The book is from the heart and not afraid to talk about very life changing moments. It made me cry more than once. Not only was I reading this book for myself but also for my dear friend that as I was explaining to her mother at her funeral , I was off to see Rick at Cardiff Castle in a couple of months. she had nothing but praise for him saying how one day he had even popped around to meet my dear friend and to pass on an album. Angels on my side was played at her funeral, well you can just picture the emotions when I heard Rick sing the song live a wonderful tribute to my dear friend. Hope to meet you for myself in the near future xxxxx

You never know what you going to get with an autobiography some are easy to read and connect with and some are not but "Never" By Rick Astley has to be the most joyful heartwarming and honest books i have ever read. Rick delves straight into his turbulent upbringing with the loss of a brother to meningitis, his parents divorcing at a very early age, with Rick & his siblings living with his father it becomes apparent that he is not an easy man to live with. The book moves through his early life with some sad moments which bought me to tears but dotted in between are some chuckle moments when Rick explains about porta cabin and his fathers Horse & Cart with a radio blasting out Frank Sinatra you can get a real perception into his fathers character but on the other side you can see the dark undertones of a father that possibly was struggling with his mental health, Theres no doubt here that his father did love them all but he struggled as did his mother not really having that maternal connection. Rick and his siblings have a close bond this you can clearly see in the book with his sister taking him to his first gig and his brother defending him against his father, this part was truly shocking and it was a hard read which gave me a lump in my throat. As the book moves forward again Rick explains how his love for music came about with his first drumkit , the choir and then his Band FBI. This is where Pete Waterman makes his appearance and then what follows after with his career starting with that number 1 hit Never gonna give you up which really has stood the test of time and has become one of the greatest 80's hits. Its not until Rick really dips into this story that you realise exactly why he retired so early. Rick gives you a glimpse into his family life with Meeting Lene and the birth of there daughter again this is a personal insight into his life showing that out of a turbulent past can come a Beautiful Life and has shaped the man he is today.. Rick tells you about how he came back and made a record in his garage just for his 50th birthday never meaning for it to be released and how it became a number 1 album, Playing at Glastonbury and many more anecdotes from his career.. I have laughed, Cried and been immersed into an extremely beautiful book written by a truly humble person it really has pulled on the heartstrings and i am so glad i have read it.

I wasn't overly keen on his original songs and even now, when you hear the classic ear worm, I start singing along without thinking about it and it drives me crazy..... However, I approached this book wanting to know more about the man behind the music and I wasn't disappointed. What an absolute gem of a book. Rick has led an interesting life and he captures the essence of the good and difficult times perfectly, with his raw and open honesty and refreshing sense of humour. I loved the flow of the book from start to finish and it gave me a new appreciation of his music. I highly recommend you grab yourself a copy.

As a teen in the 80s, I was very aware of Rick Astley and, since I wasn’t a fan of the SAW sound (then or now), he didn’t make much impression (though I did like his version of “When I Fall In Love”. However, once he started to make his comeback, my opinion of him changed, especially since he seemed to be really enjoying himself and his sense of humour came over really well, in interviews and at gigs (especially with the Foo Fighters). So, without knowing too much, I found this autobiography fascinating. He didn’t have the best of childhoods (thankfully close to his siblings, there were clearly a lot of issues with their parents) and kind of fell into SAW almost by accident, but it seems like he knew there were problems even as he was being driven hard to do PAs. When he makes the break from them it seems so logical with hindsight, but he really did struggle and viewing his comeback in that light makes you want to cheer for him. A solid family man who is very loyal with friends, Astley comes across very well - talented, driven, self-deprecating and very appreciative of his second run at fame. Humourous, poignant, eye-opening, this is a cracking autobiography that I would very much recommend.