Elizabeth Day tells the story of her life, focusing on instances in which she failed, and stresses the importance of failure in our lives, and the problems which being fixated on success and outcomes at all costs can cause. An interesting counterpoint to a culture which often only seems to care about results and tangible outcomes, reminding us that we can learn from all manner of experiences.

No one needs to know how to fail, but in "How to Fail," Elizabeth Day brilliantly shows how failure can help us succeed. If you're fan of her podcast, called "How to Fail" (natch), you will be a fan of this book. If you've never heard of her podcast, you'll be a fan of this book. Lessons are taught by Day, and lessons are learned by the readers. Truly an eye-opening and worthwhile book.

More memoir than expected but I liked that. Day writes in a frank but engaging way about confronting, something we all experience but hate, failure.

Elizabeth Day has totally re-framed "failing" for so many, and this book encapsulates the spirit of learning to fail perfectly. Honest, sharp and relatable, it's a great read - especially if you are a fan of the podcast.

I can't believe it took me so long to read this, this book was fab! Filled with quotes from many different people to show you just how un-alone you are when you feel like you want the world to swallow you up. Just fab!

Now that I've read it I can't remember what exactly attracted me to this book.

It felt like meeting a very good friend by a fireplace somewhere in the mountains (say, on a weekend when there's a blizzard outside and skiing isn't an option) and you get bored eventually and open one too many bottles of wine and start pouring out not just that but also all your deepest confessions and tell-all life experiences that start feeling extremely real even if it's the other girl talking, not you.

And somehow - rather magically - the typical female judgment is amiss.

I'm not sure we learn anything from these. I mean, isn't it human nature to need to make our own mistakes (and only THEN learn, if at all). But it sure feels good knowing you're not the only one out there.

The best part is that this is still only a book, and you don't have to worry about the fact that you might be nodding along with OMG the same thing happened to me and fear that the narrator might call out on you the next day.

It's SUPPORTIVE FEMALE SPIRIT LITERATURE - there should be a genre for it.

Thank you Netgalley for sharing it and Elizabeth Day for writing it!

I really enjoy the How to Fail podcast which preceded the book but the book didn't, I felt, add a lot more that I hadn't already heard or learnt from that format. Elizabeth Day is very likeable, an excellent writer, and her willingness to share personal stories is absolutely a strength so it's an enjoyable read but it maybe misses the mark in the 'manifesto' element of the book for me.

Whilst she is very open about her privilege, and this isn't a personal criticism of her, at times the 'failures' just felt a little flat when they weren't really all that much of a failure - not living it large in your twenties, or failing at one night stands is, ultimately, not much of a failure at all - so some of the poignancy was lost in those moments which felt more superficial.

With one notable exception - I found the chapter on fertility issues to be incredibly moving and a real indictment of an industry which should be helping women at one of their most vulnerable moments and instead is, in many cases, failing at empathy.

As a fan of the podcast series this book is based on, I had high hopes. Thankfully "How to Fail" exceeded my expectations. We have all experienced failure at some point and while Day's perspective is from a place of privilege, there is something for everyone to relate to in the book.

Part memoir, part self-help book, How to Fail is a book I will return to again and again as I Iearn to turn failure into future success.

After loving the podcast, I couldn't wait to read the book and it certainly didn't disappoint. Heartwarming and inspiring in equal measure.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to our readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me! Sends an important message to our students and will definitely make them think

How to Fail by Elizabeth Day is a funny, heartwarming and hopeful book that I see myself giving away as a gift to family and friends. It was relatable because it is a book about failure and we have all failed (or feel like we've failed) at something in our lives.

Day lets the readers into her life and shows them how failure and success have a lot to do with perspective. Not only that but that we sometimes feel inadequate and worthless because of these failures. From family. friendship. fitting in and babies - this book explores multiple areas and will show you how our feelings are very similar (if not the same) when we fail and that it is difficult, but not impossible to learn how to fail better.

This is so good on making mistakes as a way of learning and getting better at something. People don’t often talk about failure, tending to highlight their success story to the point their success seems like a distant and unachievable thing. Elizabeth Day is so open and vulnerable about her mistakes. I found this relatable on so many levels. It made my feel less crap about the mistakes I’ve made (and will make in the future) 🙌 Highly recommended!

Written off the back off her hugely successful podcast, How To Fail delves into Elizabeth Day's own personal 'failures' rather than those of her guests. I'd never listened to her podcast before reading this, but I'm now working my way through the back catalogue. What I really enjoyed about this was how she peppered in the advice of others from the podcast throughout, so it wasn't just about her 'failures.' I think it's a really interesting topic and in this society a much needed look at what is a 'failure' and why we're so much harder on ourselves than we are to others.

It’s often the aim of books like this to sound like a chat with a good friend, but that’s not always achieved. No such fear with ‘How to Fail’- Elizabeth Day has succeeded in putting together a book that never patronises, is never holier than thou. It’s a reassuring exploration into the myriad ways in which we can err, and how we can be kind to ourselves when we do.

I adore Elizabeth's podcast of the same name - her honesty and authenticity in both her interviewing and the occasions where she is interviewed make it truly so emotive and engaging. So I had a feeling her book was going to be just as great and it really didn't disappoint. I found it so much more motivating to think of the lessons we learn from the things that don't go quite to plan than the self-help books that celebrate success and sometimes feel quite alienating. Such a wonderful book and as much a memoir as a reflection on failure and making mistakes - I will be buying this for all of my friends.

I am OBSESSED with this book and accompanying podcast. Honest, raw, intelligent and so incredibly helpful in our current state of Instagram false perfection. Recommend forever!

I work in a high school and one the things I wish for the students I work with is that they learn how to fail. I don’t mean that in a nasty ‘fail-your-GCSEs’ way. That would be horrible of me but I do believe that failing is a valuable life lesson.

Failing is inevitable. It is a part of life. Most importantly, it makes you resilient.

Failing is the subject of Elizabeth Day’s book How to Fail. She explores the various ways in which she herself has failed – be it simple things such as her driving test or the more bleed-all-over-the-page topics such as her marriage and not having a child. Day shows her own failures along with those of the celebrities that she has had on her podcast – How to Fail with Elizabeth Day.

It shows not only our perceptions of ourselves which is often warped and leans towards the negative but how what we deem a ‘failure’ may be something that others see success in.

How to Fail by Elizabeth Day is one of the best non-fiction books that I have read in 2019. Day really gets her message across to the reader. It is ok to fail.

How to Fail by Elizabeth Day is a very cathartic read.

How to Fail – Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong by Elizabeth Day is available now.

For more information regarding Elizabeth Day (@elizabday) please visit www.elizabethdayonliine.co.uk.

For more information regarding Harper Collins (HarperCollinsUK@) please visit their Twitter page.

I really wanted to love this, but it didn't do it for me. I enjoyed the humor and found myself laughing a lot, but don't feel like a really related to any of the 'lessons'. I also found that they didn't go together very well. However, I do recommend people at least check out this book - it's a refreshing take failure and an enjoyable read.

I found this quite an interesting read.

The book generally discusses the concept of what failure means and gives an account of different failures from the author's perspective with a few insights from people she has interviewed. It covers life experiences such as growing up, friendships, career, marriage and relationships. It felt very genuine and personal, particularly the experiences of fertility treatment which I found quite touching.

I thought it was fairly well written, with a conversational tone and good balance between serious topics and humour.

However, there were several instances within the book where I thought the account was too heavy handed with personal bias and judgement - such as sweeping statements about male obstetricians and a whole chapter on anger about a partner ending a relationship.

Overall I would recommend a read

I think we all know that failure isn't the end of the world and that it's "never a failure but always a lesson" but that doesn't change the fact that we're still so hard on ourselves everytime we fail and remember those moments even years later. This is why Elizabeth Days book 'How to Fail' is so amazing. It is a reminder. A reminder to not be so hard to ourselves and to allow ourselves to fail. It's also a feel-good book since you realize that you are not the only one that has to deal with failure and embarrassing moments.
Thanks NetGalley and Harper Collins Uk for my eARC of this book.