I've bought a few 'learn an instrument' guides and this one is solidly okay. Day one was genuinely helpful – I got through the sitting position and managed to strum cleanly without a book shouting at me. But I felt the book was a bit too focused on the 'is this right for you?' stuff. I wanted to get to the chords faster. Still, for a cautious beginner like me, it works. It just didn't blow me away.

Honestly, I was expecting more. The facts about the ukulele were fine, and I did like that it didn't pretend I'd be a prodigy by day three. But the 'second day' self-assessment checklist felt a bit like a chore. I just wanted to play. Having said that, I followed it through and I did learn 'C', 'F', and 'G' by the end of the week, so I can't be too harsh. It's a decent, low-key coach.

This is the guide I wish I'd had when I started. Day one's description of how to actually hold the thing was so specific and reassuring – it fixed the buzzing I was getting on the strings. The practice checklists were realistic for someone with a job and kids. I did the full ten days and now I can play 'You Are My Sunshine'. Not master level, but enough to make my niece smile. Good, practical stuff.

It's a fine book, but nothing extraordinary. The tone is friendly – cool, like a mate – but it's quite short and you can get all this info for free online if you really search. However, I like a structured plan so it suited me. The comparison table on day three about which ukulele to buy was the most useful part, to be honest. I'd recommend it for a very new beginner, but not if you already know your way around.

I was teetering on the edge of buying a ukulele for a year and this book pushed me over. The 'first day' chapter is spot-on – it literally got me to play my first clean chord in twenty minutes, no prior skill needed. I appreciated that it mentioned the frustration points, like the buzz on the A-string, and gave a fix. By day ten, I have a genuine repertoire of three chords and one proper song. The realistic milestones table on day seven kept me from getting discouraged. Worth the time.