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lorenaslibrary's review
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of Once Upon a Workday!
"Humorous and heartwarming tales of resilience, self-care, and mental health from the popular webcomic War and Peas."
I loved this! Some poems resonated with me and I had to revisit multiple times. A short book to remind us to prioritize self-care and our mental health.
"Humorous and heartwarming tales of resilience, self-care, and mental health from the popular webcomic War and Peas."
I loved this! Some poems resonated with me and I had to revisit multiple times. A short book to remind us to prioritize self-care and our mental health.
nicoleb24_'s review
4.0
I loved the vibes of this book, it reminded me of Dr.Seuss with all the rhymes and as an adult it motivated me to make more time for myself. "A you is a you, and you must also have fun" was one of my favorite lines. Thank you NetGalley for this great read.
howlinglibraries's review
I hate to be so blunt and negative, but this was awful. "Encouraging tales of resilience" - where? I skimmed the rest of the book after deciding to DNF it, just to see if those tales showed up later, and they don't. The book is written like a Dr. Seuss motivational book for adults who hate their jobs, which is somehow both obnoxious and incredibly boring. The very first story talks about how, if you hate your job but can't afford to take an 8-week vacation, maybe you could go part-time — because y'know, in this economy, we can all totally take a pay cut! /s
Sorry. I hated this. 😅
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Sorry. I hated this. 😅
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
bruhnette's review
fast-paced
3.0
Once Upon a Workday looks like a funny take on the struggle of life as a working adult. The first poem was indeed cute, charming, and funny while also being reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's writing. The rest of the book was much less appealing. It didn't have the same tone or energy as the beginning. Overall, I didn't find it particularly uplifting or inspiring.
Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for a review copy of Once Upon a Workday.
Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for a review copy of Once Upon a Workday.
jhstack's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
labunnywtf's review
2.0
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review
I'm a fan of War and Peas, but this one just didn't do it for me. It's cute enough, and I can absolutely see a demographic for it. It's very Seuss-ian, with fun illustrations, and deals with capitalism and mental health and all that super fun stuff. I just felt like I was slogging through it, and it didn't give me a lift, or a "oh, YES" moment.
Not terrible, just. On the lower side of the see-saw.
I'm a fan of War and Peas, but this one just didn't do it for me. It's cute enough, and I can absolutely see a demographic for it. It's very Seuss-ian, with fun illustrations, and deals with capitalism and mental health and all that super fun stuff. I just felt like I was slogging through it, and it didn't give me a lift, or a "oh, YES" moment.
Not terrible, just. On the lower side of the see-saw.
michelleheegaard's review
2.5
This book was fine. That's the best way I can describe it. There's nothing objectively bad about it. Illustrations were fine, the rhyming was good and the story was... meh. It didn't offer anything new in terms of insight, storytelling or something of that kind. I think if the book had something to say that was meaningful and not heard a million times through other contexts, I would rank it much higher.
As it stands, you don't loose anyhting from flipping through it. But you also don't necessarily gain something..
As it stands, you don't loose anyhting from flipping through it. But you also don't necessarily gain something..
twicomb's review
3.0
Loved the title, and the cover art grabbed me. Unfortunately, this wasn't my favorite. And that's ok. Not every book has to suit every person. I think a big part of what I didn't love was that the first "story" (chapter? piece?) was a clear parody on Dr. Seuss. Maybe I've been around the block enough that this doesn't feel very original to me anymore (riffing on existing well-known pop culture), but there you go - it didn't feel very original. The rest of the book is more of the same, but with less of a direct "Dr. Seuss" feel to the parodies, which left me unsure whether they were all supposed to be in that vein and just missed the mark, or if the rest were just supposed to be nursery rhyme-style parables about humorous adult situations. I do think that both the writer and artist have a lot going for them and have a lot of great ideas. The execution just fell somewhat flat for me.
I feel a bit badly about leaving this review because if I had been able to tell from the cover or description that this book was themed around Dr. Seuss parody, I would have skipped it, because I already know that's not my cup of tea. But I did read it, and when I read a book I try to leave a review that provides at least some productive feedback. So that's my real takeaway here for the publisher: it's in your best interest to be sure the potential reader knows what this contains. Because conversely, you're missing a potential audience - the sort of people who would love a Dr. Seuss parody but can't tell from the cover that that's what this book is about. I think that if you can make it a bit more obvious, and thereby get this book into those people's hands, you'll have good success.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.
I feel a bit badly about leaving this review because if I had been able to tell from the cover or description that this book was themed around Dr. Seuss parody, I would have skipped it, because I already know that's not my cup of tea. But I did read it, and when I read a book I try to leave a review that provides at least some productive feedback. So that's my real takeaway here for the publisher: it's in your best interest to be sure the potential reader knows what this contains. Because conversely, you're missing a potential audience - the sort of people who would love a Dr. Seuss parody but can't tell from the cover that that's what this book is about. I think that if you can make it a bit more obvious, and thereby get this book into those people's hands, you'll have good success.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.
roshreviews's review
2.0
In a Nutshell: Not exactly as I had expected, which is actually my fault as I should have read the blurb. This is a picture book for adults, containing six poems covering various adult/workplace-related issues. Some motivational, some humorous. Most weren’t not my cup of tea, though.
I had grabbed this only by a look at the cover. (I know, I know!!!) What corporate professional wouldn’t resonate with the expression on that mouse’s face, as he stares at his comp? I assumed this to be a collection of funny comics related to the workplace, maybe something on the lines of Dilbert.
While this is still an illustrated book, the content isn’t a collection of comics but six poems. This was the first hurdle for me. I am NOT a poem person, and I had not anticipated this book to be written entirely in rhyming verse. Moreover, the poems are in AABB pattern, which, to be frank, is great for kiddie poems, not for adult verses. Some of the rhymes are too forced, further adding to my dissatisfaction. I think adult poetry lovers will find the poems too simplistic.
Secondly, I thought this would be a funny read, but the general vibe is more motivational than humorous. I don’t read inspirational books as this genre doesn’t work for me.
The poems are on varied topics somewhat connected to work, but not necessarily corporate jobs. One is like a motivational verse, aiming to inspire you to focus on yourself first rather than spending all hours at your workplace. Another talks of the travails of an overactive brain that awakens you at night and leaves you drowsy during the day. The third speaks of the wandering heart (the most vague poem of the set), the fourth shows an artist’s uncertainty over his painting, the fifth is about a professional’s quandary over how to end his email, and the final one is about a clown who entertains others and considers it his calling.
How does all this fit under “Encouraging Tales of Resilience”, as promised by the tagline? I honestly don’t know. As you can see, the poems and their core topics are not even close to each other in theme and hence the effect is very disjointed.
I did partly agree with the message in the first story (mental health is important). And I enjoyed the humour of the fifth poem titled “Sincerely Yours”, because I too have spent many minutes wondering if a ‘Sincerely’ works better than a ‘Take care’ or a ‘Thanking you in anticipation’. This poem was my favourite of the bunch, and the only one that made me smile.
Basically, I was the wrong reader for this as I am not a fan of such nonfiction, nor do I enjoy poetry. The illustrations could have saved the book for me to some extent, but I didn’t even like the artwork. Art is subjective, of course; I just wish the graphics had been more like that on the cover. However, only one of the poems had animals in the illustrations; the rest were ordinary humans, and in too simplistic a style.
This book is from the makers of the webcomic ‘War and Peas’. I am not a reader of webcomics, so I am not sure if this content is indicative of their general offerings. Perhaps fans of the comic might like to read this and see how it goes. But it sure wasn’t the right fit for me, sorry. The cover and the title do not represent the content accurately.
2 stars.
My thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “Once Upon a Workday”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
I had grabbed this only by a look at the cover. (I know, I know!!!) What corporate professional wouldn’t resonate with the expression on that mouse’s face, as he stares at his comp? I assumed this to be a collection of funny comics related to the workplace, maybe something on the lines of Dilbert.
While this is still an illustrated book, the content isn’t a collection of comics but six poems. This was the first hurdle for me. I am NOT a poem person, and I had not anticipated this book to be written entirely in rhyming verse. Moreover, the poems are in AABB pattern, which, to be frank, is great for kiddie poems, not for adult verses. Some of the rhymes are too forced, further adding to my dissatisfaction. I think adult poetry lovers will find the poems too simplistic.
Secondly, I thought this would be a funny read, but the general vibe is more motivational than humorous. I don’t read inspirational books as this genre doesn’t work for me.
The poems are on varied topics somewhat connected to work, but not necessarily corporate jobs. One is like a motivational verse, aiming to inspire you to focus on yourself first rather than spending all hours at your workplace. Another talks of the travails of an overactive brain that awakens you at night and leaves you drowsy during the day. The third speaks of the wandering heart (the most vague poem of the set), the fourth shows an artist’s uncertainty over his painting, the fifth is about a professional’s quandary over how to end his email, and the final one is about a clown who entertains others and considers it his calling.
How does all this fit under “Encouraging Tales of Resilience”, as promised by the tagline? I honestly don’t know. As you can see, the poems and their core topics are not even close to each other in theme and hence the effect is very disjointed.
I did partly agree with the message in the first story (mental health is important). And I enjoyed the humour of the fifth poem titled “Sincerely Yours”, because I too have spent many minutes wondering if a ‘Sincerely’ works better than a ‘Take care’ or a ‘Thanking you in anticipation’. This poem was my favourite of the bunch, and the only one that made me smile.
Basically, I was the wrong reader for this as I am not a fan of such nonfiction, nor do I enjoy poetry. The illustrations could have saved the book for me to some extent, but I didn’t even like the artwork. Art is subjective, of course; I just wish the graphics had been more like that on the cover. However, only one of the poems had animals in the illustrations; the rest were ordinary humans, and in too simplistic a style.
This book is from the makers of the webcomic ‘War and Peas’. I am not a reader of webcomics, so I am not sure if this content is indicative of their general offerings. Perhaps fans of the comic might like to read this and see how it goes. But it sure wasn’t the right fit for me, sorry. The cover and the title do not represent the content accurately.
2 stars.
My thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “Once Upon a Workday”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.