Big Dumb Eyes is an easy, enjoyable read that captures Nate Bargatze’s laid-back, relatable humor. It walks the line between being a more touching, revealing memoir and a genuinely funny collection of stories. While there were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments, there weren’t quite as many as I expected — and a few of the funniest bits were things I recognized from his specials.

Still, Nate’s charm and sincerity come through on every page, and even if it didn’t completely blow me away, I had a great time reading it. Fans of his comedy will appreciate getting a closer look at the man behind the jokes, and it’s a solid addition to his body of work.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hilarious. I love this comedian. Clean and funny. Loved his stories. It was lighthearted and fun quick read. Loved having it read by the author. Makes the story so much better.

I will never skip a Nate video on TikTok and am a huge fan of his humor and delivery, so I was so excited to be approved for an ALC of his upcoming release, Big Dumb Eyes! I tend to be opposed to authors narrating their own books, but make an exception when the author is a comedian.

As always with Nate’s comedy, his delivery is a huge part of what makes him so funny, so I think the audio is the way to go for this one. There are lots of fun production enhancements, like music for the blank pages, text message tones, and phone call audio distinction, which make it an enjoyable listen. Nate’s narration is great, though his tendency to trail off for effect works better for watching a video than listening to an audiobook.

The book is a collection of standalone stories with a semblance of an order, and there were a few laugh out loud moments! My favorite story was the one about Nate and his family accidentally forgetting his sister Abigail at church - as a fellow Abigail whose family also once left her at church, you can understand why I really felt seen in that moment.

I think this could have been more personal and more of a memoir, but I am not complaining! A solid three stars from me - thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I am a fan of Nate Bargatze's standup comedy. It is funny, current, and relatable. Fans will enjoy learning about his family and path to becoming a standup. There are some laughs, but there are also serious topics too easily dismissed for a written format. Best for those just wanting to spend more time with Nate Bargatze.

Nate Bargatze's narration deserves 5 stars. He has a terrific sense of timing and makes the most of the material.

Thanks to Hachette Audio/Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced audio copy.

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze is pure comedic gold. If you love Nate’s stand-up, you’ll love this too — it’s the same confused logic, accidental wisdom, and deadpan delivery that somehow feels both brilliantly dumb and sneakily smart.

One of my favourite touches? Nate intentionally leaves "blank pages" throughout the book. How does he pull that off in the audiobook? Elevator music, of course — to give your brain a breather between all those words. It's a quirky, genius move that somehow makes the experience even better.

Listening to the audiobook feels like riding shotgun in Old Blue (complete with its iconic tennis ball gearshift), while Nate cracks you up with tales of rats moving TVs, small-town speed traps, and Southern family chaos. His self-deprecating humour and absurd-but-true storytelling make everyday moments hilarious in only the way Nate Bargatze can.

Seriously, Big Dumb Eyes is exactly what you need when life feels a little too wordy. I highly, highly recommend the audiobook — it’s like getting a private stand-up set, full of warmth, wit, and that classic Bargatze bewilderment.

Thank you to Nate Bargatze, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC!
Publication Date: May 6th 2025

I've been a fan of Bargatze since his George Washington skits on SNL, but this . . . was just not that funny.



Review copy provided by publisher.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book! I’ve been a fan of Nate Bargatze for a few years now and love his standup. I liked that Nate was the narrator because you can hear how he wrote the stories in his own voice. The audio was clear. The book itself felt like just a jumble of stories. There wasn’t a clear purpose to the book. It was just ramblings about his life which was fine but it wasn’t as funny as I hoped it would be either. I always appreciate sarcasm so I loved it in this book. The empty pages with elevator music were amazing. (I did need a break from the “so many words” lol) The phone sounds were great too, really made me feel more immersed in the story. In conclusion I really enjoyed it but it wasn’t anything life changing. I appreciated the extra bits added into the audiobook

funny! the audio was very entertaining, but i’m sure the physical copy is good too. he is such a good comic. would definitely recommend!

This was a really fun listen! It was great getting to listen to Nate narrate it so you got the set up and delivery of his jokes like in his stand up specials. At times I forgot I was listening to a book and not a friend telling me stories about their life. Would recommend!!

I realize that Nate Bargatze has been out there for a while now, but I have only discovered him this year. I love that we can watch his comedy as a family, and I love his delivery style. When I discovered he was putting out a book, I knew I had to have it, and on audio. I totally recommend this in audio because it's like an extra-long comedy show. Plus, he made some special stuff for the audiobook, for example, there are intentional blank pages in the print book, in the audio he talks about it and whispers about taking an interlude and plays elevator music. His intro to the book is about how we get a different experience because of his "Southern Accent", I'm from the south, so he doesn't sound all that different from where I'm at. There are several stories that he's told in his stand-up shows, but he comes at them from a different angle and goes a little deeper. It isn't a deep book, but he gives us a glimpse into his brain and some funny stories growing up in a Christian household, having a clown for a father, moving to Chicago, and becoming a comedian. I was able to listen to this with my kid in the car, and he was giggling along with the stories. If you enjoy Nate's comedy, definitely get this. The audio does come with PDFs, and he references what pictures to look at and describes what you're seeing.

I spend most of my TV time watching stand up comedy and I had a positive impression of Nate Bargatze so I was excited to listen to this audiobook narrated by him. Unfortunately, the stories weren't interesting to me, and I didn't laugh while I was listening. I do see that I'm in the minority so I think people who are interested should give this a try.

I devoured this audio from start to finish. It is like Nate giving anecdotes from his life story in the same way he delivers his comedy shows. I have seen him live twice and this felt like he was talking on stage, but in my headphones. The stories had me laughing out loud and telling many friends "you will have to listen to this. you'll love it".

The stories about Risk and Vandy football were some of my favorites. I have my own trauma of a Risk gang up and as an Alabama fan, I both understood and also felt extra pain related to the Vandy stories as he of course had the pleasure of writing this book after Vandy beat Alabama fall 2024.

My desire to be friends with Nate in order to get daily laughter has only grown. Excellent book, wonderfully narrated by Nate himself. I hope the book is wildly successful for you, sir, and will be telling everyone I know to read it :)

When I saw one of my favorite comedians had written a book, I was so excited to read it. I did not know that listening to it would make it a million times funnier and enjoyable. Nate Bargatze basically created a several hours long stand up routine with this audiobook and I enjoyed every minute of it. I'm sure people who were next to me at a red light were wondering what the heck I was laughing at but that doesn't matter! I very rarely prefer listening to a book over reading it but I would 1000% recommend that if you are thinking of consuming this work, it be done by audio!!!

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Nate Bargatze for an ALC of this book.

I’ve been a Bargatze fan for years and years. I love his simplistic clean comedy style, his blank stare, his deadpan delivery. This book represents everything Bargatze. However, I had a hard time with it based on how he’s literally telling random stories coming from his head.

I loved the stories, I love hearing him tell his story. I definitely recommend this. I just wish it was more cohesive.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book is well-worth the read or listen. It is enjoyable and light-hearted. Nate spends time talking about his family and many important points in his life that pushed him to pursue a career in comedy. A recurring theme through this book is Nate's perception of his lack of intelligence. I wasn't sure about his reading of the book at the beginning, but I warmed to it after a chapter or two and found myself laughing frequently.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good laugh.

3.5⭐️

Nate Bargatze’s stand-up comedy is a favorite of mine. With his dry humor and relatable topics,

His comedy and storytelling, unfortunately, does not transfer well to book form. This listen had its funny parts, but at other times felt rushed or as if he changed topics too often.

Thank you to @netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for a gifted ALC of this title.

Like many people I discovered Nate Bargatze when he hosted SNL (must watch episodes, btw) so I didn't know very much about him before going into this audiobook but wow, what a fun ride! Nate's hilarious, self-deprecating lines are made even better by him saying them himself. It's basically a mild standup routine, 7 hours long and full of laughs! Really enjoyed this but my biggest gripe was him referencing photos throughout the audiobook that I, obviously, couldn't see since I didn't have a physical copy. Definitely have some picture FOMO!

This book definitely follows the footsteps of his comedy! I liked this one, it was relatively entertaining and i do like his style of subtle comedy. However, I just don't know if this was meant to be a book - it felt like he was really pulling at strings to put these stories together. Maybe some people's lives are just not meant to be written down? Although charming, it never really made me laugh out loud and I don't think it will be all that memorable.

I am a big fan of Nate Bargatze's comedy, so I was eager for the opportunity to read his memoir. His stand up comedy has always displayed his hilarious storytelling ability, and so I was interested to see how this would be relayed into paperback format. Now, to be totally honest, I listened to the audiobook format of Big Dumb Eyes. And I think that is an important detail because if I were to review the book content itself, I'd likely give it three stars. I feel like you have to hear it told in Nate's style and voice to really appreciate the stories. There is something about his pronunciation and syncopation (which he himself acknowledges in the book) that really brings the stories to life. I imagine the stories would otherwise be quite flat in the paperback formatting.

So, the book itself is fine. It was interesting to hear some stories about his family growing up and what life was like for Nate. But if you are interested in Big Dumb Eyes, I think the key is to go at the audiobook. Is it on par with his stand up? No. No, not even close. But if you do appreciate his comedy already, then you will connect with his humor and storytelling regardless. The book, too, is complete with pictures connected to the story, which I also appreciate. I know for comedians there is always some embellishment, but Nate's stories are clearly personal and authentic. The provided pictures not only give a fun behind-the-scenes look into the comedian's life but corroborates each stories' authenticity, as well. For this reason, I gave the audiobook an extra star.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to read through this advanced reader’s copy in exchanged for my honest review and opinion.

I think this one needs to be read via audiobook! I feel like you would miss out on the delivery without hearing Nate talk. I love Nate’s comedy and I enjoyed this very much. It’s light and I really needed a read like this at the moment. Also, I’ve been in Nashville most my life so I get all the local references which makes it that much more interesting for me. We’d love to have you, Nate, on our local podcast (Hendersonville) if you’re ever interested. The NexGen Podcast, it’s just a couple of dudes talking about random topics. Be blessed in all you do.