A very insightful and informative read. One that definitely needs to be read over and over again to be a constant reminder of how important it is to heal our inner child.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I appreciated the trigger warning at the beginning of the book which covers all the way through from developing forms of trauma to knowing that you’re healing. There was a great balance between facts and advice with anecdotes and the glossary style section at the end was helpful with a lot of complex terms being mentioned throughout. I also liked the touch of a quote at the beginning of each chapter.

The author asks the question, did you find this book inspiring and helpful? My resounding answer is yes, I certainly did.

It gives a map to healing your inner child, with practical steps and exercises plus signs to look for to show progress on the journey. It gives the interesting perspective that it isn’t just abuse and neglect that can cause childhood trauma, but also loss, natural disasters or perhaps something that was witnessed.

A wise and useful guide to healing your inner child, well researched, and a useful resource in the personal growth sphere.

‘Healing Your Inner Child’ by Matilda Simakaj is a self-help book aimed at guiding readers through the process of reconnecting with and healing their inner child. The book offers various exercises and reflections designed to help individuals overcome childhood traumas and build a more nurturing relationship with themselves.

Accuracy: ★★★★☆
Simakaj’s approach is grounded in well-established psychological principles, and she effectively incorporates therapeutic techniques commonly used in inner child work. While the book is accurate in its content, it's important to note that healing journeys are deeply personal and may vary from person to person. The exercises and insights provided are solid but should be supplemented with professional guidance if needed.

Perspective: ★★★★☆
The author provides a compassionate and empathetic perspective on the healing process. Simakaj emphasises the importance of self-love and forgiveness, encouraging readers to approach their inner child with kindness and understanding. Her perspective is both empowering and comforting, making the book a gentle companion for those on a healing journey.

Relevance: ★★★★☆
The concept of healing the inner child is highly relevant in today’s world, where many people are seeking to address unresolved childhood issues that impact their adult lives. The book's focus on emotional healing and self-discovery resonates with the growing trend of mental health awareness and self-care practices.

Engagement: ★★☆☆☆
Despite the valuable content, the book’s engagement level falls short. The writing style can be a bit dry, and the exercises, while useful, may feel repetitive to some readers. The lack of a narrative or intriguing case studies makes it harder to stay fully engaged, especially for those who prefer a more dynamic reading experience.

Readability: ★★★☆☆
The book is straightforward and easy to understand, but the tone can be somewhat clinical at times. While the instructions and exercises are clear, the lack of variety in presentation might make it less accessible for readers who prefer a more conversational or storytelling approach.

Enjoyment: ★★☆☆☆
‘Healing Your Inner Child’ may not be the most enjoyable read for everyone, particularly for those who are looking for a more engaging or narrative-driven self-help book. However, for readers who are specifically seeking practical advice and exercises, it serves its purpose well. The book’s value lies in its content rather than in its entertainment factor.


‘Healing Your Inner Child’ by Matilda Simakaj is a valuable resource for those looking to embark on a journey of self-healing and emotional recovery. While the book offers accurate and compassionate guidance, its engagement and enjoyment levels are somewhat lacking. Nevertheless, it provides solid tools for anyone interested in addressing inner child issues, making it a useful addition to the self-help genre, especially for readers who appreciate a more clinical and direct approach.

From reading the author's words, I could feel that she was sincere and really cared about people and wanted to help.

"Once upon a time, it was my story," she said.

This book has been so enlightening and it made me feel seen. It helped me understand myself better and helped me to go easier on myself.

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that I start them all off by saying that every book I read and review starts with the full shelf-load of 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that my usual reason for knocking off a star is copyright or trademark infringement. There's been one book that has had the fallen star rapidly replaced, thanks to a little sentence right at the back of the book... it's only happened once, but I'm more than happy to repeat it if that sentence is there again!

Let's get on with the reading and reviewing now, shall we?

This book is only 175 pages long so I should be able to get it finished and reviewed pretty quickly with any luck.

I know very little about my inner child but there is a lot in my past that she needs to heal from, so I'm hoping that this book will help me to connect with her and heal her so that I can carry on my life more whole and healed.

I've just read the first section in the first few pages and my stomach is already churning with anxiety and tears are pricking my eyes... will I be crying by the time my carer arrives for lunch?

Wow. The first two sections before chapter 1 were really powerful and started to speak to a part of me that has been hidden for decades... will this be the author that helps me to reconnect with my inner child and help her to heal?

The first chapter was equally as powerful... is the author some kind of inner child therapist as well as a survivor?

Gonna stop reading until after I've had my lunch so that I can give my stomach a chance to calm down a bit.

So my love of chocolate and spending money could be positive triggers from my inner child as opposed to what I've always assumed them to be? They provide (temporary) comfort rather than anything negative that might be rumbling around at the time? That makes sooo much sense to me now!

Bullseye. The last page of chapter 3 was exactly what I needed to read. The chocolate and spending are trigger responses 'cos I need comfort at the time and I'm worthy of love, trust and affection despite what I'm being told in my head.

Right now I'm feeling emotional, scared, in need of comfort but most importantly I'm feeling understood, so I'm gonna go and make myself a drinking chocolate and break out too many bars of chocolate too... this is a powerful book and I'm learning so much about myself and my inner child.

Nooooo!!! The author has just used brand names potentially without permission so the first star is coming off - I'm hoping beyond hope that the magic sentence is right at the back of this book 'cos it's very much a 5 star book in my eyes!

Just finished reading and I feel physically lighter and more understood now. It's one of those "shoulda been 5 stars" if it hadn't been for the use of those brands and not putting the magic little sentence at the back.

I am enough, always have been and always will be. I'm getting judgemental thoughts, but I'm just recognising and releasing them now, rather than taking them to heart.

I received an ARC from Netgalley

Matilda Simakaj's Healing Your Inner Child offers guidance on overcoming childhood traumas and fostering self-love through diverse healing techniques. The book explores reparenting ourselves, self-evaluation, and inner peace, providing a solid introduction to self-empowerment and profound healing.

4.5 ⭐️
A great introduction to exploring your inner child traumas, full of tips, inspiring quotes, and lots of food for thought backed by studies.

❤️‍🩹 I’ve been in a healing journey for quite some time, and the more I’ve researched, the more I’ve come across how our bodies can be effected through stored up trauma and emotions. (So, you may have noticed a pattern on my GR profile in some of my self-help books lately) I’m really digging down into my inner child. 🥰

👥 I’ve learned that a key part of healing involves revisiting our past selves (various ages) without resentment or judgment, but with compassion and forgiveness of burdens, and free them from controlling our present happiness. So I was extremely excited to read this book!

👉🏼 This book and topic is great for those dealing with things like:
- Attachment issues
- Perfectionism
- Low self-esteem
- Highly reactive (emotional, defensive)
- Self sabotaging
- Negativity / Anger
- Anxiety / Depression
- Always putting others first
- Fizzled dreams and passions
- Chronic health issues (although this particular book does not address that, I can recommend one that does)

🎭 This book helps you understand how our past shapes our current behavior, identify triggers, and adopt healthier coping habits and forgiveness.

“Always remember—when you forgive someone, you’re not accepting what they did. But, you are setting yourself free.”

📝 It covers a variety of ways to tap into your inner child and start healing through: rewriting your story, writing a letter to your younger and older selves, mindfulness meditation, journaling, conscious reparenting, and mirror work.

“There is scientific evidence behind the reparenting theory that suggests its effectiveness in treating various mental health disorders like borderline personality disorder (BPD) (Darcy, 2023), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorders, among others (Clarke, 2022).”

“Healing isn’t about becoming someone different; it’s about letting go of the things that aren’t truly you and enabling your authentic self to emerge like a phoenix from the ashes!”

⏳ This is a book I will be referring back to, and highly recommending to friends that have been following my healing journey. I have already been practicing some of these methods, but plan to put level-up my methods and carve out more time as a priority.

Thanks to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and Matilda Simakaj for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

I think this book talks a lot about childhood trauma and how it can affect you in the day-to-day life and I don’t really good because it’s standardising it for a lot more people but unfortunately it is really good but I just didn’t really connect with that it was put in such a way that I just didn’t take as much as I probably should’ve away from this book, but I also don’t think of these types of books are for me as well. I’m learning so potentially it could just be that I’m not the right person for this book to be marketed to.

I’ve been working on healing so I was familiar with inner child work before reading this book. However, I was able to learn even more facts and tips about the process after finishing the book! That was a good feeling. I liked the clear layout and examples from other people that have faced trauma and their journeys. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book helps you understand how to work on yourself when you didn't even know you needed to work on yourself. It's not easy, but once you read it, your eyes open to realities you weren't aware of. It's not therapy, but it helps tremendously.

This was a decent introductory guide to inner child work. There were some insightful prompts, but it left me wanting more depth.