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This is far from my usual read but I decided to give it a chance anyway and I have no regrets. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to find it both entertaining and funny. I have often found myself thinking that I might really enjoy one of those many comedians’ biographies while passing the aforementioned book section in my local bookstore, but have never really given in to the idea until now.

I had a promotional credit to spare on my Audible account that was going to waste, so I picked up Man Up!: Tales of My Delusion Self-Confidence by Ross Mathews. At only five plus hours of listening time and narrated by Ross himself [definitely a bonus in my book], I thought it was a good deal and a great opportunity for me to take a break from my marathon listen of the Outlander series. [The Outlander audiobooks have been part of my daily commute since January this year and a break was definitely in order.] So, armed with my new audiobook, I finally took the plunge.

Are you familiar with Ross Mathews? If not, he is the guy who first began his career as Ross the Intern on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and later on E!’s Chelsea Lately. Being familiar with both shows, although being far from a devoted follower, I felt that I knew what to expect – and, as I said before, I was not disappointed.

“Hello, dear reader! It’s me, Ross Mathews from television! So now that we’re best friends (oh, by the way, we totally just became best friends), you should know that I am possibly, just maybe a teeny bit way too excited for you to read my book.” Man Up! (Prologue).

How could you not like this guy? Especially now, that we are totally best friends – he said so himself! So, in the spirit of his excitement and his distinctive high pitched chirpy voice we continued on to the many stories of his childhood, various jobs, friendships, relationships, and other exciting, funny, and at times inspirational episodes of his life. Ross lays it all out on the table, from his dating life, and his two lovely pooches Louise and Mijo, his Oscar–winning bff Gwyneth Paltrow, to his many jobs and a sudden spotlight at The Tonight Show.

Ross is not shy about name-dropping and pop-culture references that peppered each and every page of his book, but I wasn’t turned off. In fact, I found it quite authentic coming from Ross – it is exactly how I would have imagined it, if he were to sit right across from me, and share a few of his life’s anecdotes as bff’s do. Overall, the book was entertaining and fast-paced. I thought his message of self-acceptance, was quite clear but not condescending. So, if you like Ross Mathews, and are a fan of all things pop culture, definitely pick this one up, perhaps you’d want to throw one of those balloon days yourself…