have been to have separated the self-help part; the "treasures" and all the cloying, grating language around the various realizations along her health journey, from the actual stories from her life (those not framed as "you can do x,y,z to re-frame your thinking and live a better life", MDRC). Even the cutesy MDRC (My Dear Reader Chum) acronym became excruciatingly annoying after the 10th time it was used. Perhaps the self-help stuff could have been sold as a companion piece to a more story-driven novel (of which, I would have skimmed and tossed aside)? I would have appreciated a 200-page novel/memoir (with another 200-page self-help companion guide) which would have been remarkably enjoyable, compared to this 400-page mess, which I had to parse out all the aforementioned cutesy/grating/cloying language along its entire read time. The framing of chapters around "treasures" is interesting and I appreciate her insights based on her experience, but overall none of it worked for me. The stories themselves were wonderful, it's just everything else that bothered me.
I am truly happy she received a diagnosis for her chronic and debilitating health issues, and that she is in a loving relationship, now married. This book was a challenge to finish. I almost DNF'd it after page 10, and again after every 10 pages or so after that, for its entire 400 pages, but kept going, looking for those stories within the mess. I also finished this book because I paid $50 for a signed edition, pre-ordered from Waterstones, in the UK, and didn't want to feel as though that money was wasted (time, money, what say you). Don't even get me started about her incessant use of "The Boy" or "I KNOW, RIGHT!" or "GET THIS". Ugh. No.
My extra long title for this book:
I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You (about this book): it is a self-help discovery book about my health journey. It is filled with language around how you, yourself, can re-frame various debilitating aspects of your life or your health, to make it more digestible or to help you better navigate rough times. I am not a medial professional, but maybe you can find some of my cutesy framing language helpful, even though, oftentimes, it comes across as advice from me, as a licensed medical professional or licensed therapist or licensed mental health professional (again, seriously, of which, I am not).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2025
Reading about somebody that has been through the exact same isolating experiences as you is a tonic. I have never given Miranda much thought - being in the liminal generation between me and my parents, and being publicly goofy when I was a cringe-avoidant teenager - but I feel a deep kinship with her now as a fellow ME/CFS sufferer.
I know many disabled readers feel let down by her devotion to brain retraining as a treatment, but I came to this book in a similar mindset and came out feeling emboldened by it. I've tried all the reasonable conventional treatments, how could it hurt to consider psychological factors? Truly believing I will get better has made me feel more in control than I have in a long time, and hope and gratitude has made the bad days more bearable.
I immediately listened to it again. <3
I know many disabled readers feel let down by her devotion to brain retraining as a treatment, but I came to this book in a similar mindset and came out feeling emboldened by it. I've tried all the reasonable conventional treatments, how could it hurt to consider psychological factors? Truly believing I will get better has made me feel more in control than I have in a long time, and hope and gratitude has made the bad days more bearable.
I immediately listened to it again. <3
December 9, 2024
3 - Ultimately I expected something different from this book and that’s why I didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped. But that isn’t necessarily Miranda’s fault, I just wanted more memoir and less self-help. Also, the part about pseudo science/psychosomatic healing was not for me at all… There were passages of this which I loved nevertheless. Her narration in the audiobook was so lovely and very her, making for a really enjoyable listen. The overall message about life and love was beautiful, I only wanted a different format!
Read
October 16, 2024I'm not entirely sure how to rate this. Not quite memoir, not quite self-help: it's just an honest, sometimes whimsical and rambley, but deeply personal account of her journey through acute difficulty. Who am I to say how many stars I deem it worthy?! Well, not today.
Future thoughts are going to be questioned with, WWMD: What Would Miranda Do? Thank you please, thank you, thank you.
Future thoughts are going to be questioned with, WWMD: What Would Miranda Do? Thank you please, thank you, thank you.
October 29, 2024
LOVELY!!!
I absolutely adore Miranda Hart, and the same goes for her memoir. While at times it was a bit cheesy, I found it very entertaining! I listened to it and Miranda Hart narrated and I absolutely loved hearing her call me, “My Dear Listener Chum” It warmed my soul.
I wish I could fall asleep to her voice and her lovely chatter.
I absolutely adore Miranda Hart, and the same goes for her memoir. While at times it was a bit cheesy, I found it very entertaining! I listened to it and Miranda Hart narrated and I absolutely loved hearing her call me, “My Dear Listener Chum” It warmed my soul.
I wish I could fall asleep to her voice and her lovely chatter.
October 31, 2024
Only managed to get 60 pages in, and had to give up.
Admittedly, I got it thinking it was going to be an autobiography, but it’s a self help book, just not my thing at all.
I love Miranda, but will take it back to the library where a long list of people waiting for it will be able to wonder why they reserved it in the first place.
I’m just happy I didn’t buy it.
Admittedly, I got it thinking it was going to be an autobiography, but it’s a self help book, just not my thing at all.
I love Miranda, but will take it back to the library where a long list of people waiting for it will be able to wonder why they reserved it in the first place.
I’m just happy I didn’t buy it.
December 5, 2024
love miranda!! this helped me to understand how someone living with a chronic illness really feels from day to day. it really gives you the chance to empathise with her whilst still having some giggles 🤭absolutely love her humour!!
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