As someone who was diagnosed very late in life, this was like looking into my past. While reliving these things isn't always pleasant, it was very comforting simply to know that others understand.

Great for adults who have been diagnosed and finally understanding a lot about their younger selves.

This book made me feel so, so seen

I have never highlighted a book as much as this one. It was a lovely mix of personal anecdotes and real-life tips and advice for an ADHDer like me, and I highlighted so many things that I wanted to go back to. I hyperfocussed and read it all in one evening because I was so eager to read it all and absorb it. There are so many things that I'll take away from this book.

This book made me feel so much less alone. Thank you Alex.

Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray press for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5/5 rounded down

Alex partridge was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 34, which for a man is quite late in life. Diagnoses of ADHD and other neurodivergence later in life is more common for women. Now it all makes sense is his memoir in which he looks back and reflects on his life, realising moments and traits he had that could have clued him into this diagnosis sooner.

I do not have a diagnosis of ADHD or any other ND but this book resonated with me. It is part of why I requested and downloaded this book from netgalley as I have been questioning myself recently.

Partridge allows himself to be vulnerable and write raw emotion onto the page. You can feel his fears and frustrations throughout his childhood and young adulthood up through his diagnosis and the relief he feels about having answers. He illustrates situations and examples well, focusing more on the positive aspects of ADHD whilst not trivialising the negative.

This book is very insightful for anyone struggling with ADHD or for anyone who is beginning to question whether they have it and/or are beginning their journey to a diagnosis. Books like this are very important.

As a woman who was diagnosed (earlier this year) with ADHD at 35, much of this book resonated with me. I'm sure it will be relatable to most anyone who thinks they may have ADHD or was also recently diagnosed. Overall, I would recommend this book and plan to recommend it to a few specific people in my life.

The part about the ADHD impulse to just "do" things was incredibly validating. I often find myself unable to explain the why or how or something, and it's because there isn't an explanation. I just DID it.

The only parts that I didn't find very relatable were the chapters on parenting and relationships, but the content seemed well-done. It just wasn't content that I particularly needed.

I'd also like to note that I was unfamiliar with the author or his podcast before reading the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to the publisher & author for the eARC of this book!

This book was very interesting & insightful. As someone recently diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, it put a lot of things in perspective! Will definitely be going back to it.

A validating piece of work for anyone questioning or just beginning their ADHD journey as an adult (although some things sounded more like autism traits). I had a note about language, as this author uses “neurodiverse” when referring to a single person, instead of the more accurate “neurodivergent”. Overall an enjoyable and informative read.

Thank you NetGalley, John Murray Press, &
Alex Partridge for my ARC!

Such an incredibly helpful book, for years and years I couldn't understand why I found certain situations extremely difficult. After being diagnosed with ADHD I thought my brain was broken and it's so warming to know how others coped and their advice on what helped them.

Now It All Makes Sense by Alex Partridge is an insightful and relatable read for anyone navigating life with ADHD. Partridge’s personal journey, diagnosed later in life (typical for many of us), makes the content feel genuine and validating. His ability to highlight the challenges while also emphasizing self-compassion and understanding is what makes this book stand out. It’s not about “fixing” ADHD but rather learning how to work with your brain and letting go of guilt that often comes with diagnosis. I think this book is perfect for anyone seeking to understand themselves or support a loved one with ADHD, this book strikes the right balance between honesty and encouragement. I really appreciated the humor weaved throughout the book.

I love Alex’s podcast and social media and was excited to read this! As a late diagnosed ADHD-er I really enjoy books on this subject as they are validating and supportive in equal measure. This was no different - a great read and one I will pass on to my husband to read to help him support me in my ADHD journey.

Alex Partridge was diagnosed with ADHD at 34, which for a man is pretty late in life (more common for women), it made him look back at his life and have a few ohhhh moments. When you finally know how your brain works, you realise that maybe some of the things you went through all your life were not entirely your own fault.
As a women aged 39 who has been diagnosed with GAD (like the author) and been told that I was most likely neurodivergent but that since I compensated for way too long, I would never get a diagnosis at my age (that was fun), that book spoke to me way too much.
Sometimes the best advice you’ll get about a condition if from the people actually suffering from it. Not that therapist and psychiatrist are not good at their job, but they do tend to give a lot of advice that may sound like good advice but don’t actually work if your brain works a little differently.
I may have wanted to cry reading that part

"Women have become so good at hiding their ADHD traits because society teaches them that’s not how women should behave.Women are so good at masking they have even convinced their doctors that they’re ‘normal’ and then they get misdiagnosed with anxiety, depression or PMS. Too many women and girls are living in a constant state of overwhelm, have crippling low self-esteem, struggle to maintain relationships, are ultra-sensitive to rejection and they don’t know why. They feel misunderstood – and this can have disastrous outcomes."

Because yeah, so incredibly true. And this is why books like that are important. The author doesn’t say that everything will be perfect if you follow his advice, but what I took from it is that life doesn’t have to be that hard and that there are ways to make it easier. And the most important one is that we should forgive ourselves and give ourself grace.

Partridge is wonderfully relatable, helpful and honest in his telling of his experience with ADHD.
It is clear that he has intended for this book to be insightful. The highlight for me was how he manages to remove the self-guilt from ADHD and makes this the main message of this book.

I enjoyed reading this book. The epub is horrible though. I don't know what the publisher did but the formating is completely messed up.

Downloaded this on Netgalley bc I've been wondering if I have ADHD lately, and this seemed like a great way to get some insight.
A large part of it was relatable, like being forgetful and needing reminders for everything, fear of rejection, catastrophising, hyperfocusing on things, putting off tasks for ages and then completing them within minutes.
I like how the author wrote this book. By giving clear examples, he illustrated situations well, and also kept the focus on the much-needed positive aspects of ADHD, while not trivialising its negative aspects.
Still unclear to me if I have ADHD, I think that's how it will be for me until I get an official diagnosis (let me procrastinate). But yeah, much of it IS relatable.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.