IF YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD ME

An earnest debut memoir from the General Hospital, Full House, and ER star.

Opening with an account of his drunken drive down Rodeo Drive in 2015, Stamos (b. 1963) puts his mistakes front and center. Whether it’s missing the mark in love, slipping up with substances, or blowing auditions, the author tells it like it is, and he demonstrates empathy for everyone involved and hindsight showing that the former teen heartthrob has learned a thing or two from his journey through life and fame. Stamos is a self-described “band geek” and Disney fanatic, and he describes a Southern California youth filled with love, hard work, and opportunity. He chronicles his first big break on General Hospital and how he became a teen idol, balancing weekday fame with weekend modesty and working at his father’s restaurant. Even though he’s made it as an actor, Stamos’ first love, music, has never faded away. His dream of playing drums for the Beach Boys came true, and his awe and respect for the band never flags. “The Beach Boys, represent all the best of who we can be: generous, talented, brilliant, benevolent, and divine,” he writes. “God only knows where I’d be without them.” Although Stamos is a legitimate celebrity himself, his memoir is a lesson in humility and gratitude for the people he’s shared scenes and stages with throughout his life. He credits relationships with his parents, mentors, and close friends like Bob Saget for keeping him grounded and safe from more tragic Hollywood pitfalls. The author intersperses the narrative with handwritten notes his mother left for him, and the effect is a portrait of a charming and charmed actor who has received plenty of love—and who has plenty of love to give. Jamie Lee Curtis provides the foreword.

A heartfelt, sincere memoir filled with useful wisdom.