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As Good As It Gets: Life Lessons from a Reluctant Adult
Confronted by the realities of adulthood, Romesh Ranganathan must face an uncomfortable this is not quite how he imagined it. Watching his friends descend into middle age, his waistline thicken and his finances dwindle to fund his family’s middle class aspirations, Romesh reflects on the demands of daily life and the challenges of adulting in the modern world. As he reluctantly concludes that he is indeed a grown man, Rom wrestles with the greater questions that threaten his Could I save my family in a crisis? Do I possess the skills to assemble flatpack furniture? Am I too old for streetwear? Is it alright to parent my kids through the medium of Fortnite? Is celibacy the secret to a passionate marriage? From one of the countries most beloved comedians and author of the Sunday Times bestseller STRAIGHT OUTTA CRAWLEY comes the hilarious and painfully accurate dissection of what it really means to grow up.
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2020
200 people are currently reading
1283 people want to read
About the author
Romesh Ranganathan
16 books70 followersRomesh Ranganathan is a comedian, actor and writer. A former maths teacher, he is now known for his award-winning series The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, his weekly topical show The Ranganation, his sitcom The Reluctant Landlord and the BAFTA nominated Asian Provocateur, which features Romesh's mum.
Amongst all of this, he still manages to squeeze in time to record his award-winning podcast 'Hip Hop Saved My Life', to write his regular Midlife Crisis column for the Guardian, and to pen his bestselling autobiography, Straight Outta Crawley. DJ Muffin drops the Mic is his first children's book and gave him an excuse to write about two of his favourite things - hip hop and cake.
Amongst all of this, he still manages to squeeze in time to record his award-winning podcast 'Hip Hop Saved My Life', to write his regular Midlife Crisis column for the Guardian, and to pen his bestselling autobiography, Straight Outta Crawley. DJ Muffin drops the Mic is his first children's book and gave him an excuse to write about two of his favourite things - hip hop and cake.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
April 15, 2021
I'm pleased to say that Romesh Rangananthan's follow up to Straight Outta Crawley is even funnier than the first book.
You probably need to be a Romesh fan to really enjoy this, & if you've not checked out any of his nunerous TV appearances they are well worth a look.
As Good As It Gets does read pretty much like one long stand up routine, but having seen him live on stage in 2019 (in those wonderful pre-pandemic days) that was fine by me. As I read I could hear his laconic voice in my head & there are plenty of laugh out loud moments to be enjoyed here.
This book may not be as enjoyable as seeing him on stage with a live audience, but until comedy gigs return to theatres it's certainly as good as it gets.
You probably need to be a Romesh fan to really enjoy this, & if you've not checked out any of his nunerous TV appearances they are well worth a look.
As Good As It Gets does read pretty much like one long stand up routine, but having seen him live on stage in 2019 (in those wonderful pre-pandemic days) that was fine by me. As I read I could hear his laconic voice in my head & there are plenty of laugh out loud moments to be enjoyed here.
This book may not be as enjoyable as seeing him on stage with a live audience, but until comedy gigs return to theatres it's certainly as good as it gets.
December 23, 2021
I really like Romesh Ranganathan. I think he is a funny chap - in a reserved, buttoned up and self deprecating way. Most of the rest of the UK does too, seeing that he is ubiquitous on our TV channels nowadays.
Lately I have been listening to RR and Tom Davies on their podcast Wolf and Owl (don't ask). It features these two friends meandering around various topics, some of which are emailed in as dilemnas by listeners. It sounds a bit thin as a plot synopsis but it works for me and numerous other listeners.
What hits the spot is that they use the email topics to riff on their own experiences, bringing up taboos such as imposter syndrome, body image, mental health, parenting concerns and the like. Men don't really talk about these things, so I for one find it very cathartic.
Back to the book. It contains a number of short chapters on various issues, upon which RR provides his life lessons. The key one being he doesn't have any answers as he is shit at everything. Not sure this message will sell in New York but it ticks my boxes
I liked it. If you are into British humour you will too.
Lately I have been listening to RR and Tom Davies on their podcast Wolf and Owl (don't ask). It features these two friends meandering around various topics, some of which are emailed in as dilemnas by listeners. It sounds a bit thin as a plot synopsis but it works for me and numerous other listeners.
What hits the spot is that they use the email topics to riff on their own experiences, bringing up taboos such as imposter syndrome, body image, mental health, parenting concerns and the like. Men don't really talk about these things, so I for one find it very cathartic.
Back to the book. It contains a number of short chapters on various issues, upon which RR provides his life lessons. The key one being he doesn't have any answers as he is shit at everything. Not sure this message will sell in New York but it ticks my boxes
I liked it. If you are into British humour you will too.
December 31, 2020
Loved this book! Romesh's general musings on everything from hot sauce and sports cars to Black Lives Matter! Hilarious anecdotes and ramblings, perfect pick up and put down, easy reading, that will make you laugh out loud!
When's book 3 coming out?
When's book 3 coming out?
November 12, 2020
I loved how honest and unedited this book was. It wasn't a series of stories told in a way to cater for everyone. It was an honest review from Romeshs point of view. His anecdotes had me laughing out loud so many times! Definitely going to read his first book now!
January 21, 2023
I love Romesh Ranganathan. He's so funny in a dry, self-deprecating way that's incredibly British. He loves his wife, his kids and his mum (oh, she's adorable) but he's also quite capable of knocking all of them all.
I read and wasn't much impressed by Straight Outa Crawly which was a lot more overtly autobiographical than this. As Good As It Gets is more like a collection of rambling thoughts on life's topics.
I don't recommend to read this like I did - starting at the beginning and reading it straight through. That's a bit like trying to eat yourself through a whole box of chocolates. When you get to a certain point, you realise you can have too much of a good thing.
Instead, dip in and read a couple every now and then. You'll appreciate them better that way.
I read and wasn't much impressed by Straight Outa Crawly which was a lot more overtly autobiographical than this. As Good As It Gets is more like a collection of rambling thoughts on life's topics.
I don't recommend to read this like I did - starting at the beginning and reading it straight through. That's a bit like trying to eat yourself through a whole box of chocolates. When you get to a certain point, you realise you can have too much of a good thing.
Instead, dip in and read a couple every now and then. You'll appreciate them better that way.
January 9, 2021
A commentary on what Romesh thinks about certain aspects of life. A funny and relatable book that feels more like just listening to your mate tell a story. Even though I didn’t agree with every single thing he said, I still enjoyed the read and it was a welcomed change from the fiction I’d been previously reading.
August 4, 2022
Romesh is one of my favorite comics and I enjoyed this collection of essays quite a bit. If you like his standup, you'll like his book.
February 14, 2021
Reflections
Being of the same age as Romesh I found this a very relevant and funny book to read as we have a similar moral consciousness compass to a number of aspects of life. I found this book very entertaining and at times I had to let out a rather strange noise akin to laughter as I recalled the fact that...I do that!!! Like sniffing the crotch to decide on appropriate trousers selection and my utter inability to retain even basic information which leads me to be massively reliant on the kindness of others to enable me to function at times. This is a book about observations on life in Romesh's own unique, honest, self flajulating(Im aware thats probably not actually a word) style. For me I loved it and found it very accessible and enjoyable to read. Almost a bit like having a crack with your mate in a pub.
Being of the same age as Romesh I found this a very relevant and funny book to read as we have a similar moral consciousness compass to a number of aspects of life. I found this book very entertaining and at times I had to let out a rather strange noise akin to laughter as I recalled the fact that...I do that!!! Like sniffing the crotch to decide on appropriate trousers selection and my utter inability to retain even basic information which leads me to be massively reliant on the kindness of others to enable me to function at times. This is a book about observations on life in Romesh's own unique, honest, self flajulating(Im aware thats probably not actually a word) style. For me I loved it and found it very accessible and enjoyable to read. Almost a bit like having a crack with your mate in a pub.
November 18, 2020
3.5 stars
I had many moments where I laughed out loud to myself, no doubt scaring the crap out of the neighbors (we have thin walls).
But I also had a lot of virtual head scratching when I wondered why in the world a particular story (neither interesting nor funny) was included in this collection - apart from an attempt at padding out the book.
Mr. Ranganathan mentions the lockdown and coronavirus quite a bit, making it obvious that at least a chunk of the book was written this year. Given the usual (not quick) turnaround to publish a book, getting it to the bookshops so quickly (or in my case to my local Tesco's - a supermarket in the UK - where I added it to my biweekly online grocery order) is nothing less than miraculous.
I think it could've used some more time in the editing portion, either making this book shorter by getting rid of a bit of deadweight, or coming up with some more stories.
Nevertheless, it gave me quite a few laughs and that's definitely a valuable thing at any time of one's life.
P.S. His first book is amazing.
I had many moments where I laughed out loud to myself, no doubt scaring the crap out of the neighbors (we have thin walls).
But I also had a lot of virtual head scratching when I wondered why in the world a particular story (neither interesting nor funny) was included in this collection - apart from an attempt at padding out the book.
Mr. Ranganathan mentions the lockdown and coronavirus quite a bit, making it obvious that at least a chunk of the book was written this year. Given the usual (not quick) turnaround to publish a book, getting it to the bookshops so quickly (or in my case to my local Tesco's - a supermarket in the UK - where I added it to my biweekly online grocery order) is nothing less than miraculous.
I think it could've used some more time in the editing portion, either making this book shorter by getting rid of a bit of deadweight, or coming up with some more stories.
Nevertheless, it gave me quite a few laughs and that's definitely a valuable thing at any time of one's life.
P.S. His first book is amazing.
October 24, 2020
Whilst his first book - Straight Outta Crawley had more laughs, this felt like a difficult second album....
Rom's musings are nothing we haven't heard before - although they were brilliantly narrated by Karl Pilkington in the Moaning of Life.
I love Romesh as a comedian, particularly his Ranganation but this didn't hit the high notes for me....
Rom's musings are nothing we haven't heard before - although they were brilliantly narrated by Karl Pilkington in the Moaning of Life.
I love Romesh as a comedian, particularly his Ranganation but this didn't hit the high notes for me....
January 28, 2021
Slightly disappointed. Love ‘The Misadventures of Romesh Raganathan’ but this was no way near as funny, in fact, I found it quite negative if I am honest. I also found the amount of bad language he uses completely uncalled for and unnecessary. Saying that I completely related to and enjoyed his references to being a Vegan and the things that he has to endure because of his diet.
October 25, 2020
Oh I absolutely love Romesh! I loved his first book and I love this one just as much!
April 21, 2021
Just not for me - enjoy him live \ on screen in all the things he appears in but his writing style was just a bit boring and I don't need effing and jeffing in every chapter to enjoy a book .
May 4, 2021
I really laughed at this book. It had lots of short chapters and kept me intrigued as to where he would go next. I laughed out loud so many times and really enjoyed it.
June 22, 2022
A bewildering agent of self-chaos. Elicited occasional chuckles, a bit of vexation, and a greater amount of second-hand agitation.
April 28, 2025
Did not finish. Just a series of tiny essays about random aspects of life.
February 21, 2025
I turned to Romesh because I was struggling with a work of historical fiction and couldn't get my head around the different factions at play. This proved a welcome departure from 14th Century France, and I preferred this to Straight Outta Crawley, perhaps because he's settled into his writing style. There is also more humour, and it's generally an easier read.
January 5, 2024
Offers a delightful peek into the complexities of adult life through his witty and relatable anecdotes. With humor and candor, Ranganathan navigates the nuances of everyday challenges, earning a solid 4/5 for its entertaining take on the realities of adulthood.
October 18, 2022
welcome back to lewis' goodreads reviews. romesh is your funny uncle, funny older brother and funny mate all rolled into one. would reccommend.
January 6, 2023
Absolutely gripping and what a great sense of humour. Kept me giggling all throughout.
April 1, 2023
Felt like a stand up gig but in a book I think each section could’ve had a bit more depth to it
January 19, 2021
I enjoyed reading this as it was a change from my usual fiction. He is as witty in his books as he is on stage so had a few good belly laughs!
December 22, 2022
4.5 stars this was fucking hilarious, I know romesh from the telly but this was the first book that i read by him and he did really well! lots of topics covered and very digestible. I hadn’t heard of his other book until now so defo off to read that soon :~)
September 11, 2021
A big fan of Romesh and really enjoyed reading his musing; some a bit more interesting than others and the whole book felt chaotic but I felt that was very Romesh
June 3, 2021
*3.5 I should preface this by saying I'm not a huge Ranganafan (hahahahahaha pls don't stab me) not for any personal reason, but I have watched a fair amount of his videos on YouTube. So, coming from this standpoint and not one of a dedicated fan, I feel as though it was quite difficult for him to translate his usual humour into book form, which wasn't exactly a problem, since a story doesn't have to be funny to be interesting, but I did have higher comedic expectations since, y'know... It's his job.
As Ranganathan describes at the beginning of this book, each chapter is basically a different 'rambling', i.e. reflection on an event or some thought that popped up. While I appreciated how genuine this made the book, some parts really did feel like those shower thoughts that are a lot more interesting in theory than in reality.
Some of the best moments of this book came from the author describing his experiences filming- doing weird activities or travelling to rare locations as a result- because those experiences were so unique (especially compared to the rest of the book) and also super funny. Unfortunately for me, this was rarely brought up and left me feeling lukewarm when reading his thoughts on daily life (which is very hard to make interesting sometimes). While those chapters were peppered with funny moments, I do feel like they were wasted.
As Ranganathan describes at the beginning of this book, each chapter is basically a different 'rambling', i.e. reflection on an event or some thought that popped up. While I appreciated how genuine this made the book, some parts really did feel like those shower thoughts that are a lot more interesting in theory than in reality.
Some of the best moments of this book came from the author describing his experiences filming- doing weird activities or travelling to rare locations as a result- because those experiences were so unique (especially compared to the rest of the book) and also super funny. Unfortunately for me, this was rarely brought up and left me feeling lukewarm when reading his thoughts on daily life (which is very hard to make interesting sometimes). While those chapters were peppered with funny moments, I do feel like they were wasted.
September 1, 2023
I liked the book, the anecdotes jumped around a bit and there wasn’t a lot of flow but the stories made me laugh.
July 22, 2021
Blunt, humorous and candid - my favourite kind of audiobook. Very segmented and more stream-of-consciousness musings than a dull retelling of his life so far. Would recommend!
July 25, 2023
Brilliant
Funny, entertaining and kept me engaged throughout. Kept reading chapter after chapter. Covers a range of topics even serious topics with the perfect amount of thought and comedy.
Funny, entertaining and kept me engaged throughout. Kept reading chapter after chapter. Covers a range of topics even serious topics with the perfect amount of thought and comedy.
December 28, 2020
I decided to listen to the Audiobook version as i thought it would be funnier read from the man himself. This was not the case, I think I would have preferred to read it myself. All in all insightful and enjoyable book but Romesh' reading let it down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews