Daddy Issues

Sometimes love shows up where you least expect it - right next door. 
 
At 26, Sam doesn’t feel like she’s living the adult life she was destined to have. Rather than enjoying a thriving academic career in an exciting city, she’s working a dead-end waitressing job, navigating a situationship that’s both toxic and intoxicating in equal measure, and living in her mom’s condo. At least it isn’t her basement . . . right? 
 
Her mom’s new neighbor, Nick, is the ultimate grown up. His nine-year-old daughter Kira is his world, her happiness his only priority, especially in the wake of his divorce. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her, including giving up his globe-trotting job for a more stable one. Even if it’s as the manager of a chain restaurant in Ohio. 
 
Sam has zero interest in an ultra-dependable guy pushing forty, and frankly she’s a little afraid of kids, too. But with just one thin wall separating the condos, Nick proves difficult to avoid. Soon, Sam’s unexpected connection with Nick heats up, and before long Sam finds herself falling for a man whose life couldn’t be more different from her own… 
 
Praise for Kate Goldbeck: 
'Fresh, witty, and utterly romantic' Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis 
 
'This is a romance sung in perfect pitch!' Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners 
 
'Every character is as sexy as they are gloriously messy... a masterclass in banter' Rosie Danan, The Roommate

Smart, sexy, relatable and hilarious, Daddy Issues isn't just one of my favorite books of the year, it's one of my favorite books period. If you've ever felt stuck in your life, confused about your career or suffered through a situationship, you will see yourself in Sam, our perfectly imperfect heroine. Packed with Goldbeck's unique charm and trademark humour, the story swept me up and resolved more of my own issues than ten years in therapy. 
 
Just like an order of Boneless Buffalo Wings, Daddy Issues is utterly moreish, tender and delicious with exactly the right amount of spice. I adored it.

Sometimes love shows up where you least expect it - right next door. 
 
At 26, Sam doesn’t feel like she’s living the adult life she was destined to have. Rather than enjoying a thriving academic career in an exciting city, she’s working a dead-end waitressing job, navigating a situationship that’s both toxic and intoxicating in equal measure, and living in her mom’s condo. At least it isn’t her basement . . . right? 
 
Her mom’s new neighbor, Nick, is the ultimate grown up. His nine-year-old daughter Kira is his world, her happiness his only priority, especially in the wake of his divorce. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her, including giving up his globe-trotting job for a more stable one. Even if it’s as the manager of a chain restaurant in Ohio. 
 
Sam has zero interest in an ultra-dependable guy pushing forty, and frankly she’s a little afraid of kids, too. But with just one thin wall separating the condos, Nick proves difficult to avoid. Soon, Sam’s unexpected connection with Nick heats up, and before long Sam finds herself falling for a man whose life couldn’t be more different from her own… 
 
 
Praise for Kate Goldbeck: 
'Fresh, witty, and utterly romantic' Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis 
 
'This is a romance sung in perfect pitch!' Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners 
 
'Every character is as sexy as they are gloriously messy... a masterclass in banter' Rosie Danan, The Roommate

Kate Goldbeck

'An enemies to lovers, New York-set romcom inspired by When Harry Met Sally? Yes, please! There are not enough superlatives for how much I adored the edgy, sexy but also unashamedly romantic You, Again'

Sarra Manning, Red Magazine, Top 10 Books for September 2023

Fresh, witty, and utterly romantic, this is the deliciously offbeat modern reimagining of When Harry Met Sally I never knew I needed. Kate Goldbeck is an absolute star!

Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis

This is a romance sung in perfect pitch! A spectacular debut!

Christina Lauren, author of The Unhoneymooners

Equal parts a studied homage and decisively modern, Kate Goldbeck debuts with a masterclass in banter. This is a luxurious contemporary romance to savor. Every character is as sexy as they are gloriously messy. I'm officially a fan and can't wait to see what Kate does next!

You, Again is a knockout. Ari and Josh are my favorite type of couple- funny, flawed, and complicated, with prickly exteriors hiding tender hearts. I'll be first in line for anything Kate Goldbeck writes from now on.

Ava Wilder, author of How to Fake it in Hollywood

One of those special, singular books you wish you could read for the first time again and again. It's funny and sharp, crackling with wit and chemistry, a clever homage to all the best parts of romantic comedies while making them feel new... I can't wait to revisit it every year as an ultimate comfort reread, like watching a favorite Nora Ephron movie'

Alicia Thompson, author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers

You, Again reads like a modern rom-com classic in the making, and Kate Goldbeck is my newest auto-buy author - what a voice! I've never read anything like it. This book is raw and sexy and radically vulnerable, and I'm already desperately missing Ari and Josh.

Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex Talk

The humor is sharp, the dialogue is equal parts poignant and fun, and the romance will make you giddy

Not your average romantic comedy. Ari and Josh's love story is raw, chaotic, unconventional, very funny and very sexy. An edgy, modern, slow-burn love story, with nipple piercings.

Georgia Clark, author of It Had To Be You

Kate Goldbeck is a genius. I laughed. I cried. I fell in love with her characters and her descriptions of New York and the food. Ari is complicated, messy and utterly believable. Josh is so more than just your typical grumpy suitor. This story has nuts and a big fat beating heart and I will be reading it over and over

A slow-burn homage to When Harry Met Sally. Readers who love [...] friends-to-lovers romances, will enjoy Goldbeck's tale of growing up, finding yourself, and stumbling into love along the way

It's rare to find such a perfect balance of funny and emotional [...] Goldbeck is clearly a writer to watch, creating and building characters that feel like people you've known and loved [...] This debut romance ticks all the boxes of a must-read, with plenty of bite giving it edge

The course of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers never did run smooth, as Goldbeck proves in her affecting debut. The influence of When Harry Met Sally is clear, with Goldbeck updating the classic for the modern day. The result is witty, emotional, and deeply romantic

This witty, emotionally intelligent story is set in New York and the sense of place is strong. I rooted for open, likeable Ari and grumpy, ambitious Josh from the start

The ultimate friends-to-lovers romcom inspired by When Harry Met Sally

Ari, a free-spirited struggling comedian, likes to keep things casual, and never sleeps over after hooking up. Josh, born-and-bred Manhattanite, has ambitious plans to take the culinary world by storm, to find The One and live happily-ever-after. 
 
After a confrontational first meeting (at the apartment of the woman they are both sleeping with), Ari and Josh never expect their paths to cross again, but years later, as they're both reeling from ego-bruising breakups, a chance encounter leads to a surprising connection: friendship. Turns out, spending time with your former nemesis can be fun when you're both too sad and miserable to hate each other. 
 
And as odd as it seems, they become friends-without-benefits, finding comfort in late night Netflix binges, swiping through each other's online dating profiles, and bickering endlessly on their phones across boroughs. It's better than romance. Until one night, the unspoken boundaries of their platonic relationship begin to blur... 
 
With sharp observations and sizzling chemistry, YOU, AGAIN explores the dynamics of co-ed friendship in this sparkling romantic comedy of modern love in all its forms.

Kate Goldbeck

Praise for You, Again

'An enemies to lovers, New York-set romcom inspired by When Harry Met Sally? Yes, please! **There are not enough superlatives for how much I adored the edgy, sexy but also unashamedly romantic You, Again'**

Fresh, witty, and utterly romantic, this is the deliciously offbeat modern reimagining of When Harry Met Sally I never knew I needed. Kate Goldbeck is an absolute star!

This is a romance sung in perfect pitch! A spectacular debut!

'An enemies to lovers, New York-set romcom inspired by When Harry Met Sally? Yes, please! **There are not enough superlatives for how much I adored the edgy, sexy but also unashamedly romantic You, Again'**

Fresh, witty, and utterly romantic, this is the deliciously offbeat modern reimagining of When Harry Met Sally I never knew I needed. Kate Goldbeck is an absolute star!

This is a romance sung in perfect pitch! A spectacular debut!

'An enemies to lovers, New York-set romcom inspired by When Harry Met Sally? Yes, please! **There are not enough superlatives for how much I adored the edgy, sexy but also unashamedly romantic You, Again'**

Fresh, witty, and utterly romantic, this is the deliciously offbeat modern reimagining of When Harry Met Sally I never knew I needed. Kate Goldbeck is an absolute star!

This is a romance sung in perfect pitch! A spectacular debut!

Books by Kate Goldbeck

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter