Review : Daddy Issues (Daddy Issues #1) by Seth King

Title : Daddy Issues

Author : Seth King

Genre(s) : Contemporary gay romance, LGBTQ+, May-December

Publication Date : April 10th 2018

My Rating(s) : 2/5 Stars

Eliot Prince is falling hard for someone…

His former stepfather.   

Their bond is forbidden. Their relationship could upend lives. But their love? It’s a force of nature…  

Ten years ago, a desperate and confused Robert Glazer briefly married a woman before confronting his sexuality and starting his life as an out gay man. They divorced and lost contact –until now.   

Today, a sudden family death throws Robert and his ex-wife back together for the first time. That’s where Robert meets her son Eliot, who was raised with his own father and is now a gorgeous –and openly gay –adult. And to Robert and Eliot’s surprise, sparks fly.   

Passion ignites, then threatens to explode. Soon Eliot knows three things. One: Robert is not his father figure, and never was –in fact, he barely remembers him. Two: news of their union would still rock his whole world. And three: he craves Robert more than anything he has ever wanted. And as suspicions arise, their attraction only grows…

My whole life, the world told me the only thing that awaited me was sadness and despair. Gays didn’t get happy endings. Every gay movie ended in tears. Every gay book ended in a funeral. But Eliot is making me think, for the first time, that my story can be written in sunlight.

I have very huge expectations about this book due to the buzz from the author and from few people that already read the book.

So, when the book finally release, I one clicked it and start to devour it eagerly....

But soon I must faced the fact that it seems the book turned out not as good as I expected. I've tried to find the vibe like what everybody saying. I mean I'd seriously tried to find the interesting part from this book that I could enjoy, but turned out I'm failed miserably. Because until the very last page I found the book ended just as a so-so reading for me. Disappointed? Oh hell yeah! Because like I said before I have really HUGE expectations about this book.

Daddy issues was actually one of my favorite trope, but sadly I must say that this book didn't have that 'magic' works on me.

The author trying so hard to make the reader feels the emotional conflicts that happen between the MCs about the past family relationship issues, the dilemmas that comes between them, the people prejudices with their relationship, etc, but so sadly I didn't feel any of those emotions during the reading except the constant 'Duh' moments almost the whole reading!
Instead of grabbed or hold my emotions like what it should be, what I felt is a massive downhill feeling til the end of the book. I even had decided to DNF-ing the book so many times, but since I'm a very responsible and determined reader, I keep push myself to finish the book so I can have the right to post the review!

For story with dual POV from two people with huge age different, I think the author had failed in showing the age different through what had shown from their inner thoughts or their behaviors because it's looks like both characters are on the same age and have similar stage of maturity. It's hard for me to picturing Robert as the older one here when what impression I get he's no older than Eliot in so many ways.

And about the surprise POV thing, I still didn't get it on WHY the author suddenly put Mary Kate POV (Eliot's mother) and David POV (Eliot's Ex) into the story, it's really weird and kinda ruined everything! As if the author desperately NEED to emphasize something that I thought not necessary enough to be put in there.

Last but not least...

I don't know what others thinking, but for those who had read Call Me By Your Name, this book kinda give me that déjà vu feeling with André Aciman book. Like from the way the author set the title on each chapters which look similar with CMBYN book, the way the author wrote the characters inner thoughts like what Aciman did with Elio's thoughts on CMBYN that revealed what's conflicts that happen in Elio's mind, and oh the daydreaming scenes! It reminds me of Elio and Oliver meet up scenes twenty years later at Elio's house (while in this book the similar scenes happen nineteen years later at the same place they decided to go on their 'separate way' years ago!). And don't forget the similarities between the younger MC name, Eliot which sounds similar to Elio (maybe if the older guy name was not Robert but Oscar, it would be close enough to Oliver eh?)

Well, as a HUGE CMBYN fans and had read the book more than once, I must admit that it's kinda annoying for me to find out about this fact, but perhaps that's all because the author was kinda obsessed with Aciman's book like I do and get a bit inspired or influenced by the book, right? Right?

So, maybe I'm a minority here, but that exactly what I felt about this book and I don't want to sugar coating my review just to comfort the author feeling. You asked for my honest and unbiased review, right? And here's what I can give...

The saddest thing here is the fact that I used to love the author and adored one his book Honesty wholeheartedly and praise the book above the stars, but this book, man....
It's an epic failure...