This book is an amazing memoir
It opened my eyes to what therapy is like
A great book that everyone should read

When I say I had the same problem with this group as I did with Lori Gottleib's 'Maybe You Should Talk To Somebody'...

'Group' doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Is it a memoir? Is is a treatise on mental healthcare across the world and the benefits/disadvantages to group therapy. I'd gone into it believing the latter, but was quickly presented with the former. It also leaves a bad taste in my mouth for someone to be writing about therapy that includes other people. I'm in it right now and if anyone wrote about it, I'd be mortified. It also doesn't paint a great picture of mental healthcare at all - and that's really not the route we as a society need to go down. If I have to read anything more about quirky mental health patients, I'm going to need to take a very, very long walk to calm down.

Something about this book did not sit right with me. And seeing some other reviews, I can see I'm not the only one.

A really solid addition to the genre; reliable, if a little predictable in places. Would recommend if you know what you want from this sort of book, as it definitely delivers that.

Many things initially appealed to me about this wonderful memoir; as someone who has trained in counselling and seen therapists I was really drawn to it and I love the cover ! Christie Tate is a law student in Chicago who joins a psychotherapy group. Open and honest sharing is of course required and Christie reveals her eating disorder, fears about relationships and her sense of loneliness. What she finds at the group is connection, acceptance and hope. It's a moving, sad and funny memoir and I would highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

I wasn’t particularly enthralled by this book, so I didn’t finish it I’m afraid. I wasn’t keen on the way it was written, so it didn’t grab me for that reason.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I wasn’t crazy about this book.

I’m sure there will be an audience for “Group”....it’s Christie’s story.
But the nicest thing I can say about this book...
It left a bad taste in my mouth.

Was this memoir? fiction? nonfiction... or a little of all three?
It felt like ‘all three’....
I lost my interest early on...
It reminded me of “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone”, by Lori but not as good

I didn’t find things funny, or terribly miserable. I didn’t get an ounce of pleasure eavesdropping on the others in the group, Christie, or the unconventional doctor, Dr. Rosen.
I didn’t care about who had an orgasm or not.

I am someone who loves medical memoirs and books that document medical issues and courses of treatment but I really hated this book. Plus, as a former mental health professional I really enjoy reading around this subject. The whole thing just felt really inappropriate and uncomfortable. It had more of a cult feel than a therapy feel. Christie pays to attend group therapy to gain help and support for her confidence issues, eating disorder, and her suicidal thoughts. Unfortunately the Therapist that she begins to see is a very odd person and his 'prescriptions' are at the best bizarre and at the worst abusive. The sheer amount of sexual 'prescriptions' that patients were given even for non sexual issues was incredible. For example, one female patient in the group was told by the Therapist that her anxiety medication (prescribed by someone else) was supressing her sexual desires and so her 'prescription' from him was to not take her anxiety pills, and instead place them between her toes whilst her Husband performed sexual acts on her! The control and manipulation the Therapist has over his patients is sickening. I completely fail to see how this therapy could have helped any patient and felt the patient-therapist relationship had been twisted into a toxic abusive one.

This is a memoir in which the author decides to seek help in the form of group therapy. Lots of humour and misery showing how the proces sof revealing personal secrets and problems is difficult. It feels very personal as you cannot have any secrets in the group and they openly discuss each others problems both inside and outside of the group. It was fascinating reading the very intimate details.
The author was a studying to be a lawyer and experiencing an eating disorder and is introduced to Dr Rosen. Its not your standard type of therapy! Its honest and uncomfortable and sometimes emotional. There traumatic experiences shared and childish tantrums and it was totally riveting.

This was a tough memoir for me to review. The book made me feel uncomfortable - mainly because of the author’s therapist. They seemed unprofessional, creepy, and definitely crossing some ethical boundaries. 

The writing was fabulous though - lyrical and pulled me in. The author was honest, but I felt the book was repetitive and I felt like we were being told the same stories over and over again. 

Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend this book, unfortunately. I really liked the writing style and honesty, but the book overall made me feel very uncomfortable.

In this memoir we experience an unusual version of group therapy through the experiences of Christie.
Christie is suffering from passive suicidal ideation and has a history of eating disorders.
Her key issue seems to be “stuckness” an emotional inability to attach, or form an egalitarian relationship with a future male partner.
Her initial and ongoing wish when seeking therapy is to score her slippery heart, to be able to find love and be truly loved in return.
To find a love that sticks, and doesn’t slip away.
Hence we meet the group
Dr.Rosen who conducts the group holds up his theory that “keeping secrets is a toxic process”, and that although he respects his patient’s confidentiality the group members are free to share experiences that happen within the group with whoever and wherever they please outside of the group.
On the surface this all seems totally unethical, topped off with dubious sexual “prescriptions” given to the group members.
Dr.Rosen and the group are indeed witness, and a constant support to Christie 24/7.
At times this seems non-progressive, regressive, voyeuristic and verging on cult like.
We are then thrown crumbs of hope as Christie’s habit of blaming the group for her choices slowly and agonisingly becomes illuminated.
Between the lines we see that Dr.Rosen’s underlying logic is to allow his patients to find their own voice, and eventually reach their own insights regarding confidence and destructive patterns of behaviour.
In spite of this I found Christie’s dependence on Dr.Rosen and the group worrisome, repetitive and claustrophobic.
Christie Tate says in the acknowledgements:
“I’m pretty sure that my therapist knows that I am grateful, but I’ll say it again: I gave you enough money over the years to buy a deluxe yacht, but you gave me an entire life, so I guess we’re even.”
So, a win-win for Christie and Rosen.
For me, I was simply relieved when I finished the book.
I found it an easy and interesting read but found Christie irritating and naive throughout.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #Simon&SchusterUK for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One of my most anticipated books of 2020 that did not disappoint.

Christie tells a story of joining psychotherapy group. The story that’s raw, heavy and at times radical in its approach. It’s also very real while intertwined with the right amount of humour to take the edge off - though there’s nothing funny about Tate’s struggles.
I found it an encouraging read, a book that was perhaps the final push required towards my very own therapy journey. Above all, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be fascinated by the psychotherapy methods and very human-like stories of Christie and other members of the group(s).

I laughed, I cried and I was engrossed by Christie’s heartbreaking yet heartwarming truth.

This no holds barred memoir was riveting. We meet Christie when she is a law student and top of her class, and yet emotionally at rock bottom. She is in recovery for the eating disorder that scarred her adolescence, and has trouble building friendships and relationships. Her transformation begins when she joins weekly group therapy. It’s a slow and turbulent process, but for once she has people rooting for her; a therapist and five group members, holding her hand through all the ups and downs. It was fascinating to see the effect of this support as her story unfolds. Gradually she builds relationships with her group members and her therapist, the idiosyncratic and razor-sharp Dr Rosen, whose mannerisms are entertainingly and endearingly rendered. As her self-awareness grows she opens up to new opportunities in her life, though none of it comes easy. Suppressed emotions come pouring out with each step.
Christie’s moving account of her group therapy journey is searingly honest and compelling. It’s a journey that stays with you. If you enjoy books about therapy, this is a must-read. If you’ve never read a book about therapy, this is a great place to start.

I was given a copy of this book to read for a honest review on NetGalley.com

3.5 stars ⭐️

I was very excited to read this book from Tate. I had recently read “You should talk to someone” by Lori Gottlieb; which I LOVED and I decided that this would be a great follow on. I had also noticed the recommendation on cover from this author.

Group almost read like a fictional tale. The “characters” were likeable and I wanted to follow on with their journeys to the very end. This quirky group of folks make the book and at times I wanted to sign myself up to “group”. However, I was not partial to the ringmaster.

Some of the therapist’s , Dr Rosen’s techniques are not my cup of tea and rubbed me up the wrong way. Also, one of main themes of Tate’s journey is investing in her sex life. Maybe, I am prude but I always find non-fictional descriptions of “getting down and dirty” a little bit too much for me. The idea of talking to a group of individuals about this makes me uncomfortable. That is just me.

If you like learning about the Intricate details of people’s lives. This is the book for you. You just might learn a little too much.

When I started reading Group I assumed it was fiction. Imagine my surprise and awe when 1/4 way in I realised it is a memoir. This is a layered account of Christie Tate's all out effort to create meaningful relationships in her own life. She came to her first group, having made quite clear to the therapist that she wanted to end her life, and if group therapy didn't work within five years, she would do so. So she raged, loved and crumbled at rejection - all witnessed and supported by her group members. Many times in the middle of a session she would ask her therapist - 'how is this helping me?' and he always had an answer at the ready.

I now have some insight into the value of a therapeutic relationship and group therapy. I also feel like I was right there living through it with her. She grew and so did I.

An intimate, very vulnerable, honest and brave memoir on the author's journey towards her mental health. I assume that it took a lot of courage to write some parts of it but I am so glad she shared her fascinating story.
Trigger warning: mental health, suicide prevention, eating disorders.

"Group" is an intimate memoir exploring author Christie Tate's experience with mental ill health and an eating disorder, and the support she found in an unconventional group setting. Whilst therapist Dr Rosen's methods seem unorthodox, there is clearly validity in his approach. Tate really opens herself up, exposing her vulnerability in a warts and all manner. Yes, this makes for an uncomfortable read in places but I figure if Christie has taken the time to bare her soul, the least I can do as a reader is bear witness and shelve my own discomfort/feelings/emotional response. I particularly enjoyed the concept of scoring the heart for the purposes of binding, as illustrated through an anecdote about pottery making. That's my biggest takeaway from the book and as life lessons go, it's a pretty awesome one - "Scoring was required for attachment, and my heart lacked the grooves."

Fascinating. I've always wanted to know what a therapy session might be like and now I don't need to pay for it. Genuinely heart-warming, inspirational and surprisingly funny, no-one who reads this will be indifferent to it's charms.

Wow this book is a very raw and honest look at the dark side of mental health and the kind of therapy group I think would scare the bejesus out of me. This book is a warts and all account of a support group but it is a fascinating account full ultimately of hope and proof that we all just want to belong somewhere.

Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster UK for an advance copy of this book.

Okay so let me start out by saying I did have high hopes for this book. I love self-improvement and I was hoping I could learn something. I was under the impression is was majority non-fiction and factual. After about the half way point I was confused.

I believe this book is a blend of memoir and fiction (I’m really not sure how it falls into non-fiction). It does explain the behaviour of a very strange therapist who blurs ethical lines with an almost cult like following. There was also a protagonist, Christie, who I just couldn’t like. The kind of dislike where you just can’t quite put your finger on it, but probably has something to do with the fact she enjoys a relationship with a married man.

It was like a stereotypical love story where you see the person fail over and over again before finding their perfect man. They then ride off into the sunset together.

I was hoping for a book about female empowerment and self-discovery. Sadly all I found was a fairy tale ending.

I can't express how much I loved this book.
it is honest, raw, captivating, heartbreaking, hopeful.