Daddy Issues - (Dial Delights) by Kate Goldbeck (Paperback)

About the Book

"Sam did everything right: she worked hard, went to college, then to graduate school. She was driven, career focused, and successful. She had always been told to follow her dreams, and she did. But when the pandemic hit just as she graduated with her master's in art restoration, and her perfect internship that would lead to her ideal career is cancelled, she did what everyone was doing: moved back in with her parents. But now, two years later, she's still sleeping on the pull-out couch in the office-slash-yoga room in her mother's condo, crowded with boxes of vintage comics she can't seem to part with, and applying for the few entry level jobs that seem relevant to her training. In the meantime, she begrudgingly waits tables and for her life to change. At least the condo complex has a pool. When Nick and his eight-year-old daughter move in next door, Sam's mother volunteers her as a babysitter--she's got abundant free time, after all"--

Book Synopsis

"Clever, honest, sexy, funny, emotional, unique, and deeply romantic . . . Kate Goldbeck is in a class by herself!"--Ali Hazelwood, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A jaded twentysomething is stuck living at home, her life on pause, when a single dad becomes her new neighbor and unexpectedly sets her life--and her heart--into motion in this modern love story from the bestselling author of You, Again.

Sometimes love shows up where you least expect it--right next door.

At twenty-six, Sam Pulaski expected to be thriving in her academic career, living on her own in some exciting city. Expectations meet reality: She has massive student loan debt from studying art history, a dead-end service industry job, a situationship that's equal parts intoxicating and toxic. And she's been crashing in her mom's condo--at least it's not a basement?--for the last five years. If she can finally get accepted into a PhD program and get out of Ohio, the adult life that's been on hold for half her twenties will finally begin.

Her mom's new neighbor, Nick, is the ultimate grown-up. His adult life began the moment his nine-year-old daughter, Kira, was born. Her happiness is Nick's only priority, especially in the wake of divorce. There's nothing he won't do for Kira, including giving up his globe-trotting career for something more stable . . . like managing a chain restaurant.

Sam has zero interest in an ultra-dependable guy pushing forty; frankly, she's a little afraid of kids. But with just one thin wall separating the two condos, Nick proves difficult to avoid. His quiet confidence forces Sam to grapple with the other men in her life: her emotionally derelict friendwithbenefits and her actually derelict father. As her unexpected connection with Nick heats up (and steams up his minivan windows), Sam finds herself falling fast for a man whose life is steady and settled--while hers is anything but.

Review Quotes

"BUT DADDY, I LOVE IT! Kate Goldbeck has written another book that demands to be read in one perfect sitting. Complicated, sexy, funny, and affirming . . . I wanted it to go on forever."--Ali Rosen, bestselling author of Unlikely Story

"The kind of book I wish I could experience for the first time over and over again: it's honest and deeply romantic. Kate Goldbeck always tells the truth, even when it's messy and complicated. This book and its writer are absolute favorites of mine."--Jessica Joyce, bestselling author of You, with a View

"Clever, honest, sexy, funny, emotional, unique, and deeply romantic. Kate Goldbeck is in a class by herself--no one does it as beautifully as her!"--Ali Hazlewood, bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

"I didn't think it was possible to be more obsessed with Kate Goldbeck than I already am, but Daddy Issues proved me wrong. This book is a romance writing masterclass--I laughed, cried, and ached for their happily ever after. Sam and Nick's love story is complex, tender, and painfully real, and I would've happily gobbled up another thousand pages of their journey together."--Ava Wilder, author of How to Fake it in Hollywood

"Kate Goldbeck's sharp wit shines in a perfect story of individuals growing separately and growing together."--Julie Soto, bestselling author of Not Another Love Song

"I adored this. Daddy Issues held my heart in its grip, surprised me, touched me, made me burst out laughing. It's raw and lovingly realistic, downright hilarious, achingly vulnerable, deliciously clever, witty, and smoking hot. An absolute knockout!"--Chloe Liese, USA Today bestselling author of Only When It's Us

"Kate Goldbeck's slow-burn age-gap romance is full of nuanced characters and is rooted in realistic everyday issues. Will appeal to readers who are looking for emotional and relatable storylines about career ambitions, finding love, and growing up."--Library Journal

About the Author

Kate Goldbeck grew up in a literal village and dreamed of living in New York, even though her parents warned her that the apartments on Friends were not realistic. In college, she studied film and art history--limiting her employment prospects to "film museum." Since earning a master's degree at an engineering school, she's designed award-winning museum exhibits and immersive experiences all over the world. She adores bantering with her partner, falling asleep to British audiobook narrators, and scratching dogs behind the ears.