i'm glad i had the chance to read this book. while it was nothing like i expected it to be, it still managed to grab my attention. i wanted to see what would happen to jonah, to richard, to mace. i think the formatting of the arc really hindered my reading and my capacity to fully enjoy this book tho.

4 stars

Way, way darker and emotionally charged than the cheeky title and the vacation-vibe cover art suggests otherwise, Yes, Daddy is a nightmarish deep dive into sexuality, trauma, #MeToo movement, and today's cancel culture, all through the familiar thriller trope of 'relationship from Hell'. Jonathan Parks-Ramage casts a wide net with this heartfelt debut; even at times it lacks the polish and restraint of a seasoned author, one can't help but revel in its ambition.

The stylish writing is another aspect worth highlighting; not only is the narrative told in a particularity unique structure, Jonathan Parks-Ramage has a piercing ability depicting moments of neurosis and hallucination; the controlled chaos in his prose masterfully conveys the contradiction, the enlightened hopelessness of his central character.

While Yes, Daddy succeeds as a collection of powerful vignettes, it is less refined as a cohesive novel. The crux of the issue lies in its protagonist, Jonah. Deeply disturbed, Jonah is crippled by his less-than-ideal upbringing and unrelenting self-loathing. It is tricky treading the fine line between true-to-life documentation, and melodramatic sensationalism, unfortunately there are moments in the book where it crosses into the later. Jonah's continuing poor decision making plunges him into grimmer and grimmer scenario, to a point where the character becomes a tragedy caricature, losing all sense of credibility. The book also has a tendency leaning into the 'bait-and-switch' with its secondary characters, having them act erratically to generate shock and plot twist, disregarding whether it makes sense to said characters.

Yes, Daddy is a very solid achievement as Jonathan Parks-Ramage first novel; it defies typical genre convention, tackles taboo subjects head on, and delivers an achingly memorable story about one's self (re)discovery. Even when the story is spiraling out of control, teetering between candid realism and (unintentional) dark comedy, there's no denying the raw passion at its core.

THE GAY SUNSET BOULEVARD—a neo-noir literary fiction about the repercussions of ambition and desire.

First of all, let's appreciate the cover. Would you look at that saccharine, cotton-candy pastel motif? If you think that this book would be a tale of kinky, BDSM, erotic romance—I mean no disrespect with the subgenre—go away! Because this ain't it, yo! This book is UGLY, REPULSIVE, but RELEVANT and TRUTHFUL.

To keep the summary short and non-spoiler-y, it's about a young, aspiring playwright, Jonah Keller, who hustles his ass off the city of New York, taking an odd-job as a restaurant waiter, to support himself. His world changes when he gets entangled with Richard, a successful playwright whom he looks up to. Jonah aspires to infiltrate Richard's life, hoping he could be as successful as him. They develop this fling, this instant romance, and as their unbalanced relationship grows bigger, more and more people from Richard's circle gets involved, up until to the point that everything devolves into a complete nightmare.

There are a lot of things that I liked with this book. First of all, the writing. Parks-Ramage prose are just too intricate, deep, and poignant without leaning to purple prose. His usage of words and organization of sentences made me finished the story in a short amount of time. Also, since this was written by what I presume was a gay man, I could feel the authenticity of the characters. The way they talk, act, and think.

Plot-wise, I could say that even though this is a literary fiction, it was engaging and unpredictable. A lot of things happened that kept me interested, to say it lightly. In terms of characters, I could say that Jonah, as the main protagonist and narrator, was an interesting one. He was deep and complex. Although he could be so unlikeable at times because his backstories (the trauma he had experienced as a child and as a gay person), he still was a flavorful character. The antagonists (not gonna tell) and the side characters were also fascinating to the point that I willingly followed their backstories.

The themes and messages of the story were inoculated in a profound, yet subtle manner, without being too didactic. The author gave us some specks of history of LGBTQ+ community, a delectable family dynamics—a father and mother who were GREAT and RIGID believers of the ascetic principles of the church, great character and psychological analyses of people who experience trauma, conversion therapy, sexual abuse, and homophobia, and lastly, a nuanced portrayal of the #MeToo movement in this highly-digital era of opinion exchanges.

Despite my raving review of this book, I couldn't help to notice some of its flaws, minor and major. Usually, they were more concerned on Jonah as a character. There were just some inconsistencies with his character as the plot moved. Some moments showed that he would actually fall as playing the victim, instead of doing something that could have prevented a whole series of fiasco (I don't want to specify this because I want my review to be spoiler-free). Perhaps these misplaced or delayed responses to certain plot points were intentional since he was a 'damaged person. There were also some plot lines that, in my opinion, didn't serve much purpose in the development of the characters, but instead were used as a ploy for audience shock value. And I think because the book attempted to enlighten the viewers with a lot of relevant issues in a span of 290 pages, some of the issues were not explained in a more detailed manner. Had the book been longer, I would have been much happier.

Trigger warnings: homophobia, sexual abuse, fetishization of a religious figure, depression, suicidal thoughts and act, gaslighting, cyber-bullying

In conclusion, I would really recommend this book to ANYONE who are interested to literary fiction and thriller. This debut novel is a force to reckon with in 2021!

What starts as a compulsively brazen pool read, YES, DADDY frantically develops into something quite darker- a vicious take down of the powerful who prey on the vulnerable and the society that feeds on salaciousness. Jonathan Parks-Ramage pulls off something really impressive here, writing a horror story that is so grounded in truth, the thrills are as painful as they are riveting. He is especially successful in his concept; the novel is written as a long-form letter, a device that not only adds mystery to the reading experience, but refreshingly provokes all that is overdone in the thriller genre.

Coupled with its audaciously twisty plot, YES, DADDY is just written so damn well. Parks-Ramage ingeniously weaves reality with his imagined New York. Through protagonist Jonah, he'll reference Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP as effortlessly as he builds Richard's oeuvre as one of Broadway's greatest (fictional) playwrights. Something I would imagine is fiercely difficult to pull off, this seamlessness totally enhances the novel's veracity. Parks-Ramage doesn't feel stuck in any one genre or style, writing with wryness and humor in one moment to deep emotion in another to downright terror in the next.

Queer horror as literary genre appears to be having a bit of a moment, and YES, DADDY is among the first to really find its way. The understanding that sexuality is influenced by the traumas of adolescence is an inherently horrifying idea, and for gay men in particular, desire is so often marred by a paternal figure's absence, violence or withdrawal. It's a brilliant and obviously fruitful launching point for Parks-Ramage, who not only runs wildly with this conceit, but is then able to then connect it to an even greater modern horror story: cancel culture. Though the final act feels rushed compared to the deliciously paced first and second, Jonah's story magnifies into a viral-explosion, when suddenly something that has been so personal makes its way to the Twitterverse. Just when you think things can't get any worse, they do. It's a very challenging conclusion, but taps in something so realistic; Jonah falls into a cycle of abuse and there really is no easy fix, the solution is that there is really is no solution.

I absolutely can't wait to see how this novel takes off. It's special in its brashness and will undoubtedly have its readers talking!

I thought this would be a dark and juicy thriller, but there is way more going on in this one than meets the eye.

Jonah Keller is a young man who has dreams of becoming a playwright. He moves from a small Illinois town to NYC, and ends up working as a waiter and living in a crap apartment while trying to figure out how to make his dreams come true.

Enter Richard Shriver, a famous and award-winning playwright. Jonah orchestrates a way to meet him, in hopes of seducing the older man (old enough to be his father) and possibly jump-starting his own career.

They begin a lustful and turbulent affair. Things intensify when Richard invites Jonah to his compound in the Hamptons. Richard and his friends like to entertain there during the summer. There’s alcohol, drugs, and waiters who are all young, buff gay men. Things take a dark turn when Richard breaks up with Jonah...and Jonah finds out why he was really invited to the Hamptons. Jonah can’t stop thinking about dangerous revenge.

My first thought when I read the title: Ewww!
My second thought (moments later): I think I want to read this.

I thought it sounded kind of like a gay male version of The Lion’s Den by Katherine St. John, but it goes much deeper than that. It’s a dark drama that simmers in suspense, and is told in a shocking and graphic fashion. There are characters I liked, and many characters I didn’t like. My empathy for Jonah wavered as he made some horrible decisions and did some terrible things. He doesn’t always treat people the best, and then seems to want forgiveness. As the story delved deeper into Jonah’s past, as well as what happened to him after that summer at the Hamptons, it made it easier to sympathize with him. He’s a very complex character who went through horrifying experiences.

The book also shows another side to the #MeToo era, in which older men prey on younger victims with broken pasts...this time in the gay community. I also appreciate the social commentary in regards to conversion camps and homophobic colleges like Wheaton College, which is a real college in Wheaton, IL and WAS definitely anti-LGBTQIA. Not clear what the current situation is.

Though it can be cringe-inducing and uncomfortable, Jonah’s journey though everything in his past, a thirst for revenge, and possible healing and absolution, creates a powerful and important story. A promising debut by author Jonathan Parks-Ramage. 3.5 stars.

TW: Rape, drug use, and more that I won’t specify due to spoilers.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I were grading this as a draft, it would be an A. The book has so much potential. If I were grading on a curve (other unreliable narrator novels, which I love), it would be a 3. So I split the difference.

I like so much about this book. It is ridiculously readable--I wanted to know what happened next, from sentence to sentence. The prose is elegant, lucid, fevered at times. It is almost successfully structured in three acts (and if I were grading this as a draft, I'd urge the writer to lean into that 3-Act structure as well as set some scenes as dialogue, and write the "Black" as "BLACK, like the blackout at the end of the scene in plays). Jonah's relationships with Rashad, Mace, and Matt are so fragile but hopeful. It takes on big themes--fathers and daddies and Fathers (and s/Sons), though it was a little heavy-handed.

But there's plenty that didn't work.The 3 acts aren't part of a coherent whole--and I can't just chalk that up to unreliable narrator. First, it doesn't help that there's no real transition between them. Social-climbing Jonah becomes sex slave Jonah becomes born-again/re-born Jonah, and the by the end of the book I think we're supposed to understand that all of the searching and the pain and the self-loathing is rooted in the seeming impossibility of reconciling Jonah's longing for love with evangelical Christianity with his homosexuality. But that's neither evident nor relevant for the first third at least, and even the hints in the 2nd third don't rise to the level of character motivation or narrative momentum. And so many of the secondary characters' actions are unmotivated and under-explained: Why does Mace kill himself--his letter gave no indication, so this felt like a "gotcha." Why does Matt rape Jonah--clearly, Jonah would have had sex with him, and there is no indication that Matt is so driven by rage, self-loathing, violence, whatever to the point that he'd rape a friend out of the blue. Again, this seemed like shock value rather than a motivated choice. Why does Jonah think burning down Richard's house is a viable plan? Why and how did Jonah's father start a church? Why does Jonah go to church and go along with communion if he is so uncomfortable? Are we supposed to assume that his father will rape him next (because every time he trusts a man, he gets raped by him)? Again, I'm all for ambiguous endings and unreliable narrators and selfish, myopic anti-heroes, but Imma call these missteps in plotting and character development rather than deliberate choices.

In the end, I'd read this book again. I'm glad I read it. I think it will stay with me. But I wish it were better. I'm looking forward to Parks-Ramage's next work.

"A propulsive, scorching modern gothic, Yes, Daddy follows an ambitious young man who is lured by an older, successful playwright into a dizzying world of wealth and an idyllic Hamptons home where things take a nightmarish turn."
This book was all I expected and more. I knew I had to read it when I found out what it was about. I was sucked in from the first page and am still breathless. Ramage's characters, plot, and prose were so well done. If I could give this more stars, I would. Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

SAY A BIG YESSSS to "YES DADDY" !

I KNEW THIS WOULD BE FIVE STARS STRAIGHT AFTER READING THE FIRST LINE .

BEAUTIFUL and HEARTFELT WRITING
It is so RAW, the whirlwind of emotions, the heart piercing reality will give you a HEARTACHE you haven't envisaged but you will continue to read through, incessantly and THIS BOOK WILL STAY WITH YOU.

It will remind you of "A Little Life" by Hanya Anagihara.

Jonah Keller moved to New York city with dreams of becoming a successful playwright, but for the time being is snowed under extra work hours waiting tables. He gets ensnared and obsessively embroiled into a toxic, nauseous "love affair" with a Pulitzer winning playwright. RICHARD SHRIVER, a well preserved , 55 year old with salt and pepper crew cut hair.

THIS BOOK WILL HOLD A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART.
IT DEMANDS TO BE READ BY ONE AND ALL.

AS I HAD ALREADY GIVEN IT 5 STARS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK I GIVE IT 5 MORE NOW.

10 RAW, FLAWED BUT STILL BEAUTIFUL STARS FOR THIS GORGEOUS PIECE OF WORK.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Thankyou NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the incredibly talented JONATHAN PARKS RAMAGE for bestowing upon me the opportunity to read an E ARC in exchange for an honest review , I FEEL LUCKY!

I have no business reading a summer 2021 book in November 2020, but I couldn't resist. I mean, look at that cover! Well, I'm happy to report that not only did I judge a book by it's cover, the book exceeded all my expectation. Yes, Daddy is Jonathan Parks-Ramage's debut novel, but this will certainly not be his last. If you liked My Dark Vanessa by Keri Elizabeth Russell or The Arrangement by Robyn Harding, put Yes, Daddy on your reading list now!

Trying to make your dreams come true in New York City can be difficult, trust me I know this as a New Yorker. Our main character, Jonah is a waiter and struggling to pay rent for his Bushwick, Brooklyn, sublet apartment. Jonah aspires to be a writer, but is struggling to find the connections to make it happen. That is, until he meets famous playwright Richard Shriver. The two meet and instantly forge a romantic connection. Ignoring the fact that Richard is very much older than Jonah, Jonah knows that his physical appearance will cement Richard's affections. As the two venture into a new relationship, Richard invites Jonah on a trip to the Hamptons—a trip that will end in destruction. I will know go into anymore detail because the story truly is one to read on your own and discover.

Disclaimer: This book has some trigger warnings, including rape and drug use.

Yes, Daddy is one of the most f'd up books I've ever read. Truly. And yet, it's powerful as well. Ugh, when you read it, get back to me so we can talk more. This book made me cringe, made me tear up, and made me applaud. I've never rooted for and against characters so passionately in my life. Although this type of destruction has never happened to me, the subject matter is definitely prevalent in my community; where toxic older men prey on younger, insecure victims. Oh wait, no matter what community, this topic is prevalent. These are the types of books we need to see in stores and keep the conversation going. In a world of the #MeToo era, we need to have these painful, yet cathartic conversations more openly. This book, as well as others that have come out, will help those victims immensely. The darkness of this story truly will spark conversation amongst readers—a conversation that definitely needs to happen. I will keep this book in my thoughts for a very long time. Thank you Jonathan Parks-Ramage for this book.

This book is truly a reckoning. This novel is extremely readable (I finished it in one day) and unique. As positives, the pacing is pretty strong (especially in the beginning and middle) and the voice is compelling (again, especially in the beginning, the start of the novel is immediately enthralling). The storyline is also both fresh and necessary. As dark as this novel is, it's so important to see LGBTQ+ characters and storylines that don't center simply around coming "out" stories and this book really delivers on several difficult but real issues: sexual violence within the queer community, family estrangement, poverty, class dynamics, and conversion therapy. This book has several explicit depictions of sexual violence, and references to it throughout, so it may be triggering for some readers.

As negatives, I had a tough time with the ending of the book, and the message readers are supposed to take away. That's a personal, subjective reaction, but an honest one. I also had a tough time with seeing sexual violence played out again and again; again, a subjecive reaction, but what purpose it held is a question I returned to by the time I was mid-way to the end of the book. Even with my mixed feelings about the ending, I still felt the book was worth reading, and certainly worth discussing with others. In the time of #MeToo, this book feels especially relevant.

Absolutely fucked up.

This book is simply what nightmares are made of. I didn't really know what I was expecting when I started this, and I can't find myself articulating how I really feel about it. I experienced a whirlwind of emotions, for sure. Desire, desperation, helplessness, grief, and everything. A combination of all of them resulted nausea throughout the whole process of the plotline. This is an experience that was not really enjoyable, and I think it wasn't meant to be one. There were comedic lines that I really appreciate, like a cut of sunlight through the bleakness, but the discomfort and fear reigned on me the whole time. Trigger warnings are very necessary for this book, and going into it blind is not something I would recommend. I had to pause and stop reading at some parts to gather enough strength to push through it. Yet despite all that, I love this book, and the message it's trying to send into the world.

There's also a lot to unpack in the characters' psychological dimension. Each and every one of the people involved had their own demons that perhaps, fed the others'. Until it all coalesced into repetitive vicious cycles of hurt, pain and abuse. As a psych major, I like that. The way the author handled the conversations of trauma, of healing, was undeniably realistic. It was sad, and painful, because the truth of the situation really hurts, and more often, destructive. The concept of "The Perfect Victim" was also brought in a way that punches the reader in the gut. A subject I personally think needed to be discussed more in fiction and real life. Throughout the end, I was just an incoherent sobbing mess, and reading lines out loud along with the sound of sniffing and tears.

I hope this book reaches everyone who are willing to listen, and even the ones who are not. I hope it screams the words until their ears start bleeding, until they have no other choice but to pay attention. For survivors out there. For the ones who are still trying their best to heal. For the ones already broken. For the ones who gave up, stories unheard.