ericawrites's review against another edition
3.0
There wasn't enough kissing. Is that a spoiler? Cute backstories for the daddies and overall enjoyable stories. No, I have not played the game.
heathreadsx's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
katereads2much's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up because the title made me giggle, and the cover was fun. I didn't, and honestly still don't, know anything about the game it's based on, so my review is based completely on reading this as a book standing on its own. Further complicating this review is the fact that this book is a collection of comics, not one unified story (even if they are interconnected stories). Collections are often hard to review because each story is different, and they have different creators making it difficult to give a blanket review, and this compilation is no exception.
Another caveat I need to give is that I thought this would be more romantic than it is. Most of these stories are far more "slice of life" with exaggerated silliness to make them fun, larger than life stories than they are tales of romantic love. Those types of stories are not without merit, and if the goal of the stories was to give the reader a sense of these characters being a community of family--blood relations and found family alike--then in that, it succeeds.
The first story, "Much Abird about Nothing," is softly romantic and very sweet. It is comfortable, warm, and gentle. It is my favorite of the collection but probably in part because it lived up to what I was expecting and what I wanted from the collection. Unfortunately, that set me up for expectations the other stories did not follow through on, which left me feeling disappointed in most of them. I adored this one. It is the most intimate of the collection, too, the story which most centers around a potential couple and that least brings the reader into the dynamic. Those who play the game may be the least satisfying, I suppose, but again, I was reading it because I thought it would be a collection of romantic stories, which gave me what I wanted and lived up to my expectations. 4 Stars
"Let the Right Dad In" might be the funniest of the bunch, but perhaps it confused me the most when I was first reading because I had expectations. Still, take a look at the picture from the "title" page and tell me that you wouldn't have had some expectations.
Regardless, "Let the Right Dad In" is a cute, funny story with romantic possibility. 3 Stars.
The third story, "Dream Ad-y," is the one where community and found family vibes really drive the story. There's a lot of funny, bumbling amongst the "town folks," and the end will definitely make you say "aw." I didn't see a romantic subplot, but, again, that didn't seem to be the point of the story. 3 Stars
Next is "Fair Deal," and I'll be honest that this was my least favorite story. I think it's supposed to be funny. Two dads get worked up about their child/children winning the science fair when none of the kids are interested in winning. One child begs her dad to stop pressuring her and making such a huge deal out of it. Not because she doesn't want to do well, it's obvious that she wants a good grade, but going overboard is stressing her out--which stressed me out. So yeah, this... was not the story for me. 1 Star.
The final story, "Dungeons & Daddies," is probably my second favorite of the batch and was definitely the perfect story to end on. We get the sense of community, and the found family feels again, which is definitely what this comic collection gets the most right. There's a nice blend here of fun and cuteness. I'm a sucker for almost anything Dungeons and Dragons inspired, so maybe I'm biased. Still, the concept that they're trying to play an adventure game worked highlighted each character's personality and let the writers show off the group dynamics. There's an undertone of romantic possibility in this story too, which I, of course, loved. 4 Stars.
The compilation--as a whole--mostly felt like a true collection, except for maybe the first story. The first story was my favorite and was the closest to what I was expecting, but it didn't fit as well and seemed the least intertwined with the other stories. The other four felt the most cohesive.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Another caveat I need to give is that I thought this would be more romantic than it is. Most of these stories are far more "slice of life" with exaggerated silliness to make them fun, larger than life stories than they are tales of romantic love. Those types of stories are not without merit, and if the goal of the stories was to give the reader a sense of these characters being a community of family--blood relations and found family alike--then in that, it succeeds.
The first story, "Much Abird about Nothing," is softly romantic and very sweet. It is comfortable, warm, and gentle. It is my favorite of the collection but probably in part because it lived up to what I was expecting and what I wanted from the collection. Unfortunately, that set me up for expectations the other stories did not follow through on, which left me feeling disappointed in most of them. I adored this one. It is the most intimate of the collection, too, the story which most centers around a potential couple and that least brings the reader into the dynamic. Those who play the game may be the least satisfying, I suppose, but again, I was reading it because I thought it would be a collection of romantic stories, which gave me what I wanted and lived up to my expectations. 4 Stars
"Let the Right Dad In" might be the funniest of the bunch, but perhaps it confused me the most when I was first reading because I had expectations. Still, take a look at the picture from the "title" page and tell me that you wouldn't have had some expectations.
Regardless, "Let the Right Dad In" is a cute, funny story with romantic possibility. 3 Stars.
The third story, "Dream Ad-y," is the one where community and found family vibes really drive the story. There's a lot of funny, bumbling amongst the "town folks," and the end will definitely make you say "aw." I didn't see a romantic subplot, but, again, that didn't seem to be the point of the story. 3 Stars
Next is "Fair Deal," and I'll be honest that this was my least favorite story. I think it's supposed to be funny. Two dads get worked up about their child/children winning the science fair when none of the kids are interested in winning. One child begs her dad to stop pressuring her and making such a huge deal out of it. Not because she doesn't want to do well, it's obvious that she wants a good grade, but going overboard is stressing her out--which stressed me out.
Spoiler
Maybe it's because I had a lot of pressure on me as a kid, and I have zero interest in being a parent that this one really didn't sit well with me. An older teen comes in, and their solution to the escalating competition between the dads is for the kids to cause trouble in the library and get kicked out. I work in a public library and deal with kids and parents a lot, and I know what it takes to get kicked out of the library. It's a lot, and it's sure as hell not funny. We typically have to call the cops. The kid who was a wreck through the whole story does not want anything to do with the shenanigans and then gets kicked out for the day anyway and is miserable, at least until the next day when they have some fun (at the fathers' expense).The final story, "Dungeons & Daddies," is probably my second favorite of the batch and was definitely the perfect story to end on. We get the sense of community, and the found family feels again, which is definitely what this comic collection gets the most right. There's a nice blend here of fun and cuteness. I'm a sucker for almost anything Dungeons and Dragons inspired, so maybe I'm biased. Still, the concept that they're trying to play an adventure game worked highlighted each character's personality and let the writers show off the group dynamics. There's an undertone of romantic possibility in this story too, which I, of course, loved. 4 Stars.
The compilation--as a whole--mostly felt like a true collection, except for maybe the first story. The first story was my favorite and was the closest to what I was expecting, but it didn't fit as well and seemed the least intertwined with the other stories. The other four felt the most cohesive.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
rosewelsh's review against another edition
4.0
If you're not part of the internet/YouTube subculture, Dream Daddy was an awesome game released a year or so ago that involved you creating a playing as a single dad moving into a new town with his teenage daughter. The game involves the player dad meeting other dads in the area and beginning friendships with them, ultimately trying to woo the dad of their choosing into going on a date with him. All the dads have specific and interesting backstories and personalities, and with seven or so different dads, the story can be played over and over. It's fun. It has a lot of puns and YouTubers doing bit voices and I highly, highly enjoyed playing.
I mean it's called DREAM DADDY. It's great! I still can't get the theme song out of my head.
The graphic novel version of the game is fantastic if you've played the game. If you haven't, you're likely to get a bit lost when figuring out who these dads are and what their personality is. I think you'll still like it, but there's not much here in terms of introduction to the characters, so a brief play-through is probably better. Or you can just search for the game on YouTube and you'll find hundreds of videos of people playing through the game.
There's several short issues in this book written and illustrated by different authors/artists. It gives a real variation to the book which was fun, but my favorite in terms of story and art style was definitely the one about Damien and Robert. Damien is the best dad and I will die to protect goth daddy.
Honestly this is all just really fun and cute and you get to read about cute dads being friends. It's all good.
Blog / Twitter
I mean it's called DREAM DADDY. It's great! I still can't get the theme song out of my head.
The graphic novel version of the game is fantastic if you've played the game. If you haven't, you're likely to get a bit lost when figuring out who these dads are and what their personality is. I think you'll still like it, but there's not much here in terms of introduction to the characters, so a brief play-through is probably better. Or you can just search for the game on YouTube and you'll find hundreds of videos of people playing through the game.
There's several short issues in this book written and illustrated by different authors/artists. It gives a real variation to the book which was fun, but my favorite in terms of story and art style was definitely the one about Damien and Robert. Damien is the best dad and I will die to protect goth daddy.
Honestly this is all just really fun and cute and you get to read about cute dads being friends. It's all good.
Blog / Twitter
hadestbr's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
Even if you have never played Dream Daddy, which apparently a computer game of some kind, you can still read this, the way I did, as some cute love stories between different dads that make up this community.
The stories are all PG. There is nothing that is sensational or pornographic. These are all sweet, funny, cute stories about dads that live in the same community and interact with each other.
In this volume there were five short stories, written by the games creators, and who would know their characters better than they would.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
The stories are all PG. There is nothing that is sensational or pornographic. These are all sweet, funny, cute stories about dads that live in the same community and interact with each other.
In this volume there were five short stories, written by the games creators, and who would know their characters better than they would.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
thebookedunicorn's review against another edition
3.0
I have been hearing about the dream daddy app , i was happy when i found out there's a comic about the characters.
All the stories in here are cute, my favorite was Let the right dad in ( its cringey cute ). Every story has a different artist which gives the stories their own unique vibe.
An interesting comic i recommend for warm fuzzy feelings.
All the stories in here are cute, my favorite was Let the right dad in ( its cringey cute ). Every story has a different artist which gives the stories their own unique vibe.
An interesting comic i recommend for warm fuzzy feelings.
jadasbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the first issue, the rest of them were kind of weird and hard to follow. It didn’t feel like there was a cohesive storyline.
kieralesley's review against another edition
4.0
Adorable.
A collection of short tie-in stories for the dating sim Dream Daddies where you play as a new dad to the neighbourhood getting to know other single dads. The setting and stories are cheesy and adorable and tropey and queer and fantastic. Everyone’s living happy, functional solo-dad lives. Their kids are different ages and the parenting isn’t sidelined, it’s a part of the setting and characters and we get to see them facing parenting challenges (e.g. the competitiveness in Fair Deal) and mostly winning at being supportive, caring dads while still being themselves. It’s refreshingly non-toxic and sweet.
There’s very little on-page romance in this collection, it’s much more about fun side adventures with the characters than about them hooking up. It’s probably deliberate so as not to crowd the game content too much.
I haven’t played the game, but I didn’t find that hindered my enjoyment of the stories or understanding of the characters, setting and interactions. I may have to check out the game now because I really loved this gang. Brian is my fave.
I liked that the art styles changed each story and found I enjoyed all of them. My favourites were Much Abird About Nothing and Dungeons & Daddies.
The only rough patch for me was Let the Right Dad In, which I think needed a bit more context for Robert than I, as a non-player had.
A shamelessly cute and fun jaunt!
An advance copy of this book was kindly provided by Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A collection of short tie-in stories for the dating sim Dream Daddies where you play as a new dad to the neighbourhood getting to know other single dads. The setting and stories are cheesy and adorable and tropey and queer and fantastic. Everyone’s living happy, functional solo-dad lives. Their kids are different ages and the parenting isn’t sidelined, it’s a part of the setting and characters and we get to see them facing parenting challenges (e.g. the competitiveness in Fair Deal) and mostly winning at being supportive, caring dads while still being themselves. It’s refreshingly non-toxic and sweet.
There’s very little on-page romance in this collection, it’s much more about fun side adventures with the characters than about them hooking up. It’s probably deliberate so as not to crowd the game content too much.
I haven’t played the game, but I didn’t find that hindered my enjoyment of the stories or understanding of the characters, setting and interactions. I may have to check out the game now because I really loved this gang. Brian is my fave.
I liked that the art styles changed each story and found I enjoyed all of them. My favourites were Much Abird About Nothing and Dungeons & Daddies.
The only rough patch for me was Let the Right Dad In, which I think needed a bit more context for Robert than I, as a non-player had.
A shamelessly cute and fun jaunt!
An advance copy of this book was kindly provided by Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.