As someone who was previously familiar with Sarajane's work with the enneagram, I was very excited to dive into this book! I am relatively new to the enneagram as a system and am still in the midst of determining my type, and while this book's purpose is not to type its readers but to delve deeper into the each type's strengths, weaknesses, and traits, I found it to be an invaluable tool in inching closer to determining where I fall on the enneagram. I found myself suddenly in tears as I listened to the description of the childhood-based fears of one of the types, a visceral reaction born from a deep sense of feeling seen as I truly am. I plan on returning to this book once I have settled on my type for further reflection!

The audiobook narrator had a compassionate and caring tone throughout, which was absolutely lovely to listen to. Some sections of the book would be better served in a visual medium, but the descriptions were quite detailed.

One thing I would have loved to see would have been a bit more of the history of the enneagram as a system. I found myself becoming increasingly curious about its origins and evolution over time, and while its ancient roots are alluded to, they were never explored.

Overall I quite enjoyed this book and found it incredibly informative and engaging!

This is a great primer on all the types if you already know yours. I took the test online before I read the book and was excited to know about mine. Since mine is 9, it wasn't until the end of the book, but I enjoyed learning about all the different types along the way. I think that you can read through all of them if you're interested in a primer on them or if you just want to know yours, then you can skip to where yours it. I also liked how it gave ideas on how to deal with the strengths, weaknesses, and how to have better relationships by type.
I would recommend it to people that are new to Enneagram like me, and I think it could also work really well for people who are experienced with it. The tone is very conversational, and the audio was well done. I think it would be good to get as a physical book as well, since I heard the illustrations are excellent, so I will be ordering a physical copy as well.

Enneagrams are being very very trendy - and for a good reason! I loved how Case broke down each Number with their identity, strengths and weaknesses. This information will help you not only understand yourself better but your future parter, coworkers and children. This book is a great reference that really covers all you need to know (minus the test).

A great introduction to enneagrams.

To be perfectly transparent, this is my first foray into the subject. So, to compare to others in the genre would be difficult.

However, a few key thoughts as follows.

Case creates a warm, thoughtful and understanding narrative that feels like a genuine desire for readers to seek clarification on their identity and how to use this as a guide through life's challenges and opportunities. At times, it felt a teensy bit laborious to read types other than my own. However, it was certainly eye-opening and Case writes with a gorgeous tone and flow. I can see this as being a book to refer to time and time again.

One of my biggest negatives for this book is that in audiobook format, the 'bingo' charts lose flow and clarity. This would have been much better to look at and I fear that a lot of their meaning will get lost via narration only.

I had been looking for a book to cover all the Enneagram types for some time-- it was easy to find personality books that covered various personality typing systems, but I struggled to find a book that was strictly Enneagram (aside from the classics in this area). I had followed the Enneagram and Coffee account on instagram for a while, as well, so it was enticing to me for those reasons.
I think this book would have been a lot more enjoyable if I had been reading it to only learn more about specific types, instead of all nine. The identical structure between chapters caused me to lose interest a little bit. The content itself was great, of course, but I did have a bit of an issue with that set-up. That being said, the title of the book does suggest that it will be "honest," and the tone of the book definitely has more of a comrade/truth-telling pal than it does of a strictly informational self help book.

I loved this book so much. Thank you netgalley for the listening copy. I have always been fascinated by the enneagram and read a couple of books about it already. This one is short and to the point. I loved how short and to the point the chapters are and how they make it easy to find strategies to put the things you learn about yourself and others to practice.

I bought a print copy after listening so I could underline and get into it even deeper. I already recommended it to many friends.

REVIEW - The Honest Enneagram by Sarajane Case

I've been seeing ALL the things about Enneagrams on Instagram for months. I was "encouraged" to take a test, and discovered my number - but the test was a series of similar questions, and the descriptions of each number were pretty basic, so I wasn't sold.

Enter this book. While there were numbers I definitely saw characteristics of myself in, there was only one that described me to a T (and it was, in fact, my test result). I was also able to identify loved ones being described by various numbers too.

I loved that Case showed both sides to each number in this book, along with exploring what you can pull from neighbouring numbers. She does a fantastic job of reiterating that you should embrace who you are, flaws and all, but gives some pointers on how to get out of your own way, based on your Enneagram type.

I listened to the audio version of this in exchange for an honest review (thanks, @netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing!) and would definitely recommend you check this title out.

Sadly I am not able to listen to this book because the app is not available in Germany and I cannot listen on browser. I wish it had been made clearer that the app is not available internationally.

honestly this was exactly what i needed. i’ve read the book, but it was really necessary for someone to say it to me - you know? it was like having coffee with a friend & them telling me wasn’t terribly crazy.

i’m forever thankful for this book, but man, the audiobook might have just ruined my life in the best way possible.

There was a lot of repetition in each chapter. I felt as though the end of each chapter was written with a template where characteristics of each type were simple filled in to the descriptions and letter the author wrote. I also felt that the tone was that of someone talking to a person who has something wrong. I see the ennegram as a way to learn more about personalities, not as a self help method because there is something needing to be fixed. While a lot of the information was educational, I did not care for the tone or completely copied sentences and phrases in each chapter.

I just got this book because I was very curious about all the buzz around Enneagram, I visited this author social media and I think she is nice. To be honest I don´t think a personality may determine what we do or what we don´t but I have to admit you have fun listening to this audio and thinking: oh! she is describing me, she is describing my friend, family member and so on. It is so fun. I don´t believe that there is serious science behind this, but we have to admit all humans are very predictable so it is possible to do this. We all have the freedom to decide, free will, and change of mind is truly a gift. I don´t know if I am going to continue reading stuff like this.

I am a personality profile junkie. Myers-Briggs. Predictive Index. The Birkman Method. Gallup Strengths Finder. And so on.

So, when I first learned about the Enneagram profile toward the end of 2017, I took a number of free online tests.

As it turns out, I’m a Type 7.

Essentially that means:
I want you to get coffee with you.
I will likely talk you head off.
I will turn your frown upside down.
I will try to make you feel shiny and happy. Like me.
I will share all of my inner most feelings with you in 2.5 seconds upon meeting.
And if we have to stay home because—GLOBAL PANDEMIC—I will have FOMO.

Is that really me? Well, sort of.

I recently listened to the audio version of The Honest Enneagram by Sarajane Case, and got back into profiling myself.

Am I really, really a Type 7? According to Sarajane, I’m not likely to change.

OK… so, if you’re still with me, what did I think?

First off, I really enjoyed this book. It was narrated by Leslie Howard and she did a wonderful job. It was easy to get through in a day (about 6 hours). Note: Since I walk, talk and think fast, I always listen to audiobooks at 2x+ speed.

The introduction tells us how and why Sarajane got into the Enneagram. And how her wildly popular Instagram account (@enneagramandcoffee) became SO popular that she clearly got a book deal from it. (Ahem… as of this review, she has nearly 600K followers.)

Each chapter delves into the nine types. A word of caution for newbies: you need to take one of the many free Enneagram tests BEFORE you pick up the book.

You can either just read the intro and the chapter about you (which is cheating), or you can read the darn book and learn about all of your friends. Each Type follows the same template.

Your Type will have a generalized description, and it will go into your strengths and vulnerabilities (opportunities). You’ll learn what to keep in mind and how to handle yourself in relationships. Like most profiles, you’ll see how you “show up” in times of rest and stress—at work and in bed. (Yes, she goes there.)

I appreciate Sarajane for her straight talk (hence, the keyword honesty in the title.) And she gives “current” examples of your type (e.g., Marie Kondo'ing a kitchen drawer)

Each Type learns:
How you can appear misunderstood
How to address your blind spots
How you pull from your wings( types on either side)
How to infuse self-care
How to recognize and deal with stagnation
How to find balance and healthy limits/boundaries

So, is this book for you?

Well, yes. If you enjoy learning about yourself, you’ll like at least one chapter. (The one about you.) And then, you might like a few other chapters if you know your spouse/partner’s type is, and so on. (See asterisk.)

And if you’re super into self-help/self-awareness, I might recommend buying the actual book so you can go back and highlight things. It might even be a fun coffee table (or bathroom) book. Then when your friends can come over post-pandemic, they can read their profile.

In the last chapter, Sarajane tells us that the enneagram gives us permission to show up as we are. Because, we will likely never change, or outgrow our Type. So you should accept who you are, and “move forward using the best of what you've got with what you have.”

Asterisk*:
Speaking of partners, I learned that I’m totally married to a Type 5. Like, whoa. Spot on Type 5. Of course, because he is who he is, he wouldn’t dream of taking the Enneagram test. Or reading this book. He has better things to do with his ultra-busy day than take silly personality profiles.


Special thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for gifting me a copy of this book to review in exchange for an unbiased opinion of this book.

This is an audiobook about the enneagram. The narrator was good and I enjoyed her pace and tone. If you’re like me you you’ll have no idea what this is. So I looked it up on the internet.
“The Enneagram is a powerful tool for personal and collective transformation. Stemming from the Greek words ennea (nine) and grammos (a written symbol), the nine-pointed Enneagram symbol represents nine distinct strategies for relating to the self, others and the world. aka life coach. A focused look at our lives. Helping us examine our strengths and weaknesses.”
This book doesn’t ask you to change, it wants you to embrace who you are. Each type is looked at, the good and the bad. It’s actually a self-help book.
And you are in the driver’s seat of our growth. You decide what is good for you. If you don’t know that much about this concept, then I suggest starting with this book. It was very helpful with a direction and game plan for life and redirection.

Thank you NETGALLEY and the publisher for this ARC of this audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book very much. Every Enneagram type was explained in detail throughout the book. I was not as familiar with mine so it really helped me understand my Enneagram even more. I also enjoyed the narrator because she was easy to understand and keep up with.

This new book on the Enneagram -- a subject already well-researched and represented on the shelves -- is a welcome and accessible entry-point for newcomers. Its strength is its digestible length and format, with entertaining interludes such as "tattoos, by Enneagram type." If you are looking for a detailed guide to typing yourself, or nuances of each type in relation to one another, this might not be the resource for you. But if you're looking for a straightforward introduction to the Enneagram, it's a great choice! Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of the audiobook for review.

The Honest Enneagram provides a clear, concise introduction to the popular personality typing system. While Enneagram enthusiasts may find the book basic, newcomers to the system will be glad to find this guide an accessible entry point.

I really enjoyed this book. I have heard of the Enneagram before, and even knew I was a type 5 before jumping in.

This is my first book on the subject (and probably not the last -- hello type 5 here!). I loved that the author breaks down each type into sections, and discusses both the positives and negatives. She also does a great job with the quick summary of "just 3-4 things to keep in mind daily to be your best self."

The material in this book is presented in a very nice, positive light. The author talks about how she dislikes some of the common language often used in Enneagram types, giving lazy as an example. She has reframed these to statements like "tired after doing so much for others all day" instead of lazy. I think this is setting a good example, because of many of us are hurting ourselves with negative self-talk, and type descriptions using words like lazy re-enforces that.

As an audio book, I did have a few challenges. I would love to have a reference sheet with the types, the variants, maybe some of the diagrams you often find on Enneagram websites. It's so hard to find specific content in an audio book and would have really helped out.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review. This does not impact my opinion of the book or my review in anyway.

I have followed Sarajane on Instagram for quite some time. I was very excited to listen to The Honest Enneagram. I have listened to Sarajane's podcast and was expecting her to narrate her own book. She has a way of writing and speaking about the enneagram in a gentle, loving way. She addresses everything from a positive point of view rather than the "unhealthy", negative, and dark portions of each number. I think this book was put together very well. My only negative feedback is not having Sarajane as the narrator, but for someone who. has never heard of enneagrams, followed her Instagram, or listened to her podcasts, will not know what they are missing out on!

The Honest Enneagram takes the time to go through each Enneagram type, describing common traits, parallels to other types, strengths, places for improvement and so much more.

I strongly suggest if you listen to this that you listen to all enneagram types, not just your own. Had I listened to only my type I would have learned less about the others, including the one that I think is most likely my husband (I’ll make him take the test later). I am a type 9 and didn’t always feel like I fit that type until I got through my section. It’s clear I’m a type 9 now. I’m considering getting a hard copy to go back and reference my type.

I think a couple things in the book get lost in an audio version, but the narrator has a calming voice and is easy to stay engaged with. Highly recommend if you’re at all interested in enneagram types!

The Honest Enneagram is a fresh take on the Enneagram that puts each type into a more positive light than many currently existing material available on this personality test. The author (founder of Enneagram & Coffee) includes a chapter (about 35-38 minutes long per type) about each personality type. These chapters include a bingo chart of statements/phrases/actions someone of that type is likely to say/do and then goes into detailed information such as: what you are like in stress vs inactivity, ways to improve your relationships, release your creativity, and small but immediate steps to take on your life path.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book! I went into this read familiar with the Enneagram already, but not much more than taking a test a few years ago that told me I was probably a Type 2w3. After listening to this, it became clear that I was not a Type 2, but most likely a 3! I found the chapters of the types I resonated most with to be very moving and even teared up at a few parts. The narrator was a perfect pick, in my opinion, and the book read like meeting an old friend at a coffee shop to catch up.

There is no personality assessment or quiz in this book, so unless you plan on listening/reading to every chapter as I did for the "Bingo!" charts, you may want to take some sort of Enneagram quiz before reading this to figure out which chapter is for you. Listening to each chapter was nice because it provided me the opportunity to think of a friend or family member that matched each type, but it also made some of the statements that were once moving feel a little less genuine after hearing them told verbatim nine times.

All in all, I could see myself purchasing this book in physical format to keep on my bookshelf or a fun present to buy a book-loving friend for their birthday or the holidays! I could also see myself listening again in a year or so if in need of motivation in a heartwarming way.