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elisalasater's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Death, Drug use, and Grief
the_true_monroe's review against another edition
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 .
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 .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Car accident
Minor: Bullying, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
kelly_e's review against another edition
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."
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."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Infertility, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicide
paperbacksandsketchbooks's review
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, and Death of parent
auscaz's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, and Suicide
jessicaharleee's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
- I love John Stamos. I think he’s has a good heart, I think he loves others well, and I appreciate his honesty and transparency throughout this book.
- I loved all the little Disney touches (but did cringe at his Disney themed vows to Caitlin).
- I HATED the present tense writing. Timelines became very blurry for me because everything was written in present tense.
- I loved the anecdotes about the Full House cast, his love story with Caitlin, and the honesty with which he speaks about his first marriage.
- I appreciated the way he spoke about grief when it came to losing his parents and also Bob.
- I can’t believe he confirmed that Jagged Little Pill is actually about Dave.
- I wish he would’ve talked a bit more about his relationships with Jodie, Candace, and Andrea, as well as the inception and production of Fuller House.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility
jennabeck13's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)
Genre: Memoir
About 320 pages
I would venture to say almost everyone knows John Stamos. Most people know him as Uncle Jesse from Full House, but he also had longstanding roles on ER, General Hospital, and Broadway. If you would have told young John Stamos that he would become the household name he is today from massive TV roles and played the drums multiple times for his favorite band, The Beach Boys, he wouldn’t have believed it. The man has undeniable staying power, and his memoir takes us through his journey as a young California boy working in his dad’s diner to the star he is today.
I have mixed feelings about rating memoirs because it is hard to rate someone’s story. Therefore, when I rate them, it’s less about how good the story is but more so the quality of the book if that makes sense? John Stamos certainly doesn’t lack stories, and this book was full of ones I didn’t know despite growing up watching Full House. However, he never took us deep into the stories. It felt like we hit a lot of them but on a very surface level. I also had a very hard time following the timelines in this memoir as it wasn’t told chronologically, instead, the chapters focused on certain times in his life, shows he was on, people, etc. so it was hard to put together where in his career we were.
Favorite Quote: “Not everything that hurts is an emergency. Sometimes we need to test our pain threshold to see how well we heal.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
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