eARC Review: Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck
Romance
Daddy Issues
Book Info
Released Date: November 18th
Publication: Dial Press
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
“I always have a soft spot for women like Sam, the ones who don’t always make the right choices, who say the wrong thing, who overthink or underreact or just completely fall apart sometimes”
I’ve got to admit—I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. Honestly, I thought I wasn’t going to like it at all. The beginning was a little all over the place, and for a while I couldn’t figure out where the story was going or what it wanted to be. But somewhere along the way—maybe around chapter three?—I realized: Oh. I love this. I love her.
There is something so real, so painfully relatable about a messy female main character just trying to figure it all out. That’s Sam. She doesn’t have it together, and she knows it—but she’s not wallowing. She’s trying. And that’s what makes her feel so authentic. I always have a soft spot for women like Sam, the ones who don’t always make the right choices, who say the wrong thing, who overthink or underreact or just completely fall apart sometimes. They’re my favorite kind of character because they feel like me.
And then there’s Nick—her next-door neighbor, single dad, way too stable for this chaos—and somehow, it just works. He’s not the guy Sam expected, and maybe not even the one she wanted, but he’s exactly the one she needed. He’s patient, kind, and not once does he try to “fix” her. He listens. He shows up. He sees her for who she is, and he sticks around anyway.
Their relationship isn’t some perfect, tidy romance. It’s messy and complicated and kind of awkward at times—but it’s also sweet, grounding, and full of heart. Watching Sam slowly fall for Nick, despite all the noise in her own life, felt so satisfying. You can tell she doesn’t even know how to be loved like that, but she’s learning. And that journey? So worth reading.
If you're a fan of chaotic women and the quiet men who love them, this book will absolutely hit the spot.
