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Dad Had a Bad Day
Headshot meets John Cheever in this darkly funny, deeply moving portrait of what happens when a “sad dad” reconnects with a passion from his past.
When Ned finds his old Slazenger tennis racquet buried in the garage, he unearths a part of his former self. Having recently lost his job, his sole duty is to watch over their six-year-old son while his wife works. On a whim--and without his wife's knowledge--Ned joins his childhood tennis club with a secret credit card, where he finds life outside the realm of “sad dad” domesticity. He becomes the captain of a local men’s rec league team, reconnects with his old hitting partner and former tennis prodigy, Roland, and commits his whole sad self to building a winning team. But when Roland disappears, Ned’s search for his friend threatens to consume the path to glory, the relationship with his son, his marriage, and his mind.
A meditation on fathers and sons, male friendship, and the psychic pressures of an individual sport, Politanoff’s novel sits beautifully alongside the dark comedy of Iris Murdoch and the masculine angst of John Cheever, with a style all its own. Funny, poignant, and deeply relatable, Dad Had a Bad Day explores our desire for structure, the emotional limits of domestic life, and the unbelievably potent, powerful, intoxicating feeling of winning.
When Ned finds his old Slazenger tennis racquet buried in the garage, he unearths a part of his former self. Having recently lost his job, his sole duty is to watch over their six-year-old son while his wife works. On a whim--and without his wife's knowledge--Ned joins his childhood tennis club with a secret credit card, where he finds life outside the realm of “sad dad” domesticity. He becomes the captain of a local men’s rec league team, reconnects with his old hitting partner and former tennis prodigy, Roland, and commits his whole sad self to building a winning team. But when Roland disappears, Ned’s search for his friend threatens to consume the path to glory, the relationship with his son, his marriage, and his mind.
A meditation on fathers and sons, male friendship, and the psychic pressures of an individual sport, Politanoff’s novel sits beautifully alongside the dark comedy of Iris Murdoch and the masculine angst of John Cheever, with a style all its own. Funny, poignant, and deeply relatable, Dad Had a Bad Day explores our desire for structure, the emotional limits of domestic life, and the unbelievably potent, powerful, intoxicating feeling of winning.
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About the author
Ashton Politanoff
4 books15 followersAshton Politanoff is the author of Dad Had a Bad Day and You’ll Like it Here. His writing has appeared in McSweeney’s, NOON, Southwest Review, Conjunctions, New York Tyrant, Egress, and elsewhere. He is a former division I tennis player and his childhood coach was Robert Lansdorp, who is credited with coaching Pete Sampras, Tracy Austin, and Maria Sharapova. He is an English Professor at Cypress College.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
June 27, 2026
I genuinely don’t know how to rate this book.
It’s either a one-star read or a five-star masterpiece, and I’m still not sure which.
Dad Had a Bad Day is one of the most effective portrayals of toxic masculinity, insecurity, and emotional avoidance that I’ve read in a long time. It’s also one of the most frustrating books I’ve ever finished.
Dad has recently been laid off while his wife is the family’s primary breadwinner. Instead of confronting their financial crisis together, he secretly opens a credit card and begins spending his days at an upscale tennis club with his young son. As he climbs the social ranks to become captain of the club and reconnects with an old rival, the novel slowly peels back the layers of his past—and the fragile ego that’s been driving him all along.
This isn’t a thriller, but it reminded me of The Shining in the best possible way. It’s a slow, psychological descent into madness. No axes. No ghosts. No murders. Just one lonely man who refuses to confront his own failures until he destroys the people who love him most.
The formatting deserves special praise. At roughly 250 pages, I flew through it in one sitting. There are no traditional chapter breaks. Some pages contain only a sentence, others a single paragraph, creating a relentless momentum that makes the story feel almost like a novella while perfectly mirroring Dad’s increasingly fractured state of mind.
And then there’s Dad himself.
I’ve never wanted to smack my forehead so many times while reading a book. Every terrible decision somehow gives way to an even worse one. My favorite (or perhaps least favorite) moment comes when his wife is sobbing because they’re on the verge of losing their home and facing bankruptcy. His response? He walks into the kitchen, grabs a handful of cashews, and internally complains that they aren’t salty enough.
It’s absurd.
It’s infuriating.
It’s also devastatingly believable.
If you find yourself absolutely despising this man, I hate to break it to you…you might just be a feminist. This novel is a powerful reminder that the patriarchy doesn’t only damage women. It damages men, too, teaching them to equate vulnerability with weakness, identity with success, and self-worth with winning. Dad isn’t simply an awful husband. He’s a tragic product of a system that taught him all the wrong lessons—and then left him unequipped to deal with failure.
Did I enjoy spending time with him?
Not for one second.
Did Ashton Politaniff accomplish exactly what he set out to do?
I think so.
This is one of those rare books that I admired far more than I enjoyed. It made me angry. It made me cringe. It made me want to yell at the pages. And days later, I’m still thinking about it.
Maybe that’s exactly what great literature is supposed to do.
Thank you to Astra Publishing House for the finished copy. I think.
It’s either a one-star read or a five-star masterpiece, and I’m still not sure which.
Dad Had a Bad Day is one of the most effective portrayals of toxic masculinity, insecurity, and emotional avoidance that I’ve read in a long time. It’s also one of the most frustrating books I’ve ever finished.
Dad has recently been laid off while his wife is the family’s primary breadwinner. Instead of confronting their financial crisis together, he secretly opens a credit card and begins spending his days at an upscale tennis club with his young son. As he climbs the social ranks to become captain of the club and reconnects with an old rival, the novel slowly peels back the layers of his past—and the fragile ego that’s been driving him all along.
This isn’t a thriller, but it reminded me of The Shining in the best possible way. It’s a slow, psychological descent into madness. No axes. No ghosts. No murders. Just one lonely man who refuses to confront his own failures until he destroys the people who love him most.
The formatting deserves special praise. At roughly 250 pages, I flew through it in one sitting. There are no traditional chapter breaks. Some pages contain only a sentence, others a single paragraph, creating a relentless momentum that makes the story feel almost like a novella while perfectly mirroring Dad’s increasingly fractured state of mind.
And then there’s Dad himself.
I’ve never wanted to smack my forehead so many times while reading a book. Every terrible decision somehow gives way to an even worse one. My favorite (or perhaps least favorite) moment comes when his wife is sobbing because they’re on the verge of losing their home and facing bankruptcy. His response? He walks into the kitchen, grabs a handful of cashews, and internally complains that they aren’t salty enough.
It’s absurd.
It’s infuriating.
It’s also devastatingly believable.
If you find yourself absolutely despising this man, I hate to break it to you…you might just be a feminist. This novel is a powerful reminder that the patriarchy doesn’t only damage women. It damages men, too, teaching them to equate vulnerability with weakness, identity with success, and self-worth with winning. Dad isn’t simply an awful husband. He’s a tragic product of a system that taught him all the wrong lessons—and then left him unequipped to deal with failure.
Did I enjoy spending time with him?
Not for one second.
Did Ashton Politaniff accomplish exactly what he set out to do?
I think so.
This is one of those rare books that I admired far more than I enjoyed. It made me angry. It made me cringe. It made me want to yell at the pages. And days later, I’m still thinking about it.
Maybe that’s exactly what great literature is supposed to do.
Thank you to Astra Publishing House for the finished copy. I think.
May 21, 2026
What a trip. This novel’s main theme is reclaiming lost youth. Yet in this case, it takes on an obsessive turn, it’s as if our main character is actually in the mind of an adolescent.
Let’s unpack: Ned is a middle-aged married man with a young son. (I repeatedly forgot the son’s name as it was rarely mentioned. The boy is a huge presence in the story, but he’s usually referred to as “son” or “the boy.”) Jobless and in-debt Ned joins a tennis club behind his wife’s back using a secret credit card. He soon decides to create a tennis squad, which soon morphs him into becoming possessive, saboteur, and obnoxiously competitive. Ned used to be a promising tennis player in his teenage years but had to give it up for reasons that are explained later on in the narrative. We begin to understand why the sport is important to him, but we also can see that it made him regress into someone who is hopelessly chasing lost youth. He also runs into an old friend, who appears to be even a bigger sad sack than he is. And he’s desperate to reconnect.
This novel had some gasp-worthy moments. Ned becomes so consumed with his new lifestyle that his parenting takes a backseat. Believe me, our main character does some wild things, very out-of-pocket, totally reckless and unhinged. As he starts to obsess at being the number one player, finishing off his opponents, and proving his manhood, he begins to spiral out, to such a point that he begins to lose himself and his moral compass. He consistently lies to his wife, coerces his son in unethical behavior, and racks up even more credit card debt. Winning is his end goal, his only goal, his ultimate downfall.
Side note: This novel made me feel nostalgic, not because of its themes, but for the particular in-depth sport it covers. My childhood summers were spent in New York with my relatives. My uncle was very into tennis, and I witnessed the joy it brought him, as well as the competitiveness. I could recall the “tennis uniforms” he wore. How I would stumble upon canisters of tennis balls in practically every closet and storage unit at the house. The multiple tennis rackets stored with care. The serious look on his face before every serve. Reading through this novel made these memories come flooding back. Ah, such simple times!
Dad Had a Bad Day really is a blast. Extremely readable, darkly humorous, energetic, shocking, infuriating, messy, tragic. A look at the lengths people go through in an attempt to recapture their youth. The desperate desire to be seen again, unlike how domestic responsibilities rendered them invisible. To try to tap back into that particular moment in time when one felt most alive. It’s a novel that takes you on an unhinged journey. With a “surrealistic” kind of ending that makes you go “huh?” A bop.
Let’s unpack: Ned is a middle-aged married man with a young son. (I repeatedly forgot the son’s name as it was rarely mentioned. The boy is a huge presence in the story, but he’s usually referred to as “son” or “the boy.”) Jobless and in-debt Ned joins a tennis club behind his wife’s back using a secret credit card. He soon decides to create a tennis squad, which soon morphs him into becoming possessive, saboteur, and obnoxiously competitive. Ned used to be a promising tennis player in his teenage years but had to give it up for reasons that are explained later on in the narrative. We begin to understand why the sport is important to him, but we also can see that it made him regress into someone who is hopelessly chasing lost youth. He also runs into an old friend, who appears to be even a bigger sad sack than he is. And he’s desperate to reconnect.
This novel had some gasp-worthy moments. Ned becomes so consumed with his new lifestyle that his parenting takes a backseat. Believe me, our main character does some wild things, very out-of-pocket, totally reckless and unhinged. As he starts to obsess at being the number one player, finishing off his opponents, and proving his manhood, he begins to spiral out, to such a point that he begins to lose himself and his moral compass. He consistently lies to his wife, coerces his son in unethical behavior, and racks up even more credit card debt. Winning is his end goal, his only goal, his ultimate downfall.
Side note: This novel made me feel nostalgic, not because of its themes, but for the particular in-depth sport it covers. My childhood summers were spent in New York with my relatives. My uncle was very into tennis, and I witnessed the joy it brought him, as well as the competitiveness. I could recall the “tennis uniforms” he wore. How I would stumble upon canisters of tennis balls in practically every closet and storage unit at the house. The multiple tennis rackets stored with care. The serious look on his face before every serve. Reading through this novel made these memories come flooding back. Ah, such simple times!
Dad Had a Bad Day really is a blast. Extremely readable, darkly humorous, energetic, shocking, infuriating, messy, tragic. A look at the lengths people go through in an attempt to recapture their youth. The desperate desire to be seen again, unlike how domestic responsibilities rendered them invisible. To try to tap back into that particular moment in time when one felt most alive. It’s a novel that takes you on an unhinged journey. With a “surrealistic” kind of ending that makes you go “huh?” A bop.
October 11, 2025
As a tennis fan, I was eager to pick this up and it did not disappoint. There are plenty of humorous moments, especially in the interactions between the main character and his son, but the story also takes a darker turn as we watch him slowly unravel. It’s literary fiction with a touch of suspense, keeping you unsure of just how far things will spiral. As someone who played tennis in my youth, I found the character’s relationship with the sport and its lasting impact especially relatable. Overall, this was a dark, compelling, and deeply engaging read.
July 2, 2026
People are either going to love or hate this book. Ned is a laid-off employee turned reluctant stay-at-home father who rediscovers his childhood passion for tennis. He joins an expensive club and captains a league, all behind his wife’s back, while pretending he is busy parenting his son.
The humour is dark and it likely won’t land with some people. I started getting into this book once I realized Ned is in no way supposed to be a good guy. We’re supposed to be a little appalled by his actions. I wouldn’t recommend this one to everyone, but if you love reading about unloveable antiheroes, this one might be up your alley.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me access to an eARC of this book!
The humour is dark and it likely won’t land with some people. I started getting into this book once I realized Ned is in no way supposed to be a good guy. We’re supposed to be a little appalled by his actions. I wouldn’t recommend this one to everyone, but if you love reading about unloveable antiheroes, this one might be up your alley.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me access to an eARC of this book!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received this book via an eARC on NetGalley. It will be my first eARC, and, if negative feedback hurts my chances of receiving future ARCs, I suppose there's a chance it could be my last as well. Nonetheless, thanks to Astra and NetGalley for the opportunity to check this out early.
This book follows along Ned, a 40-something unemployed husband and father, who decides to get back into tennis at a local club after not playing for 10+ years.
To be completely honest, if you are not a devout fan of tennis who absolutely loves reading anything having to do with tennis, I really have no idea why you would read this book. I feel that every character here is unlikable. Ned himself is the worst of them all, an egoist who routinely puts himself above everybody else in his life.
And sure, deplorable narrators are a relatively common thing, and feature in books I often like. It's just that, usually, the writing in those books is fantastic, and they are trying to explore some deep psychological issue or philosophical concept with this deplorable narrator. Here, I have no idea why Ned is the bad person that he is. He has some trauma relating to tennis in the past, I guess, but nothing that seems intense enough to make him such a bad person.
And then there's the writing. In flashes, Politanoff shows an eye for descriptions, but on the whole the writing feels meandering. There's random letters to his wife scattered in throughout, seemingly to try and add some variation to the writing, but instead just add confusion. There is constant jumping back and forth between timelines, with no delineation (which may just be due to the lack of formatting as this is an ARC, in which case this critique can be dropped). There are no quotations around dialogue, a recent trend most notably seen in Sally Rooney's novels, but here I feel is not pulled off well enough and instead just adds annoying extra work for the reader to parse what is dialogue versus what is in Ned's head. There is random profanity thrown in, seemingly to add more spunk. There is an overabundance of proper nouns that add nothing to the story. There are cringe lines taken from pop culture peppered in ("Sundays, as they say, are for the boys", "focus on the W", "sun's out, guns out") that made me want to stop reading.
So yeah. I was not a fan. Then again, I don't really have many qualifications besides writing a bunch of Goodreads reviews, so what do I know?
This book follows along Ned, a 40-something unemployed husband and father, who decides to get back into tennis at a local club after not playing for 10+ years.
To be completely honest, if you are not a devout fan of tennis who absolutely loves reading anything having to do with tennis, I really have no idea why you would read this book. I feel that every character here is unlikable. Ned himself is the worst of them all, an egoist who routinely puts himself above everybody else in his life.
And sure, deplorable narrators are a relatively common thing, and feature in books I often like. It's just that, usually, the writing in those books is fantastic, and they are trying to explore some deep psychological issue or philosophical concept with this deplorable narrator. Here, I have no idea why Ned is the bad person that he is. He has some trauma relating to tennis in the past, I guess, but nothing that seems intense enough to make him such a bad person.
And then there's the writing. In flashes, Politanoff shows an eye for descriptions, but on the whole the writing feels meandering. There's random letters to his wife scattered in throughout, seemingly to try and add some variation to the writing, but instead just add confusion. There is constant jumping back and forth between timelines, with no delineation (which may just be due to the lack of formatting as this is an ARC, in which case this critique can be dropped). There are no quotations around dialogue, a recent trend most notably seen in Sally Rooney's novels, but here I feel is not pulled off well enough and instead just adds annoying extra work for the reader to parse what is dialogue versus what is in Ned's head. There is random profanity thrown in, seemingly to add more spunk. There is an overabundance of proper nouns that add nothing to the story. There are cringe lines taken from pop culture peppered in ("Sundays, as they say, are for the boys", "focus on the W", "sun's out, guns out") that made me want to stop reading.
So yeah. I was not a fan. Then again, I don't really have many qualifications besides writing a bunch of Goodreads reviews, so what do I know?
October 31, 2025
This book was unhinged in the best possible way. The main character is so deeply morally grey it’s almost comical, except it isn’t, because you’re too busy watching him completely unravel. His obsession with tennis becomes this dark, consuming force, and watching him self-destruct is both horrifying and fascinating.
The prose is straightforward and razor-sharp, which works perfectly for the story’s descent into chaos. I actually found myself gasping out loud during some of his more questionable decisions (which happened often). The tennis scenes are vivid and strangely hypnotic whether or not you care about the sport, you’ll be pulled in.
I loved every wild, spiralling moment of this. It’s unsettling, darkly funny, and unforgettable.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC review.
The prose is straightforward and razor-sharp, which works perfectly for the story’s descent into chaos. I actually found myself gasping out loud during some of his more questionable decisions (which happened often). The tennis scenes are vivid and strangely hypnotic whether or not you care about the sport, you’ll be pulled in.
I loved every wild, spiralling moment of this. It’s unsettling, darkly funny, and unforgettable.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER TO HAVE A BOOK
August 25, 2026
I read this in two days, which probably says enough. It’s darkly funny, uncomfortable and becomes increasingly unhinged as it goes on. As someone who used to play league tennis back in the day, the tennis scenes brought back memories of just how competitive it could get, even at amateur level. It’s also a sharp look at masculinity, ego and what happens when someone feels they’re losing control of their life. Despite his flaws and terrible choices, I found Ned strangely compelling and even sympathised with him for much of the book - except towards the end, when he went completely off the rails.
4.5 stars, rounded up.
4.5 stars, rounded up.
October 11, 2025
Absolutely loved the plot of this book. Med is a relatable and likeable character and his life is relatable with being out of work, balancing a marriage and fatherhood, and the need to find himself. It was heartwarming and encouraging to see him find himself through joining a tennis club and reconnecting with Roland. Of course everything is thrown into chaos and I was worried for him as he navigates the pressures of life that men can face. We don’t often get books that cover these topics so this is a true treasure. Loved the humor mixed in the storyline and the overall look at domestic life as we know it today. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 4, 2026
*dad gave everyone else a bad day
May 14, 2026
Dad Had a Bad Day follows Ned, a typical suburban man who has lost his job and is a stay-at-home-dad for his 6-year-old son. His wife Loraine, to whom he pens many journal entries, is constantly traveling for work, and Ned suffers the ennui of a midlife crisis. When he takes his son to the park one day and watches a father-son duo playing tennis, he is inspired to dig up his old tennis racket from when he was a young tennis virtuoso. This all happens pretty rapidly, and the remainder of the book’s action mounts in its short, terse chapters. Ned joins a tennis club, Ned encounters a former friend and fellow child tennis pro, Ned starts to shell out more and more money on tennis, Ned avows his son to keep the club a secret from his mother, Ned becomes captain of a tennis team, Ned starts to run into another woman at the club, Ned piece-by-piece reveals his and his former friend’s backstory…etc. etc. There is a mention at the beginning of one crucial element, but it is left hanging and then later executed poorly.
The main aspect of Ned, that he is a dad, starts to wither away the more he becomes absorbed in tennis. He starts to neglect his son in some very shocking ways, or uses him as an accomplice against his fellow tennis players. Ned is one of those main characters who makes the book hard to read. His egotism and insane fixation on ‘defeating’ people whom he perceives as having wronged him are constants as he becomes more deeply disturbed. The cover art is undoubtedly a reference to limp-dick toxic male insecurity (and you will certainly see that here).
Those who know me now know I’m not at all sporty, but I actually played tennis up through my teenage years, so I was drawn to this book despite the fact that sports novels aren’t my jam. I suppose it is good that the book reads so quickly, because I didn’t wind up liking this too much, based mostly on the plot and characters; you do not need to be a tennis player to read this.
Editing wise: as we all know, I’m not a fan of the absence of quotation marks with no literary merit, so I’ll quit while I’m ahead on that front. I don’t knock off points for poor eARC formatting (even though it does detract a bit from the experience), because I know that isn’t what the print book is going to look like. I DO feel chagrined when I catch basic typos in a 260ish page book. To someone like me who has tutored and taught writing, it just sticks out like a gangrenous thumb. I know most uncorrected proofs aren’t perfectly polished, and hopefully won’t make it into the print edition, but seeing something as basic as breath instead of breathe does drive me a little nuts. Astra, I’m sorry, I’m a big fan of your work.
I received an eARC from NetGalley and Astra Publishing House in exchange for an honest review!
The main aspect of Ned, that he is a dad, starts to wither away the more he becomes absorbed in tennis. He starts to neglect his son in some very shocking ways, or uses him as an accomplice against his fellow tennis players. Ned is one of those main characters who makes the book hard to read. His egotism and insane fixation on ‘defeating’ people whom he perceives as having wronged him are constants as he becomes more deeply disturbed. The cover art is undoubtedly a reference to limp-dick toxic male insecurity (and you will certainly see that here).
Those who know me now know I’m not at all sporty, but I actually played tennis up through my teenage years, so I was drawn to this book despite the fact that sports novels aren’t my jam. I suppose it is good that the book reads so quickly, because I didn’t wind up liking this too much, based mostly on the plot and characters; you do not need to be a tennis player to read this.
Editing wise: as we all know, I’m not a fan of the absence of quotation marks with no literary merit, so I’ll quit while I’m ahead on that front. I don’t knock off points for poor eARC formatting (even though it does detract a bit from the experience), because I know that isn’t what the print book is going to look like. I DO feel chagrined when I catch basic typos in a 260ish page book. To someone like me who has tutored and taught writing, it just sticks out like a gangrenous thumb. I know most uncorrected proofs aren’t perfectly polished, and hopefully won’t make it into the print edition, but seeing something as basic as breath instead of breathe does drive me a little nuts. Astra, I’m sorry, I’m a big fan of your work.
I received an eARC from NetGalley and Astra Publishing House in exchange for an honest review!
October 20, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, Astra House, and Ashton Politanoff for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
While Dad Had a Bad Day is framed as a dark comedy about domestic life, its surrealist elements run deep, shaping the tone and narrative in unexpected ways. Ned is having difficulty squaring his idealized notion of masculinity with his current circumstances as a laid-off, stay-at-home dad. His self-reflection leads him to seek meaning through reliving his glory days of tennis at his childhood country club. Tennis works as an apt metaphor for Ned’s idea of what it means to be a ‘manly man'. Its solitary nature, strict boundaries, and focus on dominance, control, and winning by any means necessary reflect the emotional isolation and performative masculinity he tries to project, both to others and to himself. Roland functions both as a cautionary tale and as a glimpse into Ned’s emerging reality.
As a reader, it's easy to empathize with what Ned is going through. It's also crushing to then see Ned's efforts lead him to spiral and betray what he truly wants: to be a good father, husband, and man. I loved this book!
While Dad Had a Bad Day is framed as a dark comedy about domestic life, its surrealist elements run deep, shaping the tone and narrative in unexpected ways. Ned is having difficulty squaring his idealized notion of masculinity with his current circumstances as a laid-off, stay-at-home dad. His self-reflection leads him to seek meaning through reliving his glory days of tennis at his childhood country club. Tennis works as an apt metaphor for Ned’s idea of what it means to be a ‘manly man'. Its solitary nature, strict boundaries, and focus on dominance, control, and winning by any means necessary reflect the emotional isolation and performative masculinity he tries to project, both to others and to himself. Roland functions both as a cautionary tale and as a glimpse into Ned’s emerging reality.
As a reader, it's easy to empathize with what Ned is going through. It's also crushing to then see Ned's efforts lead him to spiral and betray what he truly wants: to be a good father, husband, and man. I loved this book!
October 30, 2025
Picked this up for the tennis but stayed for the sad-dad vibes... I absolutely loved it. It’s rare to find a novel that blends literary depth and dark humor so seamlessly, but Politanoff nailed it.
The story follows Ned, a recently laid-off father struggling to navigate stay-at-home life, parenthood, and a fading sense of identity. When he dusts off his old tennis racquet, he reconnects with a former version of himself, one hungry for competition, and control. What begins as a harmless pastime slowly twists into obsession, a sharp reflection on masculinity, dominance and the need to win at all costs.
Politanoff’s prose is beautifully measured and quietly propulsive. Funny, sad, relatable and deeply human, Dad Had a Bad Day is a moving meditation on fathers, sons, friendship, and the fragile sense of purpose we all chase. I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Astra House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
netgalley
The story follows Ned, a recently laid-off father struggling to navigate stay-at-home life, parenthood, and a fading sense of identity. When he dusts off his old tennis racquet, he reconnects with a former version of himself, one hungry for competition, and control. What begins as a harmless pastime slowly twists into obsession, a sharp reflection on masculinity, dominance and the need to win at all costs.
Politanoff’s prose is beautifully measured and quietly propulsive. Funny, sad, relatable and deeply human, Dad Had a Bad Day is a moving meditation on fathers, sons, friendship, and the fragile sense of purpose we all chase. I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Astra House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
netgalley
October 22, 2025
this was such a great read. quick-paced, funny in unexpected ways, and surprisingly tender. it actually reminded me a bit of a miranda july book - that same mix of offbeat humor and quiet heartbreak.
i loved how easy it was to connect with ned and how well it captured that feeling of being lost after a major life shift. tennis almost felt like its own character at times, but it was written in a way that never left me behind. and the ending? loved! satisfying, a little tense, and exactly what i was hoping for. huge thanks for the advanced copy!
i loved how easy it was to connect with ned and how well it captured that feeling of being lost after a major life shift. tennis almost felt like its own character at times, but it was written in a way that never left me behind. and the ending? loved! satisfying, a little tense, and exactly what i was hoping for. huge thanks for the advanced copy!
February 22, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! This novel releases in May.
Sadly, this didn’t work for me. Despite some solid writing—some excellent turns of phrase and intriguing character work—I just wasn’t gripped. At 242 pages I should’ve finished weeks ago, yet it took me almost a month to finish. I found myself simply not wanting to return. Part of it was the lack of chapter breaks (not that I am opposed to this sort of stylization, but the whole thing really begins to feel like an onslaught), part of it was simply not caring about tennis. Sorry! This is clearly a novel about tennis, so that’s on me, but I thought it would grab me more than it did. I see this book has already gotten some 5-star reviews so it is obviously working for some readers. I found it to be a little bit of a headache. Ah, well. We gotta keep it pushing!
Sadly, this didn’t work for me. Despite some solid writing—some excellent turns of phrase and intriguing character work—I just wasn’t gripped. At 242 pages I should’ve finished weeks ago, yet it took me almost a month to finish. I found myself simply not wanting to return. Part of it was the lack of chapter breaks (not that I am opposed to this sort of stylization, but the whole thing really begins to feel like an onslaught), part of it was simply not caring about tennis. Sorry! This is clearly a novel about tennis, so that’s on me, but I thought it would grab me more than it did. I see this book has already gotten some 5-star reviews so it is obviously working for some readers. I found it to be a little bit of a headache. Ah, well. We gotta keep it pushing!
March 23, 2026
First and foremost, a huge thank you to Astra House for the gifted copy of this book for my review.
As someone who grew up wrestling, playing football, and traveling year-round for baseball, this book resonated with me. I saw firsthand how quickly sports can shift from something fun into something stressful for all involved. The pressure, the expectations, and the way some fathers live through their kids felt very, very familiar to me.
I wasn’t the standout athlete like Ned, but I witnessed from the sidelines and bleachers the pushy coaches, the intense parents, and the teams that took it way too seriously. Now, as an adult, I see a lot of those same guys coaching their kids and playing in rec leagues, still holding onto pieces of that identity.
I had to catch my breath tearing through this novel. The short, choppy sentences, the lack of quotation marks and the writing all press down as our main character, Ned, tries to reclaim a life that slipped through his fingers between college and fatherhood. It feels like a foot on my chest and I couldn't predict how far Ned was willing to go to have another "good day."
After closing the book, I kept coming back to the same question: is Ned a bad father, or just a man trying, and failing, to set boundaries in a life that's already spiraling? Outside of a few moments that clearly cross the line, he lives in that uncomfortable gray space. The kind that fluctuates between uncomfortable and unhinged.
Masculinity is on display here on-and-off the court. Ned is recently unemployed, supported by his wife, and running out of funds and time. He is stuck in the same place that once defined him as a promising tennis player, but he's the one that never made it to the "big leagues," and everyone he bumps into reminds him of that. I could feel the weight of that across the pages and from other characters, too. While he's going through the motions of his life in the present, he's trapped in the expectations he and others had for him in his past.
That tension built on and off the page for me. I'm a man in my thirties and as a runner who will likely never break my PR mile time, the feelings Ned has toward tennis and reclaiming some sense of self-accomplishment were recognizable
Admittedly, the writing takes a minute to adjust to. It’s sharp and disorienting. About 20 pages in, it clicked. The structure mirrors Ned’s mindset and the situation he finds himself in now. Ashton is sharing Ned's chaos, his thoughts, and his choices with us in a raw, unpolished format. And it works for me.
I’d recommend this to anyone who’s been around competitive sports culture, especially those who never fully left it behind. I feel like it will hit hardest for dads, and men navigating identity and expectation as they diverge from their father's expectations for them and are simultaneously imparting their own expectations on their own children. The multi-generational trauma, mentoring, and complicated love is such a delicate theme explored here. I would also recommend this to readers who like darker, character-driven stories with a few unhinged plot points sprinkled in.
Overall, a really great read, and one I’d easily recommend!
As someone who grew up wrestling, playing football, and traveling year-round for baseball, this book resonated with me. I saw firsthand how quickly sports can shift from something fun into something stressful for all involved. The pressure, the expectations, and the way some fathers live through their kids felt very, very familiar to me.
I wasn’t the standout athlete like Ned, but I witnessed from the sidelines and bleachers the pushy coaches, the intense parents, and the teams that took it way too seriously. Now, as an adult, I see a lot of those same guys coaching their kids and playing in rec leagues, still holding onto pieces of that identity.
I had to catch my breath tearing through this novel. The short, choppy sentences, the lack of quotation marks and the writing all press down as our main character, Ned, tries to reclaim a life that slipped through his fingers between college and fatherhood. It feels like a foot on my chest and I couldn't predict how far Ned was willing to go to have another "good day."
After closing the book, I kept coming back to the same question: is Ned a bad father, or just a man trying, and failing, to set boundaries in a life that's already spiraling? Outside of a few moments that clearly cross the line, he lives in that uncomfortable gray space. The kind that fluctuates between uncomfortable and unhinged.
Masculinity is on display here on-and-off the court. Ned is recently unemployed, supported by his wife, and running out of funds and time. He is stuck in the same place that once defined him as a promising tennis player, but he's the one that never made it to the "big leagues," and everyone he bumps into reminds him of that. I could feel the weight of that across the pages and from other characters, too. While he's going through the motions of his life in the present, he's trapped in the expectations he and others had for him in his past.
That tension built on and off the page for me. I'm a man in my thirties and as a runner who will likely never break my PR mile time, the feelings Ned has toward tennis and reclaiming some sense of self-accomplishment were recognizable
Admittedly, the writing takes a minute to adjust to. It’s sharp and disorienting. About 20 pages in, it clicked. The structure mirrors Ned’s mindset and the situation he finds himself in now. Ashton is sharing Ned's chaos, his thoughts, and his choices with us in a raw, unpolished format. And it works for me.
I’d recommend this to anyone who’s been around competitive sports culture, especially those who never fully left it behind. I feel like it will hit hardest for dads, and men navigating identity and expectation as they diverge from their father's expectations for them and are simultaneously imparting their own expectations on their own children. The multi-generational trauma, mentoring, and complicated love is such a delicate theme explored here. I would also recommend this to readers who like darker, character-driven stories with a few unhinged plot points sprinkled in.
Overall, a really great read, and one I’d easily recommend!
Read
August 11, 2026Dark
August 31, 2026
men will do anything but go to therapy
September 24, 2026
dad had a bad day and he’s making it everyone else’s problem
June 19, 2026
Delightful, fast paced, not mean-spirited despite so much bad behavior. Sad to see it end!
January 23, 2026
Ned didn’t just have a bad day, he was having a mid life crisis at the expense of everyone else including his own family.
Ned joins his tennis club using a secret credit card that his wife was oblivious to that and also to the fact that he’s not looking for work or really being the agreed stay at home parent while she works full time.
Ned becomes more aggressive, selfish and obnoxious the longer it goes on until one day it all collapses leaving a host of victims in his wake.
I didn’t enjoy this too much; tennis goes over my head but the plot was kind of lost on me. It didn’t have much to get my teeth into and the Roland plot was a missed opportunity.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for this ARC.
Ned joins his tennis club using a secret credit card that his wife was oblivious to that and also to the fact that he’s not looking for work or really being the agreed stay at home parent while she works full time.
Ned becomes more aggressive, selfish and obnoxious the longer it goes on until one day it all collapses leaving a host of victims in his wake.
I didn’t enjoy this too much; tennis goes over my head but the plot was kind of lost on me. It didn’t have much to get my teeth into and the Roland plot was a missed opportunity.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for this ARC.
September 20, 2026
The review on the cover says “Deranged and also a really good time” and that about sums it up. What have we learned here? I don’t know. What have we gained? I’m not sure. Was it worth it? No clue.
November 17, 2025
The fact was novel was fast-paced and short was the primary reason I finished it. However, I can’t say I enjoyed it much. The writing was frantic and erratic, and I never fully invested in the main character, Ned.
I understand that while this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, there will be readers who will enjoy it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this upcoming novel.
I understand that while this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, there will be readers who will enjoy it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this upcoming novel.
June 9, 2026
⊹ ࣪ ˖𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈
ᯓ★★★.17 decent
⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈
Dad Had a Bad Day is basically the story of a sad dad trying to find purpose after losing his job. What made the premise work for me is that Ned is a stay-at-home father. If the protagonist were a woman, the same situation probably wouldn't feel nearly as unusual/odd/absurde. But watching a grown man secretly rejoin a tennis club and become obsessed with a local league gives the story an almost sitcom-like energy.
I actually appreciated how flawed Ned is. He's selfish, dishonest, and often frustrating, but the novel never seems interested in making him likeable. Instead, it lets him spiral and trusts readers to sit with that discomfort.
The second half lost me a little. The tennis-heavy sections became repetitive, and I wanted more from some of the supporting characters and subplots. Still, it's a memorable read about identity, obsession, and what happens when someone desperately tries to reclaim a version of themselves that no longer exists.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒐𝒏
╰┈➤blog ╰┈➤ instagram
⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
After losing his job, Ned secretly rejoins his childhood tennis club in an attempt to escape the frustrations of stay-at-home fatherhood. What begins as a nostalgic return to the sport soon turns into an obsession as he captains a local team and reconnects with his former tennis partner, Roland. But when Roland mysteriously disappears, Ned's search for his friend threatens to unravel his marriage, family life, and sense of self. Blending dark humour with emotional depth, Dad Had a Bad Day is a sharp exploration of fatherhood, male friendship, and the intoxicating pursuit of winning.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
# started: 23/05/2026
# finished: 06/06/2026
ᯓ★★★.17 decent
⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈
Dad Had a Bad Day is basically the story of a sad dad trying to find purpose after losing his job. What made the premise work for me is that Ned is a stay-at-home father. If the protagonist were a woman, the same situation probably wouldn't feel nearly as unusual/odd/absurde. But watching a grown man secretly rejoin a tennis club and become obsessed with a local league gives the story an almost sitcom-like energy.
I actually appreciated how flawed Ned is. He's selfish, dishonest, and often frustrating, but the novel never seems interested in making him likeable. Instead, it lets him spiral and trusts readers to sit with that discomfort.
The second half lost me a little. The tennis-heavy sections became repetitive, and I wanted more from some of the supporting characters and subplots. Still, it's a memorable read about identity, obsession, and what happens when someone desperately tries to reclaim a version of themselves that no longer exists.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒐𝒏
╰┈➤blog ╰┈➤ instagram
⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
After losing his job, Ned secretly rejoins his childhood tennis club in an attempt to escape the frustrations of stay-at-home fatherhood. What begins as a nostalgic return to the sport soon turns into an obsession as he captains a local team and reconnects with his former tennis partner, Roland. But when Roland mysteriously disappears, Ned's search for his friend threatens to unravel his marriage, family life, and sense of self. Blending dark humour with emotional depth, Dad Had a Bad Day is a sharp exploration of fatherhood, male friendship, and the intoxicating pursuit of winning.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
# started: 23/05/2026
# finished: 06/06/2026
May 23, 2026
2 stars; major fit problems, unsuccessful for me.
The novel’s intended effect is obvious - escalating obsessive behavior thinly masking underlying narcissism, insecurity and unmitigated ego, but I did not think the execution kept up the pace. While the "dad" is slowly building his career in tennis, his own personal relationships and treatment of his young son, is destabilizing the family foundation. He puts his own son is circumstances that are truly abhorring, he does so with quite an ease to ensure success in his career.
Ned, the dad, is easy to dislike. All the desperate scheming to be validated by peers that he sees as "enemies" is incredibly tragic. The end, the downfall and all the mess that comes back for retribution wasn't gratifying but an inevitable conclusion that's set in stone from the very first moment his ego is bruised.
Thank you to Netgalley and Astra Publishing House for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
The novel’s intended effect is obvious - escalating obsessive behavior thinly masking underlying narcissism, insecurity and unmitigated ego, but I did not think the execution kept up the pace. While the "dad" is slowly building his career in tennis, his own personal relationships and treatment of his young son, is destabilizing the family foundation. He puts his own son is circumstances that are truly abhorring, he does so with quite an ease to ensure success in his career.
Ned, the dad, is easy to dislike. All the desperate scheming to be validated by peers that he sees as "enemies" is incredibly tragic. The end, the downfall and all the mess that comes back for retribution wasn't gratifying but an inevitable conclusion that's set in stone from the very first moment his ego is bruised.
Thank you to Netgalley and Astra Publishing House for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
October 22, 2026
I almost stopped reading this book after the first page but it somehow sucked me in for more and more of “dad’s” death spiral. Politanoff provides an artistic take on what happens when a man’s depression is fed by unhealed wounds, emotional instability, and obsession. Playing tennis at a certain club with seemingly endless amenities serves as a catalyst for his downfall and debauchery. I found this book moving in its ability to lay bare what can happen when a man is given false security and unlimited access to his sinful desires. Further, Politanoff manages to not only reflect generational trauma but somehow humanizes the act. I didn’t expect the depth of darkness presented and yet it feels perfectly formed and achingly realistic.
September 23, 2026
I liked the story. I didn’t like the writing.
The writing is sparse with no quotation marks and for me this works. What doesn’t work is the letters that are never explained and are mostly pointless in moving the story along. The flow is not there and the letters just break it up even more. The only letter I liked was the one about the onion. This could have just been in the narrative considering it’s first person anyhow. The story would’ve worked better if the wife remained unnamed. I also didn’t like the CONSTANT structure of my son, xyz and my wife, xyz. Didn’t land well for me. The son could have also remained unnamed. The ending was ominous but also could have been interwoven into the narrative.
The writing is sparse with no quotation marks and for me this works. What doesn’t work is the letters that are never explained and are mostly pointless in moving the story along. The flow is not there and the letters just break it up even more. The only letter I liked was the one about the onion. This could have just been in the narrative considering it’s first person anyhow. The story would’ve worked better if the wife remained unnamed. I also didn’t like the CONSTANT structure of my son, xyz and my wife, xyz. Didn’t land well for me. The son could have also remained unnamed. The ending was ominous but also could have been interwoven into the narrative.
July 17, 2026
Un libro divertido pero con muchísimos dobleces oscuros. Me ha gustado leer y empatizar con Ned como protagonista, conocer de dónde viene y su pérdida de identidad… pero qué manía le he cogido. Supongo que entendiendo pero nunca supporteando los wrongs de un señor.
El final me ha dado ansiedad pero me ha mantenido enganchada.
El final me ha dado ansiedad pero me ha mantenido enganchada.
October 2, 2026
more thoughts to come but just know I read this in one sitting
One thing that astounds in the “dissatisfied man” genre of media is that men genuinely position themselves as victims, not of their own life choices, but of others. Even as Lorraine is about breakdown from financial stress, Ned can only think of himself and what he doesn’t have as if it he how has been uniquely deprived of something. I am genuinely fascinated by the male victim complex.
One thing that astounds in the “dissatisfied man” genre of media is that men genuinely position themselves as victims, not of their own life choices, but of others. Even as Lorraine is about breakdown from financial stress, Ned can only think of himself and what he doesn’t have as if it he how has been uniquely deprived of something. I am genuinely fascinated by the male victim complex.
October 3, 2026
I enjoyed the themes of toxic masculinity and hurt men hurting other men throughout.
Sometimes wondered if the author had been around kids at all because Freddy, who is a young boy, seems to have bargaining and blackmailing skills like those of a teen?? Also, I don’t know why it had to be pointed out when the dad or son had a shit? That was weird.
Sometimes wondered if the author had been around kids at all because Freddy, who is a young boy, seems to have bargaining and blackmailing skills like those of a teen?? Also, I don’t know why it had to be pointed out when the dad or son had a shit? That was weird.
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