It's a pretty simple comic model that Tommy Siegel has created - anthropomorphized candy hearts set in some kind of very familiar relationship scenario, with their true feelings written loud and clearly on their bodies. It's literally nothing but this from start to end in this collection, and if you think that it would get old, you'd be justified with that rational assumption.

You would also be incorrect.

Granted, I say this as a millennial who has had a decent share of dates and relationships - so, in other words, I probably couldn't be more in the target audience. Which is why these comics continued to hit again and again and again with a severe relatability that had me wincing in remembrance while making me burst out laughing with both delight and a sense of relief. Siegel once again reveals himself to be one of the comic greats when it comes to calling out the many absurdities that make up our present-day reality.

Here is the review that I wrote on my website: https://thistlyrose.com/2020/10/22/netgalley-review-candy-hearts-by-tommy-siegel/

PLEASE NOTE: I received a free copy of this book through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. 🙂

I really wanted to read something light-hearted and fun, and this just hit the right spot. The book is essentially a collection of comics drawn by Tommy Siegel that reflects on modern dating and love by writing brutal truths on cutesy love-heart candy designs: it is comedic genius. We expect these love-hearts to represent the clichés of romantic love, and instead they reflect the uncomfortable – and hilarious – inner thoughts of the single, the dating, and the married.

Some of these comics represent situations that were so familiar to me. There is one that depicts a (presumably) female candy heart walking down the street listening to podcasts, minding their own business, whilst another shouts on “some fuckin’ bullshit.” This made me giggle and I will definitely think of it the next time it happens to me. Of course, it is a sad state of reality that this type of thing happens, but it always cheers me up when someone like Siegel throws light on the crappiness of it all in a way that manages to actually make me smile. It is a testament to the cheerful and unserious way in which Siegel deals with these potentially depressing truths and I for one sometimes need to laugh at the state of the World, or I would just cry.

Forever.

Seriously, it would be non-stop.

This book also makes fun of our reliance on phones and technology today; for example, 6 candy hearts stand at a party talking to one another, but each candy heart has “I can’t wait for a quiet moment to check my phone” written on them. I would have to say that my favourite ones are the ones that highlight the perils of using technology to date, especially the cartoons that represent the different off-putting male tinder profiles you can find, (all equally cringe-worthy!)

I will now stop gushing and instead recommend that you buy it when it comes out in 2021. For what it was and what I wanted today, it was ideal, and I will definitely be gifting it to friends and family next year!

You can follow Tommy Siegel here: https://twitter.com/TommySiegel

And find the info about the book here and pre-order: https://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/candy-hearts/

*ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

oh my god!! this was hilarious!!!

i finished this so fast and i wish i hadn’t!! it was simply too funny and accurate!

the drawing style and colors were brilliant and so amusing to the eye!

Books like this can either flop or they can slay and this one is definitely the latter. It's so relatable and so funny and shows us the ridiculousness of our own society and our own selves without being too deprecating. Helps you appreciate the way the world has changed in a really funny enjoyable way. Well written, well drawn. I can't help but wish I had thought of this myself. How many times I've wanted to walk around with a sign that said exactly what I was thinking just to see what would happen. This book puts you in that scenario. If you liked heart and brain comics or hyperbole and a half, you will love this. 🤣❤️ #candyhearts #netgalley

I don't know that any person can make me laugh as hard as Tommy Siegel and his demented, wonderful cartoons. This collection is just as good as his first, and may even be better, which is saying something because I really loved I Hope This Helps.

I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe at one cartoon, only to have the next one hit like a gut punch. He is honest and the cartoons aren't only funny but also show a vulnerable side to relationships, which are always oddly relatable.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of Candy Hearts! Can confidently say this might be one of the only books that I have whole heartedly enjoyed every single page. Tommy Siegel’s comic book collection has come about during a perfect time in history: during a global pandemic. I think I laughed at every single page, or as he would draw: me on my phone with a smirk on my face. He perfectly illustrates scenarios of early 21st century life in a way that makes me think if there’s ever an apocalypse where we lose most of the literature and art from our generation, this one would need to survive to explain what modern life was like. Light-hearted with a cynical tone, a very enjoyable read for any and all ages.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was reading this during class while I had nothing to listen to and do however that was a bad idea because I kept laughing out loud because this was simply just so funny! I didn't read too much into this comic and went into this comic with no expectations. I ended up absolutely loving this!

It was so funny how you absolutely needed no backstory or context in order to know what the comic was on about and all the different scenarios shown, I thought it was so funny and I could relate to many of them which is always a good thing.

I also loved the art, it's simple but yet so extravagant and fun to look at. Especially the legs to me looked hilarious.

I definitely recommend this one.

A simple concept paired with witty remarks in a breezy, fast read. Tommy's Candy Hearts had me laughing out loud! I particularly enjoyed his Tinder profile illustration series.

Thanks to NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Tommy Siegel for the ARC!

Candy Hearts is a real and honest book about love in this modern world. It is so relatable and hilarious, the kind of book you would laugh out loud and be like "Hey, this is so me!" Its the kind of book you can read in one sitting and actually enjoy it. Its so unique how the author took the concept of the candy from Valentine's Day to actually use as characters. I love all the details as well as the illustrations in this short book and had a fun time getting curled up with Tommy Siegel's book about love, relationships and the whole package.

This book is full of humor in a cute and colorful art style. I liked the contents of this book that mostly hits close to home, but will still make you laugh. I would like to read more from the author and candy hearts someday.

Tommy Siegel's Candy Hearts started out as a single idea for a comic during a project. Siegel was drawing a comic a day for 500 days, and dashed one off. In the introduction to this book of comics, Siegel writes "I started to realize that candy hearts made for a pretty convenient setup to illustrate inner monologues . . . on the outside. A way to cut through to the truth and bluntly show what people are feeling but not expressing to their loved ones." The idea is a fun, novel one, and really captured a lot of attention when Siegel posted it, on Valentine's day in 2018. Now, a whole book of candy heart comics await anyone who wants to read something earnest and short.

While obviously anthropomorphic candy hearts have different physiology to human beings, they really come across in Siegel's comics as bizarrely human. Their faces are expressionless, but their body language expresses almost as much as the lettering on the hearts. The collection is humorous, blunt, and raw, full of jokes that hit hard and sometimes come a little too close to the truth. While it is a fast read, it is a joy to revisit, and well worth a place on your shelf. Some of my favorite bits include the tiny baby hearts, and the dogs, which are both cute while the latter are adorably derpy. There is just something so sweet about a little candy heart playing with a truck, and a dog with one of its eyes hovering out of focus. Word to the wise, I did find myself reading the funnier ones aloud to my significant other, so if you do buy this book for a loved one, prepare to listen to it as they chortle over the more amusing tableaux.

Such a hilarious, relatable comic!

In a few words, this book is a compilation of several one-panel-comics that illustrate what sometimes we are truly thinking –sometimes as a part of a new relationships and sometimes as someone who’s just tired of the same old partner. And it doesn’t matter if you’re single, I’m sure you’ll laugh about this too. We’ve all been there, I promise you.

I would totally recommend it because it’s a light-hearted reading but also because you can go through this in less than an hour. On the other hand, this the first time I read anything from the author but let me tell you, I’m excited to see what comes next.

The art style is simple but is meme material so it’s perfect to share it with some friends who are struggling with anxiety and depression due to the pandemic.

This was in some ways funnier and in some ways less funny than I thought it would be. The most of the comics were hilariously apt, but seeing them in comic form somehow makes them hit harder. I loved how the artist managed to give Candy Hearts a facial expression even though they don't even have a face.

Entertaining. A short, but comical look at life through humorous candy hearts. Some of the comics were quite funny while others were just meh, but in fairness, this will completely depend on what you find humorous. There is likely going to be something in here for everyone. An easy way to pass some time in a comical fashion.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

I thought that this was a really fun read

The illustrations were great and I loved the witty comments that they author has added.

It was a light-hearted and fun way to spend the evening flicking through the book and having a giggle – just what I needed!

Review to come January 2021 on Blog/Goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I don't know who Tommy Siegel is but he has two new fans! This one looked very cute and funny and I can say that it was truly funny as well. And very true. :P

I decided to grab my hubby along as I read this one. I know he likes these kinds of comics as well! We both loved the introduction, but then the real fun started. We all know candy hearts and the texts they have. Ranging from silly to weird to romantic. Well, these are not those standard texts. These are thoughts. Many of these had us laughing but also definitely agreeing that things indeed went that way. I also loved that there were some COVID/2020 comics.

But there were also a couple of comics that had, at least me, scratching my head. That Phish comic? I had to look up what that was all about.

I think my favourites would be those dating app/Tinder comics. While I never have used those apps, I have heard the stories, I have seen pictures on Twitter. So I was giggling at seeing all those candy hearts doing the same as many people do on those apps.

All in all, though, this was a fabulous and fun read and something we could all use in this time. Some laughs, something funny. I would recommend this one.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I had previously read a similar comic collection from Siegel, and I really enjoyed this as well! Some of the comics in the collection really made me crack up, while others were not so good. But I guess this is also what happens when you create a comic strip every day! Would recommend it for anyone wanting some quick, short and pretty fun comic strips in a big collection!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

Super short and mega fun! This book was hilarious and so so relatable. You think it, Tommy writes it - on a conversation heart. The comics are to the point and so funny - I think I am at the point where I can laugh at the Covid ones too.

Candy Hearts is a collection of short comics, usually just one panel, of candy heart in very human situations. I've seen a few of them online and was curious to read a full book of them.
The comics are quite fun and mostly relatable. Unlike the author's debut "I hope this helps", this title focuses on a much more simplistic setting of the jokes and good to-the-point punchlines. I enjoyed that a lot.
The art style suited the jokes very well, and also - who doesn't love "candy-hearts with random writing on them" jokes?
I definitely enjoyed this one and recommend it.

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

Candy hearts is so much fun to read!!!! I found it because of that parenting comic that became something of a meme.

ALSO. CANDY HEARTS IS PERFECT MEME MATERIAL!!

Anyway, yes. Loved it. Check it out! Idk when it comes out but check it out! Thanks, Netgalley ✨