Reviews

Cheer the F**K Up: How to Save your Best Friend by Jack Rooke

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james1star's review against another edition

emotional funny informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

It’s not often I love a nonfiction book to the same extent as fiction but this… this was amazing. I implore everyone (being age appropriate and checking TWs) to read this book because not only is it very well written/compiled but the messages and advice is universal and vitally important. Unlike other mental health/self help books I’ve read (granted it’s not been that many but by the synopsis of others I gather they’re similar) tend to focus on the person struggling, understanding the issue, working it through and moving forward. And whilst this is definitely good and important, when combined with the strained mental health services leaves family and friends of those struggling with this ‘burden’ and it’s a big growing problem. But in Cheer the F**k Up, Rooke not only provides useful tips and advice for the self but also how to help someone who… and therefore is adding to a space that so vitally needed to be filled.

This book is the perfect balance of part memoir and part self help/advice. There are chapters with Rooke telling us about his life getting into dept from the age of fifteen to twenty five where it ends. Many life events are talked about starting with the quick decline and death of his dad which really challenged him going forward, school going into university life, bereavement, figuring out his sexuality and experimenting, friendships, using writing as a method to let out one’s thoughts, losing a friend to suicide, mental illness, moving forward and many many more. These chapters are very well paced, they’re interesting and you get to know Jack, his family and friends well and it’s a very emotional strong relationship (a similar one I get when reading fiction in a sense like I just wanted, no needed, good things to come his way but I could also see things coming that were not going to be such and it broke me in the lead up even more then reading the actual events). I think what Rooke does so well is bringing the topic of dealing with you’re mental health to everyone trying to negate the issues of class that often prevent certain people accessing help. Additionally males who are constantly told by society to not show emotions are dying my suicide far too often (biggest killer for under 30s) and so engaging more in the discussion is vital. When getting to the end of this book I really didn’t want it to end just wanting to read on and on about his life (Jack if you read this please write a follow up) because I just loved this ‘character’ - not the right word here… ‘person’ that’s it. I guess another aspect of my attachment to the book and Rooke was that I shared quite a few similarities and things resonated with me on a personal level that I won’t delve into but I dunno, I just felt seen in some sense (kinda like I do when reading certain types of fiction). Interspersed between these memoir chapters are advice sections which range from ‘how to support a friend who’s just lost a parent/close loved one’ to ‘how to encourage creativity/community as catharsis’ and ‘how to tell a friend about your sexuality’ to finishing with ‘how not to be scared’ with a lot more in between. In these sections, Rooke shares both personal anecdotal information but also sourced advice on how to help yourself but, as I said before, more importantly those who are struggling. I found them extremely informative, engaging and well put together, I will for sure come back to them at times where I need help but also to help a loved one going through something.

I don’t think I have a single bad thing to say about this book. I thoroughly, wholeheartedly recommend giving it a read and just super thankful it’s a thing that’s here and available. I wish Jack Rooke all the best in life and anyone reading that there is help available, you’re loved and hope you have a great day xx

P.S. I did watch Big Boys earlier this year I believe and it was really good and since reading this book I can see parts of Rooke in certain characters throughout and again would thoroughly recommend that series. Come on series two!

Content Warnings

conor_orourke's review

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emotional funny inspiring fast-paced

5.0

jem_1984's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

kjm_x's review

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funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

jemeela_q's review

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emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced

4.5

ciars_x's review against another edition

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5.0

Without a doubt the best book I’ve read this year! Publicly laughed and cried getting through this and after watching Big Boys there were parts where I could hear Jack Rooke narrating it to me.

Would wholeheartedly recommend.