Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author!
Ever since I read You Again by Kate Goldbeck (the author of this book), I’ve been really excited for whatever she writes next. It wasn’t my favorite romance, but it had the right flavor and great writing, somehow very reminiscent of 90’s and early 2000’s rom coms (movies). And when I saw this ARC on NetGalley, I just couldn’t resist.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t my cup of tea, precisely.
Overall, I loved the idea of this, but not the execution. I like age gap romance (in books) because it always comes with a lot of tension and issues to resolve. Although, I have to say I’m not the biggest fan of single dad romances — maybe because I have kids too, and the idea of introducing a new person into their life on that level is kind of frightening. Plus, the kids have to come first, and that just doesn’t work for a good romance book. But that’s not this novel’s problem, that’s my issue with the trope in general.
The writing is still very good, though I preferred it in You Again. Here, it felt like the author was talking too much to us, as the audience, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, it kind of broke that immersion. There’s far too much tell, and not enough show. Still, I did love the little inclusions of what a scene would look like if it were a comic book.
Now, onto the characters — and my biggest issue with Daddy Issues (hah). The heroine felt far too immature and ungrateful to me. Her mother and the mom’s partner let her stay in their apartment for free, no expectations, and it’s been five years and she did nothing of use. She refused to do anything but what she studied for. And look, I get it, it’s not easy giving up something you invested so much time into. But at some point you have to move on to the next best thing.
She loves comic books so much — she could have been an artist on social media or something, drawing and selling comics on one of the myriad platforms that exist these days. She gave up drawing because someone gave her a B. Seriously? If everyone gave up on their dreams when a teacher at school didn’t praise their work at an appropriate level, no one would ever do anything fun.
If there’s one thing I hate, then it’s the heroine who can’t help herself, at all. And it’s likely because I’m the exact opposite and had to be scrappy always, and had to deal with people much like our main character here who just will not help themselves but will constantly whine about their sorry life. It makes my blood boil, in case you couldn’t tell.
Anyway, other than that, there’s no chemistry here, or at least none that I felt. No tension. He moves in nextdoor and they flirt a little, and then boom, he’s obsessed. Which is a perfectly reasonable way to fall in love in real life, but it’s kind of boring to read in a book. I don’t know how to explain it, but it lacks that swoon quality, or it did for me. I didn’t feel like these two fit together or that they could transform each other.
And her constant little comments about the child, I was just so put off by it. What do you mean “does he regret having a child”? Who asks that? She kept probing him about this, even when he was clear that he does not, and that he loves being a dad. And I do understand, what with her father being absent and overall not a great parent, but you have to be a special kind of socially inept to do this.
So,to summarize — I saw the potential, but didn’t love it.
However, it’s not a bad book. It’s better written than a lot of the romances out there, and it has some fun new concepts that I feel fit the slightly younger audience, like people in their early twenties (the situationship she has with her friend). It might just be that the problem is in me and not in the story itself. Maybe I just read it at the wrong time. I genuinely believe there are people out there who will enjoy this, especially if you like these tropes. So, give it a try and I hope you enjoy!
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