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Candy Hearts

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Tommy Siegel's Candy Hearts comics offer a hysterical window into the many ways romantic couples are not at all on the same page.
 

From the awkwardness of flirting during a pandemic to scrolling through disastrous dating profiles, Candy Hearts hilariously captures the secrets, lies, and misunderstandings behind every relationship. With dozens of never-before-seen comics and a special Candy Hearts sticker set, this book is the perfect Valentine’s Day (or Anti-Valentine’s Day) gift for your friends, lovers, or even yourself.

112 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2021

About the author

Tommy Siegel

5 books13 followers

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5 stars
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210 (35%)
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144 (24%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
Profile Image for MischaS_.
785 reviews1,422 followers
October 24, 2020
***Advance Review Copy generously provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I recently had an ARC for I Hope This Helps by Tommy Siegel and while that was not the biggest hit with me, in my review I said that my favourite parts from the book were those which included the candy hearts. So, of course, I could not pass on this one.

And I was not disappointed. It was a very quick read. Very clear, concise and straight to the point/punch line.

It took the best from I Hope This Helps and gave it it's own space. It feels more neet, that there is something connecting all the comics.

So, if you are trying to decide which Tommy Siegel book to get, I would recommend Candy Hearts. But! I have to say that it only shows a part of his cartoon style. (Though, in my opinion, the best). Which means that if you like this still does not mean you will like all of his other work or the other way around. This is more of a sample.
Profile Image for Melki.
6,585 reviews2,493 followers
February 3, 2021
Valentine's Day is sneaking up on us again. This year, why waste money on flowers that are only going to wilt, or candy that will . . . well, okay - candy is fine, BUT - instead of throwing your money away on a greeting card filled with sentimental hogwash, why not give this book of comics featuring candy hearts that tell it like it is . . .

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Your sweetie will either thank you for your brutal honesty, OR it's the last Valentine's Day that will cost you a dime. It's really just win-win with this collection of comics.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a glimpse at this heartwarming book.
Profile Image for Chad.
8,992 reviews988 followers
February 7, 2021
A series of one panel comics centering on relationships using conversation hearts to tell inner thoughts. They are often quite wry and biting. It's a quick, humorous read.



Received a review copy from Andrew McMeel Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Profile Image for Briar's Reviews.
2,039 reviews541 followers
January 21, 2021
I've been seeking some comedy in my life lately, and this book was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Candy Hearts by Tommy Siegel is an absolutely hilarious sets of comics featuring conversation hearts that have their thoughts written on them. It's insanely funny and had me chuckling and smirking as I read it. The comics are brutally honest and real (like one heart talking about himself and the other guy half listening but instead thinking about what he's gonna say himself). I seriously loved it! It's hard to find a good comedy book that makes me enjoy it the entire time, but this was it!

I highly recommend this book. If you want something fun, easy to read and completely sassy and sarcastic, this book works. If you just want to read a few little pages at a time, do it. If you want to binge the whole thing, you can! This isn't a book that you need to be glued to, but it's well worth every penny.

Five out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
Profile Image for Natalie  all_books_great_and_small .
2,503 reviews122 followers
October 26, 2020
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Candy Hearts is a funny and very relatable comic strip book. I've never come across Tommy Siegel's work before so this was an absolute delight to read.
The pictures are funny and show many truths behind the start of relationships, dating and marriage.
This book drew me in by the cover and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to read and review this book!
Profile Image for Geoff.
988 reviews116 followers
December 4, 2020
Very cute gimmick for this comic collection; putting those chalky yet tempting valentines candy hearts as stand-ins for people in romantic situations and making the candy hearts' pithy slogans wryly reflect the situation at hand. For example, one candy heart is giving a present to the other and the words on the giver read "For My Love Blossom, the Perfect Gift," while the receiver's hear reads "Wait, Do They Think We Are Exclusive."

More hits than misses, especially when the comics turn to love in the time of COVID. A diverting collection.

**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Andrea Pole.
809 reviews142 followers
October 15, 2020
Candy Hearts by Tommy Siegel is a humorous, tongue in cheek look at modern relationships through the anonymity of faceless cartoon candy hearts. This is a quirky and unique take on the universality of our thoughts during social discourse, and there is something relatable here for everyone. The book is a lighthearted look at the struggles we all face while trying to make that deep human connection that is often so elusive. Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the chance to read this ARC.
Profile Image for Mikky.
832 reviews228 followers
November 5, 2020
I received a free eCopy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

This was a much much more enjoyable book than I Hope This Helps: 500 Days of Comics and Extremely Helpful Guides by this same author. This one was pretty witty and did get a chuckle out of me in a few instances. The jokes were much better this time around as well. The art style is still pretty good! I'd like to see more of this from this author in the future!
Profile Image for Wayne McCoy.
4,084 reviews25 followers
February 5, 2021
'Candy Hearts' by Tommy Siegel is a collection of comics using candy hearts to show inner thoughts.

The comics are usually a couple candy hearts with inner thoughts about what they are thinking. The humor is in the way the thoughts are so juxtaposed and disparate. Since the figures are heart-shaped, the comics trend more toward relationships and dating.

This is an idea that could seem to run thin, but it doesn't here. There is even a section of comics about the recent quarantine and social distancing included. These were humorous.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Profile Image for Mehsi.
13.4k reviews405 followers
January 29, 2021
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.


I don’t know who Tommy Siegel is but he has two new fans! This one looked very cute and funny and I can say that it was truly funny as well. And very true. 😛

I decided to grab my hubby along as I read this one. I know he likes these kinds of comics as well! We both loved the introduction, but then the real fun started. We all know candy hearts and the texts they have. Ranging from silly to weird to romantic. Well, these are not those standard texts. These are thoughts. Many of these had us laughing but also definitely agreeing that things indeed went that way. I also loved that there were some COVID/2020 comics.

But there were also a couple of comics that had, at least me, scratching my head. That Phish comic? I had to look up what that was all about.

I think my favourites would be those dating app/Tinder comics. While I never have used those apps, I have heard the stories, I have seen pictures on Twitter. So I was giggling at seeing all those candy hearts doing the same as many people do on those apps.

All in all, though, this was a fabulous and fun read and something we could all use in this time. Some laughs, something funny. I would recommend this one.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Profile Image for Ray Flores.
1,470 reviews242 followers
October 20, 2020
Such a hilarious, relatable comic!

In a few words, this book is a compilation of several one-panel-comics that illustrate what sometimes we are truly thinking –sometimes as a part of a new relationships and sometimes as someone who’s just tired of the same old partner. And it doesn’t matter if you’re single, I’m sure you’ll laugh about this too. We’ve all been there, I promise you.

I would totally recommend it because it’s a light-hearted reading but also because you can go through this in less than an hour. On the other hand, this the first time I read anything from the author but let me tell you, I’m excited to see what comes next.

The art style is simple but is meme material so it’s perfect to share it with some friends who are struggling with anxiety and depression due to the pandemic.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
7,519 reviews99 followers
October 15, 2020
So often books like this come along, merely collating some Internet comic yucks – and adding many not good enough for the Internet the book-buying public are supposed to feel grateful for – and leaving us getting very little out of them. Books like the first Tommy Siegel compilation I tried, which was hopeless. This is much superior to the norm, then – and to that prior volume. We generally have two, at most three, candy heart-type figures, with their real inner thoughts writ large for only us to see on their faces. Because they're candy hearts they're unnatural colours, and only the occasional girly crossed legs or man-spreading will give the game away as to their gender. But age, race, experience – all are hidden, and we're just allowed to see these sweets – with their surprisingly expressive body language – declare what they think internally, and the book gets surprisingly wide success with letting us see the irony behind those thoughts. This is a world of incompatibility, where nobody can seem to be on the same wavelength enough, and where every SMS comes with an ulterior motive at odds with the recipient's thinking. It's also, I'm sure, a lot lighter than how I've described it. But the point remains this is no cheap, easy-to-draw, conceit – there is thought and literariness here. And the most sudden, unspoken response to someone on a subway platform thinking they've pulled you could expect. Surprisingly, four stars (if not a fragment more).
Profile Image for Radwa.
Author 1 book2,229 followers
December 5, 2020
I was instantly pulled in by the cover and this didn't disappoint. I would have to point out that it requires a certain sense of humor, some people might find it vulgar or not that funny, but it's mainly about relationships and the internal struggles in first dates, online dating, or even in long-time committed relationships. It was fun and I finished it in less than an hour.

I thank Netgalley for the digital ARC.
Profile Image for Mimi.
976 reviews48 followers
November 16, 2020
Loved the idea with the inner monologues as the text on the candy hearts.
Some of the cartoons were snort-funny, some made me smile, some were meh, but the overal was a nice quarantine distraction.

I received a copy for review through Netgalley, opinions are entirely my own.
Profile Image for Shazia.
256 reviews16 followers
January 15, 2021
i've seen a few of these candy heart illustrations by tommy siegel floating around on the internet for the past few months so when i saw that an arc of this was available on netgalley i didn't hesitate to request a copy. here is my very quick and blunt review:

the good:
- honestly kind of a genius concept to illustrate inner monologues
- if you like relatable humorous illustrations, you'll love this
- a very super quick read
- you'll most likely be reminded of a friend or someone you know from one of these drawings which may prompt you to want to share it with them

the eh:
- there were a few covid-19 related images that stood out to me - but not in a good way. i almost felt like (eventually) when this pandemic ends and (if) things "go back to normal" these comics will not really be as universally relatable as the rest of them. but then again it's not like every single one of these illustrations will be relatable to every reader. but it is also like an interesting snapshot of a very specific moment in current history (is history even the right word?)
- if you tend to get bored of the same concept repeated over and over again (see: oh no) then you won't like this

overall, i enjoyed it. and to end this review, i will be inserting the comic that best describes me:
October 17, 2020
Candy Hearts is a collection of funny, relatable insights into how our inner thoughts and feelings are often at odds with our outward actions and behaviours. While these kinds of insights are commonplace in many other comic strips, the novelty of this series is that this internal monologue, typically expressed in this medium with thought bubbles or clouds, is instead emblazoned across the ‘bodies’ of the candy heart characters. This gimmick is as clever as it is simple and succeeds at making Candy Hearts stand out from its multitude of peers.

While I was consistently chuckling over the course of this quick and easy read (I cannot recall a total dud in the entire collection) only a handful of strips made me laugh out loud. I do not think this is due to a shortage of clever ideas or poor execution on Siegel's part, but instead the lack of setup or buildup that this type of joke format allows. If Siegel continues this series, I hope he can explore more intricate or longer-form ideas to help take the humour to that next level. I would recommend this comic to fans of edgy relationship humour looking for something a little different. I can easily see myself revisiting this collection many times over or diving back into the Candy Hearts universe with (hopefully) future additions to the series!

* 7 / 10 *

(I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
Profile Image for Sibil.
1,526 reviews69 followers
December 18, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley and to the editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This was fun. I was maybe hoping for something a little less cynical, and maybe a tad more... Humorous, but I enjoyed the reading. The part about tinder was quite brilliant, and it was a nice surprise. 
171 reviews
January 18, 2021
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of Candy Hearts in exchange for an honest review.


I adore Tommy Siegel's work and Candy Hearts is so fresh and insightful.. Almost like a Lorde album in its critique of its own themes. I've seen these around on social media but it didn't impact how it still managed to make me sheepish the exact same way months after.

Somehow the formatting of this book and the time set of the quarantine comics makes all the difference in taking these comics from a casual retweet to something More. Will be going back to this each time I feel compelled to get on a dating app. Read this as Valentine's Day approaches to feel smug about your single-ness- or just any other time!
Profile Image for BookCupid.
1,165 reviews67 followers
July 6, 2021
This was my first Siegel book and I was impressed with how humorous little hearts could be. The punch of the jokes are relationships, including a Tinder date sketch.

If you are looking for good feel comic, this is it.
Profile Image for Tabrizia.
726 reviews8 followers
January 1, 2021
Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was just absolutely hilarious! Captures the ups and downs of relationships but with candy hearts! And I loved how it tied in with the COVID pandemic.
Profile Image for Siqahiqa.
499 reviews104 followers
November 19, 2020
The candy hearts are referring to the inner monologue of ourselves. I liked the candy hearts cartoon as it is simple yet cute, but I could not relate much to the monologue.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: 2 Feb 2021
Profile Image for madison betsill-short.
97 reviews18 followers
February 25, 2021
5 ⭐

I loved this book of comics! I follow Tommy on Instagram and had always enjoyed seeing his clever, hilarious candy heart comics. When I heard he was making a whole book of them, I had to purchase.

As expected, this book delivers some hilarious comics with some scenarios that I think many, especially millennials, will relate to. I just think the whole candy heart concept is so clever and these comics put a smile on my face! Some are vulgar which I'm a fan of, but if you're not just be aware.

Overall, would definitely recommend this book to anyone. This is a great one to flip through if you're feeling down and need a chuckle, a great one to gift to a friend, or even as a white elephant gift! Loved it!
Profile Image for Laura.
422 reviews33 followers
January 1, 2021
I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

What a brilliant collection! I must admit, I wasn't sure what to expect from this when I requested it. The art looked cute but the humour seemed like it had the potential to be a bit basic. Not at all! I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and enjoyability of the humour in this collection. I genuinely really loved it and it's the kind of thing I would want my friends to read. It's very bingeable and the kind of comic you pick up and reread again and again. I strongly recommend it!
Profile Image for *Tau*.
274 reviews29 followers
October 24, 2020
Do you know those sugar candies in the form of a heart?
Well, they're the main characters in this comic book's art

On their front you can read what they think, but do not say
Even if théy don't feel good, they'll surely brighten up your day
😄


Sweet or not?

For those who don't know this kind of candy: apparently they're called 'sweethearts' and this heart-shaped pastel coloured candy is sold around Valentine's Day. Every heart has a text printed on it, like 'Be mine', 'Kiss me', 'Miss You', … (if you want to know more about it, click here).

Although the candy hearts in Tommy Siegel's book look sweet, they're anything but.
Because instead of mellow love messages, you can read what these little characters really think of each other.
Dating, married, straight, gay, … a whole range of possible relationships is adressed in 114 pages of single-panel cartoons.
As the sharp humorous observations are often recognizable, there's certainly something to everyone's taste.


The start of a new career

Tommy Siegel's comics began as doodles in the back of a van as a touring rock musician of the band Jukebox the Ghost.
He set himself the challenge of drawing a comic every day for 500 days.
This project garnered him more than 300.000 followers on social media with shout-outs from cultural heavyweights ranging from Ringo Starr to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
At the end of this project he bundled several of his comics and in September 2020 his debut book collection I Hope This Helps was published. This illustrated guide to the absurdities of our phone-obsessed modern life includes 200+ pages of comics, essays, extremely helpful guides to coping with 21st-century panic and tales from surviving 500 days of comics.

Apparently he'd got the taste of comic drawing, because when he was quarantined with his parents in Richmond (Virginia) in the early stages of the pandemic, he made a lot of Candy Hearts-cartoons.
And another period of living in a quarantaine pod in the woods with several close friends in Maine delivered also a lot of inspiration.
Although these strange corona-periods affected (and still affect) everyone's life, in Siegel's case they appeared to be very fruitful and even resulted in his next book Candy Hearts, which will be released on 2 February 2021.

If you want to know more about Tommy Siegel, you can head over to his website.
At the bottom you'll find links to his social media-accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook where you can discover lots of his drawings and get a good idea of his sense of humour.


*Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews

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