Pete Wicks is the British television presenter on For Dogs’ Sake, a series about the work of Dogs Trust broadcast here in the UK on U&W. I love watching his programme about the rescue and rehoming of dogs and as his book was available as a Kindle Daily Deal for just 99p, I thought I’d buy a copy to read more about the man. His memoir is NOT about dogs or his work with the charity Dogs Trust but is about his philosophy of being a man in today’s world.
Pete Wicks is 30 years younger than me and I love watching him present For Dogs’ Sake. He has a lovely way with all the dogs on his television programme but I am also very impressed with the people skills he uses with staff at the dog shelter and dog owners who provide a forever home for an abandoned dog. Pete’s people skills are top rate and I love the way he interacts and talks to everyone. He is such a loveable guy and clearly loves dogs of all breeds.
Pete Wicks came to fame in the UK from being a participant on the hugely successful reality television series The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE). Don’t ask me about TOWIE as I have not seen a single episode, all I know and have watched is Pete on For Dogs’ Sake.
So how did I find his memoir? I think Never Enough is a GOOD 4 star read which I found to be entertaining, enjoyable and interesting with no boring, dull bits or padding. I think the editing was good, keeping his memoir focused. Pete’s character shines from the pages and the reader really gets the measure of the man. He is not a flashy showbiz diva but a down-to-earth bloke next door. His book should appeal to both genders as the main focus is day to day living, coping with all the challenges thrown your way. There is a lot of barroom philosophy as Pete speaks his mind about how peoples’ brains work and how emotions are worked through. I like his views on life and his interpretation on men’s well being and their happiness/mental health. He intelligently explains his outlook on life in a cosy bloke-in-the-bar fashion.
I like his humour which is dry and laid back. Most of his book is upbeat and happy but he also deals with sad issues like depression, grief and suicide. I am surprised the publisher allowed all the swearing in the finished book, although it does say on the cover “my words unfiltered”. Pete comes across lovely on television but his memoir sadly includes a tremendous repetition of the F word but don’t let this put you off, think of it as punctuation like a comma.
Okay, looking at my Kindle highlights, here are some of my favourites to give you the flavour of this book, enjoy…
(About his Nan when Pete was a schoolboy) I was awake at around 3am, and I could hear that she was getting out of bed to use the bathroom. I thought it would be really funny to wait at the bottom of the stairs for her to come around the corner so I could scare her. So I waited there until she came past, and then I switched on the light and shouted ‘RAAH’. But it was me who got the fright of my life - she was stark bollock naked. ‘What the fuck are you doing, you little shit!’ she screamed. That’s not what you want to see, I can tell you. It was fucking horrendous.
Happiness doesn’t come from having more stuff - it comes from appreciating what you already have.
People think I have go-to moves for picking up women, but I promise I don’t. It’s a lot simpler than people would think. I just make eye contact, ask questions and listen, and I try not to talk at someone as if I’m selling myself.
We live in such a connected world - we’re all speaking to each other, all the time - but that doesn’t mean it can’t be lonely. If anything, it can be lonelier, because Instagram comments aren’t quality connections.
I feel more at home around animals than people anyway. We always had cats growing up, and my first dog was a rescue dog called Arnie. He ended up at a shelter because he’d been dumped by his owners by the side of the road. He walked miles back to the house where he lived, but his owners had moved, so the new owners took him into the shelter. They called him Arnie, short for Arnold Schwarzenegger - based on his famous Terminator quote, I’ll be back.’
Then there’s the fact dogs exist. Literally, how can you be sad around a dog?