Dan Remmes’ book is hilarious, heartwarming, and packed with his signature sense of humor that regularly had me laughing out loud. His self-awareness, self-deprecation, and cringe-worthy honesty make this collection incredibly engaging and hard to put down. I was captivated by the vivid characters, his many misadventures, his traumatic near death experience, and other life-altering medical events he recounts in excruciatingly funny (though painful) detail. I found myself feeling for Grumpy Old Dan (as well as Vulnerable Little Boy Dan) and rooting for him throughout.

I flew through this collection and found myself wanting more. I sincerely hope Dan has another book (or two) in him. Beneath all the humor is a whole lot of heart.

It’s almost impossible to pick a favorite story, but “Mohegan Done” made me laugh out loud a lot, as did nearly every anecdote involving his daughters growing up.

Dan’s wit and humor in the face of life’s many twists and turns make this a touching, ridiculous, and thoroughly delightful read. I can’t recommend it enough.

This book will make you wish Dan Remmes was your friend!
An LOL on every page. Don't read in public unless you want to startle fellow commuters or coffee shop patrons with your guffaws. Mr. Remmes evokes all kinds of laughter with his wit, honesty and an abundance of TMI. Aggressive "HA!"s will burst out of you when he tells you about his Vasectomy, childbirthing classes and a trip to a fertility clinic. Also, giggles and awwws as we (throughout the book) get to witness his daughters growing up to be just as clever as their Father who chronicles their one-liners from toddlers to young women. Even when telling harrowing stories of a near-death experience, Mr. Remmes still gets big laughs.
He's a rare breed, a Bostonian-New Yorker, which should be illegal but he literally makes a case for his defense as he recounts several "New York Stories" as well as phonetically spelling his family's Boston accents throughout. This mix of bean-town-underdog and big-apple wit gives Mr. Remmes a unique voice, one that is pleasant to listen to even when he is griping about waiting in line or waiting for the humiliation of snubbing Jerry Seinfeld to subside. This unique voice really comes through in the several fictional scenes that span from the silly sales-pitching of the "flip-flop" to a couples late-night "discussion" that is all too familiar yet through Remmes' dialogue; not as painful and so much more fun!
So we may not actually be able to be BFFs with Mr. Remmes, but we can carry Grumpy Old Dan around with us and get more than a few laughs!

Dan Remmes' Grumpy Old Dan is a wonderful collection of true stories told with honesty, insight and LOTS of laughs.
His self-deprecating and candid look into all aspects of his life are told in such a way that you can picture yourself sitting in a pub with Mr. Remmes as he regales you with the wonderful stories of a good friend and raconteur.
Whether he is giving us a behind the scenes glimpse at his work and struggles as a writer and actor to much more personal and serious issues like a near-fatal car accident or having a seizure while performing on stage, he always approaches it with humor and candor. He opens up about his family, fatherhood and fertility journey with sincerity and devotion. Filled with warmth, wit and wisdom, Grumpy Old Dan is a PERFECT summer read. And for me - a RE-read as I'm going back in for seconds!

Grumpy Old Dan kept me eagerly turning the pages, each chapter offering another relatable, insightful, and genuinely humorous story. It is a wonderfully engaging memoir that captures the complexities of navigating life's many firsts—from a young aspiring actor striving to establish himself in a competitive industry, to learning the unspoken rules and social dynamics of the entertainment world, and later, embracing the joys and challenges of marriage and parenthood.

With warmth, wit, and remarkable self-awareness, the book explores universal experiences of growth, uncertainty, and self-discovery. Whether you're a sports enthusiast, a New Yorker, a theatre lover, or simply someone who appreciates honest storytelling, you'll find plenty to laugh at, reflect on, and relate to. Grumpy Old Dan is both entertaining and deeply human, making it a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable read.

Taken together, Remmes’ hilarious essays paint a picture of a wry and witty man reexamining his life – perhaps in hopes of finding different answers to questions that had been settled long ago. His memoirs and stories are timely and relatable, funny and insightful, and they literally made me laugh out loud.

Funny, thoughtful, and wonderfully authentic, Grumpy Old Dan takes readers on a journey through growing up, family, comedy, insecurities, and the wonderfully messy moments that make us human. Dan’s stories and essays move effortlessly from laugh-out-loud moments to poignant observations and personal reflections, reminding us that the things we think only happen to us are often universal and that our inner thoughts are more alike than we realize. There is nothing grumpy about Dan—he is simply telling our stories. He is all of us.

Hilarious! This collection of essays made me laugh out loud, and I'm not normally much of a laugher. It is also, by turns, poignant and insightful. The honesty and vulnerability with which these were written beautifully contradict the title. You'll want to zip through this addictive book, but take your time to savor each word!

I don’t know where to begin with this review. From the moment I first picked up this book and was educated as to the need for parents to have a “Practice Kid” to the parts where he actually DRAWS OUT the perfect areas to drink at a bar, I could not stop laughing.

I called my husband (aptly also named Dan) at work and read parts of a chapter to him. I called my Dad and complained about my being the practice kid (I am the oldest of two in my family) as well as how closely his rants to me about the permanence of tattoos as I was growing up mirrored what the author told his daughter (while he did not use the hammerhead shark metaphor, that’s probably a good thing because then I DEFINITELY would have gotten a hammerhead shark tattoo). I used to live in western Virginia, so the author’s story about a Starbucks in West Virginia resonates deeply in my bones.

Without spoiling more of the book for you, I have to say this—SIX STARS. It’s “100” as a Swiftie would say. READ THIS BOOK!!! #GrumpyOldDan #NetGalley

Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for the ability preview this book. I will absolutely buy this on launch day, because it needs to be on my shelf.

Dan Remmes takes us on a journey through his touching and hilarious observations on childhood, fatherhood, near death experiences and even physics (!). From the perils of being a nerdy kid, venturing out on his own as a young man to pursue an acting career to establishing himself as a playwright and raising two daughters, Dan keeps us thinking and laughing about life's strange twists and turns. You will find a little piece of yourself in each of his stories. A great, fun read!