A heartfelt, funny, and unforgettable book of parenting humor.
Langrock’s graphic novel in verse for adults satirically urges children to direct all questions, requests, and trivia to their fathers.
Being a mother is a demanding 24-hour job, and sometimes moms just need a break. In this short, illustrated work, Langrock uses rhymes to catalog the various things that mothers put up with, from baby kicks to incessant invasions of privacy. Frustrations mount, which this book manifests in a series of F-bombs. It’s most assuredly not for children, though readers can also check out the “kid-friendly version,” For Gosh Sakes, Ask Your Dad, via QR code; in the adult-friendly work, Langrock includes sentences such as “No, I can’t get you another juicebox right now or meet your every whim from dawn till dark. Sometimes I need to sleep or poop or shower or save your sister from a motherfucking shark!” The text, in varied typefaces, couples perfectly with Clisson’s sensational full-color cartoon artwork, in which small pictures resembling children’s sketches replace words in dialogue balloons and tell their own stories. This book is plainly satire, and none of the children, either in verse or illustrations, are anything other than cutely rambunctious; they overflow with energy and naïveté, as when one child wonders if cheetahs can be plaid. Moreover, the book isn’t very critical of fathers, even if they don’t always seem helpful; instead, the work depicts loving families throughout, with devoted dads who enjoy family time. Clisson furthers this tone with perpetual smiles on the kids’ faces and comically exasperated (but never angry) expressions on the mothers’. Moms, dads, and kids are depicted with various skin tones, ages, and body shapes.
A heartfelt, funny, and unforgettable book of parenting humor.Pub Date: May 1, 2024
ISBN: 9798988446613
Page Count: -
Publisher: Funbrella Books
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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