This collection of cynical satire was just okay. Some of the comics were a little funny. Nothing I’d rush out and buy for anyone though.

I started this comic on netgalley because the description said it was about our phone-obsessed modern life and I thought it could be interesting. Moreover, I was intrigued by the fact that it contained both comics and essays. I quite enjoyed that format. However, at the beginning I was not totally convinced by the comics and their humour but I chose to continue. I’m glad I did because I enjoyed the second half more than the first. There are a few jokes I didn’t get, either because I’m not American, or too young, or just lacking general knowledge but I enjoyed the less the doodles with humans and I liked the most the candy-heart drawings. I found the subject of this book really interesting and I was happy to read it. The tone of the comics can sometimes be a bit dark, cynical but overall, it makes you realise in what kind of society we live in (though most of us already know). It’s a nice read that you should not read all at once as it’s not a story and it can brings some thinking.

I had no idea what to expect going in as I had never heard of Tommy Siegel before. But I like comics so I figured, why not.

The full title is I Hope This Helps: 500 Days of Comics and Extremely Helpful Guides. The comics were hit and miss. Some made me laugh so hard I was shaking. Others just missed the mark.

An ongoing theme is the difference between younger and older millennials as well as social media and phone addiction. The goal felt like it was aiming for sarcasm but it comes across as super cynical.

This was going to be a 3 star book but a handful of comics really made me laugh. A great honest belly laugh that just makes you smile and that alone upped the rating by one.

If you're a fan of comics like The Oatmeal or anything with a vague resemblance to old Far Side, than this is for youm

DNF At 30%

I thought I was walking into this book knowing what I was going to get. I was SO wrong. Let's start with the good: the art style is great! That's about where it ends.

The bad you ask? Well, the text that's present in the book (to the point I read) wasn't anything special. It tried to be relatable but it somehow missed the mark completely. It felt like the author was talking down to me but from how this book pulled me in he probably intended to be on a level playing field. The comics didn't connect with me at all and the jokes/memes didn't really land. <spoiler>There was one that made me cringe and feel icky because he drew up a male character in a beard and proceeded to say that people who have big long beards all "hail satan".</spoiler>

Overall, I liked the art and that's about it. Would I read more books by this author in the future? As long as I remember this novel my answer is no. If he wanted to make people relate to him and have a fun time laughing at his comics he has a long road ahead of him.

I Hope This Helps was exactly what I needed to read in these "unprecedented times." I laughed, I scoffed, I slapped my knee. There was a little something of everything and it was so fun!
My personal favorite: "Haha! Look at this funny thing on the small computer I never wash but use all the time while I'm pooping!" GROSS, but so true! For the record, I do sanitize my phone but from now on, I'm never touching another person's phone again!

Seeing 'I Hope This Helps' cover and description, I was expecting fun and relatable comics.
Unfortunately, I feel that only about half the comics inside hit that spot for me. Many of them, along with the trying-to-be-witty mini essays, made me feel like I'm listening to a bitter person, unhappy with his life and uninterested to try and better himself.
The style of the art is pretty simple, which can do wonders when the good ideas are there, however when the idea is just not that good, the comics' quality plummets.
I feel like the book's best-bet audience is single guys in their 30s.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

I really liked the cartoonist style. It was a refreshing reading for the times we are living. Really funny.

Oh dear. I can see the Abbey Road crossing one becoming a meme, but this whinge about social media obsession and other millennial rubbish is, it has to be said, humour-free rubbish. And why make a book out of something that was so archly ignorable online, if the book is true in saying nobody with two digits in their age ever uses a book? Seems a double fail to me.

This book reminds me of the old Far Side comics... repetitive art style means the message is more important than the picture, issues that are more important come up more often, and butts are always funny.
This book is a series of comics (usually single pane) that investigate a variety of pop culture issues, from online dating to phone addiction to hand turkeys.

I saw a review that said something like "a lot of comics about people looking at their phones"... yes, yes there are. But with a problems so universal (for parts of the world with enough money for phones) and so noticeable, it makes sense to see the issue come up that often. As a parent, if I wrote comics a lot of them would involve kids, that's just a side effect of having something so prevalent in your world. Another repetitive theme was "older Millennial makes fun of younger Millennial with hypocrisy", some are funnier or more thoughtful than others.

The book was published right at the beginning of the quarantine, so the last few comics introduce COVID-19 but its sorta nice to think about issues from "the before time".

Even the comics discussing politics were well done. I have a feeling Seigel and I don't agree on some things (the effects of the mainstream media on politics?) but the issues are real whether you like them or not. Facebook and YouTube sharing conspiracy theories are a real problem, even if you don't agree with the author about what is a conspiracy (Clinton's emails vs. Trump's "Fine People"). We all have to deal with these issues, and I like the clarity and humor Seigel brings.

Like any "best of" collection, some will hit different. "You Too" made me laugh so loud I had to show it to my spouse to explain why, a comic about hand turkeys was so good it hurt my feelings, and "Whiskey Tasting Guide" was a personal assault.

I read the ebook in a couple of sittings, comics will always read fast. The art doesn't *need* color to work, so reading on a Kindle should be fine... I read on a computer screen, so can't promise anything.
Either way, I recommend its as something different from what you're usually reading.

**I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sites.google.com/view/booksandstuffreviews/book-reviews/i-hope-this-helps?authuser=0

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

I enjoyed this collection of comics!

Siegel draws funny pictures and offers up anecdotes and commentary on being in a touring band, writing comics, and quarantining. There's a lot of funny comics and lots of drawing of butts. I also appreciated the insight into social media and how facebook's algorithm works when you're an artist trying to get your content seen by people.

The book has comics, a few pages of history and explanation, and more information on Siegel. It's a short and funny read!

I Hope This Helps by Tommy Siegel, the comic style is easy to follow and the drawings are good but I didn’t find it that relatable to really enjoy it.

There were many parts of this that I couldn’t relate to, but it was still enjoyable. I liked the paragraphs in between some of the comics that explained more about the author and what it all means. The drawings were a little odd at the beginning but I got used to them. I would definitely recommend for a quick read.