Parenting Hell: The funniest gift you can give this Father’s Day

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I can only give this 5 stars as I’ve loved reading and then listening to it, I’ve loved listening to the podcast since lockdown, watched their antic on tv for quite several years so decided to do the book followed by the Audio in between listening to podcasts. We had chapters from Rob and Josh in a conversational style, from their wives Lou and Rose, their parents and even their producer Michael! It will discuss everything from the BBC convincing him that Michael Parkinson had been possessed by a ghost, to Josh’s belief that Mr Blobby is one of the great comic characters, to what it’s like being the only vegetarian child west of Bristol. Josh says“Now we have been given a book deal it is probably the time for me to admit to myself that complaining for an hour a week to Rob about my life has become the most successful thing I have done in 14 years in comedy.

Filled with all the things they never tell you at antenatal classes, it’s a charming mixture of humour, rumination and conversation and is aimed at prospective parents, new parents, old parents and never-to-be parents alike. If you are a regular listener you will have heard a lot of the stuff before, and to be fair, I’m not sure I’m that interested in the early years of them becoming parents. Using a different television show of the time as its starting point for each chapter Watching Neighbours Twice a Day… is part-childhood memoir, part-comic history of 90s television and culture. Really good as an audiobook too cos there’s extra little bits of them pissing around which makes it even better.There were kids at my school who liked bands, kids who liked football and one weird kid who liked the French sport of petanque, however, we all loved Gladiators, Neighbours and Pebble Mill with Alan Titchmarsh (possibly not the third of these). They started it during lockdown as a way to share their parenting fails and interview other celebs on how they were finding parenting in lockdown. Since lockdown has finished they have continued the podcast, have taken the show on tour (I'm going next April, can't wait! I didnt realise they had a podcast on this so defo gonna add that to my list of podcasts to listen to and probs only get around to in 5 years time haha. It probably is quite amusing for a 20-something gal who wants to be childless forever to be so entertained and attached to a podcast (and subsequent book) about parenting.

Join Josh and Rob as they share the challenges and madness of their parenting journeys with lashings of empathy and extra helpings of laughs. As previously when I read a book that was based around the podcast, I found it a different expereince and I didn't enjoy.

I’m not sure I would have enjoyed the read as much had I been reading the book myself, and would have given it a 3 star rating.

I always enjoyed the Parenting Hell podcast (before it moved to Spotify and I couldn’t bring myself to move all my podcast listening over to Spotify too). This is a book about growing up in the ’90s told through the thing that mattered most to me, the television programmes I watched.

I also loved listening to Michaels bit but will end my day remembering Michael describe Josh as a "tender lover". I would give this book a 4 star review for the audio book version due to the interviews with parents, wives and Michael, plus the off the cuff remarks and larking about between Rob and Josh during the reading of the book. Focusing on the madness, absurdity and utter chaos of being a parent, the Parenting Hellbook will publish in October 2022 in hardback, ebook and audiobook, and will feature some special guests.

I love the honesty about the difficultly of parenting and keeping your entire life together as well as sharing the exciting and wholesome moments. I really enjoyed the book--- I have never laughed so hard whilst reading but there are hard warming and reassuring moments that I teared up during. I would say there there is a lot more seriousness in the book than the podcast but still humorous and it was also great to have the addition from the family and see how parenting changes across the generations but at the crux of it all…it is all about the children and them being happy. Filled with all the things they never tell you at antenatal classes, Parenting Hell is a beguiling mixture of humour, rumination and conversation for prospective parents, new parents, old parents and never-to-be parents alike. As a Mother who suffers terribly from Mum guilt and is constantly worrying I am doing things wrong, I found this book to be very honest and a great reassurance that all parents think and feel the same.Now we have been given a book deal it is probably the time for me to admit to myself that complaining for an hour a week to Rob about my life has become the most successful thing I have done in 14 years in comedy. However, by listening to the audio it felt like you were listening to the podcast and It made the whole thing more enjoyable and I would highly recommend.