Daddy Issues: A Novel (Dial Delights)
“Clever, honest, sexy, funny, emotional, unique, and deeply romantic . . . Kate Goldbeck is in a class by herself!”—Ali Hazelwood, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A jaded twentysomething is stuck living at home, her life on pause, when a single dad becomes her new neighbor and unexpectedly sets her life—and her heart—into motion in this modern love story from the bestselling author of You, Again.
Sometimes love shows up where you least expect it—right next door.
At twenty-six, Sam Pulaski expected to be thriving in her academic career, living on her own in some exciting city. Expectations meet reality: She has massive student loan debt from studying art history, a dead-end service industry job, a situationship that’s equal parts intoxicating and toxic. And she’s been crashing in her mom’s condo—at least it’s not a basement?—for the last five years. If she can finally get accepted into a PhD program and get out of Ohio, the adult life that’s been on hold for half her twenties will finally begin.
Her mom’s new neighbor, Nick, is the ultimate grown-up. His adult life began the moment his nine-year-old daughter, Kira, was born. Her happiness is Nick’s only priority, especially in the wake of divorce. There’s nothing he won’t do for Kira, including giving up his globe-trotting career for something more stable . . . like managing a chain restaurant.
Sam has zero interest in an ultra-dependable guy pushing forty; frankly, she’s a little afraid of kids. But with just one thin wall separating the two condos, Nick proves difficult to avoid. His quiet confidence forces Sam to grapple with the other men in her life: her emotionally derelict friendwithbenefits and her actually derelict father. As her unexpected connection with Nick heats up (and steams up his minivan windows), Sam finds herself falling fast for a man whose life is steady and settled—while hers is anything but.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A jaded twentysomething is stuck living at home, her life on pause, when a single dad becomes her new neighbor and unexpectedly sets her life—and her heart—into motion in this modern love story from the bestselling author of You, Again.
Sometimes love shows up where you least expect it—right next door.
At twenty-six, Sam Pulaski expected to be thriving in her academic career, living on her own in some exciting city. Expectations meet reality: She has massive student loan debt from studying art history, a dead-end service industry job, a situationship that’s equal parts intoxicating and toxic. And she’s been crashing in her mom’s condo—at least it’s not a basement?—for the last five years. If she can finally get accepted into a PhD program and get out of Ohio, the adult life that’s been on hold for half her twenties will finally begin.
Her mom’s new neighbor, Nick, is the ultimate grown-up. His adult life began the moment his nine-year-old daughter, Kira, was born. Her happiness is Nick’s only priority, especially in the wake of divorce. There’s nothing he won’t do for Kira, including giving up his globe-trotting career for something more stable . . . like managing a chain restaurant.
Sam has zero interest in an ultra-dependable guy pushing forty; frankly, she’s a little afraid of kids. But with just one thin wall separating the two condos, Nick proves difficult to avoid. His quiet confidence forces Sam to grapple with the other men in her life: her emotionally derelict friendwithbenefits and her actually derelict father. As her unexpected connection with Nick heats up (and steams up his minivan windows), Sam finds herself falling fast for a man whose life is steady and settled—while hers is anything but.
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Community Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Kate Goldbeck for the ARC.
I really enjoyed You, Again by Kate Goldbeck, so I was excited to dive into her second novel without reading too much about it in advance. What a pleasant surprise to find that the "issues" in Daddy Issues are a clever nod to comic books… a theme that delighted the comic nerd in me.
The story follows an art history academic whose career is abruptly stalled by the pandemic, prompting a return home to live with her divorced mother. Goldbeck deftly explores the idea of “lost years,” capturing the emotional and psychological fallout of that time. So many stories set during or shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown can feel too raw or heavy-handed, but this one manages to be grounded and resonant without feeling exploitative of a shared-trauma.
What stood out most to me wasn’t the romance (which, ironically for a romance novel, didn’t feel like the star) or even the father-daughter dynamic that the title hints at. While those threads are there, they didn’t quite feel fully resolved. Still, the story as a whole worked beautifully. I couldn’t put it down, feeling mediocre in life and as an artist and fan of comics all hit very close to home for me with just enough humor woven throughout to take the edge off.
The Author’s Notes are a must read. Goldbeck’s shoutouts to Lynda Barry, Scott McCloud, and sequential art fandom history genuinely moved me.
This book was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed You, Again by Kate Goldbeck, so I was excited to dive into her second novel without reading too much about it in advance. What a pleasant surprise to find that the "issues" in Daddy Issues are a clever nod to comic books… a theme that delighted the comic nerd in me.
The story follows an art history academic whose career is abruptly stalled by the pandemic, prompting a return home to live with her divorced mother. Goldbeck deftly explores the idea of “lost years,” capturing the emotional and psychological fallout of that time. So many stories set during or shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown can feel too raw or heavy-handed, but this one manages to be grounded and resonant without feeling exploitative of a shared-trauma.
What stood out most to me wasn’t the romance (which, ironically for a romance novel, didn’t feel like the star) or even the father-daughter dynamic that the title hints at. While those threads are there, they didn’t quite feel fully resolved. Still, the story as a whole worked beautifully. I couldn’t put it down, feeling mediocre in life and as an artist and fan of comics all hit very close to home for me with just enough humor woven throughout to take the edge off.
The Author’s Notes are a must read. Goldbeck’s shoutouts to Lynda Barry, Scott McCloud, and sequential art fandom history genuinely moved me.
This book was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review.
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