Daddy Issues is a thoughtful story, with realistic exploration of dating a single parent, and figuring out life after the pandemic. I love Nick, so much. He was the cutest dad and while not perfect, he works hard to be a good parent to Kira. I liked his character so much. I really struggled with Sam. I think other people will resonate with her. It's very much a me issue. I struggled with her personality and her complete lack of empathy/understanding of other people. Again, totally a me issue. I can understand why her struggles would resonate with other people, just not my jam. I did love that she was into comics. Kate Goldbeck talks about it in the acknowledgements and I loved what she had to say. Spice was fun too, though there's not a lot. It is open door.
Overall, cute!

Hello, Daddy Issues! I'm still in complete denial that I got to read an arc of this book- pinch me!

Let's start with the things I adore about Daddy Issues: Nick, Sam, and Kira. The way that Nick understands Sam completely healed something in me. From next door neighbors to being deeply involved romantically this book was adorable. The way their relationship was handled so tenderly for Kira's sake was BEAUTIFUL. Or the way Sam became a comfortable presence for her, it was all just perfect.

The relationship between Sam, her mom, and Perry was *chefs kiss.* I am someone currently in the same situation as Sam (living with her parents in her 20's and just trying to make it) and Kate must be a magician because their dynamic mirrored my own family dynamic. I found it extremely heartwarming.

The things I didn't love about Daddy Issues was the pacing. I felt like the beginning hooked me, then from the 20-45% mark I really had to work for it. There was no real drama happening so I found myself not wanting to pick this book up. I'm glad I did at the end...but it was a ways to get there!

I also found the ending quite...BAM. I thought the mention of the 'love' word felt premature. I know that everyone loves at their own pace but this felt quite quick! I also spent this whole time wishing that Sam would help herself. We spend a majority of this book watching Sam not be happy with her career or routine, but she makes no attempt to change it. I just wanted something for her that she seemed to want but then maybe didn't? It just felt tiring,

In all this is a good book & just because I had a couple qualms with it doesn't make it bad!! For me it was a 3.5 star read. I would definitely tell my friends to read this as I really enjoy Kate's books! Plus the cover of this is TO DIE FOR.

Big smooches for Random House & The Dial Press for an e-arc of this book!

I'm sort of disappointed :( There wasn't a solid amount of build-up, the MMC & FMC getting to know each other. It didn't feel realistic, the daughter in the picture but rarely in the story - even though I love a romance that doesn't focus on children. The humor was cute, but honestly, the most interesting part was the powerpoint that Romily provided. Love the cover, the book did not deliver (for me). Love the writing though.

Kate Goldbeck is one of the wittiest writers in the romance genre. She always mixes the funny and the emotional exceptionally well and her latest is no exception! Her characters feel extremely real and messy.

This book is definitely one that makes you think. It makes you reflect on your choices and your relationships, past and present. There are some complicated subjects that are handled quite well. It gave me a lot to think about. Maybe because I’ve gone through some of them myself. It was a good read. Would recommend.

First of all I love dilfs and second of al I loved this book. This slayed so bad I cannot explain the way Kate make me feel but it’s unlike any other author.

whew, this was not what i was expecting at ALL from a book called daddy issues. i was here for some kinky bdsm romance and ended up reading about very-much-not-kinky literal daddy issues that reminded me far too much of my real life family dynamics. existential dread and childhood memories are really prominent right now.

i found sam a really touch character to like. she was so incredibly flawed and juvenile. the thing that made her *her* were things i didn’t want to be reminded of or read about because i’ve seen them play out in real life. seeing her development into a semi-real adult was the payout i needed to not dnf this book.

i think the romance was sweet and believable, but for me it was a bit overshadowed by her issues. i think the second chance aspect of this was critical to the plot, because she truly needed so much work 💀

Daddy romance is alive and thriving, and Kate Goldbeck gives the most realistic, romantic, humorous adaptation on the beloved topic! With characters who are raw and real, never perfect but doing their genuine best, and a touch of fandom love sprinkled throughout, this book is like a triple dipper from Chili's - it has something for everyone and will leave you perfectly satisfied.

Daddy Issues started off slow. The pacing in the beginning dragged, and I had a hard time getting into the story, but it got better as it went on. I didn’t like the instalove between Sam and Nick. Their relationship felt underdeveloped, and we didn’t see much of them growing together. I also thought Sam seemed kind of immature. I did like the open discussion of feelings. It didn’t fully work for me, but there were still some good moments.

I loved this book from start to finish. As soon as it ended I wanted to read it again because I enjoyed it so much. The characters were interesting and the plot hit close to home. It was also such a unique story that it felt fresh and new from other romance books. Fantastic book!

The title and cover caught my attention, and the description sealed it for me: I wanted to read this book. I enjoyed it but I ultimately did not feel too attached to any of the characters. Sam seemed a little whiney to me in a way that I couldn't understand (and I understand how the pandemic affected people, but she seemed very stuck. I'll definitely recommend it to people, but it wasn't my favorite book. Thank you Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for this ARC!

Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck was a refreshing take on a single father, age gap romance. Although Sam and Nick have had different experiences are at different places in their lives, they fit with each other. Most importantly, they know how to communicate!

Things I Loved:
Sam and Nick were regular people with normal problems.
The banter.

Things I Did Not Love:
Started to feel too long towards the end.
Sam's relationship to her father did not feel concluded.

Single dad, age gap? Oh my word, sign me up for this ride ASAP.

This book was so wonderful and fun, I had an absolute blast reading it! It was so well done, to the point where the characters were properly communicating with one another and it made a WORLD of difference reading this book. I loved how well this was written and how mature the characters felt the entire time. This was such a perfect approach to age gap romance books, and I could not put it down!

If you like the tropes, this book is IT for you!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

Thank you to Dial and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-single parent
-age gap
-neighbors
-two dorks falling in love

I loved this one. There is such a wittiness to Kate's writing. The integration of the comic book scenes, it was so smart and just made the storytelling that much more vivid. I am trash for a single parent romance and foudn this story so relatable. No matter what age you are you may not have it all figured it out yet. A great book that makes me so excited to read whatever Kate writes next.

This was not the depraved book I thought I was getting but loved it all the same. It was kind of a deep book and I really loved the characters. All their individual personalities and the growth that Sam had. Now do I believe based on their story that Nick and Sam should have been telling the other that they loved them, no. But you do you, I guess.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early version.

Wow. This book healed something in me.
Sam was the FMC I never knew I needed. As someone who also flailed - and still is, in someways - I felt so seen, so validated, so humbled. She had moments where she was deeply unlikeable, and that made me love her even more. Her self-doubt, her persistent need to chase a path that was no longer serving her just to avoid failure, her fear of falling head-first into love after being so deeply hurt by men in her life… it felt like looking into a mirror. This aspect of the book, Sam’s struggle and growth, was what made this book a favorite read for me.
The romance was fantastic, so realistic and so warm. Nick was such a mature breath of fresh air. His relationship with his daughter, Kira, was sweet and wholesome, and the interactions between the both of them and Sam were so funny at times.
Sam’s struggle with her parents, living with her mother and her partner, Perry, was something that I found myself wanting to delve deeper into. Sam’s unresolved feelings with her father did, in some ways, find a sense of resolution, but I definitely wanted more, maybe her to confront him, face that hurt head on.
I suppose that would be my only critique of this book, though it isn’t much of one. I wanted more - more of Sam and Nick and what comes after their reunion, more of Sam’s journey to find her career and purpose, more of her healing her relationship with her mom and dad.
Besides that, this book was fantastic. Funny, deep, reflective, painful, real. I loved it.

okay i’ll be the first to say i’m not one for the single dad trope, especially with an age gap - but i feel like this was done so well?? sam is basically having a (younger version of) mid-life crisis while living with her mom and partner, and dealing with some heavy ~daddy issues.~ then we meet her new neighbor nick, a single dad, who manages a chili’s after living a lot of life when he was younger. they’re in two VERY different stages of life but I loved how easily they communicated with each other.

I will say, this book did reconfirm that I truly could never be a stepmom and I applaud all who can and do that well 👏🏼 overall I really enjoyed this, especially because the characters and their story felt so real and just normal, average people. The comic book aspect was also a unique addition to the story. I’m excited to pick this one up for my shelf once it officially releases! Thank you to Random House & Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc 🤗

Kate Goldbeck can do no wrong!
After You Again she became an auto buy author for me!

Daddy issues was no different. I just love the raw , realness Kate gives her characters. The complexity of a true age gap romance. This was beautiful. And will be stocking this in my store asap!

Another 5 star from me !

As the CEO of Daddy issues, I LOVED this book. I found the FMC to be extremely relatable in a non-cringe way and she just had she just had so much heart. I laughed, cried, and was just swept away by these guys.

This was my first book by Kate Goldbeck and it was not bad, but this review is going to be all over the place. I loved Sam's character development at the end of the book, even though I wanted a brutal confrontation with her father to sweeten the deal. I wanted her father to be dragged to filth for all the traumas he left her with. One scene that stuck with me was when her mom told Sam that her dad never held on to the magneto drawings, and that broke something inside of me. I wanted all those damned comics in the trash at that point. Honestly, I could go without the spice, It wasn't my cup of tea. It was very mild, especially since it's being advertised as SPICY, but let's be real, it wasn't. One thing I liked was how realistic the problems were in this book like dating a single dad with an annoying kid, which was very much accurate, but, Kira grew on me at the end. I wanted Nick to fight for Sam, although I understood that she had to leave to jumpstart her life, it still would've been nice to see some yearning from his side. And that loser Hal, because when I catch you Hal... Like I couldn't stand him from the beginning. Honestly, I wished the beginning of each chapter didn't feel like we skipped 5 chapters in between, I don't know how to explain it. Overall, once I got to 30% I was locked in, before that it was kinda dragging, but it was a cute story and I liked the development at the end.