NPH + CYOA = Pretty OK

This is a Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) book written by Neil Patrick Harris (NPH). I repeat, CYOA, NPH, so out of the gate, it’s strong. I got this book for Christmas (thanks mom!) and was pretty excited about it, as I’m a big fan of the legen(dary) man. Like a lot of budding nerds, I was a voracious reader of the CYOA format in my youth, and thought that the conceit was clever. After reading it, I’m glad I did and enjoyed it, but unfortunately the format was more distracting than charming.

NPH has led an outstanding life. Great career, great family, and if he wasn’t so darn likable, you’d probably want to hate him for all the grand adventures he has had. This is no tale of adversity over triumph, though obviously he has come a long way in the public eye, but his autobiography is a fun romp through a life well-lived.

This autobiography has some fun bits; I especially liked the guest chapters, childhood photos, and drink recipes. Overall, the CYOA format was a bit of a let down in a novel you really want to read all the way through. In the CYOA format you could easily backtrack to get to every ending (which I always wanted to do) but this one seemed to not be so straightforward. Eventually I gave up and just went from front to back, because I didn’t want to miss any content. To be fair, that strategy got a head nod as there were a few “secret” pages that weren’t linked from anywhere else, but it still didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I would have preferred less made-up stories and more juicy tidbits. If like me you get excited about NPH and CYOA, then it’s worth a look.