Daddy Issues

Daddy Issues

A Novel

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November 18, 2025 | ISBN 9798217158836

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About the Book

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.
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Praise for Daddy Issues

“BUT DADDY I LOVE IT! Kate Goldbeck has written another book that ties me up (respectfully, with bungee cords) and demands to be read in one perfect sitting. Daddy Issues is complicated, sexy, funny and affirming. I adored every crumb—I wanted it to be like the endless pack of Oreos and go on forever.”—Ali Rosen, bestselling author of Unlikely Story

Daddy Issues is the kind of book I wish I could experience for the first time over and over again: it's honest and deeply romantic and almost voyeuristically real. Sam and Nick feel like people I could run into on the street, thanks to Kate Goldbeck’s brilliant writing. She always tells the truth, even when it's messy and complicated, and every story she writes is more beautiful for it. 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
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Dial Delights Series

No Matter What
Motor City Love Song
Daddy Issues
Alice Rue Evades the Truth
Kitty St. Clair's Last Dance
Bed and Breakup
The Next Chapter
Promise Me Sunshine
Most Wonderful
Fang Fiction
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About the Author

Kate Goldbeck
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. More by Kate Goldbeck
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