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. Sam reluctantly agrees, though she struggles to relate to Nick. He's not much older than her, but he's a single dad, working overtime to raise his daughter, having chosen stability over passion a long time ago. Their worlds couldn't be more different, even if they're currently sharing a too-thin wall. But as Sam spends more time with Nick and his imaginative, veracious daughter, she begins to see Nick, and her own priorities, differently. So what if Nick's life and career isn't how he always imagined; he's a happy, caring parent who provides for his daughter, whereas Sam's own dad has been MIA for years. As their connection grows, Sam imagines new paths for herself, and starts to wonder if finding happiness means abandoning the "dream" she envisioned for herself"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Sometimes love shows up where you least expect it--right next door.
A jaded twenty-something 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.

Praise for Kate Goldbeck:
"This debut romance ticks all the boxes of a must-read, with plenty of bite giving it edge." Kirkus (*starred review*)

"A masterclass in banter." - Rosie Danan, bestselling author of The Roommate

"Fresh, witty, and utterly romantic." - Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

"You can't help but enjoy every second of the ride." NPR, "Books We Love in 2023"

At 26, 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 loans 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 grownup. 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 globetrotting 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 friend-with-benefits 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.

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.