Dad Camp by Evan S. Porter

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a cute book about the evolution of father/daughter relationships. Avery’s approaching her teenage years quickly and her father, John, doesn’t know how to cope with her distancing herself from him.

John thinks the solution to this is to attend a summer camp specifically for father/daughter bonding. What he wasn’t expecting was to bond with a group of dads trying to figure out their own daughters.

This was a quick read, funny, and well written. While I enjoyed it, it probably would’ve hit harder if I was the right audience. This would be a good summer read for parents of teenagers and summer camp story lovers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the e-copy of this book!

It took me a couple of weeks to sit down and write this review. I am several years removed from the time of John and Avery but this book took me right back. John loves Avery. Becoming a father was the greatest thing to ever happen to John and he has poured all of himself into being the best dad possible. Unfortunately as Avery gets older, it becomes harder and harder to keep their relationship the same. When John makes a selfish decision that will completely change his relationship with Avery, he decides to send them to Dad Camp in an attempt to salvage what he can before he loses her trust forever. Sadly for John, Dad Camp is less of a chance to spend time with Avery and more of a boot camp in facing his feelings and coming to terms with Avery growing up.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Dad Camp. When a book is described as heartwarming I worry that it will instead be cringe-inducing or overly sentimental. This book is neither of those. Dad Camp is actually heartwarming in a good way. Evan S. Porter perfectly described the feelings induced when your child is rapidly approaching adolescence and no longer needs you in the same way. It felt like Porter had been secretly spying on me when I needed to carve out an identity away from being a caregiver after completely devoting myself to raising a child who now was old enough to no longer consider me his best friend. This book is obviously a great read for people with children but I would say its also a great read for people without children. It can give some insight into the mind of a parent who is so excited that their child is growing up into this amazing person but simultaneously holding on tightly to their little kid because they're not ready to be left behind.

Dad Camp is a very sweet book and genuinely funny. Full disclosure, I am not a parent and it's been a long time since I was an 11 year old girl so there were times I thought John was a bit obsessed with his daughter Avery. But then I stepped back and asked myself if I would have felt like that if it was a mom being super into their kid's life.

John wants to bound with his daughter before she begins middle school so they go off to a father daughter camp with a land of misfit toy array of dads. I liked the other dad characters and thought their interactions and personal growth were neat to see. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the letters each of the men wrote.

This was a very sweet book about fathers and daughters. It's perfect for the summer, especially with Father's Day right around the corner.

I liked all the characters and could picture the story playing out on Disney+. It's a good palate cleanser of a book with low stakes and minimal angst. It was refreshing to read a cute, happy book centered on a father-daughter relationship for a change.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Cute book about father x daughter relationships. Easy, beach read. Would recommend but not everyone's cup of tea!

Dad Camp is a heart-warming novel about a father, and his teenage daughter. This duo books a week a father-daughter camp looking to reconnect as Dad truly misses their cherished moments.

Dad Camp is filled with laugh-out-loud moments, and insightful perspectives through the lens of a parent and child. The other Dad's at the camp provide a healthy dose of parenting, emotions and hilarious moments too.

This story is a feel-good read for any parent witnessing their child growing into an adult.

Thank you, Dutton

This was a cute story about a father and his preteen daughter that’s worst fault is that it was a fairly predictable story. I did feel like the author put their heart into it and I can imagine this would resonate stronger with fathers or parents to preteens in general.

A summer camp setting is always fun but I wish we got a smidge more interactions between the fathers and their daughters and less of “dad-time”.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dutton publishing for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Dad Camp by Evan Porter was a quick read and easily digestible. A dad takes his preteen daughter to a week long summer camp in hopes of strengthening their bond. I appreciate the witty and well rounded dialogue between the characters. The characters in the book are moderately developed, but well written. I personally didn't connect with the overall themes of this novel as much as a parent would. I would recommend this book to a new father or mother who wants an easy read. Thank you Evan Porter and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book reads like an Adam Sandler family comedy — a great cast of characters, plenty of relatable parenting moments and heartwarming stories that bring a tear to your eye.

I cannot wait for this to hit shelves and to hear what more people think of it, because to me, it is the book equivalent of a warm hug from my Dad. 💙

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for this ARC!

This book has a couple of redeeming qualities: it was a quick read, witty, well written and just an altogether easy read. Until - you really start to think about all the feels it brings.

Confused - why would someone who supposedly loves his daughter keep her from the one thing he wants most?

Anger - this guy and all the others are the most self-centered, self-righteous people ever.

Then you realize maybe there's more to it than just the words. Maybe it's not just a cute, quick read. I don't know yet - still pondering how I really feel.

But isn't that a good thing? A book that maybe isn't what you usually give 5 stars to and go on to the next - or one you give 3 stars to but find yourself thinking about days later?

Maybe we need more books that linger...

I’m struggling with this one - it certainly read quickly and was sweet, but when you look past the veneer, it was more troubling than anything. John’s actions seemed incredibly selfish and as another member reviewed, it seemed to be more performative fatherhood than the actual act of meeting your child where they’re at and fostering a relationship with them as a human. I get what this book was trying to do, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

John is in panic mode now that his almost eleven-year-old daughter is about to enter middle school. Suddenly, it seems to John that he has a pre-teen daughter who is determined to fill her life with afterschool activities that won't involve him. He has been Mr. Super Dad since Avery's birth, spending all his spare time with her, and now she's pulling away. But John is not going to give up that easily, so when he spots a special father-daughter camp for late summer, he books a week there without telling Avery about his plans. Big mistake, that.
Things don't exactly get off to a rousing start. Avery sulks during the entirety of a long drive to the remote camp; John's three cabin-mates seem to be in some kind of weird competition to see which of them can be the most obnoxious and hard to get along with; and the camp is a whole lot less physically impressive than the online brochure that lured John into signing up for the week made it out to be.

What happens during the next few days, though, is going to change the lives of four men and four little girls in a very positive, and hopefully lasting, way.

Dad Camp is a very heartfelt novel about a moment that most fathers of daughters experience at some point in their lives. It reminded me of what it was like when my own daughters were about to make the transition from elementary school to middle school - a bigger leap in so many ways than most realize until their children are there. That's why I wanted to read it in the first place, but the novel didn't quite work for me. I'm sure there's a big audience for books like Dad Camp out there; I'm just not part of it. I found it all the ups and downs, and their resolutions, too predictable to ever feel much sympathy for what the fathers are going through as they desperately try to re-bond with their girls. It was so obviously going to turn out well for all concerned in the long run that I knew there was really nothing to worry about.

I'm not a fan of Hallmark or Lifetime movies because of their predictability and overwhelming tendency for everyone to end up living "happily ever after" despite whatever trauma they first have to endure. But I know there's a huge audience for that kind of movie, my wife among them. Dad Camp would make a perfect Hallmark movie, and it deserves to find its audience. I hope it does, because they will love it.

Dad Camp by Evan S. Porter #fortythirdbookof2024 #arc

CW: lying dads, workaholics, divorce

John signs up to attend a dad and daughter camping trip with eleven year old Avery to try to recover their previous bond. Chaos obviously ensues but ends with the usual heartwarming mutual understanding.

This book is not my usual fare, but I was invited to review it, and it sounded kind of cute, so I gave it a try. It’s pretty predictable, with very low stakes. The dad characters of this book are better drawn than the daughters but they’re still all pretty thin. And the main character John is fairly frustrating. He makes terribly bad decisions and wonders why his relationships suffer. I found myself annoyed that his goofy antics were accepted by all as par for the course.

This felt similar to a cozy mystery, where everything works out and the characters feel good at the end. This book wasn’t particularly meaty or engaging. I think there is an audience for this type of book but it’s not me.

Thank you to @duttonbooks and @netgalley for the advance copy. (pub date 6/11/24)

#dadcamp

I don't have too much to say about this one but it was very cute. Multiple times it made me giggle which is impressive because usually, anything labeled "comedy" isn't that funny to me personally. I enjoyed this one and I do think this is going to be a great read for many people. A very sweet but real look into parenthood for a preteen.

I'm not a parent so I can't personally relate and this isn't my usual type of read so not exactly my jam but I thought it sounded cute and I really liked the cover so I was interested enough to check it out and finish the book in a couple days.

I think if you're a parent, especially a young dad, or if you're just into campy contemporary stories you will probably really like this and it would be a great summer read as it's quick to get through and the perfect setting for summer.

2.5⭐️ rounded up

I appreciate a book that addresses the challenges dads face at different stages of parenthood. I don’t think there are many out there, and at parts this was heartwarming and a nice feel-good book.

I did struggle with John, I think his actions regarding the soccer team tryouts, and even bringing Avery to camp without telling her, were incredibly selfish. I didn’t care much for the other dads either, they seemed a bit cliche (the macho man, the workaholic, the stay at home dad).

The writing and pacing were good, so if you’re looking for a (mostly) light-hearted Dad-com type book, this would be perfect for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

2⭐️

When his daughter, Avery, was born, John abandoned pretty much everything to focus on being the best father for her. That included his friends and any hobbies he had, but that's okay because Avery and his wife were more important. But now that Avery is turning 12, she starts to pull away like most preteens. She's moody and easily embarrassed by John's actions. In order to strengthen their relationship like it used to be, John signs himself and Avery up for a Father-Daughter Camp where they can spend a week learning how to become closer.

Look, I'm an only child that has a very good relationship with my father who more or less knows boundaries, so maybe that's why this book annoyed me so much. But this just seemed to highlight toxic masculinity and selfishness from these dad's rather than improve the relationship with their kid. John acts like that just because his preteen is acting like every other preteen and is hormonal and moody, that means there must be something seriously wrong with her and that smothering her is going to make it better. Between John's relationship with Avery, the toxic alpha bro dad, the work-a-holic dad, and the over all good dad who backtracks when other men watch him do "feminine" things for his daughter, it all felt more performative than anything.

I can appreciate a parent coaching their child's sports team, but there still needs to be some boundaries and it can't be to make the parent feel better about themselves. John literally sacrificed Avery's chance at trying out for a travel soccer team that she was so excited about because he wouldn't be her coach anymore and they would spend less time together. Springing this camp on Avery the night before they leave and taking her last week of summer before school was also a bad take.

Avery literally had no friends because John spent so much time trying to prove he was a hands on dad that they always had to spend time together. It's not a kids responsibility to be their parents best friend. It's not a kids responsibility to fix their parents own parental issues.

Thanks Netgalley and Dutton for providing this ARC to me!

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC!

John enrolls his only child, Avery, into a father-daughter camp for the week as a way to spend more time for her as she is starting to hit the middle school pull-away phase of her life much to her chagrin He has been holding on tight to her and their relationship uneager for her to grow up. John finds a group of Dad's that are all trying to improve their relationships too but they all seem to be failing in different ways and isn't sure the camp is for them. When you think of parent guilt your normally think of Mom's who never think they are good enough or do enough for their kids but this heartwarming story shows you the Dad's side of parent guilt and the pressures involved with raising kids and all the lessons they learned that week at camp about themselves, each other and their peers. Very unique perspective and plot and makes me feel like there should be lots of Dad camps in our communities!

This one had me all emotional! We are living this life with a 12 year old daughter at home. It made me appreciate the time we have with her. The author was able to grasp the burning questions many of us have as parents: are we doing the right thing?! Super cute read!

Dad Camp by Evan S. Porter is a heartwarming, sweet, funny, light family drama. It is highly recommended.

With his daughter Avery turning 11, John feels her pulling away as she enters her preteen years so he decides to sign them up for a "father-daughter week" at a summer camp. He doesn't tell her about it until the last minute, which only results in her pulling away from him more. Avery has been the focus of John's life since she was born and the two have always spent a great deal of time together. John doesn't want to lose his daughter and feels the camp can strengthen their bond again. Once they arrive that camp is less than John thought it would be. It's run-down, the director doesn't like him, the other dads all seem very different, and the activities aren't what he thought they'd be.

What follows is a light drama. It is emotional, funny, and, entertaining. It can be predictable at times but it does succeed in entertaining you with a few light-dramatic events along the way. The plot is pretty simple, which also makes this a comfortable read. While Johns actions are not always entirely logical, that he has good intentions is never in doubt. The characters are all caricatures of different types of fathers and daughters, although the focus of the novel is really the fathers.

This is an appealing novel to read when you simply want to be entertained. The plot doesn't require a lot of analysis or contemplation. There are no shocking twists or heart-stopping action. It is a sweet story about a father struggling with his little girl growing up. Both father and daughter have lessons to learn about being honest with each other and really sharing what is on their minds. Thanks to Dutton for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Rom-coms are common, as are Mom-coms to some extent, but this novel is what might be considered one of the rare Dad-coms in existence, one that deftly explores what make the father-daughter bond such a special one. As Avery, an 11-year-old, enters her pre-teen years, her once close relationship with her father John seems to have withered away to be replaced by Avery’s seemingly constant irritability and coldness towards her father. In an attempt to rectify the situation, John takes Avery to a father-daughter camp for a week the summer before Avery starts middle school. What ensues is a coming-of-age story not only for Avery but in many ways also for John. This is not the type of book I usually choose to read, but for some reason it sounded interesting, so I gave a go — and I did enjoy it. The characters are lovable in their own way, and the storyline is an entertaining one, making this a decent summer or beach read.