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Chip Leighton became famous on TikTok first.
Then he wrote a book: Dad Can You Not? A Dad’s Guide to Being Less Cringey
(Famous first, THEN write a book. Making notes…)
Leighton built his following from viral TikTok exchanges with his teenagers. If you’ve seen them, you already know the vibe. Deadpan dad. Exasperated, and often clueless kids. Dad Can You Not takes that same energy and puts it into book form.
As a fellow funny dad who also writes about dad life (and whose book Essays Out of Left Field exists and is great and you should read it) I feel qualified to review this one. Professionally and personally.
Dad Can You Not is part of my 100 book reading goal for 2026 (Book #27)
My Dad Can You Not Book Review
Just so you know – I may earn an affiliate commission if you click a link from my site and purchase a product. Don’t worry, it won’t cost you anything extra! Hopefully, I’ll rack up enough commission to treat myself to a coffee someday—nothing fancy, just a plain small coffee from a gas station on the edge of town. Thanks for supporting the blog!
Thank you, Chip Leighton providing this awesome funny Dad book for review via NetGalley! All the stuff I say here is MY opinion. I mean, of course it is, but I feel like I should say it here anyway.
Where to Get It
Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).
- 🎧 Audiobook (Indie Option): Listen on Libro.fm
- 🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
- 📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
- 📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon
Dad Can You Not Summary
This is a Dad humor book. But not just your run-of-the-mill Dad joke book. It’s loosely structured and built around the beautiful disaster of being a dad to teenagers in the social media age.
Leighton writes about:
- The text message exchanges with his kids that broke the internet
- The general experience of being a dad who thinks he’s funnier than his kids do (he is)
- Navigating parenthood in an era where your kids are more online than you’ll ever be
- The very specific humiliation of trying to be cool when you are a dad
One heads up worth mentioning. The physical book and ebook versions include text bubble screenshots, images, graphs, and visual gags that made Leighton famous online. The audiobook is great. Leighton reads his own material and the delivery is excellent. But you’ll miss the visual stuff. This is one of those rare cases where the print or ebook version might actually be the better experience.
I listened. I still loved it. But I may go back and flip through the physical copy just to see what I missed.
More funny humor essays!
Or maybe more funny books for Dads?
Who is Chip Leighton?
Chip Leighton is a dad who went viral. Specifically, his deadpan text exchanges with his teenagers took off on TikTok and built him a massive following of parents who recognized themselves instantly.
- 📱 Origin: TikTok dad influencer. Viral text exchanges with his teenagers. Relatable content for anyone who has ever had a teenager look at them like they’re the problem.
- ✍️ Style: Dry, deadpan, self-aware. Very funny without trying too hard.
- 📚 Books: Dad Can You Not : taking his viral content and expanding it into a full book.
- 🏆 Strategy: Get famous first. Write the book second. Well played, Leighton. Well played.
Find Leighton on YouTube: The Leighton Show
Now onto the rating! Dad Can You Not Book Review:
My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here
Wholesomeness Score: 4/5
Pretty clean. A few suggestive quips here and there. Nothing that requires a warning label. Who wants a G-rated humor book anyway? Four halos feels right.
Hilarity Score: 5/5
Genuinely and consistently funny. Am I a biased Dad? Yes. Teenagers texting are the worst.
Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 4/5
The missing star is almost entirely the audiobook’s fault. The visual format of this book (text screenshots, the graphs, the images) is clearly a big part of what makes it work. Still a very fun ride via audio. Just grab the physical book or ebook if you can.
Things I liked:
- Consistently funny from start to finish. No filler chapters.
- No drama. Just silliness.
- Leighton reading his own material on audio is great. The delivery is exactly right.
- Relatable for any dad who has ever felt like a stranger in his own house once the teenagers arrived.
Things I didn’t like:
- The audiobook loses the visual elements that made Leighton famous in the first place. Text screenshots, graphs, images, etc is missed via audio. It still works. But the print version is probably the better call here.
Conclusion: Dad Can You Not Book Review
If you’re a dad with teenagers, read this book. You will feel seen. You will feel validated.
And if you liked this, you might also enjoy Essays Out of Left Field. Another funny dad book, written by a guy who did not go viral first. Just putting that out there.
Where to Get It
Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).
- 🎧 Audiobook (Indie Option): Listen on Libro.fm
- 🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
- 📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
- 📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon
Dads: audiobook or print? And does your kid actually think you’re funny? Be honest.
