5 stars
yes, daddy is a Heart-stopping story about trauma and healing, following Jonah, who was trying to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer. He moved to New York, which turns out to be more than he can handle. In his search for security and romance, he befriended Richard, a notorious writer, whose place as a celebrity was already established.
Jonah was instantly bewitched by Richard's charm and wealth, and was rapidly falling form him. but the person who was supposed to be his refuge will actually be the architect of his personal hell.

I wish for a sign that nothing in this book did happen. This was a very Difficult read, but also one of my favorite this year. The events were raw and extremely realistic. My heart shattered for Jonnah, and I sobbed many times while reading. I pray that the events of the story were not inspired by reality. at the same time, I'm a little disappointed that this isn't a true crime novel and someone did actually guillotine Richard's head off??

For all the fragile souls who want to read this book, I want to say (without revealing any spoilers) that there is a sort of happy ending. Jonah's story will come to a full circle when he will receive an invitation from the one who "cast the first stone", asking for a chance to apologize and reconcile.

On a cheerful note, the writing was AMAZING, fluid and absolutely catching. I could hardly put the book down. It is without doubt going to be added to my hardcover collection. I'm totally in love with the author's talent for conveying impossible feelings in the same story, going from total despair to hope. I can't wait to read more.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for this wonderful book

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this one. I was really looking forward to it, but it wasn’t working for me. I couldn’t connect to the writing. I might circle back around to it later.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. What an amazingly and heartbreaking novel. I could not put this down but also couldn’t believe what I was reading. My heart absolutely broke for Jonah every single time. I really appreciated how this novel dove into the males side of the metoo movement. I feel like these issues aren’t brought enough to light which they should be. It’s absolutely devastating how those in power look for specific people to manipulate and take advantage of knowing they will be left with nothing. This was an amazing debut novel that everyone should read.

TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of Rape, Abuse, Suicide, Drug Use & Suicidal ideation.
What a powerful story! Much darker than I was expecting but with concise writing and an engaging plot. Jonah is an aspiring screenwriter who has recently moved to New York. Thinking he has seduced famed playwright Richard Shriver as a catalyst for his career, what follows is a disturbing descent into the underbelly of power, privilege, and abuse, as Jonah's dreams of success, physical and mental safety, is eroded away.

I really do not know my feelings about this book. Was it well written? Yes. Was I entertained? Yes. Did I love it? No.
I think that my issue with this book was my expectations. When I saw a gothic story it was an auto-request, however I do not think that I would consider this a gothic story and I was a bit disappointed. This was also WAY darker than I was anticipating going in.

First of all, everyone needs to read this one. This is what A Little Life should have been: a respectful look at trauma caused by religion, sexual abuse, gaslighting and toxic relationships and a reasonable amount of healing through out. I was on the edge of my seat and could not put this down.

Please note, this book can be a little too graphic and disturbing for some people!

If you have any traumas with sexual abuse, read it carefully!!

Ok, now… I really really really liked this book. The characters are very well-developed and Richard is one of the most hateful characters EVER!!

Unfortunately, we see stories about women being sexually abused all the time. We do not come across stories of men being abused by other men often. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I like that this book brought up something that is not talked about.

But I must say, I’m used to heavy and disturbing reads and this one was beyond anything I’ve ever read. It was extremely heavy.

If you’re ok with his kind of book, I say read it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Miflin Harcourt for my gifted copy!

✰ b o o k r e v i e w ✰

Yes Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage
Rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

If you’re looking for an incredibly uncomfortable, beautifully written story run out to your nearest bookstore and grab yourself a copy of Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage. In celebrating PRIDE month, I wanted to branch out and open my shelves to more LGBTQ+ books. Yes, Daddy has been on my tbr for quite some time and I was so glad to finally be able to get to read it. If you’re looking for an easy, fun read for the summer, you need to look elsewhere.

This book was so incredibly hard to read and every time I turned the page my heart broke a little more for Jonah and his plight. It was a compulsive read that I couldn’t put down and every time I thought that I had found a stopping point, I wanted more. The only issue that I found with this book was some of the religious aspects were very uncomfortable for me to get through but Yes, Daddy would not be as outstanding if it wasn’t an uncomfortable read. As upsetting and hard as this book was to read, I am so glad. Yes, Daddy portrays relationships that a lot of LGBTQ+ men and women go through and that’s the hard truth of it. I would absolutely recommend you read this book but please be advised of the content warnings before going into this heavy story.

⚠️ Detailed rape, sexual assault, sacrilege/blasphemy, molestation, domestic violence, substance abuse, suicidal ideation ⚠️

In Yes, Daddy we follow Jonah as he tries to make his way in the world. In pursuit of a glamorous filled, decadent life, Jonah finds himself under the thumb of a very wealthy partner as he spends the summer at his secluded estate in the Hamptons.

This is my favorite read of the year so far. It was a page turning insightful look into the dark underbelly of the abuse of power and money.

Even though Jonah made many questionable decisions, he was a character that I truly rooted for. I felt his heartbreak, his struggles, his hurt. Even though the characters in this book are LGBTQ, I think that this story will resonate with any and every reader. It's a story of abuse and pain and recovery.

This book is so well written and so readable. The words flow smoothly even though the content is raw and graphic. It is a book that stayed with me days after reading it.

I would and will recommend this book to everyone.

“𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗜’𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀? 𝗧𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗜’𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲.”

2011, in a court room...

And on that stand you panic. You lie and decide that you can change the course of history because maybe if you lie big enough and deep enough, you can believe it too.

But quickly, we’re thrown back to 2009. Jonah, a desperate lonely young man, recently moves to New York City for school. Hoping to gain an introduction and an eventual relationship with the famous playwright Richard Shriver. He’s so convinced that this relationship will save him from himself. He’s fantasized about it so often that he knows exactly what he’s going to say and do to get Richard’s attention. And as luck would have it, he does.

Only he doesn’t know just how deep he’s in with Richard or what goes on behind closed doors. Soon, he feels alone and indebted. He can’t turn to his mother, unless he wants to confront the view that his sexuality is a sin in gods eyes, and return to conversion therapy. But can he truly stay where he is?

Soon his life is spiralling out of control. And the lies he told in the court room come back to haunt him.

I binged this book in 𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦 than 24 hours and when I finished, I just sat there…needing a moment.

It’s heartbreaking and beautifully written. It feels like no matter how many times Jonah tries to get back up, life is stomping him into the ground.

This is for fans of 𝗠𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮.

Do yourself a favour and go read this book, 𝗡𝗢𝗪.

5 ⭐️

This is a great debut novel. The writing very expressive. This is more of a dark-themed story. Beware of triggers. It’s a tale of a young struggling writer, Jonah, who is gay. His past is negatively affecting his present. He is desperate to become noticed in life, in general and professionally. His desperation leads him to meet a famous playwright. His dreams are finally coming true. Until they don’t. This is a riveting story that rips your heart out. Hope is always just around the corner for Jonah. Will he finally get peace?

Jonah is a struggling waiter trying to make it as a writer in New York City. He meets Richard Shriver - award winning playwright and not to mention, very rich. Jonah plans their meeting and from there, their love story (if you can call it that) begins. Richard becomes his partner but also his sugar daddy. Jonah thinks he finally found what he was looking for and that things will start to look up. Of course, things are actually too good to be true and take a sudden, dark turn.

This is a modern Gothic story with My Dark Vanessa vibes. I’m a little torn with how I feel about it because a lot of it was definitely disturbing and violent but a lot of it becomes lost within mundane details. The exploration of class and the dynamic of power is done well and actually quite thought provoking. There’s a lot of trigger warnings though - rape, conversion therapy, homophobia, and drug use. These scenes are VERY violent.

Yes, Daddy has such a gorgeous cover and I would like to take a moment to just point the obvious out and end my review there. Thank you to Netgalley and to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the advanced copy of this book!

I'm tapping out at 53% because this is just too aggressively misanthropic for me. I think, if the first chapter hadn't set the story up the way it did, I might have hung on longer for the more thriller-ish aspects of it, but it's just not at all compelling enough plot or writing-wise to stick it out any further now that it's become clear that there's a fixation on violence that seems both unnecessary and poorly rendered. There's potential in the writing here, I think, but it feels like it's a few years and a dedicated editorial process away. Thank you to NetGalley and HMH for the ARC!

Let me start with this: I’m a self-admitted book snob. I typically steer clear of books that everyone is raving about. I’m not sure why I went against my usual habits with this one, but I’m certainly thankful I did. I don’t write reviews of every book I read, but only those that evoke some sort of response from me, one that demands that I share my opinion.

Wow. Just…wow. Where do I even begin!?

Let’s start with the title. At first, we assume it’s tied to Jonah’s relationship with Richard. It isn’t long, however, that we discover that it is a reference to all of Jonah’s failed (and destructive and abusive) relationships with any male resembling a role model. The very first male in his life, his father, forces him to endure conversion therapy that leaves him shattered and traumatized. Beyond the relationship with Richard, he had an inability to connect with another male that in some way don’t him a victim. The moment he puts down the walls that surround him, he’s once again shown he can’t trust anyone, even those who promise to protect him.

Simultaneously, Jonah is dealing with repercussions of his actions when he is called upon to testify against Richard. The fate and future of all of Richard’s victims were in Jonah’s hands. His inability for to speak against his abuser, though time had passed, is a testament to the abuse endured. This domino effect not only alters his life, but those of the other accusers. The devastation isn’t just in that one moment, but continues to rear its ugly head each time Jonah believes he has found his footing.

Jonah is presented with two opportunities for true and genuine friendship, though he struggles to accept them as such and once again is left on his own. Those that do care for him implore him to seek therapy, to speak to someone, yet the only “therapy” he has ever known has forever tarnished his concept of professional help.

The journey the reader follows Jonah on is incredibly dark and devastating and at times difficult for the reader to endure. That said, I became completely invested in Jonah’s future. Without giving away too much, I sobbed tears of joy when he was finally able to overcome the demons that haunted him, allowing him to pursue healthy relationships once again. This is a book that sits with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

This isn’t going to be an easy ready for anyone, though this is a a novel that must be read. It’s a new and unique perspective, one that I hope to experience again with whatever this author pens next.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for the chance to read and review this book.

Jonah Keller moved to New York City, dreaming to become a playwriting, but right now he's living in a rundown sublet and he's behind his rent. Whe he sees a photo of Richard Shriver, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, he decides to meet and seduce him, beginning an affair. Invited at his glamurous estate in the Hamptons, slowly Jonah starts to realize something sinister is happening and between transgressions and revenge his life is abruptly changed forever.

Yes, Daddy follows an ambitious Jonah in a world of wealth and fame with a dark turn, a story about victims and abuser, power and violence, revenge and pain. This is a story hard to read and the author did an outstanding job in describing abuse and victimhood, with a main character I couldn't fully relate, but, at the same time, complex and very well written. The book is intense, creepy and very dark and I totally devoured it.

This is a rough ride, the abuse described is not for the tender hearted.

I am very grateful to the publisher for gifting me a copy and it is my pleasure to write an honest review.

I really wanted to love this, and I just didn't. The title is very eye catching, the premise sounded very intriguing, but the execution fell short. The writing is ok, I felt like there was a sense of 'lightness' in relation to the abuse that went on in the book. Abuse is a very conflict heavy concept to deal with for the individual and I just felt like it could have been captured in a different way. I felt pretty blasé about the character. To me they weren't particularly memorable, and there was way too much stereotypical gayness used.

I desperately wanted to love this, and did not. It's a good concept (I nearly wrote 'fun concept' but it IS NOT) but not terribly well executed, unfortunately. The writing is ok, the structure is messy, there is a lot of past and current abuse which feels weirdly light? and the whole thing is overlong. There is also way too much Sassy Gay-ing. It's very 'first book', with a lot of disparate elements and none of them given the attention they deserve.

My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the ARC.

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“The things we worship eat us alive.”
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Today I’m throwing you my review for #yesdaddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage. Holy hell strap in for a ride folks:
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Well. This is a wild domestic thriller. It’s got similarities to #theseviolentdelights and #mydarkvanessa . We follow our protagonist Jonah, who moves from Illinois to NYC to focus on his dreams of becoming a playwright, as well as his sanity. After growing up in a home with a powerful megachurch minister as a father, forcing conversion therapy and the “perfect Christian family” ideals onto him, Jonah leaves and moves into a rundown sublet in Bushwick, working at a restaurant to barely make rent. He hatches a plan to seduce the successful screenwriter, author, and playwright, Richard Shriver to help kickstart his plans. Jonah succeeds, and is invited to Richard’s estate in the Hamptons, where lavish dinners, pool dates, and Richard’s close artist friends are plentiful, as well as a surprisingly attractive gay waitstaff, who seem to be sporting ugly bruises…
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JON, VERY IMPRESSED! I felt the angst thee ENTIRE time. Literally such an unsettling feeling of unease and malaise in the pit of my stomach, just knowing Jonah’s future is so dependent on Richard’s interest in him. Watching him go from knight to pawn made you resonate with Jonah’s devastation; Parks-Ramage is very crafted in placing the reader in the mind of the characters, to feel Jonah’s isolation and despondence in these moments, to feel confined and helpless, seemingly without a way out. This is a very dark and disturbing read, touching on the extremes of psychological abuse, gaslighting, and domination.
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Your heart will break in Jonah’s torment and the abuse he endures; it seemed like as soon as Jonah was able to find a helping hand, that hand turned around and slapped him across the face (and the ass!). There is a bunch of internal conflict surrounding Jonah’s perception of religion and acceptance in His heavenly realm. This book circulates around topics of redemption and absolution, forgiveness and consent. Yes, Daddy touches on the #metoo movement in a male’s perspective, which is equally as important and highly underrepresented, so I commend Parks-Ramage in placing attention to this as well. An alarming and heart-pounding read, #yesdaddy is an intense domestic thriller that will have you racing through the pages. Congrats Jonathan on this intense and captivating read!
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Rating: 4.5/5

It’s probably about time I try to put some actual words to the page about my feelings toward this new release. Simply put . . . .

SHE'S FRESH! SHE'S SO FRESH!

I mean, damn son, this is some next level page turnability here.

Yes, Daddy is the story of one unforgettable summer back in 2009 that Jonah spent in the Hamptons with his wealthy, older lover Richard. An aspiring playwright, our leading male was willing to take the groping and harassment that came along with working at an upscale gay restaurant in New York City in hopes of achieving his dreams. Robbing Peter to pay Paul he foregoes his overdue rent into order to acquire the perfect Paul Smith suit/Ferragamo loafer combo for a meet/cute he has been planning for months with Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Shriver. What follows is a whirlwind romance where Richard is flipping the bills and eventually encouraging Jonah to quit his job in order to summer with he and his friends. But all that glitter isn’t gold – something Jonah finds out in short order upon his arrival.

This book is the epitome of “Black As Mitchell’s Heart.” If you are triggered, stay away. On the other hand, if you want to say you were part of discovering a fresh new voice who delivers pulpy content I haven’t experienced since Bret Easton Ellis, then you too might end up wanting to track Jonathan Parks-Ramage down in order to say just how much I love him.

I actually first heard of this book after its publication date and immediately went to the library begging them to purchase a copy. They eventually did (probably because they’re terrified of me), but not before I scored a copy from NetGalley and was able to start immediately. Thank you, NetGalley!

ORIGINAL “REVIEW:”

Holy $hit. Hopefully I’ll be able to do more than barf out expletives at some point in the near future, but I literally just read this cover to cover over the course of only a few hours and my mind is blown. And the book hangover? Oh she is REEEEEEAAAAAAAAL, kids. F*&^ing phenomenal! Every Star.