I enjoy books that take us out of our comfort zone of scrolling. Even as a reader it's easy to get trapped in the mindless scrolling and content trap. This book offers some great insights and fresh reminders to pull you out of that time suck of social media. Great read!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A well-researched look into identifying addictive behaviors (such as phone addiction) and practical strategies for dealing with it.

I didn’t expect to come out the other side of reading Hooked a changed person. I picked it up on a wave of interest in reading self-help books and was granted an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley.

What Hooked has done for me is incredible. I didn’t realise it, but I was addicted to Social Media/the internet. It was affecting my day-to-day life and held something over me that I felt powerless to do anything about. Along came Hooked. What an eye-opener.

Not only has Hooked pointed this out to me, it has made me realise why I am ‘hooked’ and how to help myself get free from it. With clearly defined, easy-to-read psychological information and actionable points backed up by either personal experiences or well-known studies.

I very much doubt that the parts in Hooked that were revelations to me will be for other more experienced addicts, but having the understanding of why I was leading myself down the path of addiction helped me and this is my first experience of awakening it.

Five stars aren’t enough.
Thank you.

Note for publisher: since the book is not yet available on Goodreads, I will be publishing my review once it appears there. It will also appear on the blog Queen’s Book Asylum, and I will add the applicable links here.

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Somehow, I have either misread the blurb, or it was changed after I downloaded the book – I received a free copy from NetGalley, which did not influence this review. I thought <i>Hooked</i> was a book specifically about digital addictions. This is not what the blurb says, though, so maybe I just wanted it to be (obviously I don’t have a problem, just, uh, asking for a friend). The interesting thing about the blurb is that it says the book is addressed to “millennials and Gen Z,” which might be the source of my wrong conclusion. I am an ancient Gen X-er, and once I re-read the blurb, I wondered – why specifically millennials and Z-ers?

<i>Hooked</i> is simultaneously self-confessional (especially in the first part, where self-help comes with emphasis on ‘self’) and coddling. As someone with cPTSD caused by years of abuse, I have to admit I sadly chuckled at the life-altering trauma being parents not paying enough attention to the child’s sneakers not being sufficiently admired by classmates. Which says a lot both about me and the book. <i>Hooked</i> is…gentle. Sometimes it’s information, sometimes a memoir, and sometimes the dreaded – by me – “now I want you to pick up your journal…” (Luckily there are no blank pages as padding, and I hope the final version won’t add those.)

It’s not a lot of a book. The early ARC comes at 226 pages; once introduction, foreword, end notes, and further resources are excluded, 182 pages are left, and judging by the type size, it won’t be a large book, either. It doesn’t need to be, though, and perhaps shouldn’t. Especially for people with digital addictions, 182 pages are <i>plenty</i>.

Obviously, over those 182 pages, <i>Hooked</i> doesn’t – can’t – say everything about all addictions. That’s not the book’s point, though. There’s enough information for a “beginner addict” and it’s served in a way that won’t send anyone screaming “I AM NOT LIKE THAT!” There are some repetitions – literally quoting, “as I have said before” – but not too many. Even though the author doesn’t quite manage to completely avoid neurological terminology, there are diagrams and explanations even I understand. (I have a degree. In mathematics.)

Who would I recommend it to? I would recommend it to <i>parents</i> and/or friends of young people who seem to be a bit too involved in certain activities. While the author’s own experiences are almost exclusively with substance abuse, addiction is, sadly, addiction. Yes, TikTok is cheaper than liquor and doesn’t ruin the liver, but at the end the twelve-step programs’ first step says “we have become powerless and our lives became unmanageable.” Twelve hours of scrolling and four hours of producing “content” per day may seem different, but the underlying mechanisms are the same, and Tabitha Fosh’s writing makes it clear in a way that’s hopefully just uncomfortable enough for the afflicted person to take a long look in the mirror.

If they can unglue themselves from the screen for long enough to read 182 pages, that is.

Rating: 6.5/10 (rounded to 3/5 for Goodreads)

<i>My ratings:
5* = this book changed my life
4* = very good
3* = good
2* = I probably DNFed it, so I don't give 2* ratings
1* = actively hostile towards the reader</i>

Hooked is a nonfiction book about the origins and solutions to dealing with addictions in the reader's life. This book is either for a person suffering an addiction or for a family member or friend of someone who is struggling with addiction. This book discusses life altering addictions such as to drugs but also addresses seemingly benign addictions like addictions to social media and relationships.

I found this book very well written and helpful. It is written in a colloquial way with some sprinkles of psychology and science to help you understand the physical mechanics of addiction. Each chapter has a portion where the reader is supposed to journal and answer questions asked of them by the author. This is so that the book is just about absorbing information but also letting the information transform and affect your life, helping you learn and grow.

The author writes from a place of compassion, having dealt with substance abuse and anorexia. I found her style of writing and voice very compelling, like I was sitting down a sweet friend who wanted the best for me.

Not only was this book interesting to read, it was also applicable to my own personal life and helped me understand some family members'choices better. I already know that I will be re-reading this book so that I can read it again slowly and journal through the exercises she provides.

I highly recommend this book!

This book was a great doorway into exploring addiction — in many forms — and how it’s become normalized, to a degree, in modern life. I appreciated the balance of research and the more interactive elements - it definitely got me thinking!

Hooked by Talitha Fosh was a quick and easy read, best for those not familiar with addiction and the psychology behind addictive behaviors. For those with firsthand knowledge or experience with addiction, this may seem a bit trivializing, but for those new to the topic I think Hooked is a well-written introduction. I enjoyed the chapter “Dealing with the Feelings.” which included visualizations and meditations.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!