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Nobody Panic: How to be a functioning adult without screaming
' Absolutely delightful, surprisingly useful and pleasingly absurd' - Rachel Parris' Tessa and Stevie are two of the funniest people I know' - Nish Kumar' A must-read for anyone struggling to be a convincing grown up ' - Richard Herring' Bloody funny and genuinely informative ' - Ellie TaylorTrying to get your life together? Got three dead houseplants, no debit card, and an exploded yoghurt in your bag? Useful, funny and life-affirming, Nobody Panic is an instruction manual for anyone with absolutely no idea what they're doing.From the creators of the critically acclaimed podcast comes a series of How To guides for everything from job interviews to leaving a WhatsApp group, from understanding the oven to dealing with your best friend's new (astoundingly dull) partner. There's also a poem about taxes.Comedians and professional panickers Tessa Coates and Stevie Martin are here to help you learn from their many, many mistakes, and remind you that when it comes to life, we're all in this together - so nobody panic.Praise for the ' Hilarious and brilliant' - Grazia' Witty, smart and oh-so-relatable' - Evening Standard' Jaunty' - The Times
- GenresNonfictionAudiobookAdult
413 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2021
16 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 21, 2022
I loved this so much. I wouldn't usually dream of reading a book with the subtitle 'How to be a functioning adult without screaming' but since becoming obsessed with Stevie and Tessa's podcast Nobody Panic in September (and I mean true obsession, I've listened to their entire 5-year back catalogue of weekly episodes twice since then) I knew I needed to get the book. I waited to get the hardback as a Christmas present but I was too impatient to wait until I finished my Dickens to inhale it, so I got the audiobook, and damn was that the best choice I've made all year.
Tessa and Stevie have such a lovely rapport, it's like we're all sat around a table with a few bottles of wine and they're telling me how to get myself together. They're also stonkingly hilarious, easily triple the laughs per minute compared to any other comedy podcast.
I was worried the audiobook would be stilted compared to the breezy natter of the pod but it's better than you could imagine. Most of the subjects and anecdotes from the book have also been covered by the podcast, but they've been refined and reformatted, and then the audio production (feat. sound effects) takes them to another level. My favourite sections were Tessa's poem about tax, the oven symbol/Norse rune quiz, and the 'how to rekindle a dead friendship' tale told as a 19th-century novel. There are also so many asides tossed into the audiobook, it seems like they were having a delightful time recording it and I'm glad they mostly stayed in.
If you want to be enormously entertained for a few hours but also come away feeling more equipped to face life's challenges, you must get this book.
Tessa and Stevie have such a lovely rapport, it's like we're all sat around a table with a few bottles of wine and they're telling me how to get myself together. They're also stonkingly hilarious, easily triple the laughs per minute compared to any other comedy podcast.
I was worried the audiobook would be stilted compared to the breezy natter of the pod but it's better than you could imagine. Most of the subjects and anecdotes from the book have also been covered by the podcast, but they've been refined and reformatted, and then the audio production (feat. sound effects) takes them to another level. My favourite sections were Tessa's poem about tax, the oven symbol/Norse rune quiz, and the 'how to rekindle a dead friendship' tale told as a 19th-century novel. There are also so many asides tossed into the audiobook, it seems like they were having a delightful time recording it and I'm glad they mostly stayed in.
If you want to be enormously entertained for a few hours but also come away feeling more equipped to face life's challenges, you must get this book.
May 17, 2022
The audio book is really funny I absolutely recommend this format. Tessa Coates and Stevie Martin seemed to have had a lot of fun recording it. Some chapter topics were a bit random at times, but for the most part quite informative and always entertaining.
These two witty friends seem to be very genuine and I had a great time while feeling a bit more reassured toward my adulting-capabilities afterwards.
These two witty friends seem to be very genuine and I had a great time while feeling a bit more reassured toward my adulting-capabilities afterwards.
November 19, 2021
Highly suggest getting the audiobook for this one. Tessa and Stevie are gas, witty and brilliant have basically been involved in a one-sided best friendship with me for the duration of the pandemic. Just loads of fun, with great advice.
October 18, 2024
3.75! I love Tessa and Stevie and really enjoyed a lot of what was in here but I still think I’d recommend the podcast over the audiobook just to be a bit choosy on what you’d like advice on or just want to hear about! Some chapters that didn’t really resonate were still fun while others I just wasn’t paying any attention to but I love love love these ladies
November 13, 2021
Listened to the audiobook and loved the way it was read, just like the podcast- funny, entertaining and surprisingly useful!
October 19, 2025
Funny, helpful, intensely reassuring - everyone should be given a copy of this when they turn 18
January 3, 2022
I love the Nobody Panic podcast with comedians Stevie Martin and Tessa Coates and this book is really fun too.
I read this in Tessa and Stevie's voices but I imagine the audiobook for this one is worth getting.
The Stevie and Tessa talk about the things we should know about being a functioning adult from the point of view if two thirty somethings who have some hilarious stories of when they really didn't have their life together and how they're working on it.
Although this book isn't to be taken too seriously there is some genuinely great advice in there as well as some bizarre bits too. I find the two both incredibly relatable but also in some ways absolutely baffling which is a fun combination.
I did read this straight through but it seems better as something you can just dip into with chapter headings which vary from how to bleed a radiator to how to quit your job.
Whether you're into self help, new year new you and all that, or not, there's a lot to enjoy from this book. Give their podcast a go first if you're not sure.
I have an episode called 'how to deal with critism' saved on my phone because it cheers me up, specifically the last six minutes which are Tessa listing off the names the authors wanted for famous novels. This included John Steinbeck wanting to call 'Of Mice and Men' 'Something that Happened'.
I read this in Tessa and Stevie's voices but I imagine the audiobook for this one is worth getting.
The Stevie and Tessa talk about the things we should know about being a functioning adult from the point of view if two thirty somethings who have some hilarious stories of when they really didn't have their life together and how they're working on it.
Although this book isn't to be taken too seriously there is some genuinely great advice in there as well as some bizarre bits too. I find the two both incredibly relatable but also in some ways absolutely baffling which is a fun combination.
I did read this straight through but it seems better as something you can just dip into with chapter headings which vary from how to bleed a radiator to how to quit your job.
Whether you're into self help, new year new you and all that, or not, there's a lot to enjoy from this book. Give their podcast a go first if you're not sure.
I have an episode called 'how to deal with critism' saved on my phone because it cheers me up, specifically the last six minutes which are Tessa listing off the names the authors wanted for famous novels. This included John Steinbeck wanting to call 'Of Mice and Men' 'Something that Happened'.
August 18, 2022
Although intended as a self-help guide to dip in and out of, I couldn't help but read this book cover-to-cover! I found it extremely readable, with so many laugh-out-loud (and sometimes calamitous) anecdotes from Stevie and Tessa :) It was so reassuring to read that I am not alone in everything from struggling to care for houseplants to coping with crippling anxiety before speaking in public.
Definitely an uplifting read and one that I will genuinely come back to when being an adult starts to feel too much!
Definitely an uplifting read and one that I will genuinely come back to when being an adult starts to feel too much!
January 24, 2023
A long time listener of the Nobody Panic pod I loved this. Tessa and Stevie have the best chemistry and the funniest banter. I really appreciated listening to this as an audiobook because it’s honestly the best way to get the most out of their hilarious ways and you get all this extra content from the chaos that ensued with recordings
So many times I found myself laughing out loud at the complete wilderness a story descended into.
So many times I found myself laughing out loud at the complete wilderness a story descended into.
March 1, 2022
I recommend the audiobook especially for this one - actual laugh out loud moments when I was on the bus, at the shops, in the shower, wherever.
Genuinely funny and helpful, just like the podcast. I stretched it out as long as possible, and I’m quite sad I’ve finished it.
Genuinely funny and helpful, just like the podcast. I stretched it out as long as possible, and I’m quite sad I’ve finished it.
March 3, 2022
This is just a fun book to read. I love their podcast, and to listen to something light-hearted it was nice. I prefer the podcast though as they delve into topics in more depth. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to someone.
April 25, 2022
Unfortunately, the formatting of this book, was unreadable. I also didn’t know they had a podcast before I read this, so now I’m going to listen to it.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
February 7, 2022
DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS BOOK AT THE GYM!!!!!
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Honestly the funniest audio book I’ve listened to. I had to pause too many times because I was laughing out loud in the gym and at a couple points almost dropped a weight on myself.
If you are going to audiobook it I’d recommend listening in private or on a walk while wearing a mask so people passing don’t think your insane.
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Some genius tips and hilarious stories.
Definitely worth a read/listen
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Honestly the funniest audio book I’ve listened to. I had to pause too many times because I was laughing out loud in the gym and at a couple points almost dropped a weight on myself.
If you are going to audiobook it I’d recommend listening in private or on a walk while wearing a mask so people passing don’t think your insane.
.
Some genius tips and hilarious stories.
Definitely worth a read/listen
February 7, 2022
So charming and funny, and genuinely useful. Feels like I'm away on a long term sabbatical and two close friends are sending me advice.
March 7, 2022
audiobook is a must, and i’m not really an audiobook person
May 20, 2024
The additional asides in the audiobook are what makes this so good. Almost cried with laughter several times and also lots of useful advice (even if I don't think I was the target audience)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews