Ahhh! As a fan of Nate’s from way back, this way fun! I could totally hear his voice reading this to me in my head. He’s just so down to earth despite his mega stardom and I think that just makes the book that much more relatable.
There’s anecdotes about his upbringing in Tennessee, witty stories about his family and close friends like “PP” who got his name from being hit there when he was a kid and hasn’t been able to shake the name all these years later, and funny observations about every day life that everyone should be able to relate to.
If you need a good, clean escape for a few hours, look no further. You won’t regret it.
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

If you enjoy Nate Bargatze's Netflix specials (and if you haven't seen them, you really should) you will enjoy this lighthearted funny memoir/book of stories that is very similar. His stories touch on family, the South, work, food, and much more. A little silly, very entertaining comedy from a genuinely nice person who deserves his success.

𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘋𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥 is a collection of humorous anecdotes and essays from popular comedian Nate Bargatze. If you’re unfamiliar with Bargatze, he is known for clean, observational comedy and his easy-going, unaffected delivery. A large part of his success is rooted in being very relatable, unpretentious, and inoffensive, and it’s a strategy he tries to employ in his book. I mean, look at the title and subtitle again. And, if that didn’t make things clear enough, in his introduction he is upfront that he is not going to use “big words” or try to say anything “important”—he just wants this to be a funny, light, and easy reading experience.

And Bargatze does succeed in this. 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘋𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 is humorous and low-key. There are amusing anecdotes about his childhood in Tennessee, family members, and close friends; funny observations about everyday life; and random opinions about food. If you’re looking for a mostly amusing, lighthearted, low-stakes comedy book, this is definitely it. But—since he plays it so safe and he refuses write about anything too deeply—it can also be kind of bland and unremarkable at times. Overall, it’s an okay comedic memoir, probably best for his fans and consumed as an audiobook.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you're a fan of Nate Bargatze's comedy, this book is for you. If you haven't heard of him yet, 1) where are you living, under a rock? and 2) get on that because he's pretty funny. I really enjoyed his autobiography which bounces around his life with funny stories from his childhood, young adulthood, and now. You get to know him a little more than in his traditional standup, and while some stories were repeated from his show, there was a ton of new material. My husband and I listened to this one together in the car, and we both laughed out loud multiple times. Silly at times, always clean fun, and also interesting to learn more about his life - I felt this was the perfect book for Nate Bargatze. I highly recommend the audiobook, which he narrates himself.
Note: The publisher was kind enough to send me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I like this comedian, so I figured his book would be a cute read/listen. It was, and that's about it. I think I like him better on stage. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book gives you a glimpse into Nate's background, his family, and his rise to being one of the top comedians. You find yourself reading the book in Nate's distinct voice or at least I did. I found myself laughing out loud thru the whole book. Nate's clean humor shows thru this book. I

The organization of this book was a little tricky though, it jumped from random subject to random subject. I kind of wish it would have flowed a lot better than it did.

If you love Nate's humor, I still think this book is worth checking out. You will find that you have more in common with him then you think and that he just seems to be the laid-back guy that he portrays himself to be in his comedy.

I didn’t read much of the ebook because I had an audio copy as well but I loved what I read! Even though Nate is famously anti-books, I’m so glad he wrote one.

I knew I was going to like this book. I love stand up comedy and I love Nate Bargatze. I wasn't sure if this was going to be a biography or a book of fun stories and I am happy that it was a book of fun stories. I felt like I was reading a stand up show! From the moment it began I was laughing out load. I was interested in the stories and was never bored. So far I have not been let down when it comes to Nate's comedy from his specials, to in person live shows, and now a book. Well deserved 5 stars!

I was excited to be approved to read the ARC of Big Dumb Eyes, and am grateful to NetGalley for allowing the opportunity.

My family has seen every Nate Bargatze special available, and really enjoy his style of humor. I read this book, and heard his voice. I do like that it's written the way he speaks. Most of the stories are fun, and I got a good understanding of how he became the person, and comedian, that he is today. Nate's early life clearly put him on a path to a career in entertainment, and he's stayed true to his roots.

I understand that this is meant just to be a book of random stories, little vignettes throughout his life, but some things, like the death of the family cat, just felt sad, and without resolution. All in all, this book was moderately entertaining, and a quick read. If you want to get a better understanding of who Nate is, this book fills in some gaps. I would actually recommend it to someone who's a fan.

Nate Bargatze is my favorite comedian, so I knew I was going to love this one. Written as a memoir in short story format, each chapter tells a different tale from his life. I really enjoyed learning more about his background through his self-deprecating and hilarious lens. He narrates the audiobook himself, and it feels like listening to one of his stand-up specials. His conversational tone really draws you in. My husband and I have tickets to see him live next week and I can’t wait! If you’re a fan already, you’ll definitely want to grab a copy. And if you’re not a fan yet, I bet you will be after you read this book!

Big Dumb Eyes is an endearing fun read by Nate Bargatze, a comedian famous for not reading cause books got the most words.

For those who have seen Nate Live, or even his comedy specials on Netflix or Max, some of these stories or anecdotes will feel familiar as he does call backs on some of his routines like the time he was a water meter reader, or the County Fair where the donkey goes off the dive, and idiots pay to fight an orangutan not to mention plenty of self degrading stories with his wife Laura coming to the rescue.

Written in a conversational style and reminiscent of the comedic timing of his stand up routine, this will be a fun read for any fan of Nate's or just someone looking for a light hearted laugh. The stories are charming and occasionally laugh out loud funny. Its hard to call this an autobiography, but it certainly gives a little more insight into the man behind the jokes.

For anyone looking for a fun summer read for the beach or the pool, that doesnt require much depth or words even, this ones for you.

Nate Bargatze is so unbelievably funny! In this book he tells about how he grew up, lots about his family (mother, father, siblings, wife and daughter), and many funny stories about his own eccentricities.

If you need something light between heavy reads, and if you like to laugh, you need to read this book! Enjoy!!!! ;)

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Nate Bargatze, and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was really an enjoyable read.

Nate is one of my favorite comedians, and his book definitely showcased his humor, making me literally laugh out loud while reading every chapter.

But even with the humor, there was heart. This is a memoir, so just like everyone else, there was some trauma in his life, and in his family's lives. But his story was never about dwelling on the pain. He showed how he and his family moved on with humility, humor, and grace.

Religion is mentioned throughout this book because it was always a large part of their lives. But not one word of it is Nate preaching or judging or pushing his beliefs. It only helps explain his story.

I'm very grateful that
Netgalley and the publisher allowed me to have both an advanced ebook and audiobook copy of Big Dumb Eyes. It was so nice to sit and laugh for a while. And it just reinforced my love of his comedy.
5⭐️

If you enjoy Nate Bargatze, I highly recommend this book!

I have watched pretty much all of his stand up shows and it was interesting I get more of a backstory on his life. One thing nice about this book, it didn’t really have any repeat jokes in it, so it was all new material.

I read the first third of this book, then the remainder of the book, I listened to the audiobook. Both were very good, but I recommend listening to it since his delivery is so good. I listened to some of it on a walk and I found myself giggling several times. So I definitely looked like an idiot smiling and laughing to myself. However, the one downfall of the audiobook is you don’t see the pictures.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Bargatze is one of the funniest comedians around and this book is a charming and funny read. It probably helps if you hear his voice in your head as you read, but having seen him live numerous times and listened to his podcast the stories here felt fresh and funny.

I really enjoyed Nate Bargatze’s Comedy specials, so I was excited to get to read the ARC of his book. The book is written in a conversational way, exactly like he speaks. He shares many random stories about his life experiences and his family that were, at times, both funny and endearing. I will say, because the book is written in such a conversational way, sometimes if felt a little slow/dry. I think the audiobook (if narrated by him) would be funny, but without his voice/timing/intonation, just reading some of the jokes and parts that were supposed to be funny fell a little flat for me. Overall, still an, enjoyable read. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Nate Bargatze is my favorite comedian so I enjoyed learning more about his life. I was pleasantly surprised that his previous bits weren’t in the book either so it all felt pretty new to me. The stories about his dad were the best.

This guy is honestly the real deal. He’s hilarious, relatable and just a cool laid-back dude. I think that’s why he’s so popular. Super easy and quick read!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC. I really enjoyed it!

I’ll be honest: I picked this up expecting a few chuckles, maybe a snort, and the kind of reading experience you get from your uncle’s Facebook statuses—but somehow, Big Dumb Eyes is way funnier, way dumber (in a smart way?), and weirdly full of heart. Nate Bargatze proves that sometimes a bonk to the brain is just what the comedy gods ordered.

This book is basically a series of stand-up bits disguised as personal essays, which is perfect for those of us whose attention span died in 2012. You’ll get tales about Old Blue (his first car that somehow ran on prayers and tennis balls), his Southern roots (no, he doesn’t think dinosaurs are liberal propaganda), and his very patient wife, who seems to function as a life GPS with a “recalculating” feature permanently turned on.

Bargatze meanders through memories like a dad wandering Home Depot—slow, confused, but somehow always finding something oddly profound in the plumbing aisle. His takes are exactly what you’d expect from someone who admits he went from child prodigy to “concussed class clown” in one unfortunate head bump: slightly unhinged, weirdly relatable, and delivered with the confident confusion of a man who still doesn’t quite understand how sushi works.

Bottom line: If you like your humor wholesome, a little self-deprecating, and with just enough brain damage to keep things interesting, Big Dumb Eyes will absolutely deliver. It’s like getting life advice from your funniest cousin—if your cousin couldn’t spell “author” but did somehow sell out Madison Square Garden.

Recommended for: fans of comedy, people who’ve ever named their car, and anyone who thinks “math person” is a legitimate career path.

Fans on Nate will be interested in this. His style of humor works a little better in standup than on the page, in my opinion, but it was interesting to learn more about his past, especially the story of his father's background.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected advance copy of 'Big Dumb Eyes' by Nate Bargatze - expected release date of 05/06/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A biography from one of my favorite comedians, um, yes, please! I love Nate's stand-ups because his skits are so relatable which cracks me up and he always does so using clean language. This book was less stand-up, more background, which was explained in the summary. It was such an easy read, and you can definitely tell he wrote it, not a ghostwriter, which I appreciated. It mentioned a few stories from his skits, but mostly, he offered a look into his personal life. There wasn't a definitive beginning, middle or end, this could've been read in any order of chapters and still worked. Not bad work for a self proclaimed, simple-minded guy. And he kept it short and didn't try to fill it with mumbo-jumbo nonsense, just to fill pages. Fun read, thank you for the ARC!