I absolutely crushed this audiobook. Nate Bargatze is hilarious and I enjoy his humour so much. I'm grateful to have read more books than him, because this was worth it!
4.5 ⭐ rounded up where required!!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for the free audiobook. All opinions are my own.
4.5 stars rounded up

I enjoy Nate Bargatze's comedy clips and his specials on Netflix. So it was no surprise that I jumped at the chance to listen to his first book, Big Dumb Eyes. With his comment about not liking to read, and apparently neither did anyone else that was listening to his book on audio, I was sold.

Part expansion of his comedy routines, part reminiscing about his family and life in general, some of the vignettes hit like gold. His stories about dogs had me laughing out loud and nodding along. Not liking changes such as McDonald's changing the item number of his most beloved meal is another. Make it make sense! Reflections on being raised by a professional clown are pretty funny, too. Looking at you, YoYo, dadgummit.

Into the mix of humor are real love letters to his parents and siblings. He also mentions friends often along with embarrassing moments between them. What makes it work is the continued friendship between these characters.

As Bargatze is known for his clean humor, there is no need not to blast this audiobook within earshot of other listeners of all ages. Just because it isn't raw doesn't mean it isn't funny or true.

If you enjoy Nate Bargatze’s standup, you’re going to get a kick out of this book.

And by book I mean audiobook. There is truly no world in which the book could be better than hearing Bargatze’s comedic timing in every line. Get the audiobook. Trust me.

One thing about me, I’m going to hype a fellow Tennessean. His material is so relatable because we all had the same little redneck childhood and I love it. I still pine for Opryland as well. 🙌🏼

Bargatze has come in with some fun new material and even expounds on a few things we’ve heard in his act. Is it a tight 45 minute set? Naw. But it’s a nice, loose 7 hours.

Now every chapter isn’t exactly created equally. Most made me giggle and several are downright hilarious, but a few are just okay. So if you’re starting out and it feels slow, keep going. You gotta let him warm up first, ya know?

If you like Nate, you’ll like listening to this too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I requested the audiobook of this collection specifically. I have found that a large portion of good comedy is good timing and if the author is able to read the book to you, it makes it that much more enjoyable. I have watched Nate's stand-up and well, this is not that. The book was entertaining and I think I cracked a smile or two but to me, it wasn't laugh out funny. What it was though, was heartwarming and relatable. The love that the author has for his family was clearly demonstrated in almost every story. It was also easy to relate to several of his tales (my husband often texts about what he should order at business dinners!) If you are a fan of the author, you will definitely enjoy this book, and if not, it's still a worth a listen.

I like Nate Bargatze's stand up a lot, and I found his writing to be entertaining. However, I think he's a bit more entertaining on stage vs. on tape as he's able to play off the audience and their reaction more on stage. This felt flat at times, unfortunately. But, it was a quick and entertaining listen!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nate Bargatze is certainly having his moment as of late, and this book exemplifies exactly why. His wit and delivery, especially in the audiobook, translates so well. I am a big comedy fan and he is a great current example of why he's so popular right now. I was hoping for him to provide a little more insight into his hostings at SNL because he hosted two really popular episodes, but he really did give a peek into his upbringing and how he made his way to where he is now. I also appreciated the insight into why he's chosen to be a clean comic and his own personal convictions in regards to doing so. This was a really fun and easy listen, and I hope he publishes more books in the near future!

Big Dumb Eyes by Nate Bargatze made a road trip go faster. I have seen his stand-up shows on TV. Hearing him reading his book made his humor more personal for me. I was not expecting an audiobook that was a repay of his standup acts but rather the back story of how he became a standup comedian.
His way of talking about his life in his calm way I could see him at different times in his life.
Thank you NetGalley, Nate Bargatze and Hachette Audio for the Audiobook Big Dumb Eyes. This is my personal review.

He's a likable guy, and I enjoy his standup. He isn't as successful an audiobook reader as he is on stage. I also finished feeling like he's a bit old-fashioned, which I did wonder at with some of the negativity in his standup about his wife.

A quick, easy read for patrons who are religious or like clean comedy.

Thank you for the ARC. I will purchase for my library.

Nate Bargatze is a comedian known for his clean, family-friendly acts. I only became aware of him a couple years ago when he was touring and it seemed like every other local friend of mine was posting about having been to his show. Additionally, his George Washington skit on SNL is truly a thing of brilliance.

BIG DUMB EYES is Bargatze’s first book, and I opted to listen to him narrate the audiobook; without an audience, it can’t fully mimic the experience of seeing him live, but it served as an entertaining, more in-depth introduction to him and could give you a sense of his shows. His deadpan humor helps deliver a range of stories about his friends, his marriage, and his children. My ten-year-old and teenager both caught segments of the audiobook while I was listening and they were entertained enough that I pulled up one of his standup shows on Netflix for them to see.

(Thank you to Hatchette Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

I wasn’t too familiar with Nate’s stand up before this book, I had only heard him a few times, but I think that everyone would love this book! I listened to audio version, and I think that probably made it more like his standup.

His book talks about his childhood and family, and adds funny stories and characters along the way. I really liked the way his wife contributed as well.

All in all, this is a very enjoyable listen and I would recommend it to anyone who just wants to enjoy some funny stories.

Nate is that breath of fresh air that your life needs. His standup is clean and hilarious. This book is also a complete guide to owning who you are and making the best out of life. He often says how unintelligent he is but I think wit is carried in a lot of different ways and he really communicates his life well. I am a better person for listening to this and I am thankful he made it!

Just like watching/listening to a Bargatze stand up. Perfectly enjoyable and a look into his life, still with jokes, but also more deep.

Perfect, love it, love him.

4/5⭐️

I loved Big Dumb Eyes by Nate Bargatze. Listening to the audiobook version made it even better—his narration brought every bit of humor and personality to life. One of my favorite parts was how he played with the format, referencing how certain things just wouldn’t land the same if you were reading instead of listening. For example, he pointed out how you’d never know he says something a certain way unless you heard it—and that made the experience feel personal and unique.

I also really appreciated how the chapters were structured. Each one stands alone, so you can jump in anywhere and enjoy it without needing to remember what happened before. It gave the book a laid-back, easygoing vibe that matched his comedy style perfectly.

Overall, I found it genuinely funny and kept coming back to it. It was something I looked forward to listening to, and it made me laugh out loud more than once. If you’re a fan of Nate’s stand-up, or just looking for a clever, light, and well-performed audiobook, I’d definitely recommend this one.

If you like Nate Bertgatzes stand up comedy, you’ll enjoy this book. I decided to listen to the audiobook rather than read it because the author reads it himself which adds all of the great Nate inflections and pauses that make him so funny.

It’s basically listening to his comedy routines. Very enjoyable and good for a lot of laughs

Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to advance read/listen to a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Nate Bargatze is a stand-up comedian well known for being a clean comic. As a result his book is suitable for all ages (you might just have to skip the chapter about Elf on the Shelf). He tells you at the beginning that you can skip around reading a chapter here and there because they all stand in their own. This is true but his throw backs to previous comments/chapters is so funny I recommend listening in order. Plus the book reads like a memoir. It’s fun to follow Nate from his failed attempts to play high school basketball to flunking out of college to trying comedy in Chicago and then New York.
Also I’m sure the audiobook is better than the written format because you get to hear Nate deliver his own stories with his accent and inflections. It makes it all the more hilarious. If you’re a fan of Nate or just looking for a wholesome light hearted read you’ll enjoy this. It’s laugh out loud funny and his world observations are on point and relevant - not profound but relatable and you won’t be dummer for reading this book - just more joyful.

Before I start, genuine thanks to Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio, NetGalley, and the author for an audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This may be a bit unusual, but I want to start by reviewing the audiobook experience. This is the perfect example of a book that is better enjoyed as an audiobook. Bargatze’s delivery of the material really elevates the reading experience. How? Because in print the punch lines of certain jokes don’t land as punchlines (e.g., repeatedly mentioning the reason for his friend’s nickname). The recording quality was excellent and the post-production effects (e.g., blank pages) were included beautifully and seamlessly. There was clear attention to ensuring there were no significant variations in vocal quality or volume across chapters and no jarring re-recorded lines dropped in. Overall, when you have an audiobook experience like this, you almost always fail to appreciate it for its lack of errors, because we only recognize our audiobook experience as different from visually reading the book when something goes wrong. So, infinite kudos to the team at Hachette Audio who worked on this one, because your hard work was noticed.

Now, onto the book content! I came into this book as a fan of Nate Bargatze’s comedy, so I definitely had expectations. If I had to define those expectations, I’d say I expected to laugh out loud, often, during my reading experience. Those expectations were not met. To me, this read as an accumulation of failed comedy bits? The pace was slow. The funny bits were less funny and the slice of life bits were a little more poignant. Don’t get me wrong, it was humorous, just not laugh out loud funny. There was literally no organization, the chapters could be read in any order. Depending on your personality, this could be good or bad. It’s definitely a bonus for slow readers. Overall, I enjoyed it and I will encourage my Bargatze-fan husband to read it, too.

I would not have finished this book if I didn't feel obliged to. I was given an advanced copy of the audiobook to read and review. I love a silly celebrity memoir that was obviously ghost written. This was not that.
Not only were these stories not funny, but they weren't even interesting stories. They were just dull accountings of random events from his life. None of them felt like a "story" more of an answer to a question someone asked and you gave a boring answer.
There was nothing to this book. I can't recommend it less.

I am a fan of Nate Bargatze's comedy. I love watching reels of his live shows, and he killed it on Saturday Night Live. That being said, Big Dumb Eyes did not live up to my hopes and expectations. The book is humorous, but not laugh-out-loud funny like I was hoping and expecting. I listened to the audiobook because I wanted to hear Nate's delivery. The delivery comes across as very disorganized and repetitive at times.

I enjoyed hearing his family history, even though it was dark at times. It gives the reader an understanding of how Nate became the man he is today and why he is a comedian.

Nate is very vocal about not being a reader or liking books, and that fact is obvious in this book. To be a good writer, one needs to be a reader. It was okay, but it doesn't knock it out of the park.

If you enjoy Nate Bargatze’s stand up, you will enjoy this book. Was it as funny as his stand up? No but I was still entertained the whole time. I enjoy his humor in his story telling. Whoever decided to have him as the narrator for the audiobook, you made the right call. My favorite was the blank pages😂

What a great audiobook. I laughed aloud. I enjoyed the stories. This is one of the better audiobooks I have listened to in quite some time. It makes me want to see his stand up. Nate seems genuine and cares about his family. Thanks for letting me laugh at this early access audio.