Alcohol addiction in comedic fiction? Surely, you jest. No one could take such a serious subject, make it funny and still tastefully handle the topic. Well, you’re not jesting. Speaking from firsthand experience, I’m a sober newbie, I thought the subject was wonderfully handled. It didn’t delve into the ugly underbelly of what alcohol addiction can be, but nobody said it had to. Not every related to alcohol abuse has to devolve into utter despair and the daily rock bottom that has a never ending trap door. It was funny, fast paced, witty, and warm. The characters are deliciously entwined in this recovery dance with each other and while I do find some of what they go through a little unrealistic, when you’ve been drinking as long as they have the likelihood of multiple relapses is astronomically high, as well as the lack of withdrawal symptoms that they experienced, overall the story was just an enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley

Nick Spalding has done it again – made me snigger, snort and guffaw out loud while on the London Underground. As always, his writing is so skilled that as I read each hilarious incident I can see where it is going and yet I can’t stop the belly laugh; and yet his writing is deeply moving and he is able to climb inside the head of the mother, father and child and make me feel empathy towards each of those characters. Well done Nick!

You're looking for a funny book that is intelligent and insightful. Here it is.

I've read several books by the same author and this one did not disappoint. How many times did I start giggling or shout out with a gaffaw? Dozens, as I did with the others.

The book takes a shot at adding humor to alcohol addiction, which could really make one cringe if handled improperly. As someone who knows alcohol addiction from a close proximity, it's usually not a laughing manner and I was nervous to start the book for that reason. I thought it was handled with humor and respect (again, as much as you can do while also making the audience laugh). The characters' descriptions of their perception of their attachment to alcohol were less serious or sinister than I thought they should be, based on my experience. However, I leave room for the fact that addiction manifests itself differently in different people.

The book also pokes fun at and utilizes the [silly] world of social media and YouTube channel making and obsessing. It hit the mark and makes me think twice about my own over-use. Though, at no point was it preachy or self-righteous. Just funny.

A theme that this author always seems to provide and I always appreciate: Marriage is important and it isn't a given. You have to work at it.

Kate and Scott drink. A lot. Usually not together. After a few embarrassing incidents, their daughter Holly uses YouTube to shock them into becoming sober for a year, using her channel and the hashtag #dryhard. What follows is a hilarious rollercoaster ride as Kate and Scott become YouTube stars, with their successes and failures out there for all the world to see. A great read, with serious undertones, which goes completely full circle and brings a very fractured family back together. Loved it.

Dry Hard is a wonderful laugh out loud funny read with some really cringe inducing moments.
Scott and Kate have become so used to using alcohol as a crutch to forget their everyday stresses it has become an embarrassment and worry to their 17 year old daughter, so she decides to film their antics on Christmas Day when they are totally steaming drunk. It becomes an internet sensation and they both realise they will need to change. This story then takes us on their journey and how they cope with sobriety, often really very very funny but there is a depth here that is extremely thought provoking.
There are some awful characters, one of them completely repulsive and I have to admit to having to speed read through his 'bits' in the book, although he is quite a main character, can't say more as it could spoil the story.
All in all as usual with this immensely readable author a funny and enjoyable story, which didn't pull back from this families struggles.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book

Fans of 90's comedies, who miss a time when humor was making fun of someone, will enjoy this book.

Spalding's comical writing is good, if overly wordy. But the story, type of humor, and specific details referenced throughout the book are out of place. Most of the jokes are at someone's expense, at times mean spirited. Something I don't find funny at all. Maybe there's still a market for this kind of humor, but it feels dated.

There were some details that didn't make sense, like a man who doesn't know what Youtube is, or never hearing of Krav Maga, cupping, or wild boar as an entree in a restaurant. These are all normal things people know yet Dry Hard treats them as anomalies that confound our main characters in forced drama. My 70 year-old mother knows Youtube and she lives out in the boonies. I find it very hard to believe someone, anyone, wouldn't have heard of Youtube.

The story took a long time to get where it was going. There isn't much personal conflict until ~70% into the book. Up until then it's mostly situational comedy that transitions between two first-person narratives and a single third-person omniscient narrative. The alternating narratives are odd. Not good or bad, just and odd choice that I don't quite see how it benefited the story.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Story: 1 star
Character Development: 3 stars
Writing/Prose: 2 stars

Another fantastic Nick Spalding read, never fails to disappoint, it made me laugh as I knew it would, it was hard to put down and was finished in a day while on my holiday drinking wine and to be honest it actually made me think about my drinking habits, a cracking job Mr Spalding

That was fantastic! The episodes of their individual drunken shenanigans were both hilarious and cringeworthy. I laughed out loud several times! The Christmas Day bender and the recording of it by their 17 old daughter, Kate, makes them realize maybe things aren’t so funny after all. This begins the journey to sobriety, in the public eye nonetheless.

The writing is superb. The characters are so layered and relatable. The way Scott and Kate’s marriage evolves (both good and bad) during the struggle to remain sober was fascinating. There are a handful of characters that are just priceless (Scott’s boss, Charlton Camberwell, PinkyPud and an unusual therapist to name a few...)

This is a tough topic and there are some somber moments and real struggles throughout the story for all the family members. But there is also humor and love and growth. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy in exchange for a review.

Another madcap and zany book by Nick Spalding - Promises to entertain ! This story involves a family of three; Parents in their forties with a 17 year old daughter. I usually do not laugh out loud when reading, but I just had to. A near riot begins for Kate - involving a wedding and a tractor; and also for Scott - this involving a drunken fireworks "display", Their daughter, Holly, however, is embarrassed by her parents drunken displays. At Christmastime, Holly makes a video of her parents while they are drunk.

The drunken sprees end; but UTube followers love Kate and Scott's (mis)adventures. We are treated with both their struggles with sobriety and their "non-sobriety".

Enter PinkyPud - a UTube Vlogger who is a hero in Holly's eyes. Not so much in her parents', however. Especially now that Scott finds out that 20 year old "Pinks" has a hidden agenda !

The ultimate question is: how will this nutty, if not crazy, family end up? For you to see...

Nick Spalding at his BEST !!!

Extremely enjoyable! Many thanks to Amazon UK and Netgalley for many laughs and a great story!