I'm going to get this out of the way right now and say that Cheer the F**k Up is the best book I have read about mental health.

And with that out of the way let me tell you why. Jack Rooke attacks mental health with heart, compassion and humour. I know that sounds wrong but sometimes when things all fall apart the only thing you can do is laugh.
This book deals with so many things such as love, loss, sexuality, death, suicide and never did I feel like Rooke fudged it. He treated each area of this narrative sensitively and even at its most difficult it was a great thing to read.

So, once again I reiterate, Cheer the F**k Up is the best book about mental health that I have ever read.

Cheer the F**k Up by Jack Rooke is available now.

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Cheer the F up by Jack Rooke was a good personal account about a young gay man, about grief, about growing up and about taking control of your life. It was beautifully written, hilarious at times but also very sad in other parts.. I found this book a must read and a polite reminder to check in on friends, partners, family and love ones! You are not alone out there!

Cheer the F**K Up: How to Save your Best Friend by Jack Rooke is a funny and moving memoir about grief and mental health.

Cheer the F up is a personal account and mental health memoir. It is a book that asks important questions in today’s mental health debate and coming from a male voice, plays an important role in the conversation.

This book undoubtedly asks some important questions but I do feel this is very much a personal exploration. This book is account of one person, one person who has had a huge amount to deal with. Including loss and suicide of loved ones. How he deals with this may prove a huge comfort to offers. However I don’t think it can be seen as a book that asks questions of a world in which we have a mental health crisis, as is perhaps advertised. Jack Rooke has his own comedic style, which I personally struggled to engage with. The story is his own and whilst it’s heartfelt and devastating it didn’t feel part of a mental health conversation. Will it save a life? I am unsure. I am glad he has been able to share his story, if that is of benefit to him then that can be no bad thing but I was hopeful of a greater exploration into men’s mental health and this book isn’t that, as once advertised.

This is a much needed tonic against the ever rising tide of mental health issues in this country. Against a background of COVID it shows humour and empathy, with a heart and friendly tone that made it a pleasure to read. Jack speaks with an honesty and charm that made me feel comfortable reading a book on a hard subject matter. I would strongly recommend this to any of my friends, especially those friends who do see mental health as a secondary concern and who feel that showing feelings is to break their defensive armour. It was a book that I couldn't put down, which I truly liked.

‘Cheer the F**k up’ is a part memoir/part advice manual from Jack Rooke - a 25 year old gay man who lost his dad as a teenager. The book explains his experiences from losing his dad to getting a place at university and having his first sexual experiences. Throughout the book there are useful advice sections that cover topics such as how to help a friend that is grieving and navigating gay clubs for the first time. This is all told in a warm, funny, self-deprecating manner which makes it feel that Jack himself is just chatting away to you over a few drinks. He clearly has a wise head on his shoulders and the pop culture references are brilliant - who doesn’t love Alison Hammond?! This a great, very useful and thought provoking read.

Wow! To find a book that deals with such delicate issues surrounding mental health and grief but is told in such a funny, relatable way is an absolute joy.
This book is part memoir , part self help book. All of which is tasteful, non preachy and such an enjoyable read.

I’m new to Jack’s work and this book was the first I had heard about him (following a recommendation on the wonderful Nicola Coughlan’s instagram) His comedy is right up my street and although I am not quite the same age (36 year old single mum here) I can relate to so many of the anecdotes, possibly something to do with me still acting like an 18 year old during the time when the author was one!!yikes. The band references, the £5 bottles of Zinf, the love of Alison Hammond- all truly represent me as a person!haha.
But also so does also the immense loss following the death of a friend and a family member, struggles with mental health and the need to help a friend who is struggling right now.

I honestly have not felt the urge to go out and buy a book for my friends for such a long time, a recommendation to read just isn’t enough.
It is written perfectly, any particularly upsetting moments have a trigger warning and honestly I have laughed out loud throughout to the point where my kids are looking at me like I’m weird, I guess it’s a break from them asking for another biscuit!

I know of Jack from the comedy scene and went in to this book with some trepidation but my goodness was I wrong. From the first page you call tell that Rooke knows how to write and is writing from a place of honesty and compassion (with a dose of humour for good measure!).

At times this book was difficult to read - please note that Rooke is very clear if there are warnings/triggers for the chapter - but I found it to be a beautiful read. Rooke has not had the easiest life but he shares his history, grief and learnings with us in Cheer the F**k Up so wonderfully that it makes this book very hard to put down.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone, this is definitely something we should be continuing to talk about and putting these practices in to place to help one another.

Jack is only in his mid 20's but has experienced a lot of loss, starting with his dad when he was a teenager. The book is a mix of memoir and self help, at the end of chapters it gives accessible advice about subjects like how to deal with a friend who is going through grief. It's a beautiful book and it really hooks you in emotionally. The book also covers male suicide and discusses Jack losing a friend. It's not overly graphic and is told in a very gentle way. A really stunning read.