Soft Lad

by Nick Grimshaw

In Soft Lad, for the first time, Grimmy will share his outlooks, surprising obsessions, the things that have shaped him and his personal experiences with the world. From his move from Oldham, Greater Manchester, to the bright lights of London, to his 14-year career climbing to the helm of the Radio 1 breakfast show, he'll discuss everything from his love of music through to self-care, partying, life-changing nights out, growing up, Red Nose Day, coming out, dogs, family, ADHD, Catholicism, and all that he's seen in-between.

These are Grimmy's stories of things gone right and wrong across his life and career so far, with all the highs and lows and everything in-between. Nostalgic and heartfelt, it will shine a humorous and captivating lens on the ever-evolving cultural obsessions we live by.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, Queer, LGBT

288 pages, Hardcover

Published October 27, 2022

About the author

Radio and TV broadcaster, Nick Grimshaw, began his career on T4 and went on to join BBC Radio 1, working his way up to present the coveted breakfast show in 2012. He left Radio 1 in summer 2021, after 14 years. Grimshaw grew up in the town of Oldham, Greater Manchester and attended the University of Liverpool studying Communication and Media Studies. He currently lives in London, with his boyfriend and two dogs. Soft Lad is his first book.

Reviews

[Lottie from book club · Rating 5 out of 5]

CANNOT recommend the audiobook enough. hoot and a fuckin half.

[Alexis Something Rose moved to The StoryGraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love Nick Grimshaw to bits, and i’ve been looking forward to this book so much, and it has proven to be one of the best biographical “chats with a friend” i’ve ever listened to.
it brought me to tears and it made me smile and laugh.
it’s honest, and vulnerable, and utterly relatable. 💔
it’s the perfect listen to ward off the “sunday scares”.

[meri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 🌟

i have the deepest love for nick grimshaw and bbcr1. they played a huge part in my life in my early adulthood and left a lasting mark. i loved this book, and the only reason it’s not a fiver is the length, it could have been longer and dived even deeper in some themes. for a nick grimshaw enthusiast not much new but i didn’t necessarily expect that. i <3 nick 4ever. hiyaaaaa 🐣

[Chloe Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened as an audiobook and it was great hearing it told by Grimmy himself, took me right back to morning drives to school listening to his Radio 1 breakfast show, always made me laugh and this book did exactly that, but also had some really genuine moments too. Great listen.

[Mark Colton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't help but absolutely unconditionally love Grimmy. The chapter about his dad was beyond heart warming and made me call my dad straight after. Would definitely recommend for anyone who fancies an easy autobiography to read!

[Jodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I bought this… if you are a Grimshaw fan you’ll love it.
I’m on the fence but struggled with the book. It’s written how he speaks which I found hard, maybe audio would of worked better. Like some bits but overall didn’t enjoy.

[Bethan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and heartwarming, littered with pop culture references and stories about family. I too dreamt of being a radio presenter as a child and used to go and visit the Red Dragon FM studios and stick my nose up to the glass and wave at the DJs, but didn’t quite achieve my dreams like Nick did x

[Hannah Thornley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun collection of stories from Grimmy’s life - everything from finding love to Manchester in the 90’s and celebrating queerness.

I struggled with the problematic language he used when talking about his weight - and exercise - so I’d say trigger warning is needed there.

But overall, a gorgeous easy-to-read book.

[Ellie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ I actually really enjoyed the non-chronological order of the stories in here and I loved the ones from the height of the indie sleaze era and envisioning Nick’s mum and dad being fussed over by Lindsay Lohan. It was pretty touching at times too, so overall it was a great read (or listen, in my case)

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

just when you all thought my obsession with Grimmy couldn't get any deeper...well it just did everyone!!! love him. the photos and stories of Gaga, the Hawley arms, and radio 1 djs were a highlight.
he uses lol almost as much as me and do think the audiobook would probs do it more justice at times.
ps saw him last week at Dish podcast live and we saw Meesh omg omg lol

[helen reinhold · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book so much!! the audio book was incred. full of lols and heartwarming, star-studded anecdotes. ‘“well, what’s the problem?” she asked, sensing my reluctance. “well, it’s hard isn’t it?” i moaned. “why’s it hard?” she asked. “well, i guess it’s like being an astronaut or a footballer isn’t it” i said. “yeah but, people are astronauts and people are footballers.”’ love you grimmy!!!

[Molly Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice easy read, felt like having a chat with a friend. Loved hearing about his childhood, family and friends and all the amazing parties!

[Mary White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comforting read, was nice to see representation for the car park next to strange ways prison!

[Gem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve got such a soft spot for Grimmy, used to listen to him on the radio all the time. This was very nostalgic and like a really long podcast (in the best way). Would definitely recommend the audiobook!

[Ashleigh Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to audio book and absolutely loved it, lots of laughs out loud moments!!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Radio 1 and miss hearing Nick. Some great stories and I found myself smirking a few times. He’s unapologetically himself and this was fun to read with his voice in my head with the way that he wrote it

[Alice Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to as an audio book. I’ve always been a fan of him so I knew was going to enjoy this book but I absolutely loved it! He had me laughing out loud, crying at one point and reminiscing over the 00s and 2010s. Would recommend to anyone that remembers when wider-than-your-skirt belts and chunky primary jewellery were THE moment.

[Kitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laughed and cried, what a great book 🩷 loved all the Royton, Oldham and Manchester references

[Charlotte Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this and it had me really loling to myself and to most of brockwell park.
Loved it

[Danielle H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to be so impressed at the way Nick not only recounts, but remembers the details of his life. His openness and vulnerability are beautiful. I cried in my kitchen while I made a batch of soup and smiled along the lakefront hearing him talk about his family and his childhood and his dreams. The love that he carries for the people and moments in his life is evident. If I had to choose one story, it would be the one about the Adele shoutout. A story I remembered, but only the part of it I had been privy to through social media six years ago. I had bookmarked this footage with the tag "you cry and your tears are blood" and wow, I didn't even really know the additional layers I could be moved by this story of two old friends who achieved everything they set out to do. Thank you as always, Nick for sharing yourself with us all so honestly. I did love it.

[amy williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly, this book was the highlight of my week. i opted for the audiobook and i couldn't recommend it enough. i have been a fan of nick grimshaw for years, both his voice on the radio and his instagram stories cracking me up on the regular; to listen to him speak for six hours about the highs and lows of his life, the stories detailing how he got to where and who he is today was so special, not to mention, so fucking funny. this book had me cackling on the streets of york and consistently cracked my face into a huge grin as he continued to flit between prominent moments in his life. above all, it simply felt like a catch up with a friend. such a wholesome and comforting read, i honestly cannot recommend enough :') one of my favourite books of the year; i will definitely be returning to this one <3

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a really enjoyable read.

I used to listen to Grimmy's drive-time show & always enjoyed his handover chats with Annie Mac.
Often annoying, I think he is aware. But I wouldn't change him. He's "too much" in a world that needs it because at least he's himself - I don't think he'd have lasted so long at Radio 1 if he wasn't.

His childhood tales remind me of my own in many ways... both born in 1984 to older parents, who already had 2 teenagers. Growing up in a northern town's cosy suburbia, regular trips to town with Mum whilst singing in the car... all lovely memories for me too.

Whilst the celebrity names mentioned are many, he doesn't feel like a name dropper. You just expect it with the territory really.

[Alice Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio book!

Loved this. I loved grimmy on radio 1 and so listening to him again was just lovely. The various chapters focussing on different aspects/moments/people in his life were diverse and intriguing.

Sometimes I felt like his descriptions felt a bit too literary for the type of book and trying to fit in too many adjectives, but perhaps this would be unnoticeable if reading it over listening.

What I loved was the way you could really feel the range of his personality come through, it was raw in places, and sarcastic and light-heartedly self-deprecating in others.

I particularly enjoyed his chapters discussing his love of dance music as a young kid through the 90s and his Camden London life in the noughties and the high time of brit pop and Cool Britannia. It was nostalgic but not dreary and remained forward-thinking.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

i adore grimmy and i absolutely adored this book. almost read it in one sitting and the only reason i slowed down was because i didn't want it to be over! after listening to him religiously on the radio years back, reading this felt like reuniting with an old friend. i can't say i'm a huge autobiography person but this had me laughing and crying all within the space of one chapter and i just really love grimmy's way of storytelling - so heartwarming and fun like the man himself!!

[Megan McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been jumping in and out of reading Nick’s funny stories for a while, and I’m sad to have now heard them all. Nicks personality reminds me soo much of my friend Angus, and I felt like I was hanging out with him when I was reading, which was nice (but not at all relevant to any of you looking for a helpful review as you don’t know him)

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

No surprise that I loved this. My fave things - grimmy, Manchester, celeb goss, music and the BBC ❤️ would’ve liked to have had more radio 1 stuff given it was such a long period of his life. But aside from that I can’t fault it. His tenacity to achieve his childhood dream was a joy to read about (and echoed a lot of my childhood dream tbf wanting to work at the BBC and seeing it through 😍)

[Chloe Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! I love the way it wasn’t a full on autobiography, but key stories from nicks life. I smiled, I laughed and I cried at different points. It was like a warm hug, and you could definitely tell it was Nick who wrote this! Thoroughly recommend!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great autobiography, real, honest and very funny! Having listened to Nick Grimshaw for many years on Radio 1, but not knowing much about his personal life or how he got where he is today, this was a very insightful read! Highly recommend!

[Katharine Watling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always had a soft spot for Grimmy and this was a lovely insight into his life.

It won’t change the world but if you want to sit and have a brew and a chinwag with Nick Grimshaw this is the book for you.

[Louise Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like talking to a best friend (quite literally reminded me so much of you Dan if you’re reading this) and such a wholesome read🥰 I laughed and cried and even read bits out to my mum who wasn’t assed but I found them funny x