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Tea & Honesty: Heartfelt conversations. Lessons learned. Stories shared.

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On her much-loved Tea With Jules programme on Youtube, presenter, stylist and philanthropist Jules Sebastian captures beautiful conversations, many of them with Australian icons, women and men from all walks of life about their pivotal experiences. These stories range the full spectrum - covering motherhood, relationships, career, lifestyle, health and more - and are at times both raw, moving and poignant. These conversations have shaped Jules' own life, helping her navigate her role as a career woman, mother, daughter and wife of one of Australia's most popular musicians, Guy Sebastian. Like a good catch-up with your girlfriends, Tea & Honesty relays many of these conversations as well as sharing some of the most personal and vulnerable moments of Jules' own journey that she has kept close to her heart - until now. Inspired by these conversations, her book covers the knotty emotions of guilt, comparison and identity to passion, purpose, community, kindness and more.

Offering snippets of heartfelt life advice from well-known contributors such as Kate Ritchie, Emma Isaacs, Camilla Franks, Rachel Finch and Neale Whitaker, with beautiful quotes and break out inspiration, this is the perfect treat to curl up on the sofa with, cup of tea in hand, or to give your favourite friend or family member to let them know that they are not alone.

296 pages, Paperback

Published March 30, 2021

20 people are currently reading
108 people want to read

About the author

Jules Sebastian

3 books3 followers

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5 stars
64 (27%)
4 stars
89 (37%)
3 stars
71 (30%)
2 stars
12 (5%)
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf).
905 reviews198 followers
April 27, 2021
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
Spoken with warmth, Jules Sebastian wife of Australian (Adelaide) singer Guy Sebastian delivers a book straight from the heart that is inspired by poignant conservations with people from all walks of life. Jules also shares experiences from her own life.

Highlights include self-care, relationships, career, motherhood, health and suicide.

The author is a public speaker, philanthropist, presenter and stylist and she has a You Tube Channel called Tea With Jules.

Tea & Honesty: Heartfelt conversations. Lessons learned. Stories shared. is an inspiring read.
Profile Image for Debbie.
1,255 reviews114 followers
March 24, 2021
Jules Sebastian has a much-loved Tea With Jules programme, available on Youtube, apple podcasts and Spotify. In her programmes she interviews many famous household names who share their life experiences and lessons learnt, in career, relationships, lifestyle, health and more. She also shares her own journey and it was so lovely to learn more about Jules and her own life lessons. The talks are personal and vulnerable and through this book she shares some of those conversations.

I really loved this book. This isn't one I read in one sitting, but something to read and ponder over a few weeks. TW as this does delve into serious topics, such as suicide. However, it does contain warnings and such an openness in discussing this very personal topic that has touched the family. I loved the overarching message of this book, of the importance of kindness, sprinkled through the pages. I've seen people describe their reading of this book like a big warm hug and there really is no better description. There was so much emotion and warmth in this one and it was inspiring and truly delightful!

Thank you to the team at Murdoch Books for my advance review copy.
220 reviews4 followers
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June 6, 2021
An open and honest book with some fantastic ideas for self-help. Jules takes a positive view to all aspects of life.
Profile Image for Emily Skeen.
83 reviews
April 3, 2021
TW: suicide, miscarriage, anxiety

I adored this book. I kept getting drawn back into the pages; and subsequently finished it in less than 24 hours!

This beautifully written memoir explores the different challenges of life with messages and guidance from both guests of "Tea with Jules" and the Sebastian family members.

I was in tears at multiple times throughout this book; it makes you feel as though you are not alone in the world. I was particularly drawn to the chapter about Comparison. I still struggle with comparing myself with others in all aspects of my life from work, to motherhood and even what I do/don't post on social media. The story of Jaynie really resignated with me as a mum to a child with assisted needs; my daughter was born with bilateral mild/moderate hearing loss and for many years we were told she would be behind her peers and it would be difficult for her to catch up (none of which came to fruition). I love that Jaynie was so in tune with herself and her family as they created their new normal; something which took me many months to achieve.

This book is a very raw and honest account of the challenges Jules and her family have faced; and how they have stood by one another to pull each other through. It shows that we all encounter these moments in our lives and we never know what others are going through behind closed doors.

I really liked how they dedicated a page to trigger warnings before the chapters encompassing Grief and Guilt. Not only was it very considerate to the readers but also included resources for if they wish to seek help.

Tea and Honesty is a fantastic source for future reference when life again begins to feel overwhelming. It is a warm hug on a Winter's day; a friend you didn't know you needed; and all we need now is to pop the kettle on and have that cup of tea.
14 reviews
February 5, 2023
This is a hard book to review. I like Jules Sebastian, and this book was definitely well written. I did read it in a couple of days, but I’m not sure if that was because it was interesting or I was just trying to get through it as fast as I could.
There were only snippets of content that was about her upbringing and family life and I wished there was more. The book was more of a self help book which included some of her life lessons. All of the chapters focused on a different topic like empathy, comparison, community, fear, or guilt. I found it a little repetitive and long winded, and a lot of the content was just common sense. I could have easily cut about 50 pages from this book and still understood the points she was trying to make.
Jules comes across as a lovely person and wrote this book with the intention of sharing wisdom and tips she has gained throughout her life and through the Tea with Jules interviews. Overall, a very uplifting and positive book with important messages.
Profile Image for Kylie H.
47 reviews
May 3, 2021
A well written, inspirational book, that is raw, moving and poignant. Each chapter felt like a warm hug. This book covers topics such as fear and grief, intertwining Jules’ own experience and that of the guests on her podcast ‘Tea with Jules’ it lets the reader know they are not alone.

Reading this book I felt like I was sitting down for a cup of tea and a chat with a good friend. I have highlighted numerous passages to refer to later and can see myself picking this up in times of need for years to come. The fear chapter was especially helpful for me.

This book is tea for the soul.
2 reviews
May 16, 2021
This book was written from the heart I couldn’t put it down and I will often go back and read chapters again and again I will often read the Grief chapter when I’m having a bad day thinking of my beautiful nephew and it’s just like Jules is sitting with me for a chat and a cup of tea.
Profile Image for Bettina.
361 reviews2 followers
July 1, 2021
A very raw and honest book that resonated with me. This book makes you want to look a life more positively. To know that you’re not alone in having that feeling of ‘mum guilt’ was very encouraging. This book makes me want to live my best self.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
144 reviews1 follower
September 3, 2021
I liked the concepts behind this book and the parts with raw emotion. However I found at times it was quite generic and I’d heard it before (even though it was valuable advice to hear again), I wasn’t highly engaged while reading it.
Profile Image for Janelle Dale.
9 reviews
December 27, 2022
I enjoyed this however I felt it took me a while to get through it. While the individual stories were uplifting and relatable it lacked the traditional storyline that I am used to. It was still well written and easy to read.
Profile Image for Renee (Renees_books) Baines.
42 reviews19 followers
May 7, 2023
Easy 5 stars. I really loved Tea & Honesty. I resignated with a lot of what Jules wrote and made total sense. I found that the writing flowed and is easy to understand. The conversations were refreshing to read and encouraging.
Profile Image for Amanda.
135 reviews1 follower
June 3, 2021
Love Jules! So real and inspiring!
Profile Image for chelseaslibrary.
142 reviews5 followers
June 27, 2021
CW : talk of suicide

I absolutely adored how this was written. I think Jules did a beautiful job talking about hard topics and loved the advice and just warm and honest vibe she gave off.
Profile Image for Sally.
95 reviews3 followers
August 20, 2021
Beautiful book. Written into lovely sections all backed up with discussions from other people. Very well written and though out. One to read more than once I reckon too!
416 reviews2 followers
March 6, 2023
Oh what a beautiful book for all ages. Feel good. Tea and Honesty so appropriate for us all.
Profile Image for Robyn.
45 reviews1 follower
November 5, 2023
Was ok, Easy to read, sometimes repeated a lot but enjoyed the beginning and end and there were definitely some nuggets of wisdom in there.
Profile Image for Wendy Sice.
357 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2021
This is a warm and uplifting book by the lovely Jules Sebastian, wife of Guy Sebastian. Unbeknownst to me, she has had a podcast for years, interviewing celebrities and entrepreneurs about their inspirations and motivations. Sharing stories from her own life, Sebastian intersperses slivers of wisdom from those she has interviewed who have added to her own philosophy with their thoughtful perspectives. This was a beautiful book to read during the peaceful Easter season.
266 reviews
January 19, 2022
I really enjoy listening to Jules Sebastian and find a sense of kindness and empathy coming through. However this book didn’t completely do it for me. The chapter on grief was raw and powerful and I empathised with the JLO story, that would have been me. The rest of the book was meh.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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