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No Worries If Not: A Funny(ish) Story of Growing Up Working Class and Queer
No Worries If Not is a funny, relatable coming-of-age story, that explores Soph Galustian's experiences of poverty, queerness, mental health, grief and community. She recounts her life from childhood, to teens, into adulthood through a mixture of short stories, spoken word, illustrations, and space for the reader to reflect (or draw tits... whatever you prefer).
This book is for anyone who was raised struggling, anyone who wrestled with coming out, who accidentally killed their childhood pet, who has lost the person closest to them...
Filled with flashbacks to the 2000s/2010s, No Worries If Not is equally for the straights and the gays, the rich and disadvantaged. In this book Soph offers a space to reminisce and laugh at life's misfortunes.
A comedy writing star of the future, Soph Galustian's debut book No Worries if Not is a must read!
This book is for anyone who was raised struggling, anyone who wrestled with coming out, who accidentally killed their childhood pet, who has lost the person closest to them...
Filled with flashbacks to the 2000s/2010s, No Worries If Not is equally for the straights and the gays, the rich and disadvantaged. In this book Soph offers a space to reminisce and laugh at life's misfortunes.
A comedy writing star of the future, Soph Galustian's debut book No Worries if Not is a must read!
224 pages, Hardcover
Published April 6, 2023
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561 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
December 20, 2023
What a BOOK
April 1, 2023
No Worries If Not is a memoir about growing up working class and queer, dealing with grief, and finding space for love and being yourself. Galustian combines the memoir with poetry, playlists, and novelty wordsearches in a distinctive conversational style whilst discussing her childhood, teenage years, and then becoming an adult, exploring mental health and losing family members, trying to make it as an actor and comedy writer from a working class background, and the trauma of growing up queer in 2000s secondary school.
I hadn't heard of Galustian before reading this book, so I didn't know where it was going to go in terms of her career (and didn't realise it would have poems in it too). I liked the way it painted a vivid picture of growing up in the 2000s and 2010s, with the 2000s secondary school stuff feeling particularly real to me as someone only a few years older, and the inclusion of a QR code to access a playlist of all the songs gathered together in lists in the book was a nice tough, meaning you can listen along whilst reading. The style of having a memoir with the author's poetry at relevant moments was nice, though some of the poems and the quirky drawing-style wordsearch bits weren't always my thing.
This is a hard-hitting yet fun coming of age book with plenty of relatable stuff (as someone who used to be an usher at a similar London theatre it was quite weird to have that be a relatable part) and a comedic tone.
I hadn't heard of Galustian before reading this book, so I didn't know where it was going to go in terms of her career (and didn't realise it would have poems in it too). I liked the way it painted a vivid picture of growing up in the 2000s and 2010s, with the 2000s secondary school stuff feeling particularly real to me as someone only a few years older, and the inclusion of a QR code to access a playlist of all the songs gathered together in lists in the book was a nice tough, meaning you can listen along whilst reading. The style of having a memoir with the author's poetry at relevant moments was nice, though some of the poems and the quirky drawing-style wordsearch bits weren't always my thing.
This is a hard-hitting yet fun coming of age book with plenty of relatable stuff (as someone who used to be an usher at a similar London theatre it was quite weird to have that be a relatable part) and a comedic tone.
May 27, 2023
Thought this was an incredible book, soph is so talented and made me feel all the emotions !!! So glad I discovered u on tik tok and bought this book 😍
August 9, 2024
Rubbish. Not for me, very surface level.
November 19, 2023
A great insight into what it is like growing up LGBT+ and working class in the mid 2000s. Galustain is very open and honest in her memoir, opening up about struggling to accept her sexuality and also dealing with the tragic loss of her nephew.
June 21, 2025
3.5 so rounded up to 4!
This book manages to be both hilarious and vulnerable at once. Galustain explores the intersection of being both working class and queer, and reflects on her experience navigating these parts of her identity whilst growing up.
If you’re queer and in your twenties, aspects of this account will surely resonate with you!
I’m not a fan of poetry cropping up in books but Galustain’s poems were (and are) a big part of how she gained her platform and how she communicates the issues and injustices that are close to her, so I can understand the decision to include them!
A fab memoir that strikes the balance between having personality and a deeper message.
This book manages to be both hilarious and vulnerable at once. Galustain explores the intersection of being both working class and queer, and reflects on her experience navigating these parts of her identity whilst growing up.
If you’re queer and in your twenties, aspects of this account will surely resonate with you!
I’m not a fan of poetry cropping up in books but Galustain’s poems were (and are) a big part of how she gained her platform and how she communicates the issues and injustices that are close to her, so I can understand the decision to include them!
A fab memoir that strikes the balance between having personality and a deeper message.
August 14, 2023
If you are in your 20’s, queer and grew up working class this book is 100% for you! There is no doubt about that. If you aren’t any of those you may still find this book hilarious however if you’re all 3, there’s no way you can’t not purchase this stellar book.
This was such a relatable, funny, sad and nostalgic read for me. I very seldom dog ear a book unless I plan to return to said page for a particular reason but I can hands down say the poem in Doomsday dedicated to Luke will resonate with me for a long time.
Finally, as you can see I don’t write reviews unless they are utterly dire or utterly legendary.
This was such a relatable, funny, sad and nostalgic read for me. I very seldom dog ear a book unless I plan to return to said page for a particular reason but I can hands down say the poem in Doomsday dedicated to Luke will resonate with me for a long time.
Finally, as you can see I don’t write reviews unless they are utterly dire or utterly legendary.
May 26, 2023
I’m going to be honest: I’d never heard of Soph Galustian before I heard about this book. I’ve also never had any interest in reading a memoir from someone I hadn’t heard of. But something about this book told me that now was the time to change that, and I’m SO glad I did!
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
First of all, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never heard of Soph Galustian: this book is the perfect introduction. And I say introduction because the only thing that will persuade you to put down this book while you’re reading it is the urge to look her up on Instagram, watch her videos of her reciting the poems she has included, look up her playlist on Spotify (QR code helpfully included!) and follow her across all social media in the knowledge that she is one to watch.
For a relatively short book, there is so much packed in. She expertly balances humour with tragedy, taking you through the ups and downs of life with a raw honesty that tugs at your heartstrings. It’s not all prose either. I’ve already mentioned that many poems are included, as are word-searches, skit-style excerpts, and – brilliantly – playlists. The annual playlists not only mark the emotional tone of each year in Galustian’s life, but bring the reader right back to that year in their own lives. The various elements that make up this book balance each other perfectly, and not only make it a gripping read, but give more insight into Galustian’s personality.
I could not put this book down. (Seriously – it arrived in the post 24 hours ago and I’m already writing a review.) I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I commiserated. It’s an incredibly powerful read, and (dare I say it?) one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
First of all, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never heard of Soph Galustian: this book is the perfect introduction. And I say introduction because the only thing that will persuade you to put down this book while you’re reading it is the urge to look her up on Instagram, watch her videos of her reciting the poems she has included, look up her playlist on Spotify (QR code helpfully included!) and follow her across all social media in the knowledge that she is one to watch.
For a relatively short book, there is so much packed in. She expertly balances humour with tragedy, taking you through the ups and downs of life with a raw honesty that tugs at your heartstrings. It’s not all prose either. I’ve already mentioned that many poems are included, as are word-searches, skit-style excerpts, and – brilliantly – playlists. The annual playlists not only mark the emotional tone of each year in Galustian’s life, but bring the reader right back to that year in their own lives. The various elements that make up this book balance each other perfectly, and not only make it a gripping read, but give more insight into Galustian’s personality.
I could not put this book down. (Seriously – it arrived in the post 24 hours ago and I’m already writing a review.) I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I commiserated. It’s an incredibly powerful read, and (dare I say it?) one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
May 27, 2023
In No Worries If Not, comedy writer, spoken-word poet and actor Soph Galustian recounts her life so far: growing up in a council house in Cheadle; realising she was gay and having to hide it at school in the ’00s; going to university and cracking the entertainment industry as a working-class woman; and suddenly losing her beloved teenage nephew, Luke.
I found No Worries If Not a lively and humorous read. Through her writing, Soph comes across as bubbly and entertaining to be around, but also warm and kind, warning you when she’s about to tell you something heavy, and (quite literally) holding space for you to process any feelings her stories might have brought up.
It feels like Soph is having an informal conversation with the reader personally, regularly referring to and asking questions of “you”, and confessing some of her most embarrassing moments and behaviour growing up.
It was so refreshing to read such a candid memoir, and Soph skilfully injects humour into almost every situation. Of course, the one event in her life that defies comedy is Luke’s tragic, totally unfair death at the age of 14.
As Soph rightly points out, while I can sympathise, I can’t truly comprehend how she and her and her family feel, as I’ve never personally experienced anything in the same ballpark. I commend her for writing about such a raw, painful thing in the detail that she does.
In fact, No Worries If Not is full of truth-bombs that I whole-heartedly agree with: that council estates aren’t the hellholes they’re made out to be (I’m lower-middle class myself, but I mixed with a lot of kids from the council terraces right next to my primary school); that teaching children that there are options other than (compulsory) heterosexuality can save a great deal of pain and homophobia, both internalised and from other pupils; that attention-seeking should be renamed attention-needing; that first love is both wonderful and terrible; that some therapists/approaches (cough mindfulness cough) can make things worse; and anti-depressants save lives.
Soph is eight years younger than me, virtually my opposite in personality, and has very different tastes and interests to me, so alongside the universal truths above, No Worries If Not was an interesting insight into someone else’s world. I didn’t agree with her on everything but – as the title suggests – that’s totally fine!
No Worries If Not is funny, candid, and devastating.
I found No Worries If Not a lively and humorous read. Through her writing, Soph comes across as bubbly and entertaining to be around, but also warm and kind, warning you when she’s about to tell you something heavy, and (quite literally) holding space for you to process any feelings her stories might have brought up.
It feels like Soph is having an informal conversation with the reader personally, regularly referring to and asking questions of “you”, and confessing some of her most embarrassing moments and behaviour growing up.
It was so refreshing to read such a candid memoir, and Soph skilfully injects humour into almost every situation. Of course, the one event in her life that defies comedy is Luke’s tragic, totally unfair death at the age of 14.
As Soph rightly points out, while I can sympathise, I can’t truly comprehend how she and her and her family feel, as I’ve never personally experienced anything in the same ballpark. I commend her for writing about such a raw, painful thing in the detail that she does.
In fact, No Worries If Not is full of truth-bombs that I whole-heartedly agree with: that council estates aren’t the hellholes they’re made out to be (I’m lower-middle class myself, but I mixed with a lot of kids from the council terraces right next to my primary school); that teaching children that there are options other than (compulsory) heterosexuality can save a great deal of pain and homophobia, both internalised and from other pupils; that attention-seeking should be renamed attention-needing; that first love is both wonderful and terrible; that some therapists/approaches (cough mindfulness cough) can make things worse; and anti-depressants save lives.
Soph is eight years younger than me, virtually my opposite in personality, and has very different tastes and interests to me, so alongside the universal truths above, No Worries If Not was an interesting insight into someone else’s world. I didn’t agree with her on everything but – as the title suggests – that’s totally fine!
No Worries If Not is funny, candid, and devastating.
November 13, 2023
No Worries if Not: A Funny(ish) Story of Growing Up Working Class and Queer is the first book from comedy writer Soph Galustian, a memoir infused with poetry and reflections on how her identity as a gay woman who grew up on a Manchester council estate has affected how she moves through the world.
I had mixed feelings about this book. The musings on millennial adolescence were nothing Dolly Alderton hasn't written about better; likewise Caitlin Moran and weathering society's beauty standards for women. Also, Galustian's more light-hearted poems - of which there are many - all felt rather trite, contrived and amateurish.
However, when Galustian gets serious and speaks candidly about the shame of being poor in secondary school (whilst also being fiercely proud of her background and community), the pain of navigating her first - secret - relationship with a girl and the subsequent heartbreak and, most of all, the sudden, devastating loss of her teenage nephew, to whom she was incredibly close, in 2018. Her raw, vulnerable honesty is really touching and powerful, and her more sombre poems are notably better crafted and more thought-provoking.
Lastly, No Worries if Not provides a glimpse into the world of the 'superfan' - Galustian spent years obsessed with Cheryl Cole - which was unexpected but surprisingly fascinating!
Thank you to NetGalley and Octopus Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I had mixed feelings about this book. The musings on millennial adolescence were nothing Dolly Alderton hasn't written about better; likewise Caitlin Moran and weathering society's beauty standards for women. Also, Galustian's more light-hearted poems - of which there are many - all felt rather trite, contrived and amateurish.
However, when Galustian gets serious and speaks candidly about the shame of being poor in secondary school (whilst also being fiercely proud of her background and community), the pain of navigating her first - secret - relationship with a girl and the subsequent heartbreak and, most of all, the sudden, devastating loss of her teenage nephew, to whom she was incredibly close, in 2018. Her raw, vulnerable honesty is really touching and powerful, and her more sombre poems are notably better crafted and more thought-provoking.
Lastly, No Worries if Not provides a glimpse into the world of the 'superfan' - Galustian spent years obsessed with Cheryl Cole - which was unexpected but surprisingly fascinating!
Thank you to NetGalley and Octopus Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
July 19, 2025
I knew I’d be giving this book max stars before I finished the first page. Probably a bit of proximity bias because I grew up a couple of miles away from the author and this triggered a wave of nostalgia, mostly for some of the words that I’ve not heard in so long (fadge!!).
At turns hilarious and heartfelt, I loved how the author whiplashed between the absurdity of being a teenager and the deep and dark issues that profoundly affected her life. Which is really as it should be, because you can’t be British without approaching any serious topic with a giant dollop of self-deprecating humour.
15/10 - I devoured the book in two sittings and came away wanting to give the author a giant hug and be her gay aunty.
At turns hilarious and heartfelt, I loved how the author whiplashed between the absurdity of being a teenager and the deep and dark issues that profoundly affected her life. Which is really as it should be, because you can’t be British without approaching any serious topic with a giant dollop of self-deprecating humour.
15/10 - I devoured the book in two sittings and came away wanting to give the author a giant hug and be her gay aunty.
May 30, 2023
This is a memoir that showcases what it is like growing up working class and queer, dealing with grief and finding yourself and being true to you. This is unlike any memoir I have read in both its subject matter and the way it is written, it was fresh, original and more importantly I absolutely couldn't put it down.
This is the first book I have read by this author but it wont be my last it was such a nostalgic and poignant read that was more moving than I expected it to be, but that also had me laughing out loud at times. I also found many loments weirdly relatable and I was totally there for it.
I really enjoyed it
This is the first book I have read by this author but it wont be my last it was such a nostalgic and poignant read that was more moving than I expected it to be, but that also had me laughing out loud at times. I also found many loments weirdly relatable and I was totally there for it.
I really enjoyed it
May 23, 2025
I’m so disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this as much as I’d hoped! I didn’t find this book funny at all - maybe I’m the wrong demographic being ten years older than the author?
It is basically a memoir of Soph’s relationships, education and sad loss of a family member. It is hard to review a personal story - that’s her life and experiences. But is it interesting or enjoyable to me as a reader? Not so much.
The raw feelings that popped up were meaningful and real but anything in between felt like filler and I’m sorry but I skipped through the poems and little added bits as I just didn’t think they added to the book at all.
It is basically a memoir of Soph’s relationships, education and sad loss of a family member. It is hard to review a personal story - that’s her life and experiences. But is it interesting or enjoyable to me as a reader? Not so much.
The raw feelings that popped up were meaningful and real but anything in between felt like filler and I’m sorry but I skipped through the poems and little added bits as I just didn’t think they added to the book at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2025
Overall, this was just an okay read. If you grew up working class and queer in the 2000s, a lot of this book will likely resonate with you. There’s plenty of UK pop culture references from the 2000s which I appreciated and made me feel nostalgic.
That said, the book didn’t quite land as more than a memoir of Sophie’s life. I often found myself wondering what the larger takeaway was supposed to be and really struggled to see why an audience should feel invested. Even though there were moments of relatability, it just wasn’t enough to care about her particular experiences. It felt more like a personal reflection than a story with something to actually offer the reader.
That said, the book didn’t quite land as more than a memoir of Sophie’s life. I often found myself wondering what the larger takeaway was supposed to be and really struggled to see why an audience should feel invested. Even though there were moments of relatability, it just wasn’t enough to care about her particular experiences. It felt more like a personal reflection than a story with something to actually offer the reader.
May 31, 2023
What can I say about a book that can have you crying one minute and laughing the next. There are so many emotions wrapped up, heartbreaking, sad, happy, funny Soph has put it how it was and is, and To me that's what has made it such a great read. Even tough Soph has been through so much, she has shown not to give up for what you believe in, you can do it if you try. I read this book in one sitting. A true story of one strong person.
November 22, 2024
Anyone who can make you cry and tell you their top three X factor auditions in the first chapter is off to a good start with me.
More Manc than a Gallagher drinking Vimto in Piccadilly Gardens and wonderful for it.
This autobiography of young queer poet/actor Soph was a nostalgic and comedic race through working class naughties northern culture written without airs and graces and with its heart firmly on its sleeve.
More Manc than a Gallagher drinking Vimto in Piccadilly Gardens and wonderful for it.
This autobiography of young queer poet/actor Soph was a nostalgic and comedic race through working class naughties northern culture written without airs and graces and with its heart firmly on its sleeve.
April 9, 2024
this is such an enjoyable read. some of the chapters on grief are really tough to get through, but so well written. it’s a funny and charming memoir about growing up queer with class themes (north south divide OTT for me but i guess it’s a personal story), overall LOVED ❤️ interesting to see insights into authors life because i assume most know her from her funny lesbian pov tiktoks
May 6, 2024
An honest, heart warming, and relatable book that had me both laughing out loud and ugly crying. It was an honest and fun look at life growing up in Manchester when you don't always fit in and desperately want to. I could have easily read this in one go if I didn't start it late at night and got too tired to stay awake. Will be recommending this to a LOT of my friends.
January 19, 2025
this is the perfect dose of nostalgia if you grew up working class in the 90s/2000s.
soph is hilarious, their words are gorgeous and I love the poetry interludes. this book will make you laugh and cry a lot- it’s crafted perfectly to make you feel safe to feel all the emotions.
this is a masterpiece- so so so sooo underrated
soph is hilarious, their words are gorgeous and I love the poetry interludes. this book will make you laugh and cry a lot- it’s crafted perfectly to make you feel safe to feel all the emotions.
this is a masterpiece- so so so sooo underrated
April 16, 2023
Absolutely brilliant read.
April 24, 2023
The most refreshing read in such a long time. Felt like Dolly Alderton for common people. So much heart but so funny simultaneously
May 4, 2023
tfw you relate too much to someone who you've never met or interacted with in your life
June 25, 2023
man… as a fellow queer working class person i felt that
July 17, 2023
It will make you laugh, it will make you cry
I also cried from laughing
I also cried from laughing
July 19, 2023
Absolutely loved it. More relatable than I ever thought it would be, love Soph!
July 31, 2023
This book was just SO good. My mum says you’ve always got a friend if you’ve got a book, which I’ve always thought was a bit sad and strange, but it is so true for “no worries if not”.
September 15, 2023
I really enjoyed. Sad and funny and lovely. Also sensational throwbacks. There are “musical interludes” where she lists the most popular songs of the year, loved that. Also we love a queer story
September 21, 2023
god love her
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews