Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

You've Got This: And Other Things I Wish I Had Known

Rate this book
The Sunday Times bestseller



'Frank, funny and inspiring' - You Magazine

'Louise is just ready to do her - and we're here for it' - Glamour

'Warm-hearted, honest and relatable' - Daily Mirror

__________________________________________

In more than two decades in the limelight, Louise Redknapp has weathered her fair share of ups and downs, but through it all she's remained unapologetically true to herself.

From dancing in her bedroom as a young girl with big dreams to getting a scholarship to Italia Conti and experiencing her first taste of musical success with Eternal, to navigating fertility struggles, motherhood and rediscovering her passion for performing, in You've Got This Louise offers a refreshingly honest perspective on the experiences that have shaped her.

Warm, funny and wise - like a chat with a close friend - this empowering and uplifting guide weaves together Louise's personal stories and poignant observations on life to gently reassure and encourage, while providing tips and advice on how to get the most out of life by embracing positivity.

Brimming with insight on falling back in love with yourself, managing expectations, overcoming critics, dealing with social media and trusting your instincts as a parent, this is Louise's powerful love letter to anyone who has ever wondered if they're getting it right: you've got this.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published October 19, 2021

35 people are currently reading
163 people want to read

About the author

Louise Redknapp

1 book2 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
138 (27%)
4 stars
159 (32%)
3 stars
131 (26%)
2 stars
51 (10%)
1 star
15 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for Tan Markovic.
446 reviews158 followers
May 8, 2024
An interesting view on how she saw herself/lost herself whilst striving to be there best mother/wife
Profile Image for Bob Hurley.
496 reviews
October 14, 2021
Other things I guess we wish we had known

Enjoyed the book and finding out more about Louise. Outside looking in it always seemed she had an utterly wonderful life. As a couple her and Jamie seemed perfect for each other. Here the book lays out just how uncertain Louise was of her own role, in love, in life, in their marriage and in her musical career. Fascinating to read and hear Louise open up to all of the insecurities that have pursued her to this day. Here's hoping that you have now found a way to deal with the insecurities, thrive on the opportunities ahead. For such a loving, beautiful and successful person I wish you all the best for the future.
Profile Image for Janet farrow1.
286 reviews3 followers
April 1, 2021
I enjoyed listening to this. Read by Louise, it is not an autobiography, but she does discuss major events in her life including, her singing career, her marriage and her divorce. She admits her struggles and her regrets. As with the other reviews, I agree that her advice is a little repetitive and I found some of it a little contradictory. I did enjoy it though and I hope she finds contentment.
Profile Image for Jenny Smith.
450 reviews3 followers
September 5, 2022
An interesting read, seeing how even celebrities are affected by issues of juggling motherhood and a career, and the judgement around this. I felt there wasn’t that much detail around her life or upbringing - it’s quite a short book - and it got a bit repetitive towards the end. I hope she finds what she is looking for!
Profile Image for Jodie Vivienna.
Author 1 book29 followers
March 6, 2021
I am obsessed with this book. It's fascinating.
Love her honesty ❤ 💕
Profile Image for Kimberly Ann.
353 reviews4 followers
September 4, 2023
I remembered a little about the band Eternal from the 90s, which was why I picked up Louise's book on Bookoutlet recently. I thought it would be the story of how Louise grew up, how she got into the band, how the band was formed, experiences there, and then what happened after the band was together. Unfortunately, that is not what you are going to get here.

I am not sure I would be able to classify this book as a memoir. Louise does give you little bits about her life but, it is small stuff. She does not give much details past growing up. She talks a lot about growing up with a single parent, her home life, then getting into performing arts school. Then she joined a few girls who made the band Eternal. There was not real information about stuff after that though. In you just read Louise's book, you would think she was in Eternal for five minutes, not two years. I guess, in a way, I was expecting information about forming a girl group like you would have gotten in one of the Spice Girls books. Mel B, Mel C, and Victoria provided a lot of details in their books about the process of the band coming together, getting songs, and so on. You will not get that here. Louise says on one page that she met the girls from Eternal, then she was leaving the group. Nothing in the middle. It was the same later on. She met her husband, Jamie. One page later they were married. Two pages later having their boys then, the next page, getting divorced. I am not even sure how the divorced happened. Everything was so glossed over, there was nothing to read. I get wanting to have your privacy as a public figure but, if you are going to write a memoir, people are going to be expecting to read about your life.

The other side of this was the "self help" element at the end of each chapter. In some chapters, this section was bigger than the stuff about Louise's life. I get wanting to write about self help based on what you have learned in life but, if someone buys a MEMOIR, that is what they are wanting to read. If I wanted to read a self help book, I would go to that section at the bookstore.

So, overall, if you are looking for a quick read, this is it. It is a little less than 200 pages. About 50ish pages of that is actually about Louise's life, the rest is self help and pictures. That is why I gave this book a two star. I feel like I didn't get what I was paying for.
Profile Image for Michelle Staines.
38 reviews1 follower
April 6, 2021
A well written book which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have always loved Louise as she is such a down to earth type of girl who has always remained humble & tried to keep out of the lime light......
I felt very sad reading her heartfelt messages about some big mistakes she has made in her life, it goes without saying she has a few big regrets and is not ashamed to admit it. This takes guts!
A good read which is full of honesty.
I only dropped a star as the "Do's" and "Dont's"at the end of each chapter are a bit tedious and can be repetative.
Profile Image for Emma Compton-Davies.
9 reviews
October 18, 2023
Just a little …. lacking in something….
Seemed a little beige.
I wasn’t expecting all the nitty-gritty ins and outs of her divorce or tails of debauchery of her time in Eternal, but just something a little more than this.
Feel good words of wisdom at the end of each chapter, felt impersonal, and like they could’ve been cut-and-paste from any self-help book. Those words of wisdom almost felt a little condescending too, as you know most of the words were not what she has practiced herself.
Just not enough depth for me I’m afraid…
Not awful, just okay.
Profile Image for Lucinda.
289 reviews1 follower
April 26, 2022
Growing up with Eternal as a teenager was awesome.. and I thought this book might have been the same.. sadly I felt a little let down.

Not sure why or what I was expecting but I just didn’t gel with it as I was hoping I would have and ended up skipping a lot of the “You Got This” parts of each chapter.. was hoping it was more about Louise in general from her as a child to now.

It’s a lot of self help too which I don’t mind but don’t feel a biography and a self help book work IMHO.
1 review
March 6, 2021
Just ok

I found the book OK but the advice and self love bits at the end of every chapter tedious and a little boring.....
Profile Image for Alice.
691 reviews29 followers
March 12, 2021
interesting to read about her starting drama, and eternal days . I'm not personally into self help stuff so the pieces there were abit much for me but I do like her as a person and singer
Profile Image for Emily Ralph.
219 reviews
September 19, 2021
Self help book disguised as an autobiography

I didn’t really know much about louise redknapp before reading this book and I still don’t, i found it to be a very judgemental read .
533 reviews1 follower
October 16, 2023
"I'd like to dedicate this book to anyone who has ever struggled to see a way forward in life, and I want to let you know...you've got this."

This book isn't really a biography. It's more of a self-help book with personal anecdotes interspersed throughout the text. Each chapter ends with "You've Got This...", tips for moving forward.

The chapters are divided as follows:
1. Own Your Fear.
2. You Are Always Good Enough.
3. Success Can Come In Lots Of Ways.
4. Trust Yourself As A Mother.
5. Learn To Accept And Love Your Body.
6. Never Put Other People's Happiness Before Your Own.
7. Speak Your Truth.
8. Be Proud Of What You Do.
9. There Is Always A Second Chance.

I will be honest, the real reason for reading this book is because I wanted to know why Louise left Jamie. They seemed like the "perfect couple" with a fairy-tale romance. Even though this book isn't a biography, I felt I learnt a lot about Louise. She's not an assertive, confrontational person and even calls herself a "people pleaser". I was surprised to discover that gorgeous Louise, who used to appear in FHM a lot and topped a lot of the "Sexiest Women" polls felt unattractive and undeserving of Jamie and wondered why he wasn't dating a model.

Early on in her life, Louise had a passion for music and performing but she just lost herself in her marriage and motherhood. Instead of pushing herself, she focussed on having a beautiful house and looking after her family. I can emphasise with that. At times, I have felt like I was disappearing. I think a lot of issues stem from her lack of confidence in herself and not being in touch with her feelings. I think she represses a lot of things (she says she couldn't open up to therapists due to trust issues) so it is hard to for her to seek help. She's probably one of those people who say "It's fine" or "I'm fine" even if they are struggling. She admits that she felt unloved in her marriage but didn't know how to communicate that. She acknowledges the pain she has caused to the people she loves the most.

She is right about women being judged harshly by the media and even other women, not in the same way that a man is judged. I do think she is brave for wanting to get more out of her life. It would have been so easy to just stay in her safe but unfulfilling life.

3 stars.
221 reviews1 follower
March 6, 2022
I knew very little about Louise before reading this book as I'm a bit too young to remember her Eternal years but from TV appearances I had seen she seemed nice (sorry to use that term as she said in the book that she hates it). After I'd finished reading I now think of Louise as a savvy, level-headed and kind person who is passionate about her career. You can't help but like Louise as she comes across as friendly and easy to chat to and it makes for an enjoyable, really easy read. She talks openly about trolling, her early years and her solo career. Louise's positivity is infectious and it's great to see her continuing to follow her career dreams.

I did really enjoy this book but I couldn't help but feel she may have been a victim of trying to be too nice about everyone and not saying how she really felt. There is a vague chronological arc to the book but there seems to be large chunks missing of her story (possibly bits Louise didn't want to talk about?). For example her years in Eternal appeared to be skimmed over as she writes of being really happy in the band, followed by quickly mentioning feeling homesick and left out and the next thing you know she has left the band, you're left feeling something is missing from this story. It's also common knowledge that Louise and Jamie Redknapp got divorced but again whilst it is talked about, it is always very vague and she writes of feeling lost and missing her career but never directly addresses the issues.

Like others I wasn't sure about the self-help sections at the end of each Chapter but I actually quite liked them as I think on the whole it gave the book a positive vibe. I might not have learnt anything from these sections but reading them definitely had a feel-good factor. This isn't a traditional autobiography but it also isn't a self-help book, it's best described as Louise talking about key lessons she has learnt throughout her life.

I'd recommend this to anyone after a positive, easy read.
Profile Image for Trevor Russell.
Author 5 books8 followers
June 22, 2022
I enjoyed this book. It was a mix of autobiography and a help guide. Unfortunately, it doesn’t delve too much into Louise’s life to be an autobiography and some things were repeated time and time again (her love for her boys, only being able to talk to talk to her mum, her inability to speak out). Some of the helping parts were repetitive too and although it was a sweet read, I felt it lacked something. It was a shame this wasn’t a full biography. Her stint with eternal was barely covered. It would’ve been great to read more about the song writing, the band etc. Her marriage to Jamie was brushed over too. They were a huge celebrity paring in the 90s and often compared to Posh and Becks but always viewed and admired as the nicer couple. It’s a shame to not have explored this.

It is still a good read and I hope Louise is finding happiness now as she deserves credit for her work in showbiz and not just Jamie Redknapp’s ex!
1 review
Want to read
December 18, 2021
I knew her as model of Avon, not much with Eternal. I was fascinated by her beauty lol as a young teen. I remember her when i saw the tabloids and holy molly, the judgemental and catty women came out in droves to throw there own sticks and stones. Wonders! A woman who loved hard and stayed loyal throughout the years will also be a woman who will feel strong negative emotions like bitterness. Its being human. When you build your life around a person until you become a doormat, it takes a lot to rise and dust your ownself. There will always be regret of what might have been. Her husband might not be bad person but i bet my thumb he isn't supportive of her career. Traditional men usually wants a dutiful yes woman at home waiting in adoration.
I'm very glad that you choose to cut the bonds even though how painful it must have been. You own yourself now.
Profile Image for Louise.
28 reviews
June 6, 2023
Louise comes across as, lovely, caring, loving and typical girl next door. She talks about the horrendous pressures of being in the public eye and the impact of the internet trolls, as well as her marriage to Jamie Redknapp. Louise comes across as a people pleaser and tends to put others before herself. Which has knocked her confidence and her abilities and I could actually relate to a lot of her self doubt.
She is clearly a girls girl and has some helpful tips that are useful when self esteem levels may be dipping for some of us ladies. I enjoyed the read and getting to know Louise a lot more and I'd highly recommend it.
5 reviews
March 12, 2021
Really enjoyed the book. Like some other reviews, I found the informative personal sections at the end of each chapter, quite repetitive.
The chapters are also extremely long in parts.
Everything that is stated however, with regards to Louise's experience of divorce is true.
I changed my perception of Louise & ended up wanting to be her friend!
213 reviews
February 26, 2023
Some insight into the life of Louise and how things don’t always run smoothly even when you are well off. She talks a lot about anxiety and eating disorders and of course her break up and divorce from Jamie Redknapp. Some of what she had to say resonates with my life and feelings.
Profile Image for Michaela.
1,509 reviews10 followers
November 11, 2025
What an illuminating book

I do always love reading about the industry music and other peoples lives. It’s fascinating

Always a 5 star as people have different experiences and life stories are always a hit.
Profile Image for Lucy Melton.
72 reviews1 follower
May 28, 2022
I really enjoyed this - I must have done; I read it in a day! It’s really well written, like listening to a friend, and Louise’s story is interesting and genuine. A very dignified book.
Profile Image for Marion.
23 reviews2 followers
June 22, 2022
On the whole I did enjoy this but felt a bit sad reading it as well.
25 reviews
July 3, 2022
A lovely read and such an inspiring lady for all those going through similar events.
Profile Image for Charlotte.
186 reviews
February 28, 2023
A self help book and autobiography rolled into one. Some nice points made her but overall it wasn’t anything special.
Profile Image for Amy Hodgkiss-White.
26 reviews
March 15, 2023
I didn't know much about Louise, other than eternal and through Jamie. But it was sad to read how much she has struggled with mental health and a sense of no belonging. Good read.
Profile Image for Sally Hynes.
146 reviews2 followers
September 4, 2023
Didn’t finish this, found it really boring. Gave it a good go though, sorry!
Profile Image for tatiana.aka.tati.
287 reviews24 followers
February 3, 2024
I always find reading about celebrities very interesting as we have this image of them and at the end of the day they’re just normal human beings. However this one wasn’t a favorite for me, it was still fun and insightful but it did feel repetitive at times and I also felt like it didn’t really add anything new that I haven’t seen or read before.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.