Deepika Sandhu combines memoir and self-help in this book about her own journey through a significant rough patch. After looking around at herself and her marriage, she realized her sense of self was crumbling and she needed to break down in order to build herself back up. As any busy working mom does, she schedules her breakdown for several months ahead. The book is paced by Sandhu's journal entries (starting with, "Hello Universe, it's me.") and follows her experience while patiently awaiting her scheduled breakdown, her path through establishing mindfulness practices to ground herself going forward, and the aftermath when she realized she was no longer the same person. Throughout her personal narrative, Sandhu provides a wealth of suggestions for establishing your own mindfulness and grounding routine.

I thought this book was decent and provided exactly what it promised. The story is well told but many moments err on cheesy.

I don't think Deepika tells the story she thinks she's telling. i think she lacks an incredible amount of self awareness. She takes a month off work (that's the 'scheduled breakdown') to allow her some time for introspection. Great, but that's not a breakdown, and it's a bit of mental health insult to people who have actual breakdowns. they don't schedule them 5 months in advance.
Then she gets into all the white girl spirituality. Referring to the universe, gratitude practice, yoga, meditating with an app, just, like really appreciating everything. ( I know she's not white, but you wouldn't know it from the text). While she talks a lot about 'spirituality' this is a bunch of practices, not places in any spiritual framework.
She talks a lot about authenticity, but not what that means, and actually takes no action to do be authentic. Early in the book she mentions lying to her husband and her friends and she keeps doing so. Something happens later in the book and her reaction to it raised this from a 2 star to a 4 star for me, because she is so oblivious to the story she is actually telling that it turned into a comedy.
Throughout the book she overtly gives advice to the reader, but to my mind she is in no way qualified or competent to do that, given the way she chose to live her own life.
The story is very shallow, and Deepika never places her experience in any cultural context, or considers such things as capitalism, the patriarchy, organised religion. No, it's just her in a void, working it out.
So why the three stars? because I couldn't stop talking about this book, laughing at it or marvelling at Deepkika and her 'insights'.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, the author and NetGalley for an ALC in return for an honest review


On the whole I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. In this instance, the author narrating her own story added a personal touch, this is not always the case. Sandhu's voice was pleasant and suited the material. She delivered the story with clarity and the pacing was just right. I am going overboard with praise for the narration because it was far better than the book itself! However, I can see that this book has won many accolades since it was released in 2021 - so what do I know!

I'm at a loss as to why the author says that she scheduled a breakdown. She took an extended 4 week holiday from work (what a luxury!), in order to get her life in order. This is not a breakdown. It is not ok to use this phraseology. I realise that she was probably being metaphorical but to use this terminology is to trivialise the experiences of all the people out there who actually have had a mental breakdown. But I am glad the author turned her life around and made changes to her life that worked for her. Mostly I'm really glad that she was able to get rid of her controlling, emotionally abusive and neglectful husband. No one needs partners like that in their life.

#HelloUniverseItsMe #NetGalley.

**Listened to audiobook, as well as reading the electronic copy**

This book sounded right up my street, and I was really hoping I would love it. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I was hoping for something inspirational, but what I actually got was something that felt very patronising towards mental ill health.

Deepika Sandhu narrates the audio book, which is a great way to add that personal touch. I always like it when authors narrate their own books - specifically in memoirs and autobiographies.

The book itself was very slow, and I really struggled to feel anything towards Sandhu as it all felt very trivial and patronising. I am someone that has suffered with my mental health and this book just felt like a mickey-take.

Unfortunately I cannot recommend this.