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Dadlife: Family Tales from Instagram's Father of Daughters
'This is the story of my journey into parenthood, from being a 24 year old man-child with no idea of what being a dad involved, to where I find myself the single male representative in a household of five women, or in other words, outnumbered. Our house is now known as "the place where silence came to die". It's also where you'll find carpets that are made up of 50% glitter and where there are more pink stuffed animals than at a colour-blind taxidermy specialists. But I wouldn't change a thing. These people are my life.'
From uninitiated parents-to-be to those who know the ropes in families large or small, everyone will find something to relate to in Simon's hilarious and chaotic tales of his own home life. His observations of being a father have delighted his hundreds of thousands of followers on before now dads are often the forgotten ones who carry the luggage, open stiff jars, take photos on holiday, fix broken bikes, go back to work, do the night feeds and make a mean beans on toast with melted cheese without so much as a pat on the back. All too often dads shrink into the background. But not in this book.
Dadlife is an incredibly funny yet emotionally heartfelt ode to modern family life.
From uninitiated parents-to-be to those who know the ropes in families large or small, everyone will find something to relate to in Simon's hilarious and chaotic tales of his own home life. His observations of being a father have delighted his hundreds of thousands of followers on before now dads are often the forgotten ones who carry the luggage, open stiff jars, take photos on holiday, fix broken bikes, go back to work, do the night feeds and make a mean beans on toast with melted cheese without so much as a pat on the back. All too often dads shrink into the background. But not in this book.
Dadlife is an incredibly funny yet emotionally heartfelt ode to modern family life.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2018
36 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 23, 2023
I've followed him on IG for a while, so now that I'm pregnant with our first child (a girl, of course), I had to get a copy of his book! My husband already wants another girl, so thought this will be a great read for him too - and after I've finished it, I definitely think so! It made me laugh out loud several times, so already had to read portions out loud. It's not a "how to" parenting book or anything, mostly it's Simon's relatable and down to earth experience, thoughts and advice. A good read not just for dads! Though it's probably best that you already follow him on IG, hehe.
June 21, 2018
Since I've followed Simon on Instagram I knew his humour would make me laugh out loud. And as I find his British accent utterly adorable, I chose to listen Audiobook format, which he narrated himself. I had not listened and audiobook for a few years and I can now say it was a right choice and I should listen to books more. This book did make me laugh out loud as expected, I could identify myself with many of the stories and it was just long enough to cover variety of family-life topics without boring the listener. I gave 4 stars instead of 5, because some of the stories made me feel like: "It's obvious, why are your telling me this" and some of his figurative comparisons were a bit too much. I would definitely recommend this books to everyone who has children.
January 10, 2019
Absolutely loved it! Hilarious and scary at the same time😬 I've enjoyed it very much!
July 23, 2018
I knew I’d find this book funny as I really love Simon’s captions on Instagram. After reading it though it’s definitely made me realise that I’m 100% not ready to have kids and I don’t think I’ll have more than two 😂😅 it’s put me off a bit as it’s clearly written for someone who probably already has kids and knows about all the good stuff that outweighs the awful sounding bits. I do really like the honesty though - you can’t pretend it’s all great as that’s no good to anyone.
I did have a few problems with the book but these are mostly down to the editor and not Simon. I found there were a handful of repetitions throughout, sometimes whole sentences or ways to describe a situation. Sometimes a section would say something along the lines of ‘(more on this later)’ when it had actually already been spoken about in a previous chapter and didn’t come up again. And there was missing punctuation and punctuation where there shouldn’t have been such as bullet points in the wrong place. I just think it’s a shame as it felt like parts of the editing had been rushed.
One final thing which is completely a matter of opinion was that I felt like the father’s day section sounded a bit spoilt. These are presents from your babies haha! And when taking into account the amount of single dads who don’t get to see their kids that much I expect that reading a list of presents that are slightly ‘annoying to receive’ was a bit weird. But this might just be me and my own experience! 🤷🏻♀️
I did have a few problems with the book but these are mostly down to the editor and not Simon. I found there were a handful of repetitions throughout, sometimes whole sentences or ways to describe a situation. Sometimes a section would say something along the lines of ‘(more on this later)’ when it had actually already been spoken about in a previous chapter and didn’t come up again. And there was missing punctuation and punctuation where there shouldn’t have been such as bullet points in the wrong place. I just think it’s a shame as it felt like parts of the editing had been rushed.
One final thing which is completely a matter of opinion was that I felt like the father’s day section sounded a bit spoilt. These are presents from your babies haha! And when taking into account the amount of single dads who don’t get to see their kids that much I expect that reading a list of presents that are slightly ‘annoying to receive’ was a bit weird. But this might just be me and my own experience! 🤷🏻♀️
October 7, 2020
This is a book converted from an online blog about a guy living in London who has four young daughters (hence the title as he is outnumbered by 5 women in his house). It's probably of most interest to people (mostly men I guess) who have young kids themselves, or are about to have, and want some tips. It's not a serious book and it isn't an instruction manual, but there's something to be learned in a light hearted way. I would rather read this than one of those books from some know-it-all who can tell you how to bring up your kids (I don't object to that but none of them seem to agree, so I have no faith in them as it's mostly common sense anyway).
So, it's a bunch of stories covering all the aspects you would expect about bringing up young children. It's supposed to be funny, and it's humorous but I only properly laughed once. The constant similes got to me a bit (the first one I found flicking though the book is "as useful as a stapler with no staples"). I also got a bit bored with the author banging on about how much he loved his family and how his whole character changed as soon as his first daughter was born. This is the sort of thing that the 'instruction manual' books say and I had hoped for an alternative opinion.
In summary, not bad. Not hilarious, but better than the standard text books about how to raise children.
So, it's a bunch of stories covering all the aspects you would expect about bringing up young children. It's supposed to be funny, and it's humorous but I only properly laughed once. The constant similes got to me a bit (the first one I found flicking though the book is "as useful as a stapler with no staples"). I also got a bit bored with the author banging on about how much he loved his family and how his whole character changed as soon as his first daughter was born. This is the sort of thing that the 'instruction manual' books say and I had hoped for an alternative opinion.
In summary, not bad. Not hilarious, but better than the standard text books about how to raise children.
September 21, 2018
An enjoyable book with a few genuinely laugh out loud bits, but I think it would be more suitable for someone about to start a family as the smirk and agreeing that yes your child / spouse does that too gets a bit repetitive after a while. I think it’s probably one dads or future dads might get more out of, as a Mum I’d like to read Clemmie’s version!
July 29, 2018
I enjoyed the book, and Simon covers all topics of his family life. But I would have loved to have know more how he got into being an Instagram sensation. Still really good book and funny. Love the way Simon describes everything. The description of Peppa Pig was spot on x
July 31, 2018
i have no idea why i bought or read the whole of this because i am not a dad but i do love following this family on instagram and the book was good, it was funny and i’m sure i would have given it 4 stars if i was a dad or at least a parent
September 1, 2018
Everything put on the page that can’t be said or seen from the constraints of social media limits! Was disappointed by the lack of promotion of where FOD can be found online within the book (no author bio) and Ottilie’s name was spelt wrong in the acknowledgements :( 4/5
February 8, 2021
I had very high expectations for the book since I have been following FOD on Instagram for a while. And he has always been hilarious there and that also did not change in the book - it was definitely a very funny audiobook and I enjoyed every minute of it. Recommend!
May 19, 2018
I love Simon‘s Instagram, he is funny and like an artist with words and captions. So I was very curious about the book and he did not disappoint! I laughed a lot, it’s a very entertaining book! 😃👌⭐️
May 24, 2018
amazing book. funny from beginning till end just like his Instagram! gives a great view of being a parent and all that could go wrong ;-)
May 28, 2018
Иногда слишком много шуточных сравнений и попыток рассмешить читателя на квадратный сантиметр. Но вообще приятно побольше узнать о семье, за которой каждый день следишь в инстаграме
June 12, 2018
Great book in the same humour as his Instagram
June 17, 2018
4.5 stars
July 2, 2018
You will read this with a permanent smile plastered on your face as a result of Simon’s unique way of describing the daily grind of parenting.
July 24, 2018
Omg he is outnumbered !!!
Great book , very funny , a good read for anyone : Made me smile for the rest of the day .😜
Great book , very funny , a good read for anyone : Made me smile for the rest of the day .😜
August 20, 2018
Perfect book for an expectant parent!
This book is funny yet enlightening, it’s nice to see that their are Dads out there that want to be involved and are proud to be hands on Dads!
This book is funny yet enlightening, it’s nice to see that their are Dads out there that want to be involved and are proud to be hands on Dads!
December 2, 2018
Light, airy and comical read about family life with 4 girls. I enjoy how he makes just perfect analogies of the trials of parenthood.
January 1, 2019
Loved it. So funny
January 2, 2019
Such a funny truthful insight into the life of a family man with 4 daughters - had to keep reading parts out because I was laughing out loud so much people wanted to know why!
January 4, 2019
Had a few good laughs, no, actually quite a lot more than a few. Many times thought "yeah that's just my life". Must read? Probably not at all. Entertaining? Sure!
January 6, 2019
Only one for his Instagram fans, in my opinion. I didn't glean anything more than I would from Simon's feed but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
February 5, 2019
So painfully familiar it is both funny and sad at the same time. I lolled a lot. Tears streaming down my face. Not sure others will understand unless they also have a plethora of daughters.
February 17, 2019
Very witty. As a new parent, it really made me chuckle. If you like his Instagram stories/feed, this is definitely for you 👍
April 6, 2019
Brilliant
Very good book that will have you laughing from start to finish. Brilliant incite into the life of being a parent!
Very good book that will have you laughing from start to finish. Brilliant incite into the life of being a parent!
June 11, 2020
More language than I prefer in a book, but an entertaining read otherwise.
Nice to hear about a hands on dad who makes an effort to get to know his daughters.
Nice to hear about a hands on dad who makes an effort to get to know his daughters.
April 7, 2022
Absolutely hilarious & so real 😅
August 30, 2024
Humorous style with some moments that made me chuckle.
August 13, 2021
4.5
This has, by all definitions, reached all of my expectations - and believe me, they were high. A huge fan of Simon's Instagram and his witty beyong belief captions, this was by far my most expected book for this year: if his sense of humour and great talent with words were any indications, this was bound for sucess from the start.
As I hoped for, this made me smile and laugh from the first minutes to the last. I may not have children myself, but I garantee you that this is still hilarious and heart warming even if you have no idea what to be a parent means just yet. Yes, this may have be a sort of advice book at times and play heavily on experiences all parents can relate to, but the stories the author tells are funny regardless. The writing in itself is pretty light-hearted all the way, and very apar to the british humour one would expect, which sounds even better if you went the audiobook route like me and had Simon himself, with his accent, narrate those stories.
The one thing that made me take half a star from my rating was that, a few times during my read, I felt that this maybe could've been revised better: there are few jokes that are repeated with the exact same wording, and it's a bit confusing as sometimes I'd start a section and wonder if maybe I backed a few chapters by accident. It's not a huge deal and didn't affect my experience heavily, but it did bug me.
Regardless, this was a short and sweet read that I'd recommend anyone who's looking for a good giggle.
This has, by all definitions, reached all of my expectations - and believe me, they were high. A huge fan of Simon's Instagram and his witty beyong belief captions, this was by far my most expected book for this year: if his sense of humour and great talent with words were any indications, this was bound for sucess from the start.
As I hoped for, this made me smile and laugh from the first minutes to the last. I may not have children myself, but I garantee you that this is still hilarious and heart warming even if you have no idea what to be a parent means just yet. Yes, this may have be a sort of advice book at times and play heavily on experiences all parents can relate to, but the stories the author tells are funny regardless. The writing in itself is pretty light-hearted all the way, and very apar to the british humour one would expect, which sounds even better if you went the audiobook route like me and had Simon himself, with his accent, narrate those stories.
The one thing that made me take half a star from my rating was that, a few times during my read, I felt that this maybe could've been revised better: there are few jokes that are repeated with the exact same wording, and it's a bit confusing as sometimes I'd start a section and wonder if maybe I backed a few chapters by accident. It's not a huge deal and didn't affect my experience heavily, but it did bug me.
Regardless, this was a short and sweet read that I'd recommend anyone who's looking for a good giggle.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews