Dave Barry books are always a joyous ride through the absurd, and this one is no exception. Outlandish characters put into outrageous circumstances, and a full speed ahead plot kept me reading almost straight through. Highly recommended for fans of Dave Barry or Carl Hiaasen.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader copy.

Dave Barry? Florida saga? Sign me up! This was a rip-roaringly laugh out loud festival of absurdity. From cartoon-like villains to the only-in-Florida weirdness of the Everglades, this book hits all the sweet spots: a scrappy heroine, a ripped, flexing "Gator Guy", ahem, "Gator Man"who can't stop taking off his shirt, hidden treasure, Shark Tank watching get rich quick schemers, pythons, characters named Skeeter, an emotional support hog, inept criminals and corrupt politicians...."Swamp Story" has all this and then some!

Escape to bizarro-land with this breezy madcap adventure book. Entertainingly silly. 100% Florida.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Swamp Story will be published in May 2023.

Hilarious. Outlandish. Over the top. Laugh out loud funny. This story has it all. Jesse Braddock is stuck deep in the swamp with her infant daughter and moronic boyfriend, aka Swamp Guy, uh, Swamp Man. Toss in The Everglades Melon Monster, gators, massive pythons, buried gold, and a host of bad guys hell bent on grabbing Jesse’s golden ticket out of the swamp. All this plus a cast of insane characters with plans within plans that go wrong in so many ways. The plot twists and turns through the Everglades like the aforementioned python. It’s Florida. It’s Dave Barry. What did you expect? This is one fun ride that might be the best beach read of the year. Grab a copy now and hop on board.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series

I had to laugh when I first started this book, Jesse yelling at her boyfriend Slater took me back to my Save By the Bell days of Jesse and Slater dating and their relationship on the show. However, the book is different from that, Jesse finds herself living with her boyfriend and their baby Willa and his friend in the Everglades, where the boys are trying to make a reality show. Then you meet the Bortles Brothers who own a run down store that no ones goes to, while one brother is a shark tank fan trying to come up with new ways to make money for their store. Jesse is trying to figure out who to get her and baby Willa out of their situation when she stumbles upon some gold bars. The story is centered around these gold bars where more characters are introduced and the production of the Melon Monster that Slater, Kark and one of the Bortle Brothers concocted to drum up business, which does seem to work. As the story goes there is chaos and gets crazier and crazier which each paged turned. There's a mix of social media, drunks, bad guys, good guys, politicians, tv newscrew, druggies that all come together and the ending has a nice outcome In all it was a good funny easy read that I enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the advanced readers copy.

Ohmygosh! I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard while reading a book! I could not put this book down! Thank you Dave Barry for erasing the stress of daily life... at least for a while.

Perhaps it's because I have lived in South Florida for most of my life. Or perhaps it's because Dave Barry is such an amazing humorist. Whatever it was, I had this laugh-out-loud movie playing in my head while I read all the crazy antics on page after page. Yes, there was a bit of drama too. And there was some scary stuff mixed in with the funny stuff. Even the acknowledgements at the end of the book had me laughing.

I was sipping a glass of wine when I read about Buddy, the wild boar, and ended up with the wine coming out my nose I laughed so hard.

Great characters, some of which you may find unbelievable unless, like me, you are from Florida. Yep! I've met a few just like them.

I highly recommend this book to all of my Florida friends. And even if you're not from Florida, you really need to read this book if you need a bit of escape from reality. Loved it!!

(3). A quintessentially crazy Florida tale. Barry takes the lead for the Tim. Dorsey/Carl Hiaasen school of insanity and does very well by it. Totally entertaining, totally zany and totally nuts. I had no idea this was the direction that Dave Barry had been heading in. Good stuff.

Swamp Story is a hilarious and heartwarming novel by Dave Barry, the New York Times bestselling author of Dave Barry's Guide to Florida. The story follows Jesse Braddock, a single mother who is trapped in a tiny cabin deep in the Everglades with her infant daughter and her ex-boyfriend, a wannabe reality TV star who turned out to be a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside. When Jesse stumbles across a long-lost treasure, she and her unlikely crew must race against time to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.

Barry's trademark wit and humor are on full display in Swamp Story, and the novel is full of memorable characters, including a talking alligator, a redneck sheriff, and a group of elderly swamp-dwellers who call themselves the "Swamp Mafia." The story is also full of heart, and Barry does a wonderful job of exploring the themes of family, friendship, and redemption.

People have been telling me to read Dave Barry for years but I somehow have not gotten around to it until now. I am very glad that I did. This book was a hilarious! If you could take all those "Florida Man" headlines and somehow connected them into one story, this book would be it. The characters are all completely bonkers and highly entertaining. This would make a perfect light summer read while on vacation - just beware of those gator giveaways! I will definitely be taking a deep dive into Dave Barry's bibliography after this fun romp. Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy reader (ARC) of this book (publish date May 1, 2023) in return for my honest review.

In as concise a way possible as an assessment of the book, think Dave Barry meets the 1963 film ‘It’s a Mad Mad Mad World’ meets modern day social media (think of all the dysfunction, even misinformation/“influencers’ found on today’s TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram etc.).

To those unexposed to Dave Barry, I have always been a huge fan since his syndicated column started running in my local newspaper in 1983. His writing pretty much always left me asking myself: “Where did he ever come up with that idea” as I’m literally rolling on the floor laughing. His humor was a combination of Jonathan Winters/Robin Williams and Saturday Night Live. It always left me wanting for more.

I don’t want to spoil the book for any contemplating reading it by exposing the plot. I see many already have done so on GoodReads, etc. But trust me if you can, you will not be disappointed.

I've been a Dave Barry fan for thirty years and find it hard to read his humorous nonfiction without audible laughter. But the comedy in this novel is gentler: most of the characters are ridiculous, in a variety of ways, and the storyline itself is intentionally absurd. The plot goes everywhere from politics to the internet to alcoholism to alligator attacks, but it all holds together remarkably well.

I might have given it five stars, except that I as a newish mother myself I found the new-mother character (the only major character who is not clearly meant to be an idiot) distracting. She has a four-month-old baby, whom she is caring for in a cabin in the swamp that may or may not have electricity - and somehow her main activity is not sleeping or nursing or trying to escape, but wandering around the alligator- and crazy-people-infested swamp. She winds up putting herself and her baby in acute danger, and while I assumed that this book would have a happy ending in which both of them were just fine, I found it hard to read the sections where their lives were (however comedically) in jeopardy.

Crazy, unbelievable, and slightly unhinged…but then, it’s based in Florida so perhaps it IS believable.

There is a mysterious wilderness of swamps, marshes, and rivers that conceals life in the Florida Everglades. This vast wetland area has been home and hunting grounds for many people and groups. Alligators, panthers and boars are abundant. But, have you ever heard of the Everglades *Melon Monster (*sometimes spelled “Mellon”)

“Swamp Story” is the latest humorous novel by the one and only Dave Barry. Is this book a glorious & well-written zany spoof, or is it a profound look at the clashing cultural world that iis our modern day angst? Are the characters idiots and losers, or seekers of the truth?

Get ready to laugh out loud, and shout out funny passages, as you find out what happens when some sorry “Gator Men” and “Gator Guys” (and one spunky Gal) mix it up with not only a variety of semi-savory South Florida folk, but also the whole social media Tik Tok and Instagram world. What are they searching and fighting for? Love? Respect? Security? Yes, and also Gold.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC is return of my honest review.

As with Dave Barry’s previous books, Swamp Story is filled with bizarre scenarios and quirky, crazy characters. I found it to be funny and laughed out loud several times.

The book takes place in the Florida Everglades where we find Jesse Braddock, her infant daughter and ex-boyfriend living in a small cabin. Jesse stumbles upon some lost treasure of gold bars and the chaos begins!

This was a super fun read!

Dave Barry’s new novel, Swamp Story, should come with a warning label: Danger. Do not read in area where explosive laughter is not permitted. Fans of Barry’s will be pleased to hear that this is possibly the best thing he’s ever written. Readers new to Barry will want to read more. This book will be available to the public May 2, 2023.

My thanks go to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for the invitation to read and review.

Our protagonist is Jesse, a lovely person that has made a huge mistake. She feel hard for Slater, a young man with a smokin’ hot body, a limited brain, and a solipsistic world view. Now she’s stuck in a cabin in the Everglades with him and his camera wielding buddy Kark, and oh yes—their baby, Willa; not to mention all of the flora and fauna that live here:

“Kark! You need to get this!”
“What?” said a voice, as hoarse as Slater’s, maybe hoarser.
“Big fucking snake,” said Slater. “I mean big.”
The snake slid forward another two feet, directly toward Jesse and Willa. Jesse saw that she now no longer had the option of even trying to run past it.
“Slater!” she said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice, not wanting Willa to pick up on it.
Slater held up his hands in a Calm down gesture.
“It’s cool,” he said. “This’ll be good. Good footage.”
“Good footage?” said Jesse. “Are you—”
“Goddammit, Kark,” yelled Slater, “get the camera out here!”
“OKOKOK,” said Kark, emerging from the cabin, holding the video camera. ” Fuck. The battery’s dead.”

Things appear to improve for Jesse when she stumbles across a cache of gold bars hidden in the glades, but this proves to be a mixed blessing, as some truly bad men learn of her good fortune and seek to take it from her, using any means necessary. However, the first such men, Billy and Duck, are not only evil, but also hilariously bumbling at times. And then, of course, there are the others.

Meanwhile, the owner of Bartle Brothers Bait and Beer decides to give his languishing business a shot in the arm by manufacturing an internet hoax. The Everglades Melon Monster is a sketchy, low budget creation whose star is an inebriated fellow wearing a Dora the Explorer head, and yet, somehow it works. Now it seems that everyone is descending on the Everglades, and almost every person that arrives is “batshit crazy.”

I’m not telling you how this thing ends; you’ll need the book for that. Don’t wait for the movie. You can thank me later! As for me, I’m off to order a Bartle Brothers Bait and Beer tee shirt.

Swamp Story is certainly unique but some of the humorous moments fell flat. In fact I think that parts of Dave Barry’s Acknowledgments were funnier. Even with that being said I found Swamp Story to be a good escape novel. I just won’t plan my escape through the Everglades.

A captivating yet funny tale of survival and friendship in the wetlands. 5 stars! 🐊 Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC!

Swamp Story was so much fun to read. I typically stick with mysteries and true crime very seldom venturing into the comic genre. This was recommended to me and I am so glad I took the plunge. I kept expecting to see a gator with every page I turned. Very enjoyable. Thanks for the opportunity.

Netflix just produced a new series called Florida Man inspired by the many news stories about the crazy behavior of Florida folks, usually beginning with the headline “A Florida man…” The latest Dave Barry novel deals with the same band of crazies, living outside the boundaries of conventional society and scheming to make a killing with the least amount of effort possible. These schemers are not particularly lovable so the reader is more invested in them getting their comeuppance than in seeing them score.
In Swamp Story we have a legendary cache of gold bars uncovered by the one sympathetic character in the narrative, a young woman living in an isolated cabin in the middle of the swamp with the charming pothead who took all her money and left her with a baby. The gold seems to be her way-out til some total lowlifes spot her and start following her with the intent of grabbing the gold..They are not the only schemers moving the plot along. A pair of brothers who are barely managing to keep the tourist business they inherited from their father going by running a drug trade on the side come up with a plan to create a market for merchandise and social media focusing on a swamp monster reported to have been seen in the area. Of course the reports are coming from the brothers.
This was moderately entertaining but frankly the Netflix series is better.

I requested this book based on the cover alone and ended up really enjoying it! Will absolutely be checking out more from the author.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. Dave Barry is hilarious. He has made me laugh so many times that I have lost count. When I spotted this book, I just had to request it and it just confirmed the fact that Dave Barry is hilarious. The story takes place in the Florida Everglades, where a myriad of characters live, work, and cause all sorts of mischief. The main character is a young mother named Jesse who desperately wants to get her and her baby, Willa, out of there. There are the Bortle Brothers who own a rundown store that no one goes to; Slater is tall and handsome and wants to be a reality TV star, but not much else going for him; Kark, the wannabe movie maker; and that is a just a handful of the cast of characters. At the center of the story are hundreds of gold bars that everyone seems to be after. And then there is The Melon Monster--something concocted by one of the Bortle Brothers to drum up business. Chaos ensues and the story gets crazier and crazier with each turn of the page. If you are expecting Shakespeare, you will be disappointed, but if you are expecting Dave Barry funny, than you have come to the right place. Dare I say it again? Dave Barry is hilarious!

I have long been a fan of Dave Barry and his roll on the floor, tears in my eyes style of humor. This book is another fun venture by Barry, possibly inspired by his buddy Carl Hiassen’s run of funny Florida novels. With a cast of eccentric characters and a southern setting, this fun story centers around a missing treasure deep in the swamp. Jesse Braddock made the mistake of her life heading to Florida with her boy friend, a narcissistic wanna-be reality star. Now she is out of money and stuck there with her baby and this loser. Entering the story are Ken Bortles, part owner of a derelict bait and beer store down the road, who comes up with a crazy idea to drum up business, and Phil, an out of work reporter who is facing failure in many aspects of his life and manages to humiliate himself further by agreeing to impersonate Dora the Explorer for a kid’s party. Add in a couple of really bad guys who badly want the treasure that Jesse has stumbled upon and a publicity seeking politician, and mayhem truly ensues. It doesn’t have the style of laugh until you cry humor prevalent in his wry looks at human nature, but it surely provides several hours of very enjoyable and entertaining reading.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.