Reviews tagging 'Death'

If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos

16 reviews

juanat77's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

dblue236's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

John Stamos has always been someone I generally liked, but genuinely knew next to nothing about. After reading this book, I have a whole new level of respect for him, both as an entertainer and as a human being. This was easily one of the most engaging, interesting memoirs I've ever picked up and the balance between funny moments and heartfelt, emotional reflections on his family and friends was perfect. I cannot speak highly enough of this book and would absolutely recommend it for anyone who's ever been even a casual fan of any of his work. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rowanelise's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

elisalasater's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective slow-paced

2.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

stevienotnicks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Who was your first celebrity crush? My mom swears mine was Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf, but the first guy I can recall being IN LOVE with was Uncle Jesse from Full House played by John Stamos. I saw promos for his upcoming memoir and immediately put that “notify me” tag on the audiobook in Libby because I knew I HAD to hear it in his voice. 

Charismatic as ever, Stamos delivers a very candid account of his life — the good and the bad. I loved hearing about his lesser known work (or lesser known to me, anyway) in theater, but my favorite part was hearing him talk about Full House. He spoke with his on screen fam with such love and adoration, it’s unsurprising the show has such staying power even today. 

I wasn’t prepared for the heartbreak. As someone who has struggled with addiction, hearing him speak on similar struggles elicited more emotion than I was prepared to feel. And while I assumed there would be a chapter on Bob’s death, Stamos didn’t shy from his feelings and delivered a picture of grief so relatable, I was sobbing uncontrollably. 

Whether you love him for his music, his time as Uncle Jesse, or Dr Tony Gates, this is a must read full of humor, behind-the-scenes goodies, and relatable life heartbreak and joy.  

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

the_true_monroe's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

I always liked John Stamos but had absolutely no idea about his life outside of acting and how much of an activist and ally he is for many communities. The part he spoke about his time in Cabaret hit me the most. 

Also, I am so glad I listened to the audiobook because his voice is beautiful!! His story and personal accounts of so many defining moments in his life that were overcome by the media deserve to be heard directly from him. He is way more than Uncle Jesse from Full House which we all realistically know but many people still see him as the character (or another major character he played like Blackie on General Hospital) by default . 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kelly_e's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced

2.75

Title: If You Would Have Told Me
Author: John Stamos
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: October 24, 2023

T H R E E • W O R D S

Candid • Messy • Artificial

📖 S Y N O P S I S

John burst onto the scene in General Hospital, propelling him into the teen idol stratosphere, a place that’s often a point of no return. But Stamos beat the odds and over the past four decades has proved himself to be one of his generation’s most successful and beloved actors. Whether showing off his comedic chops on Full House or his dramatic skills on ER, pushing the boundaries on Broadway or living out his youthful dreams as an honorary Beach Boy, John has surprised everyone, most of all himself.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I'll admit I was eagerly awaiting the release of If You Would Have Told Me. Like many, I grew up watching Full House, and even though I never stayed up-to-date on his career afterwards, I knew he'd maintained a strong friendship with Bob Saget and was hoping it would be included.

Unfortunately, John's memoir could have used some serious ending. There's no real flow to the narrative, jumping all over in time and place. It was so full of contradictions that I didn't really know what to believe and it felt like PR pushing an agenda 80% of the time. Additionally, there is so much name dropping, the narrative became more about others than John.

I do appreciate his openness is discussing his addiction and alcoholism (along with drunk driving), yet I think there could have easily been added depth to this sections. I wanted more of his childhood and his family, as it along with when he talked about Bob, were the aspects that felt truly genuine. In fact, his final note on taking the time with those we love (in reference to Bob) was my favourite part of the book. And a gentle reminder to order the cake, everything else will be there waiting.

This may sound harsh, but If You Would Have Told Me felt a little like another celebrity jumping on the memoir train without really thinking. I didn't really come away having learned much, and honestly felt kind of icky when I finished. In my opinion, this memoir did an incredible disservice to John himself.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• John Stamos devotees
• fans of celebrity memoirs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"If you get a chance to sit for a spell with someone you love don’t get up to quickly, stay a while, linger, indulge, savor. Order the cake." 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

paperbacksandsketchbooks's review

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

If you would have told me I'd shed a tear or two reading John Stamos's memoir, I would've called you a liar 🥲
Hearing Stamos talk about his friendship with Bob Saget had me emotional. I can 100% tell he poured his heart and soul into telling his life story. 
I always find celeb memoirs to be so interesting, especially if I'm familiar with the celebrity. If you're a fan of John Stamos, this is definitely a must-read!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rachreads925's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rachelann88's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings