Published: Murdoch books
Pages: 280
Date Published: 05/08/2021
Date Read: 11/07/2021
No matter what our differences are, we all ultimately ask the same big questions of life. When will I find love? What happens when we die? Why do bad things happen to good people? How do I go on?
As a psychic, Helen Jacobs has heard just about every curly question there is. Asking For A Friend provides answers from the spirit realm, with a side dose of hope, comfort and gentle guidance to those navigating challenging times.
This is the ultimate spiritual FAQ, bringing together answers to the most commonly asked questions Helen has received over the past decade. From dealing with losing someone you love or a relationship breakdown, to how to navigate the very uncertain times we’re experiencing, including our current climate crisis and other world-altering events, Asking For A Friend serves up bite-sized wisdom to life’s biggest questions.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Murdoch books for the advanced readers copy in return for an honest review.
There was something about the cover of this book that made me happy and I can’t put my finger on it. It’s brightly coloured, visually appealing, with a tongue-in-cheek title. It just seemed like a joyful cover, even though we’re frequently told not to pay too much attention to the cover.
I know some people completely go against the idea of ghosts, spirits, and life after death, and that’s entirely their prerogative. I for one truly believe in the afterlife and believe I have had interactions with my loved ones after death. I am not saying I am right and non-believers are wrong, but considering no one knows for sure what death brings us, maybe we should open our minds to the (in my opinion) comforting idea that this isn’t all there is, and maybe, those who are only with us in spirit do have the ability to answer our questions. Whatever your view, it’s important to go into this book with an open mind.
It wasn’t preachy, which I thought was good. It explored her believes but didn’t insist that the reader must agree. But I do think it presented a new way for the reader to think.
I did find it a bit…negative? Depressing? Maybe not quite to that extreme but the questions all seemed to be quite pessimistic. Things like divorce, illness, redundancy and death. Whilst I realise that these tend to be the big ‘what if’ questions, I felt it needed a balance with some more positive, life affirming questions. I’m sure there’s plenty of those.
With the emphasis on spiritualism and psychic ability, I did think there would be more focus on the spiritual life-after-death part, rather than a Q&A self help type of format, but it was still entertaining, informative, interesting, and gave me time to really think about my own life and my own decisions – why I am notoriously terrible at making.
Books By Your Bedside 