Book Review – More Than Just A Pretty Space by Reiko Gomez

“The reason you’re setting up your space and aligning your thoughts is to make yourself ready to receive your dream, to allow it to effortlessly flow into your home and your life.”

More Than Just A Pretty Space by Reiko Gomez

Why This Rating?

Full disclosure, I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a voluntary honest review.

So coming from one person who doesn’t have a full understand or belief in fung shui, this is a book that I found to be quite insightful about what the area around me might be telling others and in turn myself. This book seems to be less about the fung shui and more about focusing on where you want your personal goals to lead you in life. Leaning into what you can do to essentially manifest your dream/goal through your surroundings. Then incorporating those influences into the very design of the room/home/office whatever your space is to help you aspire and accomplishing the dream. I know, that seems a little odd to say and a bunch of “self-help” terms dropped on you. But stick it out and let me tell you a little bit about Gomez’s book! I found it to be quite interesting, plus it inspired my latest round of spring cleaning for my home with a little thought behind the process this time. 😅

While I walked though these pages, Gomez’s writing quite wonderful. I got a college professor feeling from her conversational tone while teaching you the various lessons she has developed over the years. She is clearly passionate about the entire process of rejuvenating yourself and your surrounds. Which makes sense, she has had her own company since 1999 and has trained under a number of masters to help perfect her practice and help her clients. Staying on track with the professor feels, the book allows for plenty of spots to take notes and write in your own answers to the questions she asks you to think about. I have always thought a self-help/improvement book should allow the reader to make notes in them and they so rarely have the space for it. The next paragraph will take you on a single process that Gomez has her readers visualize and you can get a feel of her style.

One question you are brought to in the very beginning is: What is it you dream about most? This could be as simple as finding a relationship to moving to a place where you feel completely at peace (mountains, beach, lake life, or traveling the world in a RV) Or one that I thought about was having a space where I can have a complete reading retreat in my own home. Gomez kicks off her book asking us to take a moment and just envision what your dream would be. Imagine yourself living the dream to the fullest and soak in the feeling of being there for a second. Doesn’t that dream just make you smile? Now that you’ve thought about it, try rounding out that dream into a single straightforward sentence of what it is you saw. She calls this your “Identity Statement“. This visualization I just walked you through happens a lot in this book. She walks you through the question to help you gather the full spectrum of feelings and imagery to see the goal. Gomez has you apply similar processes to multiple activities in your surroundings allowing you to see how the process can work in your own life.

There is really no need to speed through this book. It is truly meant to go at your own pace as you work through her 7 chapter book (there is an 8th chapter but it is focused on how her process looked in her own life). We know that everyone gets to work at their own pace and Gomez knows this! She shows us a few stories from clients she has helped over the years, each one worked at their own speed too. However, while including these stories, there are some moments when the author decides to mix in some science to help authenticate her methods even more. I wasn’t a fan of these moments. I felt like they either do little to aid her arguments or they hurt more than help. There is nothing wrong with using scientific concepts and applying them to your arguments IF they can actually work in supporting your argument. If you have to bend them and make them dance for your theories, they might not be the bests ones to have. You guys might find her use of science works well, but I think the entire book could have been strong without these included.

As a whole, this is a great book for those wanting to have a little change in their lives. If you have a dream thats been sitting on your shoulders for a while and you want it to become reality? Try this book out! Is one of your life mantras “Fake it till you make it!”? Here you go! I was saying that phrase often while reading these pages. You are physically embodying your dream around your home so you can bring good energy towards it and eventually manifesting the dream. If that isn’t a “fake it till you make it” moment, I don’t know what is. This is a smooth read that is trying to bring good energy back into your life and your home. Gomez’s style of reading the room (so to speak) is brilliant and has helped me to realize the subtle signs that my home is telling me and those that walk into my home. Some of those signs: I have to have a book nearby (there is literally one in every room of my home), so clearly I have either a book problem or I constantly need something to do/read no matter where I am. We’ve surrounded ourselves with soft and calm colors around the house leaving us relaxed and enforcing the peaceful, as things show up, go with the flow kind of life style that my husband and I strive for and work on having.

What is your space saying?

Time to get lost in the next story!