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Florida People Are Wild | Book Review of Swamp Story by Dave Barry


swamp story by dave barry

backstory of how I came across swamp story

Hi friends. How are you? It's been a minute, I know. If you're not following me on Instagram or Tik Tok then you've probably been wondering where I've been.


I've been bouncing back and forth between all this social media trying to keep up with the latest happenings in the book community so I can giggle about it on my podcast (Lauren's Library)


But fear not! I haven't forgotten about the blog. Matter of fact, I've read and listened to so many books lately I'll probably have enough content to talk about for a while. Which brings me to this foolishness here to my left. Swamp Story.

Simon and Schuster sent this to me back in May in return for an honest review and I'm just now getting to it (don't judge me, judge ya mama). I don't know exactly what I expected when I cracked this one open, but it was a huge cluster-eff of information and characters and craziness. Don't believe me? Let's get into it.



synopsis of swamp story by dave barry

Jesse Braddock is trapped in a tiny cabin deep in the Everglades with her infant daughter and her ex-boyfriend, a wannabe reality TV star who turned out to be a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside. Broke and desperate for a way out, Jesse stumbles across a long-lost treasure, which could solve all her problems—if she can figure out how to keep it. The problem is, some very bad men are also looking for the treasure, and they know Jesse has it.


Meanwhile, Ken Bortle of Bortle Brothers Bait and Beer has hatched a scheme to lure tourists to his failing store by making viral videos of the “Everglades Melon Monster.” The Monster is in fact an unemployed alcoholic newspaperman named Phil wearing a Dora the Explorer costume head. Incredibly, this plan actually works, inspiring a horde of Tik Tokers to swarm into the swamp in search of the monster at the same time villains are on the hunt for Jesse’s treasure. Amid this mayhem, a presidential hopeful arrives in the Everglades to start his campaign. Needless to say, it does not go as planned. In fact, nothing in this story goes as planned. This is, after all, Florida




my thoughts on swamp story by dave barry

Now the synopsis makes this book sound exponentially more lowkey than it truly is. I looked at the synopsis when it showed up at my house and I figured it'd be a fun read. And it was.


But there was a lot happening. Like...a lot.


First few pages in, there was a man dressed like Elsa at a birthday party with his friend, an unwilling participant, dressed up as Dora the Explorer. Odd combination of children stars, but go off I guess.


So they get to the party right? They're trying to entertain the spoiled rich children, when chaos ensues and poor old Dora the Explorer takes a golf club to the genitals and ends up becoming a social media sensation. And if that wasn't enough, deep in the swamp of Florida a man named Slater who is unable to keep his shirt on for more than 3.5 seconds at any given moment is determined to become the Everglades Man and get his own TV show.


His baby mama Jesse finds some gold bars and plans to get rich, but then runs into some pretty heinous characters named Duck and Billy who are not ashamed to do some pretty vile things in order to get their hands on the treasure. All of these plot lines ended up weaving together in the most random of ways but I was thoroughly amused trying to follow the story.


If you're like me, and you read a lot of grisly material, and you want something to cleanse the palate this would be a good book for you. It's so unserious. It really does make me wonder about the people of Florida. Are you guys okay over there? Blink twice if you need assistance. 😂😂



do I recommend swamp story by dave barry

Sure. If you need a quick book that doesn't take a lot of brain power and focus, then give this one a go. If you want something lighthearted and silly to read, then you'll probably enjoy this one. It was definitely an interesting read overall.


If you do decide to check it out, make sure you come back and find me, I would love to know your thoughts. There are multiple ways to find me. So please do not hesitate to reach out!


Until next time,


Happy Reading Babes!




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