I wouldn’t say I’m a die-hard fan of the ‘How to Fail’ podcast, but I have listened to several episodes (Camilla Thurlow, Andrew Scott and James Acaster are all guests who jump out) and really love the concept - the idea that we should talk about our failures more, particularly to voice how we may have learnt from them, or what we have gained from failing.

Day’s book is a compact book (I read it in two sittings on the train) featuring an idea called ‘The Seven Failure Principles’, which she has devised after similar themes in the podcast episodes kept recurring. It’s a short guide to how to deal with failure, essentially, and how to frame it in different contexts to better manage it. It’s super digestible and offers some excellent advice, without being too preach-y, as well as including a few of Day’s own examples of failure, while not being too memoir-like. The book is peppered throughout with quotes and moment from the podcast: if you’ve listened to episodes it’s great to recall these moments, and if you’ve never listened to it that’s fine too - it all makes sense. I also love the inclusion of the three failures guests have submitted to Day - you can infer a lot by whether a guest has three short points, or written mini-essays on each failure. It’s fascinating and made me wonder what my three failures would be if I were ever on the show (which...I don’t think I would be, ha!).

Overall this is an excellent little book which I think is a handy edition to anyone’s bookshelf - pop it in your backpack or download to your phone, and take in the wisdom as and when you need it.

This was just what I needed to read this year! It's a very short book – you could read it in one sitting, but it's also good to dip into. Elizabeth Day's words are useful, honest and reassuring, but my favourite part was the section at the end, consisting of Day's celebrity podcast guests describing three things in their lives they feel they've failed at. To know that even such successful people still experience failure and disappointment – well, it might seem obvious, but I for one needed to be reminded of it. This would be a great book to start your 2021.

What a wonderful and positive read. I have loved Elizabeth Day since discoving her first book, How to Fail, and the podcast a few years ago. I find something so comforting in listening to others discuss their failures and how they have used them to shape their lives. The honesty and relatability to be found in Day and all of her guest is affirming and a massive support for someone who is sometimes defeated by their own fear of failure (me).

This book breaks down the lessons and advice from the fantastic guests that have appeared on the podcast, as well as talking about how the principles can be put into practice and help people. Day does not claim to have all the answers or that the book will help solve all problems for all people, but there is no question that this advice will be comforting and endlessly helpful to many.

Thanks for @netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love her podcast and devoured "How to Fail" and this is another worthy addition to the franchise.

A short, pithy and punchy how to guide which summarises the author's seven principles of failure which she has compiled after distilling all the stories of failure provided by her many guests on her podcast.

Well written, as always, containing lots of good advice and reinforcing stories. this is a quick but worthy read.

It's a great approach to failure. An uplifting book that talks about one of modern human's profound fears: Failure.
Lots of examples, and perspectives. I really enjoyed this.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Last year one of my favourite books of the year was Elizabeth Day's How to Fail, and I was really pleased to see that there's a smaller, shorter follow up called Failosophy recently published. This short, sharp book shows reader's how they can practically turn failures into successes and explore how we can learn from the experience. Using examples from her podcast, Elizabeth Day, gives reader's an insight from some of guests in the way that failure, once recognised can inspire us to be better, more connected to the world. This is a great book showing how we can turn failure into success and leave you feeling less alone about failing.

Thank you to Netgalley for supplying me with a copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate for the complimentary copy of this book.  

Somehow, I devoured this book in the space of a few hours. I'd previously read "How to Fail" by Elizabeth, and have been a listener of her podcast of the same name for a while now. As a side note, would thoroughly recommend "How To Fail" too if you're seeking a bigger read! Both brilliant.

The book looks at vulnerability, re-thinking our perspectives regarding failure, and being open with others about our failures across our lives, be it in relation to our goals, careers, relationships, and more. A timely release for 2020, when many people have felt that normality, and life as we have come to know it, has deviated from the plans we have previously made, or the futures/milestones we had mapped out for ourselves.

I would highly recommend "Failosophy". It's beautifully written in her accessible, open, warm and subtly witty unique style. Even though it's a short book, it poses some good food for thought from Elizabeth's own life, as well as the notable guests she's had on her podcast over the years - including Dame Kelly Holmes, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jamie Laing, and Alain de Botton.

A useful toolkit for facing your fears and entering your discomfort zone. Like the cliche 'rejection is just redirection', Elizabeth Day's podcast reminds us how much failure we can face and take forwards positively.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Based on conversations with guests on her award-winning podcast How to Fail, Elizabeth Day shared all the lessons she has learned, from her own life, and those of her readers, listeners and celebrity guests, examines what failure means, and shares her seven principles of failure.

I enjoyed hearing Day's own experiences as well as those from a range of celebrities, including Frankie Bridge, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Nigel Slater, Fearne Cotton, Meera Syal, Dame Kelly Holmes, and many more.

I had never heard of Elizabeth Day or her podcast before requesting to read this book. However, I found it inspirational and reassuring, and full of wisdom. It is great to know that failure is just a part of life and can happen to anyone, and not something that just always happens to me!

An essential handbook on how to turn your view of failure into success.

Failosophy couldn’t have been published at a more appropriate time. We’re living in challenging times when perfectionism is expected, resilience seems to in short supply and covid has given many people time and cause to reflect on their lives.

No-one sets out to deliberately make mistakes but fear of doing so can lead to people doing nothing. Elizabeth Day reminds us that to err is human and that we learn more from our mistakes than from doing everything right all the time. While failosophy isn’t radical it goes against the pressures to be perfect, it’s humane and compassionate and urges us to cut ourselves more slack and be kinder to ourselves, and others. The ultimate prize being that by being true to ourselves we allow our authentic selves to shine and make life easier for us and those around us.

The book is a quick and useful read that left me feeling more positive and at ease with myself. I would recommend it to anyone who tend towards perfectionism or is holding themselves back through fear of failure.

''Failosophy: A handbook for When Things Go Wrong' by Elizabeth Day, sets out seven principles for preventing failure from holding you back. It entwines examples from Day's podcast: 'How to Fail', philosophical ideas, and experiences from Day's own life, in order to make a range of points: from acknowledging that failure is a fact, that thoughts are not facts, and that failure is an opportunity to acquire learning that can help going forward.

I have listened to 'How to Fail' for a long time and really enjoyed it. I therefore expected to really enjoy 'Failosophy.' However, having previously heard the lessons and anecdotes, I found this a skim read, which made some good points, but wasn't ground breaking. I would have preferred for Day to have added in more research and to perhaps have had some celebrities in the book not on the podcast. However, for people who have not listened to the podcast to the same extent, and are interested in changing their mindset to set backs, this would be a good choice.

I really enjoyed this book, I think it does a great job of reframing failure not as the opposite of success but as part of it if you have the ability to learn from it. I'm a psychotherapist and think this book would be very helpful for some of my clients with perfectionist tendencies and will be recommending it to them.

Failosophy is a Elizabeth Day’s handbook on how to cope with failure. Drawing upon experiences from her podcast ‘How to Fail… With Elizabeth Day’, Elizabeth has come up with seven principles of failure, which she explains in this book using real examples and demonstrating how we can use failures as opportunities to learn from.

This book was a very short read but nevertheless very powerful. You can either read it in one sitting or read the chapters which you feel appropriate to you. With the guide being categorised so clearly, it makes it easy for you to revisit relevant sections in times of need.


In a time where we are scared to fail (shout out to social media and technology) Failosophy really is a mindset changer and allows you to see failure from a new perspective. I could not stop highlighting things I wanted to take from this book and believe everyone can learn something from it.

Thank you to NetGalley and 4th Estate for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Based on her podcast 'How to Fail', Day goes through the seven types of failure and offers a few wise ideas. The book is peppered with anecdotes and words from a host of 'celebrities'. It is a really slim book, I read it in less than an hour, however I actually quite enjoyed it. Some of the 'failosophy' is a little too tailored to the millennial (Generation Y) but there is also a lot of sound advice here as well

This book is perfect for fans of Elizabeth’s podcast, ‘How to Fail’. Elizabeth has collected pearls of wisdom from her podcast episodes and converted them into ‘Principles of Failure’ to live by. I read this in one afternoon sitting and delighted in her anecdotal advice. I particularly enjoyed the summary at the end which lists the failures of some of her guests. A truly inspiring and refreshing read!

I was excited for this book but it fell flat for me. I really enjoyed the final part where the famous people shared their failures but for a self-improvement junkie like myself, it felt a bit basic.

What a perfect little book!
I have LOVED Elizabeth Days writing for years and there is nothing more perfect than knowing everyones life is also not perfect! Learning to use your failures to create better things is such an important theme and something we all need to remember! I would really recommend this beautiful book as it is so nice to have some positivity in life at this difficult time for us all.

This is a short and sweet handbook which you could easily read in an evening. Having enjoyed Elizabeth's first book and the popular podcast, I was looking forward to Failosophy. While I was initially unsure that there would be much difference between this smaller book and 'How to Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong' concerning the core subject of failure as a whole, it feels a lot fresher and more relevant to society as a whole compared to Elizabeth's first book which was around her personal experiences of failure. Failosophy is written very well and is filled with experiences from a wide range of people, helping to normalise the concept of failure and our response to it which is something I feel we could always use more of in this day and age.

Thanks Netgalley for my ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed Elizabeth Day’s previous books – most recently ‘How To Fail‘ – so when I saw she had a new book out I requested a copy off NetGalley, which I was kindly granted. However, I failed (at least I was on theme!) to read this before the book came out – but I’m only a few days behind the curve!

Here’s the blurb:

“In Failosophy Elizabeth Day brings together all the lessons she has learned, from conversations with the guests on her award-winning How to Fail podcast, from stories shared with her by readers and listeners, and from her own life, and distils them into seven principles of failure.

Practical, reassuring and inspirational, these principles offer a guide through life’s rough patches. From failed exams to romantic break-ups, from career setbacks to confidence crises, from navigating anxiety to surviving loss, Failosophy recognises, and celebrates, the fact that failure connects us all. It is what makes us human.

With insights from Malcolm Gladwell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lemn Sissay, Frankie Bridge, Nigel Slater, Emeli Sande, Alain de Botton, Mabel, Fearne Cotton, Meera Syal, Dame Kelly Holmes, Andrew Scott and many, many more, Failosophy is the essential handbook for turning failure into success.“

This is only a short book – and the sort that I would like to dip into again. I can see it would be of comfort in times of failure – or perceived failure – in your life.

It builds upon Day’s How To Fail memoir – summarising failings, and what can be learnt from them. It uses both her own life experiences, and those of the many people who’ve been guests on her ‘How To Fail With Elizabeth Day’ podcast – which I really enjoyed.

Some I empathised with more than others – failing at my 20s was definitely up there for me. I remember weeping on my 25th birthday as I was living on my own having split up from my first husband – and it just wasn’t where I expected to be mid decade. My ‘life plan’ hadn’t featured a starter marriage and divorce by my quarter century. Everything had sorted itself out by the end of my 20s – and I wouldn’t have got there without these ‘failures’ – which kind of sums up some of the book.

I found where Elizabeth talked about her own miscarriage – and a guest about the ‘failure’ of his son dying – really emotional to read, and incredibly moving.

I’d almost finished the book – but there was still over 10% left on my Kindle – so I did wonder what would make up these last pages. It is details that guests gave Elizabeth of the 3 failures they would discuss on the podcast with her. Some were incredibly detailed, others just brief bullet points, but I found this really interesting (I am totally a nosy cow, so both the content and style of how they’d written them appealed!)

As I said, I’d definitely read this again – and I think it would be a great present for a friend going through a tough time. (I am a big fan of giving books as gifts, much more edifying than flowers.)

A thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC and apologies for failing to review it before publication!!

An nteresting book to dip in and out of. Day helps us to see that failure is normal and to approach it differently. With the help of a selection of guests on her podcasts, she gives practical advice.
I confess, the section I enjoyed most came at the end with quick summaries offering a glimpse into the lives and professions of well known personalities eg actor Vicky McClure and food writer Nigel Slater. Each gave a summary of how they feel they have, or are, failing in their lives.