You'll Like It When You Get There: A Life Lived Reluctantly

by Rhys James

A refreshingly honest look at modern life, and how to get out of living it.

Rhys has lived his entire life with a backdrop of dread. As a child, the sentence he feared most was 'come downstairs and say hello.' Aged 5, he feigned injury to avoid dancing at a wedding, and 25 years later, he celebrated when the venue set on fire moments before what would've been the biggest gig of his life.

You'll Like It When You Get There is a guide to life from someone who doesn't want to do anything, and an exploration of why you possibly shouldn't either. Join Rhys as he avoids not just social engagements but big life milestones too, like getting married and having children. A deep dive into regret, humiliation, failure and pretending to be French for personal gain. From the Wild West of early internet chatrooms to the sticky circus of the Kavos strip, from redesigning therapy after completing it in just four sessions, to having a full existential breakdown when a Buddhist monk asks him for 5 stars on TripAdvisor.

If you've ever celebrated plans being cancelled with an Andy Murray fist pump, secretly prayed for another lockdown, attempted to start your own nickname, or tried - in vain - to control the outcome of everything you do, then welcome to the club. We close early, obviously.

You'll Like It When You Get There is at once hilarious, insightful and inspiring - even if what it's inspiring you to do is absolutely nothing. This is the introvert's manifesto, the over-thinker's dossier, the diary of a wimpy kid.

Reviews of
"Scintillating stand-up" Times
"Master of the lightning-paced, gag-dense, precision-delivered" Guardian
"A superb tour de force of observational comedy, delivered with punchy, rapid-fire certainty" Chortle

Genres: Nonfiction, Comedy, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published August 14, 2025

Reviews

[Alix · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Class shirts forever"

Had the pleasure of meeting Rhys in Leicester Square theatre for a signed copy of this. An incredibly authentic yet amusing read, albeit worryingly relatable at times. Having lived as a bit of a chameleon throughout school it's cathartic to see the struggle of self acceptance into some meaningful insight. I hope anyone that reads this will find their own happy place👍

[Rob Crypt · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this style of "memoir" that's more a collection of essays, ruminations and ponderings that tie back to someone's life and i'd love to see more of this from rhys. it is funny throughout (as you'd expect) and it carries a lot of charm and vulnerability.

[Daniel Torpey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny, very vulnerable. Love the style and structure, each chapter is distinctly different yet the themes remain the same. Full of intelligent commentary on all things from the internet to football to mental health. So easy to read too - a perfect palate cleanser post-Dickens.

[William Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: the author has liked and responded to several of my tweets over the years. He has even had the pleasure of meeting me at several gigs (his, not mine) so I approached this book with a degree of familiarity. It does not disappoint. So much of the material is directly relatable. And it’s not just me. Even young Chuck in the Life of Chuck feigns a leg injury to get out of dancing at the school disco. The book encapsulates what is good about Rhys James as a comedian: the observations of his own life are often observations of all our lives, seen through the prism of his wit and intelligence. He may not be young any more but he’ll always be younger than me, the bastard.

[sophie ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should preface this by saying I am a long-time fan of Rhys James. I have attended countless of his WIPs, Edinburgh Fringe shows, tours and line-up slots over the last 12 years and enjoyed every minute of them. It’s been a privilege for me to watch him go from strength to strength, smaller stages to bigger venues and secure high-profile appearances on TV shows over the years. So, of course, within the minute I had seen this announced, I had already preordered it, excited for the next instalment of his career.

As I had expected, this book didn’t let me down. One of the quotes on the back cover from Danny Wallace describes the book as profound, and that sums it up perfectly for me. It is also funny, and it is too relatable in parts, as if Rhys had crawled into the deepest parts of my brain and extracted it.

But what I enjoyed most about this book is how insightful it is and how that impacted me. I read it over three days, as I had to keep putting it down because it kept making me reflect on my own experiences growing up on the internet, the continuous theme in my life of difficulty navigating social situations, my reluctance to meet traditional life milestones. Some of my experiences line directly up with the ones in this book, some are the polar opposite, and I could recommend it based on the fact that everyone can find something to resonate with in this alone.

I also appreciate the humour, the honesty and openness. It’s fun to read, but it’s comforting, too. Yes, it is very much a life lived reluctantly, but it also has moments of coming across as an open love letter to living. I look forward to revisiting it with the audiobook version when it releases to get another perspective on it.

Pick this one up. You’ll like it when you read it.

[Marcus Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an introverted, definitely 5’11 millennial man without kids, this is the most relatable book I’ve ever read.

Really funny with some genuine insights that have helped me understand myself a little more.

[Simon Burdus · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I put my feelings on life in a book it would be 95% the same as this. Like a Jeremy Clarkson book if he was clever, funny and charming. Lots of fun and very witty, some chapters are better than others, but overall a solid read. Could maybe have shaved 50 pages off and it would have been 5*

[Fergus Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so me

[Kate Hindhaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the first half of the book was funny and insightful. however after the half way point it just seemed longed out and unnecessary. was glad when it was finished

[Sam Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 very relatable and very funny. I honestly found it quite refreshing to read a book by a comedian that was primarily just funny.

[Jess Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it. what a funny man

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

People at a Bristol coach station think I’m a loon because I cackled at this book far too much.

[Elli Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this before interviewing Rhys and honestly it was hilarious.

[bee ⋆｡°✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny and relatable.