Start Without Me

(I'll Be There in a Minute)

By: Gary Janetti

Narrated by: Gary Janetti

Length: 4 hrs

Publisher's Summary

This program is read by the author.

From New York Times bestselling author, and Family Guy writer Gary Janetti comes Start Without Me, a collection of hilarious, laugh out loud, true life stories about the small moments that add up to a big life.

Gary Janetti is bothered. By a lot of things. And thank God he’s here to tell us.

In Start Without Me, Gary returns with his acid tongue firmly in cheek to the moments and times that defined him. He takes us by the hand as we follow him through the summers he spends in his twenties, pursuing both the perfect tan and the perfect man to no avail and much regret. At his Catholic high school, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with a nun who shares Gary's love of soap operas, which becomes a salvation to them both. And don't get him started on how a bad hotel room can ruin even the best vacation. This laugh-out-loud collection of true-life stories from the man “behind his generation’s greatest comedy” (The New York Times) is for anyone who has felt the joy in holding a decade-long grudge.

Whether you are a new convert to Janetti or one of the million who follow him on social media for a daily laugh, Start Without Me will have you howling at Gary's frustrations and nodding along in agreement at the outrages of life's small slights. It's the literary equivalent of a night out with your funniest friend that you wish would never end.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company.

©2022 Gary Janetti (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

“[Start Without Me] lives in the same universe, creatively and spiritually, as its predecessor, filled with first-person stories that range in tone from cunning to heartwarming and allow him to reflect on his life before he became a card-carrying member of the Hollywood establishment.” —Hollywood Reporter

“Reading Gary Janetti’s second book was exactly what I needed to lift me out of my winter blues. It’s like sitting by your funniest friend at a cocktail party, listening to their hilarious asides about everything they’re observing. Give yourself the treat of his hilarious writing.” —Buzzfeed

“If you think Gary Janetti's hilarious on Instagram, you should read him in print. The writer's latest collection of essays track his life from high school to the modern day, pointing out the absurd and obscene, and finding humor where it's least expected.” —Town & Country

Funny and clever

Well written. Very enjoyable. Laugh out loud hilarity, while also being simultaneously poignant and heartbreaking.

Love this!

Loved everything about this book. Listening to it is the only way to go. Hearing his stories in his voice makes the book all the better.

Couldn’t do it

It was hard to keep interested on the story. Narrator felt too unattached to the story. I got bored after one chapter

Relatability funny

My only dislike is that I wish there was more! I finished this audio book so quickly. Lots of laughs while listening alone in the car. As someone who also suffers from anxiety, the description of his experiences were super relatable.

Hilarious and Witty

Super easy, hilarious and witty listen. I laughed out loud throughout the book. Hearing it narrated by Gary makes it that much better.

This is a hoot!

Loved everything about this delightful portrayel of life from a perspective I rarely get to experience. I laughed out loud constantly.

When a book epitomizes exactly what you imagined

The wit you expect from Gary Janetti is multiplied exponentially in the reading of this book. He says all that we think in a way that you feel as if he has read your mind. Even more hilarious when you are beyond familiar with the locations discussed.
Highly recommend

Great, listen!

Wonderful writer. Excellent delivery. Laughing constantly as I listened to this. Really appreciated the comedic value as well as the heartfelt stories about his personal life. Highly recommend.

Too relatable- makes me smile every time

Super clever- I’ve listened to it twice now and enjoyed it just as much the second time as I did the first. I’ll definitely end up listening again just to laugh and Gary’s fun perspective on everything.

Funny guy. Very dry

Found myself walking around with a smile as I listened to the book. Very funny.

Adore

Gary never fails to disappoint. Hilarious and moving, I couldn’t stop listening. Only wish it was longer!