Happy: Finding Joy in Every Day and Letting Go of Perfect

by Fearne Cotton

"This book is a way to release what's going on inside your head and to keep heading towards the good stuff. The simple stuff. The stuff that's going to really hit up that happiness on a deep and nourishing level. Whether you dip into these pages every now and then when you feel you need it, or use it daily as a positive exercise, I hope it brings you much relief, joy and calm. Amen to the pen." - Fearne Cotton

For many of us, life can feel like it's moving too fast with pressure bearing down on us from all sides - whether that's from school or work, family or social media. As a result, we find ourselves frazzled, lost and - too often - feeling blue.

It's a subject close to Fearne's heart. Drawing on her own experiences and including expert advice, HAPPY offers practical ways of finding joy each and every day. Happiness isn't a mountain to climb, it's just one foot in front of the other on the path of life, and here you'll find little steps that will help make the differences that count. With workbook elements to help you start and end the day well; get in touch with your creative side; and find peace through written exercises, simple practical ideas and visualisations, these are daily tricks and reminders to help you unlock that inner happiness.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Mental Health, Psychology, Audiobook, Health, Personal Development

Paperback

Published December 28, 2017

About the author

Fearne has been presenting live TV since the age of 15 when she was spotted by ITV’s ‘Disney Club’.

Her warmth, natural interview skills and ability to make presenting live TV seem effortless and has given her the opportunity to present a variety of shows over the years.

Fearne is currently back in her role as team captain on the 16th series of Celebrity Juice, a show that continues to be a ratings winner for ITV2. Other shows include Children in Need Rocks, The Happiness Project, Fearne & Gok: Off The Rails, The BBC Music Awards, Top of the Pops with Reggie Yates, ‘Fearne and McBusted’ and a Coldplay special for Sky Arts amongst many others.

In addition to TV Fearne is hugely credible in the music genre. In 2005 she joined Radio 1 where she spent 10 incredible years, initially co-hosting morning shows with Reggie Yates and then moving onto the UK Top 40 show before taking over the prestigious weekday morning slot in 2009; here she mixed big celebrity interviews with exclusive acoustic performances in the Live Lounge. The show attracted over 4 million listeners and in 2012 she won a Sony Gold Award for the show.

Alongside TV & Radio Fearne is incredibly creative and has designed several seasons of a home wear range for very.co.uk, curated 13 seasons of her own very.co.uk clothing range and previously released her own make-up and toiletry ranges for Boots. Fearne currently enjoys working alongside Cath Kidston and Garnier Olia and is also a brand ambassador for BaByliss, where she creates a series of ‘Get the Look’ videos and tutorials, recreating her go-to styles using BaByliss tools.

In social media, Fearne has over 7 million Twitter followers and a combined Facebook and Instagram following of over 2.2 million with live, innovative content around her programming and off-air projects, ranking her amongst the world’s top 250 most influential Tweeters.

An enthusiastic cook, Fearne released her first cookbook in June 2016: Cook Happy, Cook Health. Her next book, Happy, talks about her own experiences of happiness (including some of the not-so-happy ones), and was published February 2017. Fearne's third book, Cook. Eat. Love, was published in June 2017.

Work aside, Fearne is a mother of 2 and continues to find time to support a range of charities with seemingly no challenge too big for her, whether it be climbing Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief, or trekking the Inca Trail for Breast Cancer Care. Fearne is an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust and also a patron for Post Pals, Tyler’s Trust and Coppafeel!, the latter of which she curates the charity’s music festival, FESTIFEEL.

Reviews

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book because it was beautiful - the kind of Instagram-pretty book that looks lovely on a coffee table in an immaculate appartment. The claim that it's about depression is deceiving: the advice given by Cotton Fearne is to eat healthy, sleep enough, look after your appearance because it has an impact on your mood, journal, be creative... Great advice for people who are just looking to feel a bit better and happier, but for people who are actually going through depression? Probably useless when you are unable to get up and get dressed, when you can't sleep because of the thoughts in your head, when you can't even be bothered toasting a piece of bread for dinner, and when checking your emails is just as hard as running a marathon. I think the whole book should be re-marketed as "healthy living tips" and leave aside the whole "fighting against depression" side, because there is no way anyone feeling severely depressed will find that this book will help them through it. No way it will be enough inspiration to get up, put on a pretty dress, write down gratitude lists in their Moleskine and make a healthy chickpea salad.

Overall I would still say I liked it, mainly because Fearne Cotton's illustrations are so pretty. Maybe following each advice would help me being a bit happier and would make readers less vulnerable to depression - if they surround themselves by a support network and build in habits that may prevent the illness from settling in. But most likely not: depression strikes when you least expect it, often because of genetics, and honestly, as pessimistic as it sounds, I doubt there is much you can do against it. Fight it when it's there. Do therapy, medication, whatever helps. But although there is a lot to say about how a good night sleep and spending time in nature can help, it would be presemptuous to say this will cure depression or prevent it from happening.

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm holding onto this book on one of my overflowing shelves, since the majority of the advice and tips mentioned throughout the chapters I feel will come in very handy for later stages in my life and venturing into the outside world! It was refreshing to hear real-life experiences from Fearne, there were sections that you could fill in and will look into doing that some point. There were some parts mentioned which wasn't fully appealing to me since I couldn't relate to those situations. I also found the location for some of the fill-in activities to be a little awkward, breaking up the chapters and disrupting the flow a little. Nevertheless, it was something I found helpful and would read again.

[Katherine Brant · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I ever have to read how grateful she is for having kids and her career and husband and family I will throw up.
I've never read such nauseating self help book.
There is absolutely no useful information in this at all just her going on and on and on about being grateful and thankful.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some months back I came across Fearne Cotton's name in one of the podcasts I listen to.
So when I was scrolling through my library's e-audiobooks offerings, the cover and the author's name grabbed my attention, so I downloaded it.
It's a short book. It's hard to rate it as it's not terrible but it doesn't say anything new. I couldn't help but wonder if this book would have been published if an unknown had written it. I very much doubt it.
Don't we all know by now that it's good to eat healthily, carve time for oneself, get enough sleep, have some technology-free time, go in nature, do yoga, meditate, do something creative, have a good earn with friends, or have therapy/medication when depressed?

I'm also getting tired of people going on about the stigma of talking about depression or mental illness. Is it still? I mean we even have national days like RU OK and pretty much every other famous person comes out as a former or current sufferer of depression and/or anxiety etc.

But in saying all the above, if this book brings solace or encourages someone to change something for the better, who am I to dismiss it. It wasn't the worst book in the genre.

[Gem ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting a while to read this book and I'm glad I finally picked it up as it's such a positive, intelligent read. It isn't just about feeling low, far from it, it focuses on several aspects of our lives we can work on to be "happy" or more realistically to find what feels right for you.
Family, love, food, yoga, identity, balance etc are some of the aspects covered. The book features beautiful illustrations and pages you are encouraged to write in and return to about your own perspectives. A truly lovely book.

[Lou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry I did not rate this book. Being somebody that reads many health books of different types I gave this a go. I didn't learn anything of significance and felt I could have written a similar book.
I know others have loved it and this is just my view point. Sorry!

[Natasha Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

So here it is my first read of 2021! I made the decision at the end of last year that I wanted to start the new year off with a non-fiction read and well.... what better book to start a new year with than HAPPY. It literally says it all.

Now I will be completely honest and say that I have never been a Fearne Cotton fan. I guess I was jealous in my teenage years as she was good friends with the band Mcfly. Now at that time I was about 14/15 and almost certain that I was going to marry Danny from Mcfly (I mean why not right?! 🙈😂) so I guess my childish, adolescent brain felt a twinge of jealousy of this beautiful young woman who seemed to have it all figured out. I didn’t hate Fearne (I’m not like that at all) I just didn’t warm to her and as such paid little attention to all the wonderful things she has created.

Now in my thirties and finally over my insane crush on Danny from Mcfly 🙈😂 I was able to open my mind and read the first of Fearnes incredible works... Happy!

I am now well & truly immersed & completely in LOVE with @fearnecotton. How have I gone so long without this beautiful humans words of wisdom?! This book is a breath of fresh air ❤️ It is so interactive and there are so many exercises all the way through where Fearne encourages you to scribble and doodle your way through the book. At first I’ll admit I was reluctant to deface the book with my pencils... as I don’t even dog ear the pages in my books 🙈. But once I got into the spirit of the book I was drawing away like a regular Bob Ross 😂.

Fearne discusses some vitally important topics within the book such as depression and how we treat ourselves and our bodies! She makes you think about what brings happiness into your life.... what takes it away.... and finally how to bring balance to your life!

I love Fearne to pieces & reading this book I realise just how much I have in common with her. This was the perfect book to start the new year with and I loved it so much I even went and purchased her new book ‘Speak your truth’ which was released today!

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to find their happiness and live a life of gratitude & peace x

[Alyce Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could have rushed this book and finished it in a day, but something about Fearne's voice makes you want to slow down, relax and savour every moment.
I'm not good at relaxing. I'm not good at being happy. But this book made both things accessible to me, which I'm really grateful for.
I think Fearne is very brave for opening up about her depression: as such a public figure it opens her up to all kinds of judgment and scrutiny, but I think this book is going to help a lot of people.

[Rene Anthony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book as a Christmas gift and gave it a skim read to see if there was anything remotely new or compelling. I was disappointed.

Full of pearls of wisdom such as “reject drama”, “listen to your gut” and “talk talk talk”. Perhaps this book might useful for someone who is experiencing mental ill-health for the first time, but it struck me as a celebrity money grab by stuffing some pretty well-worn and easily accessible tips into a book with a pretty cover.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are sweet and beautiful, making me slightly regret not having bought the paper version.

Thing is, though I sort of liked this book, it is because I have come through depression and out the other side that I can understand where the advice is coming from. I also have learned these lessons but I had to do it by working through it myself.

During my own darkest days I would have felt that Fearne was rubbing my face in her own happiness and thought "bully for her for being strong enough to get through depression", etc etc. Of course I know that is not what she is intending to do.

I would rate this book highly for anyone who feels they are just about on the upturn and need just a little nudge towards happiness for themselves.
If you already feel happy you probably won't need the advice.
If you are very UNhappy you will probably find this book is not enough, at least on its own.
If you would like a bit of an insight into Fearne Cotton's life, her personal ideas on how to be a happy person (some are similar to my own, some not so much), and a big old healthy dollop of pure positivity - and pretty neat illustrations - then this book is a winner.

[Mindfully Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the simplicity of this book, it is beautifully presented and very straight forwarded. What I like about this book is that it doesn’t tell you what to do, Fearne simple lays out very basic ideas for you which you are then meant to build from and apply to your own life. Throughout each chapter and at the end there are places for you to write and fill in with a pen. When I started this book I was lazy and filled it out mentally. I was about halfway through the book thinking it was okay but not great, and I then decided to pick up a pen and go back through the book and fill it out properly – and it went from okay to brilliant. You need to do all the work if you want to see an outcome and benefit from this book, which I think is the best approach for achieving happiness. Overall I think this book is a perfect starting point, especially for a more modern younger generation as it covers more apt topics such as social media, comparison, and friendship groups moving on. Just don’t be fooled by its simplicity, it’s there to only lay the ideas in your head; the rest is up to you.

[✨ kathryn ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5
Super accessible with some very applicable ideas on how to bring "Happy" into your life. My one lil gripe with this, however, was the "Happy Families" section, which I, personally, felt made the assumption that everyone comes from super-happy, loving families which is certainly (and unfortunately) not the case. That aside, a very insightful read!

[Samantha Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had this book sitting around for about a year now & decided to read it about 3 weeks ago inbetween other reads.
I found myself skim reading most of it as to me it's just another celebrity book. There was a couple of good ideas in the book but I can't imagine personally that this book would be very helpful for anyone suffering from depression but it does have a lot of good reviews.

[Sammy Buttery · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t really think much to this book, she just talks about her life. I wouldn’t recommend buying this book.

[Debra K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just what I needed to read at this time. With a very busy life and work life, I do find it hard sometimes to keep up with everything and even keep up with myself. This book made me stop and think about what I was doing and discover that something had to change.

Fearne talks about her personal experieneces in this book together with talking to other friends about their experiences also. There are a lot of topics that Fearne talks about in this book but, for me, the biggest aspect that I took out of this was not to hurry through life. Take one step at a time and be picky about what you choose to do. You can't do everything.

Very inspirational reading and has definately made me stop and think.




For more reviews, please check out the link below:
Debra's Book Cafe

Debs :-)

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I think of Fearne Cotton, I always remember her as the loud and confident presenter of morning tv. I remember meeting her many years ago at a show filming in London and thinking wow that woman is so full of confidence I wish I could more like that!

So, I was interested to read her book Happy and see if she could shed some light on happiness and confidence. Yet, what I found in between the pages of this book surprised and delighted me in equal measure. Fearne writes with honesty about her past and her troubles with the darkness of self doubt and depression. The times when she was trying to be liked by everyone and ended up as someone she really didn’t feel was herself and I thought wow that super confident woman I remember wanting to be like was really just like me!

I found Fearne’s approach really enlightening, she is down to earth and it’s a little like listening to a friend. I enjoyed learning not only about her past, and how she has dealt with that. But also found joy in seeing her outlook on life now. How much happiness she takes in the simple things, like being with her family or cooking a meal for a friend. It was the beauty in the simple things that made me see her in a completely different but fantastic light.

I like the fact that as well as learning about her own story through this book, Fearne also opens up space in the book to friends and family who share some of their experiences and advice on learning to live happier. Whether that’s a yoga expert giving us a few tips on how to take space for ourselves each day, her mum talking about her personal struggles with depression, or celebrity friends like Tom Fletcher talking about his own battles with mental health. I felt reading some of the open and honest real life stories made me feel a little less alone in my personal battles with the dark side of my mental health.

Scattered throughout this book were exercises to go alongside each chapter such as what does balance look like to you, a bedtime diary, and a place where you can list those songs that never fail to make you smile or want to dance. I found these were an interesting addition to the book, as it really made you think about what you had just read and deal with some of the issues in the chapters in a practical way.

Thank you Fearne and friends for showing all of us that have struggled with mental health, whether that be one small moment of anxiety, or a lifetime of dark days that we are not alone and that there is light in the darkness.

I am now working my way through the journal that was published alongside the Happy book, and as it’s a year long journal you will have to wait until the end of the year for my review but so far I am loving some of the ideas and I can definitely see it making a difference in the way I am seeing situations. Maybe I will do a sneaky half year check in 🙂

[Michael Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

My opinion of this book may be skewed by the fact I just finished Matt Haig - Reasons to Stay Alive and the Psychopath Test. But I found it to lack substance.

It is sad to hear that Fearne struggled through some periods of low mood, but I don't think this book should be aimed at depressives. This book is probably for those who come in short of happy but don't have depression. Once part of the book seems to imply that helping out a stranger or smiling at people would help get you out of a depressive state. It won't. It might make you happier if you aren't depressed. Secondly, at the start it says "Within these pages you’ll hear me talk about what depression feels like for me", this isn't true. Fearne describes this book as a type of tell all/open up about Fearne book, but it has incredibly little on her or what she experienced or how her low mood affected her. She mentions that she had taken pills but stopped after a few months, why not write about this more, what was it like, why stop taking them, what happened when you stop, side effects etc, but no, nothing, just a mention. Instead there is mountains on how much she loves her kids or how much she loves her husband or how much she liked writing or painting or yoga etc. There is no in depth view or comment on depression, possible triggers, society as a whole, long term strategy. It seems to offer up a lot of quick fixes, when we know there is none to depression.

Also, be prepared to have 3 separate analogies on you're internal mood withing 50 pages
Internal barometer, internal alarm clock, internal pendulum and internal

[Emma Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically just an inspirational quotes instagram. I felt sad, so I do yoga. I feel stressed so I do art. You're in a toxic relationship, just leave! You feel angry, just breathe! You're sad, just don't be sad!
Too much privilege and 'I feel truly blessed' for this to be insightful in any way.

[Claudia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing, I'm afraid. I really wanted this to be amazing. I've read lots of mental health books but this just didn't cut it for me.

[m d · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would've liked and needed this book much more 10-15 years ago than I do now... maybe back then it would've had a power to made an impact and improve me and my life 😉

[Akcherrybomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first few chapters are hard as it speaks of Fearnes own dark times and in a way it feels abit daunting to read when it brings up memories of your own as you nod along saying yep and agreeing to parts.

It's hard to say anything negative when someone speaks about their own personal journey, their truth and the things they have found along the way which have helped them.

However for me I felt this was more of a starter book and felt like I needed something abit more.

[Danni Strange · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I needed when I found myself in a negative mindset. Top tips for gratitude, daily mindfulness and generally having a positive outlook on life.

[Gab · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I bought the paper version of this book - the cover is really beautiful and there were many pages within the book to complete small exercises with words or pictures. The illustrations in the book were really beautiful too. The book is divided into chapters on how to be happy in different aspects of your life. The author first goes through her own period of depression, before moving on to show how she has become more balanced in her work and family lives. Each chapter has a good summary of the main principles covered. This was a very easy to read book and although it covers mental health, I don't know that it would be enough on its own to help someone overcome a really bad bout of depression. However it was thought provoking and very honest and I appreciated it.

[Emily Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought as it was 99p on kindle, turns out it’s a workbook and a paper copy would be better. Ended up being mostly a night shift read which might speak for itself. Nothing particularly new here but life-affirming as expected. I take a slightly ?uncomfortable pleasure in hearing about other people’s lives, their highs and lows. 2.5*

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely book and makes you appreciate the small things!

[Alexandra Alexandridou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, full of hope and happiness. I found some really meaningful words in it, inspiration and more happiness. Thank you Fearne

[Lulu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I didnt connect with anything cotton said.

[Briana Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Likes: Light and easy to read, nice illustrations, exercises to do throughout
Dislikes: Very basic book about overcoming depressing and finding your happy place. Nothing new or ground breaking.
Recommend For: Fearne Cotton fans, a first read of a health- self help book.

[Lel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have made no secret that over the past three- four years I have really battled with my mental health. I have been up and down with depression and then had severe post-natal depression as well. This book isn’t going to make all that disappear but i think it will help immensely. In the two days it took me to read it, I have had some very serious deep and meaningful conversations with myself. There are some amazing tips for dealing with life and it’s hardships, coping mechanisms for when it’s all still to much and all with a very positive vibe.
I’m going to put lots of the little tips into action and start simply by finding something I’m grateful for each day.
I’m think most people would benefit from reading this book especially if sometimes being happy is the hardest thing in the world.

[Roz Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never written a book review before but felt this deserved one. This book deserves more than 5 stars!! Yes the book has come with some social media press around Fearne dealing with depression and it's referenced but it's so much more than that. It's about providing little suggestions which are easy to take forward and adapt, for instance turning your phone off a little while before you go to bed, giving yourself a digital detox. I've done this and whether it is coincidental my sleep has been better and I've been waking up feeling fresh rather than sluggish. Reading this book came at such a perfect time in my life and I can honestly say has made me feel happier and less anxious. There are so many little exercises that this book becomes a reference book for me going forward. 5+ stars