Dogs on Dates

by Luke Healy

'Hilarious . . . there's no one else quite like him working today.' Rachel Cooke, Observer

A shaggy-dog graphic novel love story to melt the coldest of hearts.

If you can't believe in a cute, funny boy who was nice to you once . . . what can you believe in?

Meet Bernie and Brad, two single dogs getting by in Dog City. Bernie has just dropped out of university and Brad, working for an environmental charity, is trying not to have a meltdown about the melting ice caps. When the pair crash into one another's lives, they em(bark) on a series of dates - new food spots, terrible films, nights in and mishaps a plenty - as they realise that maybe it's not just about meeting the right match, but whether you can then make it work.

Funny, anxious, and heartwarming, this is the story of two dogs trying to find hope in love, and in each other.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Queer, LGBT, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics

272 pages, Paperback

Published June 16, 2026

Reviews

[Jen (Fae_Princess_in_Space)]

This was absolutely adorable! Brad and Bernie are two dogs living in Dog City. Bernie has recently dropped out of college and Brad works for an environmental charity. This extremely cute graphic novel documents their first dates, interspersing short page-length panels with longer sequences to cover some of the dates in more depth.

We learn about Brad’s overbearing family and Bernie’s transition, Brad’s determination to save the planet and Bernie’s dream to eat the perfect sandwich. The dynamics between the two were so relatable (best dates = watching tv and snuggling together) and I enjoyed meeting Bernie’s friends and all of Brad’s weird brothers!

The artwork is clear and very pleasing to look at; I loved all the different breeds of dogs (reminded me slightly of TV show Bluey!) and the rendering of Dog City. I liked how Healy changed Brad and Bernie’s outfits for all their dates! Such cute attention to detail 💕

Read Dogs on Dates for:
✨ Graphic novel, Achillean romance
✨ Trans Masc MC, Gay MCs
✨ Plus size MCs
✨ Anthropomorphic dogs
✨ Documenting the couple’s dates
✨ Funny, sweet and heartfelt
✨ Friends and family dynamics
✨ A real comfort read 💕

Thank you to Faber to sending me a finished copy for review! It’s out on 16th June 💕

[Laura]

Absolutely delightful and very touching!

[Ricardo Shimoda]

I was reading this graphic novel date by date online and that was very relatable as I was going through similar dates with my current boyfriend - and that relatability opened my eyes to the work of Luke Healy - whose previous works went deeper into meaning and humor, if that is possible.
I stopped checking out the online release... waiting for the book to see more and more dates and I'm really glad I did so, as this book will sit together with all his other work and, as such, will be read multiple times. Quite an achievement!
Also, I recommend following the author on Instagram where he drops, every now and then, a quick story of pretend encounters with celebrities - but doing the radical opposite of celebrity magazines - bringing them all to a shared (and comical) sense of humanity and relatability we didn't know we needed.

[Rosamund Taylor]

Funny and engaging with lots of great jokes -- this was exactly what I needed! A lot lighter than Healey's other work, but that's no bad thing. Sometimes a book can just be queer and charming.

[Simon]

Recent Reads: Dogs On Dates. Luke Healy's romcom is a story of two dogs who meet, date, and live mundane lives. It's tender and funny and awfully real, even if the leads are anthropomorphic dogs. Spotted at an exhibition of queer comics at the Quentin Blake Center for Illustration and well worth it.

[Lauren Iozzi]

Ahh I loved this so much!! What a fantastic graphic novel, thanks so much to @faberbooks for sending me a copy!

I laughed out loud multiple times, this is totally my humour! The art style really portrayed the humour and emotions so well. And I related hard with Bernie being a food obsessed Italian 😆

Great representation of course with the gay relationships, and Bernie is also trans! So a great one to pick up if you want to read more diversely!

The situations they got themselves into were hilarious but also totally endearing too. We basically follow snapshots of lots of Bernie and Brads dates as their relationship develops, some of them just really short funny moments and others more of a longer narrative, the structure was very bingeable!


I’ll definitely be looking up more of Luke’s work! Would recommend this if you love graphic novels and hilarious characters!

[Fatguyreading]

What a charming, adorable tale ( pun intended, ha ha ) this was.

We follow Brad and Bernie in Dog City, who's chance encounter leads ( sorry, pun again intended, ha ha ) them on series of quite calamitous dates. From going out for food or to see films, to nights in, it's a hilarious, heart warming story in the form of a graphic novel.

The illustrations are nice and clear and are tastefully done.

4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.

[Michelle Cox]

This was hilarious and I loved it.

Two dogs go on a bunch of dates. Sometimes disasters happens. Sometimes it's cutsey. Oh and they're gay and one of them is trans.

Even if you're straight, this is relatable in so many ways because who hasn't had a date they were really looking forward to go awfully?

Slight spoilers: features a third act breakup

[Brian]

The title kind of speaks for itself, but in this graphic novel, we meet a bunch of dogs specifically one couple who go on a series of dates. The artwork is very cute. And the story is simple but sweet. I’m not sure if this book is going to stand out in my mind as one of the best books of the year, but it was enjoyable.

[Gary B]

Love everything Luke Healey does, and this different and light approach of the silliness in two dogs dating lives made me laugh a lot, and maybe just have an emotion or two by the end. Fully recommend this.

[August Driussi]

Brad and Bernie's chance encounter leads them on dates that always seem to end in total chaos. This hilarious and sincere rom-com reminded me why I love being gay!!

[Heenz]

Suuuper cute comic about two anthropomorphic queer dogs. Funny and sweet, I'd definitely recommend it if you like silly rom-coms with happy endings and low drama.

[immaciwiw]

This is about a toxic gay dog! Book is very #woke #lovethat but i wasn’t too fussed on bernie

[Singasur]

Rom-coms are BACK. The perfect, light, funny, heartwarming, camp summer read.

[Margaret Martin]

3.5

[Kadence]

Cute lil queer rom com of doggos!

Even better I read this during pride month.

[Samantha]

Adorable

[Julia Lama]

Sometimes, all you need is some fluff in the shape of gay dogs. Honestly, the perfect remedy for doom-scrolling. Luke Healy will always have my attention.

[Iwillbex]

Gotta admit the last bit got me gal ❤️‍🩹

[Gauri]

This was so adorable!🥹🌈

[Christina]

this book had me laughing out loud. heartwarming, funny, beautiful reflection on what dating is and what it means.

[Steven]

Cute, and a quick read, this slice of life comic explores the experience of dating. Featuring queer anthropomorphic dogs.

[H]

What a great way to end it. Just a perfect final page.

[Dez Roberts]

Dogs on Dates was exactly my kind of humour. I found myself wanting to share almost every joke with my partner because the comedy landed so perfectly for me. It’s a graphic novel full of fun, charm, and joy, and I absolutely adored it.

The artwork is fantastic, the story is genuinely engaging, and beneath all the humour there’s a surprising emotional depth that really hits by the end. Bernie and Brad are such lovable characters, and I’d genuinely love the chance to read more about them in the future.

Thank you faber for this review copy I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Carolyn]

Proper review to come.