Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck
352 pages | published by Dial Press
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Set Up: Sam is 26 and stuck juggling student loans, a dead-end job, and living with her mom while she waits to hear back from PhD programs. Her life feels even messier compared to her new neighbor Nick, a single dad whose world revolves around his daughter. Despite their many differences Sam and Nick find it impossible to ignore their growing connection.
This was such an interesting contemporary romance, mostly because Sam felt so real to me. I can absolutely see how some readers might struggle with her as a character, but honestly I found her incredibly relatable. I think a lot of millennials and Gen Z readers can recognize that feeling of looking around at your late twenties and realizing things don’t look anything like you thought they would.
I loved Nick. He’s earnest in a way that feels very rare for romance heroes. He’s caring and gentle and his steadiness contrasts really nicely with Sam’s uncertainty. Their dynamic worked really well for me, and the chemistry between them felt believable without being overly dramatic.
“I feel like you’ve always been mine.”
I also have to give a few bonus points for all the Columbus references. It was really fun to see places I recognized pop up in the story. Even though Sam has this underlying sadness about where she is in life, the book itself stays pretty light and funny most of the time.
Pacing-wise, this one felt a little uneven. The beginning spends a lot of time sitting in Sam’s “failure to launch” phase, and then the last portion of the book moves really quickly once things start changing for her. I almost wish the ending had been given a bit more space to breathe.
What I appreciated most, though, was that this story isn’t about a woman who’s desperate to become a mom or build a “traditional life.” The romance works without forcing Sam into a version of adulthood she doesn’t necessarily want, and I always like seeing that kind of representation in romance.
Overall, I did enjoy this one but I don’t think it quite hit the same highs for me as Kate Goldbleck’s first book. That one had more of a slow-burn tension that I really loved. Still, I think this story will resonate with a lot of readers who feel like they’re still finding their footing.
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