Review Of The Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks: A Sceptic’s Take

I’ll admit it: I approached The Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks with the scepticism of someone who doesn’t buy into theories that can’t be measured, tested, or proven. But when a close friend confided in me about her impending divorce—a shocking revelation after 15 years of what seemed like a happy marriage—I felt helpless. I wanted to help her, so I turned to my comfort zone: books.

That’s how I stumbled upon The Law of Attraction. The book’s promise—that our thoughts create our experiences—was intriguing. I downloaded it on Audible. It is a 6-hour long book, but listening to it at 1.5x speed during my daily walks, I managed to finish the book in four days. I’d absorbed its key themes, and while some ideas resonated, others had me raising an eyebrow so high it practically left my face.

The Theory of Attraction: Convincing or Convenient?

At its core, the book suggests that we attract experiences—positive or negative—through our thoughts and emotions. This means that what we focus on most intensely, whether it’s joy or fear, will manifest in our lives. It’s an interesting concept, and I couldn’t help but reflect on my own life as I listened.

One of the quotes that stuck with me was: “The trouble with most relationships is that you pick out the one little thing that you do not like and then give that most of your attention.” It got me thinking about my friend’s divorce. Before she told me about her divorce, during our gossip and catchup sessions, we had talked about rising rates of divorces, between both of us, 50% of the married people we knew were getting one and everyone around me was divorcing. Within 2 weeks, she broke the news of her divorce to me. Was it possible that she and her husband had unwittingly attracted the breakdown of their marriage?

But here’s where the theory starts to unravel for me. The book implies that victims of crime or tragedy—like murder or rape—attracted those experiences to themselves. That’s a hard sell, no matter how you frame it. And if that wasn’t enough, the book conveniently claims that if something you want doesn’t happen, it’s because you weren’t manifesting “hard enough” or you were focusing on negative emotions. It’s a neat way to sidestep any critique, but it left me rolling my eyes.

Personal Reflections: Does It Hold Water?

I couldn’t help but reflect on how the law of attraction might have played out in my own life. For example, when my son was a baby, I noticed developmental issues early on. I went down a Google rabbit hole, convinced myself he had a specific disability, and talked about it constantly. Eighteen months later, he was officially diagnosed. Did I unknowingly manifest his condition by focusing on it?

On the flip side, I also spent years proclaiming I didn’t want to get married or have kids. I even joked about only wanting to adopt. Fast forward to today: I’ve been married for 18 years with two biological children. So, according to this theory, I manifested my son’s disability, but not my marriage or children. The logic feels shaky at best.

And then there was the time I was desperate for a new job. I aced every stage of the interview process, believed I’d get it, and still didn’t. Was it because I had a single moment of self-doubt? Abraham’s answer would likely be “yes,” but to me, that’s too convenient. Life isn’t so easily explained.

And I know that most people have similar stories to mine. At some point, we all would have wanted something so badly, that I bet we made all sorts of bargaining and promises to whatever powers we believe in. In those moments of wanting, no one would have manifested as hard as we did, and we find that nothing happened or changed, we didn't get what we wanted, and we learn to live with the disappointment. Life just continues.

The “Abraham” Factor: A Mixed Bag

Let’s talk about Abraham—the supposed “non-physical entity” channelled by Esther Hicks. Abraham’s voice is passionate, almost to the point of yelling, and while it may be motivating for some, I found it grating. There’s a lot of repetition, and at times I wanted to scream back, “Okay, I get it!” But if you can tune out the shouting, there are nuggets of wisdom buried in there.

For instance, the idea of detaching from anxiety by allowing people to be who they are resonated with me. It’s a gentle reminder to focus on what you can control—your thoughts and emotions—rather than trying to force others to change.

The Verdict: Polarising but Thought-Provoking

The Law of Attraction is a polarising book, in my opinion. You would either love it or hate it. Some parts of it felt insightful and practical, like the concept of “allowing” and focusing on the positive aspects of relationships. Other parts—like blaming people for their own tragedies—felt deeply problematic.

What’s undeniable is that the book will make you think; whether you agree with its premises or not. For me, it became less about finding answers for my friend and more about reflecting on how our thoughts shape our perceptions of life. Call me "selfish", Abraham actually addresses why it is important to be selfish in the book.

If you’re curious and want to decide for yourself, the book is available as an ebook on Kindle, a paperback on Amazon, and an audiobook on Audible. Just be prepared for some eyebrow-raising moments—and maybe keep that playback speed at 1.5x to get through it faster.

Join Me on Read Read Rant

If you enjoyed this review (or even if you didn’t), join me on my book review page, Read Read Rant (the second “Read” is past tense). I read a lot and I love to talk about what I have read. However, my reviews respect those who may not have read the book, so I try to hold back. However, I do have a WhatsApp community, there, I don’t hold back on my opinions—good, bad, or downright rant-worthy. Whether it’s life-changing insights or books that just made me angry sometimes (cough Abraham cough), I want to share it with you, if you are up for it. I love a good book debate, so I also want to hear your opinions, if you want to share them.

Let’s connect, debate, and share recommendations.

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