Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I realized after I read 'Dad Camp' that I don't read a lot of books from a Dad's point of view. I don't know if that's because of the books I choose, or due to the lower volume of books written from that perspective. Either way, 'Dad Camp' was a refreshing read. A camp is established for dads that would like to connect or reconnect with their young or teenage daughters. There are different types of dads and daughters there, and with Porter's depictions, one can emphasize with them all. Let's hear it for the Dads!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dad Camp was a really cute and wholesome book! This book follows John and his daughter Avery at camp as John attempts to mend their relationship. This book was more emotional and heartwarming than I anticipated and I really enjoyed it. It’s definitely worth the read.

One week at a camp set up specifically for dads to try to connect with their daughters, and most of the dads have no idea how to do that while remaining "manly" or avoiding being mocked by their peers. This was an interesting premise as the reader gets to see how different life demands turn even the best of dads into self-conscious, self-doubting puddles.

I was very skeptical of Dad Camp when I was first offered an advanced digital copy to read. I mean…how entertaining could it be to read a dad’s perspective of his pre-teen daughter while he tries desperately to maintain his close relationship with her? Turns out, it can be pretty darn entertaining. Dad Camp is deep and honest, without being too heavy. It’s funny without being unrealistic.

Evan S. Porter creates a lovable cast of fathers who have all tried in very different ways to be the best fathers and husbands they could be, all with the same end result; a dissolving relationship with their daughters (and partners). Together, through a comfortably predictable, well-paced novel, these dads endure a week-long camping trip that teaches them the truth about what it means to be a father, as well as what it means to be a man.

Porter’s characters are smartly written, witty, and relatable. I had a lot of fun reading through their stories. The only critique I have is that every once in a while (not very often) there would be an uncomfortably awkward joke or wording used that would break me away from the narrative for a moment. But overall, I thought Porter delivered the story very well.

I would absolutely recommend this book to fathers and daughters alike.

*Many thanks to Dutton for asking me to read this book for review, Evan S. Porter, and NetGalley for the e-book advanced copy of Dad Camp*

The Dad Camp looks at fatherhood in this heartwarming and often funny story. John and eleven year old daughter Avery are in a transition phase. John has made his entire life about his daughter. He is involved in every aspect of her life and he sees their connection slipping away. Shockingly, John surprises Avery with an end-of-summer dad/daughter camp experience in an attempt to regain their connection. I don't think I would have liked to attend camp at any age with a parent, but especially at 11. Once at camp, John is initially surprised by the variety of dads and can't seem to help but judge the other men. As the story unfolds, we see how he has lost his entire identity and is solely Avery's dad. While he is her biggest cheerleader, I couldn't help but cringe at times with how he treated her.

I think the biggest take away, is that there is not one right way to be a parent. You have to do your best and being a good version of yourself is a strong start. Often, it is about working on ourselves and the rest will follow.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Books for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.

This book is the most heartwarming, emotionally evocative novel I have read in a while. Every page had me turning to the next and the characters truly felt like they came off the page to me. I loved this story and am so grateful to Penguin Dutton and NetGalley for providing this ARC. Highly recommend this story to everyone wanting to reflect on not only their own father-child relationship, but all father-child relationships. Can't wait to see this story hit the shelves!

What a great read! I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started reading this, but I was definitely not disappointed! I would definitely recommend this to my patrons at the library!

ad Camp is a beautiful, heartwarming story that will just make you laugh and smile and even cry some happy tears. Avery and John are loveable protagonists that I became invested in from the start. This book evoked warm emotions of my relationship with my Dad, and for once I did not feel the grief of missing him, but the warmth of our memories together. I simply devoured this book overnight. Definitely can see this as a Hallmark or Disney Channel movie.

This book is released on June 11, 2024... just in time for Father's Day. Make sure to support your local bookstore and get your copy.

I FREAKING love my dad, okay?!!!

When Penguin Dutton reached out offering me an ARC through NetGalley, I didn't look beyond the cover before saying yes. The marketing team couldn't have known that when I was a child, all the dads on my street took all the kids away for a weekend every year so the moms could have time off and we could bond with our dads. This book felt like a love letter to the memory of "dads and kids camping", and I'm so happy I got to read it.

The author writes a fantastic debut novel about worrying about your kids growing up too fast, and kids wanting the space to do exactly that.

This comes out the week before fathers day; buy it for your dad :)

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC!

What a great book!! I loved the bond between the fathers and the kids. Such a good story!

This book was a great read. It started strong, got a bit weaker in the middle, but when we got to dad letters it picked right back up. I loved this book - the struggles of fatherhood. I think kids and parents alike would enjoy reading this book

This was a cute book about a father/daughter relationship. This isn't a book I would normally read, but it was and easy, quick read. There was not much depth. There were times I thought the dialogue was a little silly, but still a decent book.

What a fun book! So sweet and heart warming and as a new mom I love reading about the father-daughter dynamic!

This heartwarming book beautifully captures the challenges and emotions of parenting. It reminds us of the bittersweet journey of watching our children grow up while wanting to keep them close. It also touches on breaking generational cycles.
Dad Camp is written from the perspective of John who is the main character/dad. It reads as if you’re having a long friendly conversation with him with bits of flashbacks. The side characters felt very real and relatable.
Overall, it's a quick and touching read for any parent out there! Thank you Nicole Jarvis at Tiny Reparation Books and NetGalley for my copy.

Dad Camp is a bittersweet story about growing up and what it means to be a parent (especially a father). I liked the author’s honesty and willingness to write openly about the good, the bad, and the ugly of parenting. The nostalgia of the dilapidated summer camp setting gave the whole book a charming quality.

Is there a genre called dad fiction? Do dads read enough of the same sort of fiction to warrant their own genre, à la women’s fiction? And would dad fiction be for dads, by dads, or simply about dads?

Regardless, Dad Camp certainly qualifies as dad fiction—by which I mean it should be required reading for dads. No, seriously.

Because Dad Camp has a lot of things going for it that dads will appreciate, including relatable characters, uplifting themes, and realistic conflicts, all written in a voice that is funny, compassionate, and accessible. Plus, there’s a real chance it’ll made them tear up once or twice.

John, the book's protagonist, takes his job as a parent pretty seriously. He’s given up friends and careers to support his tween daughter Avery—to be her coach, her chauffeur, her biggest cheerleader—so he’s understandably upset as she starts to pull away. When he signs the two of them up for a week in the woods at “father-daughter camp,” he knows Avery will hate it, but it’s his last chance to repair their relationship before she heads to middle school. When they arrive, though, it becomes clear to John that the camp, full of absentee dads and their resentful daughters, isn’t exactly what he expected.

This premise seems like fertile ground for stereotyping and, indeed, John makes a lot of unfair assumptions about the other dads at the camp—the alpha male, the stay-at-home dad, the father who’s too busy for his daughter. But, as John is forced into several challenges with his bunkmates (some as part of the camp’s programming, some the result of their own shenanigans) and learns the real stories behind these characters, readers will see one of the book’s biggest ideas: that every dad’s story is unique even if their end goal (loving their children) is the same.

Parents (and especially fathers) who read this book are bound to see a lot of themselves (and their children) in these characters. For example, John can’t always see the mistakes he’s making; he’s an unreliable narrator, so will have to make John’s mistakes with him—chasing his daughter instead of letting her wait until she’s ready, or lying to her so that he can hold onto her a little longer—and learn alongside him. But John is funny, relatable, and never frustrating. In many way’s he’s an Everydad, and his easy voice will keep readers rooting for him even when he’s dug himself into a deep hole.

In true-dad form, Dad Camp teaches almost too many lessons—about parenting and masculinity and responsibility, but also taking care of and improving oneself—but, like the best parents, it never comes off as preachy, cheesy, or predictable, making it the kind of book fathers will want to pass back and forth to each other over beers or brunch on those rare occasions that get to reconnect with each other.

Dad Camp is a beautiful, heartwarming story that will just make you laugh and smile and even cry some happy tears. Avery and John are loveable protagonists that I became invested in from the start. This book evoked warm emotions of my relationship with my Dad, and for once I did not feel the grief of missing him, but the warmth of our memories together. I simply devoured this book overnight. Definitely can see this as a Hallmark or Disney Channel movie.

This book is released on June 11, 2024... just in time for Father's Day. Make sure to support your local bookstore and get your copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton and the author Evan Porter for this ARC (and my first widget!!)

Any parent whose identity has wrapped around their kids (and, let's face it, that's nearly impossible to avoid) will relate to this story of a dad trying desperately to be there for his daughter as she grows and her needs change. Bittersweet, just like being a parent.

I'm so sorry, I tried to like this one, I really did. I love opening up my email to be invited to read an ARC of a book. It's always thrilling to be chosen.

I did like the concept and thoughts behind it. But I just couldn't with the dad.

Dad Camp. Dad Tested. Dad Approved.

John and his daughter Avery are the best of friends. That is, until the summer before middle school when she suddenly seems to want nothing to do with him. Sensing that he has one last chance to fix their relationship before he loses her to the daunting world of tweenagerdom forever, he secretly signs them up for a week of intense father daughter bonding at Camp Triumph. In a camp full of seemingly terrible dads, will John find the help he needs to mend his relationship with Avery or become chopped liver?

I would like to start this review by disclosing that I am not a dad. However, as a person with a dad, I have conducted an observational study for multiple decades and have a pretty good idea of how a dad behaves. That being said, some of John's behavior was highly illogical. He is clearly a flawed character, but it made reading from his perspective very trying. It was understandable that he'd want to bond with his daughter at Dad Camp, and that he wouldn't know how to tell her about it, but sometimes he gave his child too much power. If you don't want your child to join an intense traveling soccer team, you tell them why not and that should be that. Lying to them repeatedly until the problem explodes in your face is a terrible approach that will certainly not improve your relationship with your child. Additionally, postponing an interview because your child is sick, or skipping one guys' night to help your spouse with household maintenance is commendable, but to avoid rescheduling your "dream job" interview and completely cutting off your friends in the name of being a good parent, is not only misguided, but causes a deep seeded resentment towards people who are not responsible for your terrible decisions. You can't live vicariously through your child. You must have some greater purpose. John lacks this purpose and would benefit from real therapy far more than a rundown summer camp. While John does come around (to some extent) near the end of the book, his inner monologue could be quite painful at times.

While I will not be taking parenting advice from John, this was such a unique idea for a novel and you can tell it was written by someone who understands the highest highs and the lowest lows of being a parent. I really appreciated that perspective as it's not one I usually see in the books that I read. I absolutely loved the letters home from all the dads. This was partly because it gave me some respite from John's perspective, but also because it was great to see them have additional complexity and motivations rather than just being a parent. I think it would also be interesting to hear from Avery's perspective on her relationship with her dad.

Overall, this was a unique story whose unlikeable main character was detrimental to my reading experience. If you aren't as easily bothered by flawed characters, this book is a valuable lense into the struggles of being a parent, and you may enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

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3/5 adventure boxes