This is the second book written by the British Comedian and it was one that I was really looking forward to as I am a big fan of James Acaster’s work and his first book was a fantastic read. When I read that he was releasing a second book that was focussed more on music I thought ‘great! Two of my favourite things – music and comedy in one book!’

This book is far from a comedy and it is a completely different read to the first book. It is about a break up that effected James really badly and the path he had to take to get over his ex. It is a book that both pulls at heart strings and makes you go on this really emotional journey with the comedian.

Throughout the book you are introduced to the ideology that to help him through this difficult time he became addicted to listening and owning as many albums as he can from the year 2016. Whilst it is an interesting book to maybe find a new artist to listen to or add to your collection, it feels like the music is so much more then that to James. Throughout the book they act as sort of indicators and metaphors for the emotions that he is feeling throughout.

I found this a hard book to get on with, we are all used to seeing our favourite comedians as the life and soul of the party and when they start to focus on something that is so serious in their personal life it can be really difficult to see them like that. This book raises important awareness of Mental Health but be warned it is a very serious read. Although I will say he makes a good point about 2016 being a good year for music – I even checked my own playlists and realised so many albums that I liked were released that year.

Readability Rating: *** 3 Stars