Easy read with many tips on how to "feel good" in all areas of your life. Some ideas are unique but very doable and easy to implement and other ideas are common ones heard before but bare taking action on. Many people will find the book uplifting and energizing.

I found this to be a wonderful book and highly recommend to anyone interested in improved well-being and emotional health, especially those who struggle with being a perfectionist or an all-or-nothing mentality. This book was very easy to read and I found the advice to be practical. I look forward to more from Robyn Conley Downs.

Thank you, Crown Publishing and NetGalley, for a digital ARC!

I had high hopes for this book but I found it really hard to get through and not ultimately very helpful. Another reviewer noted: "The second thing that caught my attention is how branded everything feels... She points to the work of well-known researchers — Brené Brown’s work on shame and perfectionism; Kristin Neff’s on self-compassion — and then repackages it, staples it together, and slaps a bunch of Capitalized Titles on it. I found this somewhat of a turnoff; at several points in the book I felt like I was being advertised something, or sitting in on a multi-level marketing seminar."

That's exactly how I felt, like I was reading some sort of incredibly long infomercial. None of the concepts struck me as particularly novel at all, and it turns out I do most of what she preaches anyway. I had the feeling halfway through that one page might have helpful tips for me to get working on my writing again, but I was so bored by the book that I didn't bother to make notes or anything. For the most part, it just seemed like she was trying desperately to sell me something and that the whole thing could have been summed up in a blog post.

I suspect that it could be quite useful for younger readers and those who are really struggling with issues of perfectionism, comparison, etc. and who are not familiar with the authors she pulled from, though. If you like diagrams and lots of back story, you're likely to enjoy it.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
I had the opportunity to interview Robyn on my podcast, Minimalist Moms. Her approach to health is one that I can get on board with- it's a true, mind-body approach. I could see most women working their way through this book, highlighting passage and taking notes. It's, for sure, one to return in throughout various seasons of life.

In THE FEEL GOOD EFFECT, Robyn Conley Downs shares hard-won wisdom that she earned the hard way, by living the prevailing stories of striving, pushing and shoving yourself around to create and maintain the illusion of effortless perfection. Her excellent book and gentle suggestions to align, integrate, and rethink the way you live felt like a long conversation with a wise, kind friend over a cup of tea. By the end of the book, I was stronger, wiser, more clear about what I value and what I genuinely want to accomplish. This clear, well-crafted guide to change is one of the best books I've read in a very, very long time. My deepest appreciation to Downs, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me the chance to read an advance reader copy of Downs' book in exchange for my unbiased review.

The Feel Good Effect by Robyn Conley Downs is a self-help book written to help the reader simplify all the current research and practices that improve wellness and life and provides a framework for that research. The author opens with her background and breaks down many of the myths and unhelpful approaches to wellness, which was so simple but is frequently ignored in other books. I appreciate the author understands the reader will not follow each aspect perfectly all the time and instead encourages the reader to "take what you need and leave the rest". The writing is easy to read and the infographics included in the chapter were visually attractive yet easy to read. As a researcher, I can tell she is well-read and knows how to make helpful figures. I also appreciate the author includes a challenge at the end with a guide that provides a structure for a book club for those interested. Overall, I enjoyed and recommend this book!

Many thanks to the publisher Ten Speed Press and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Feel Good Effect is a framework that combines mindset shifts and habit shifts to implement in your daily life that help create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. Downs shares her personal journey to how she came to live a life free of the constant hustle and bustle, burnout, unrealistic expectations, striving and comparison. As a busy mom of four, I can relate completely to what she shared in the introduction about the start-slide-stop and desiring more peace and less chaos and exhaustion in the day to day. I want to be able to have tools to help me live a more peaceful, living in the moment kind of life and not constantly thinking of my to dos and what's next. Downs shares the steps to take to create small shifts that bring about big changes, so we are able to make time to stop and enjoy the here and now. I highly recommend this book and have it to be completely life giving. I will be referring back to this book often and implementing what I've learned.

This is the book I have been waiting for - a self-help book based on science with actionable steps - and I loved it.
I have been following Robyn's blog and listening to her podcast for a number of years and have enjoyed watching the evolution of her strength and messages. I am also a scientist and I really appreciated the tone of her writing and her detailed explanations. I struggle with a lot of the topics in this book, especially the "all or nothing thinking" and I can't wait to get started with some of her strategies. I highly recommend this book!

I was fortunate enough to be able to preread this book digitally and I'm so excited to be able to get a physical copy in hand soon! I have loved listening to Robyn's Feel Good Effect podcast the last years and this continues to support her message of what wellness could be for all of us. Give it a read, what do you really have to lose? Be part of the Feel Good Movement!

This is a book that I will read over and over again! It's like a reference to always go back to to feel good.
I love Robyn's style, and been listening to her podcasts for a long time, so I was really excited to read her book. It mets my expectations and more!
I love how throughout the whole book, she keep sending the message that there is no one "right" way or answer, and she offers tools and exercises so each one can find the feel good factor in his/her life.
The exercises suggested are simple yet super powerful. I love how realistic and practical the book is.
I recommend this book to everyone who wants to step out of the Striving mindset and find the "Feel Good Effect" in their own lives.
Robyn, thank you for writing this amazing book!

Robyn Conley Downs, creator of The Feel Good Effect podcast, has written this book as an extension of her podcast conversations. Longtime listeners will recognize some of the concepts, but new followers, and people who just prefer the written word, will appreciate the way Robyn lays out these “feel good” concepts. More than diet and exercise, Robyn discusses mindset and whole person health. She provides personal anecdotes, snippets of others’ stories, and science-backed research to prove that wellness is more than the quick fixes advertised in today’s health landscape. With illustrated charts and exercises at the end of chapters, readers gain tactical knowledge to implement these things into their lives. Robyn’s writing is like a conversation with a friend who genuinely cares about your well-being. This book is recommended for readers who want a new, gentle way to feel good.

The Feel Good Effect is a practical guide to create a life that is meaningful and feels good! In this book, Robyn Conley Downs, provides frameworks for building positive routines, reworking your mindset, and making small shifts that will have a big impact on your life. The book includes many actionable tips and practices that make it easy to implement Robyn's advice and guidance. The Feel Good Effect is beautifully written, and I will turn to it again and again to review the practices and remind myself of Robyn's guidelines for living a life that feels good! I cannot recommend this book enough - you definitely need to read it and then share it with a friend!

Quick book with inspirational and beautiful words of wisdom and quotes. Basically I cannot wait until this book goes on the market I need it in my life and the only reason I am disappointed is that I cannot fill it with all the journal prompts and ideas NOW and I have to wait. This books is AMAZING. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

“The Feel Good Effect” by Robyn Conley Downs is a how-to manual for enhancing your health and wellness. I subscribe to her podcast of the same name, and was excited to have Robyn’s simplified wellness advice in book form. Robyn’s approach is doable - she advocates for small changes that, over time, combine to make a big impact. “The Feel Good Effect” is a collection of customizable, science-based behavior shifts and habit changers that helped me develop a mindset of grace over perfection.

I wanted to love this book and be able to tell everyone I know to buy it. Unfortunately I didn't love it and probably won't be recommending it. I have read a lot of books on habits and mindset and the other books just have more to offer.

The things I liked...
- The introduction was great and made me want to race through the book. Robyn actually has degrees and has studied what she's about to write about, that is always a good thing in my opinion.
- The book looks beautiful.

Things I didn't like....
- The GOOD method is just a repackaging of what every other book on habits says (The Power of Habit, Tiny Habits, Atomic Habits) without the detail. Where I thought Robyn was vulnerable in the introduction, she pulled back when describing the GOOD method and made it very clinical
- No references at the end. Maybe if Robyn acknowledged that her work built upon others, I might have been more accepting of the GOOD method.
- I would have appreciated more detail on how Robyn (and maybe other people who contributed to her research) used the method she describes. I need data to convince me to change what I'm doing.

I currently have no plans to buy a physical copy of this book after reading, it wasn't written for me.

A few years ago I began listening to podcasts and found the Feel Good Effect. It quickly became one of my favorites and still is today. I was so excited when I found out Robyn was writing a book. I was quick to pre-order it and excited to join her ambassador team. 

The book was everything I knew it would be and so much more!! She covers several actionable routines that are easily incorporated into daily life and have a huge impact on health and well-being.


The graphics in the book are beautiful and I can’t wait to get my hands on the physical copy.


Many of the concepts in her book are discussed on her podcast but there are also lots of new ones. Even though I am familiar with a lot of her concepts, seeing it all written out and in more detail makes these concepts so much more clear and actionable.


Robyn is always real, vulnerable, and encouraging and that definitely translates in her book. Her work is fresh, helpful and I resonate so well with her ideas.


A few of my favorite lines from the book:

- Each day, a new day; each moment, a new moment


- Allow myself to be here, as I am, right now.


- When should pops up in my thinking, I’ve learned to reframe it in terms of good , or what would be good for me right now.

This book provides a fresh approach for wellness, self care and goal setting. Easy to read with lots of practical advice and examples backed by research.

This was an impulse request. I enjoy self help and usually take away a nugget or two from most books. I hadn’t heard of the author or her podcast.

Well....wow. I thoughts there was lots of good information here, presented in a new and unique way with clear and simple actionable steps to take. I found the author’s podcast and plan to enjoy exploring these ideas in more detail there.

Highly recommended.

Run, don't walk and grab yourself a copy of this book! Don't forget to have a notebook handy while you are reading it. Robyn doesn't just walk you through the different kinds of mindsets she gives you actionable strategies and exercises at the end of each chapter to help you make a shift. Reading and doing the exercises makes you stop and think about what how you can find your "Feel Good Effect".

I found Robyn's podcast a few months ago and eagerly devoured almost all of them within a matter of weeks. I was cautiously excited for her book, as I was unsure of how her practical episodes would translate to a longer format.

Expectations met! The book was grounding and practical. I appreciated her setting the stage for her method and lengthy discussion of the dangers of perfectionism and the importance of self compassion. I wasn't surprised to see a decent chunk of the book dedicated to mindset, and I think that laid the stage for her practical method of how to FEEL GOOD.

I received an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.