Wow is what I can say about this book! It was so heart wrenching to see this characters struggles. I got mad ; sad and happy all in one with this story. It made my eyes open to same sex relationships and the struggle of finding one’s identity!

The writing in this story is absolutely gripping. From the moment I began reading this story I knew I would be sucked in. This modern gothic tackles some incredibly deep subjects, such as growing up LGBTQ+ in the church, abusive relationships, and speaking publicly about sexual assault. This is why I felt slightly disappointed in the ending, as it felt forced. I was happy to have a dark novel inspiring thoughtful reflection, but the abrupt return to his father and the church felt unrealistic. I’m not sure how to rate this book because of it.

Overall, I think for now I have settled on a 3.5 star rating. This is, of course, subject to change over time, but I’d recommend this book to someone looking for a dark, mysterious gothic novel.

Although starting with a gripping prologue, I sadly lost interest in Yes, Daddy. It felt like the book was trying hard to be literary, and as such, it came across overwritten. Eager to see if the miniseries adaptation goes through. I feel like having the extra details stripped away would cut to the very compelling heart of this story, a man eager to become the lover of a man twice his age and how the tables turn on him.

There was also a lot of obsession about dad bods, at least four mentions of Richard's slight protruding stomach in ten pages. No shame on that, but it read repetitively and bizarrely. My brother thought it read like a gay erotic story on Nifty.

When I heard about Yes, Daddy, I was so excited to read it! I always enjoy reading new queer books and especially thrillers. I was sucked into this book from the very first chapter and finished the entire novel within two days as it was very difficult to put down. The first 75% was very gripping and I was fully prepared to give this a 5/5 rating however the ending was very odd to me and felt like it had too much going on. It also felt oddly religious at the end in a way that I hadn't anticipated. All that being said though, I do feel like this is the kind of book that sparks a lot of interesting conversation and would be especially good for book clubs. One of the things that fascinated me about this book is how unlikable the main character, Jonah, is. He is very selfish and so destructive to almost everyone around him yet at the end of the book, he talks about how much injustice he's experienced, which I thought was ironic. I am fine with an unlikable main character though and I think if he would have been more likable, it would have changed the internal conflict I felt while reading what happened to him. Overall, very enjoyable book that I feel like I'm going to continue thinking about for quite some time. Thank you!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Massive trigger warnings for this one. MASSIVE.

This book was insanely fucked up. But it was compelling. And it does shine a light on some serious issues in a fictional setting that have some applicability to reality.

I felt really bad for the main character. He does make a lot of bad decisions, but he jumps from one brainwashing/control situation after another.

I'm not sure I liked it. I'm not sure I didn't like it. It was a hard to put down book.

I really have no idea how to rate it.

If you have a strong constitution and can handle a long list of potential triggers and some serious darkness, give this book a shot. It was well-written and, like I said before, very compelling. It made you want to keep reading. It made you want to know what was going to happen. It made you root for the victims, even when they were making bad decisions. It made you hate the abusers. It made you keep reading, knowing what was going on, seeing all the little steps the abusers were taking to isolate the main character and entrap him.

This book won't leave you happy. It's a rough, tough, heartbreaking read. But it's a good book overall.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This was a very immersive read, and I did enjoy reading it (and will probably watch the Netflix adaptation). At the same time, it was a bit dizzying, with so many themes and events competing for attention (conversion therapy and evangelical Christianity, self-loathing, ambition, rape and #metoo, etc.). I feel that this will work well when it's all drawn out over several hours of a series, but it felt a little overwhelming in the book. The book opening and cover suggested romance, and I was surprised how dark it became. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Jonah is living in NYC with the hopes to become a playwright and currently is a financially struggling waiter. He manages to meet Richard, a wealthy and famous playwright. They enter a May-December romance where Jonah is wined and dined with other successful men. A big weekend is planned at Richard's home in the Hamptons. On arrival, Jonah realizes this is a compound consisting of 4 homes. The weekend in the Hampton's becomes a summer in Hell for Jonah. He and other young men are kept captive and are sexually abused by Richard and his friends. Jonah manages to escape and he seeks a release from guilt of his part in ruining the lives of others by writing an expose which has consequences.

After reading some glowing reviews I knew I had to read this as soon as possible so I couldn’t have been happier when my request was approved. At first I thought this would be a dark sexy thriller but ended up being so much more than that, so proceed with caution if you want to read this as it contains every trigger imaginable.

The writing style was perfect, making it a compulsive read in spite of its dark themes. The characters are complex, especially Jonah, and despite his many flaws, you can’t help but root for him. I think while reading I experienced every single emotion, though for the most part I was disgusted and horrified. I haven’t been this uncomfortable reading a book since I listened to A little life, so you can get an idea of what to expect here.

My only issue was the last part and how it leaned heavily towards religion, but all in all this was a great debut and I can’t wait to see what Mr. Parks-Ramage comes with next.

4.5⭐️

What an incredible story. I want to say first off, this is not a thriller and not what I expected. However, it was such an incredible story of resiliency and coping with a lifetime of trauma.

Jonah was such an incredibly accessible character and the emotions in this work were an absolute masterpiece. My only big criticism would be in the pacing, however I feel conflicted because the time given matches well with the emotion attached. It truly felt like a personal journal, the experience felt real. There’s also one reference to a social media trend that briefly took me out of the story, but it did not ultimately affect my appreciation.

The masterpiece is in the emotional rollercoaster and if you read it, be on board for a peek into how trauma can lead to trauma that can lead to redemption or despair. Highly recommend this read if you’re in for an emotional journey.

CW: graphic rape descriptions, conversion therapy

Thank you #netgalley and #houghtonmifflinharcourt for the ARC

Wow. Jonathan Parks-Ramage's debut novel, Yes, Daddy, is thought-provoking, disturbing, and emotional commentary on the power dynamics in a relationship and how easy it is to find yourself powerless. It's a fascinating look at #MeToo from a gay man's perspective.

Jonah was raised by a religious family in a small town, where he was taught his homosexuality was something that needed to be cured. But when the therapy leads to a bigger crisis, he is able to convince his mother to let him go to graduate school, then move to NYC and pursue a career as a playwright.

Subletting a tiny room in Bushwick, working as a waiter, Jonah barely has any money or friends, and hasn't been doing much writing. When he spots a picture of famed playwright Richard Shriver, who has a fondness for handsome, muscular, younger men, Jonah formulates a plan to meet Richard and make him fall for him.

Jonah’s well-researched plan works and their relationship takes off, although Richard is a mercurial man to deal with. And when he’s invited to spend the summer in the Hamptons with Richard and his famous friends, who all live on a fancy compound, he feels like he’s finally being enveloped in a life he deserves.

But while the summer has its moments, often Jonah feels the subject of scorn and ridicule. He doesn't feel like any of Richard's friends see him as anything more than a boy-toy. Jonah notices that the compound seems to have a “staff” of young, handsome men in its “employ,” but he doesn’t get their role and they seem to tell him he doesn’t belong. But while Jonah thinks that’s motivated by jealousy, he realizes that there is something far more sinister happening at the compound, and when the dynamics of his relationship with Richard change, he sees the truth.

Yes, Daddy is a story about being victimized and how hard it can be to come to terms with that truth, it’s about revenge and the way we don’t always act in even our own best interests, it's about the role that faith plays in people's lives, and it’s a story about finding your own strength, your own self-belief and self-esteem. Parks-Ramage has written an unforgettable book, one that you’ll want—and need—to discuss.

(TW: sexual assault, violence, and thoughts of suicide)

NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

Yes, Daddy publishes on May 18.

Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage is dark, haunting, bleak, twisted, uncomfortable, and compulsive. I read this book in one night and haven't stopped thinking about it since.

TW: rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, violence, suicide, self-harm, substance use, religious trauma, conversion therapy

Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I received an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Yes, Daddy centers on Jonah Keller, a young man struggling to "make it" in New York City. He has big dreams of becoming a playwright, but that seems far off until he sets up a meeting between himself and Richard Shriver. Richard is a well-known playwright with lots of money to burn...

Richard whisks Jonah away to his summer home in the Hamptons and things seem to be going swimmingly, until Jonah starts noticing things are amiss. The waitstaff, all young, attractive gay men like himself, are oddly quiet.

I did not fully know what I was expecting with this book, even after reading the description. I think it was better to go in without knowing much because there were a lot of things that happened that I did not expect. Parks-Ramage wrote in a way that really made me feel Jonah's emotions. He so vividly depicted Jonah's desire for love, his longing to be a part of a group, hatred for those who hurt him, remorse when he felt like he could have done more, anger at people in the media, etc. It was all there, and it was so good.

I devoured this excellent book in a day. Jonah's character was so well-developed and really carried a lot of this story. I had to know what happened next.

Pulpy and of its time, Yes, Daddy makes for a fantastic beach this summer. It checks so many boxes for a fun read: attractive characters, thrilling plot developments, and a central conflict that walks a thin line between juicy and devastating. Jonathan Parks-Ramage’s debut novel is a relevant “Me Too” novel that explores how men can easily become victims of sexual assault and grooming, but ultimately fumbles in its last act in a shift of tone from astute thriller to something a bit more emotionally manipulative and unfulfilling.

Yes, Daddy follows its first-person narrator, Jonah Keller, a twentysomething recent graduate, in New York City, where he pursues his dream of becoming a playwright. He pursues Richard Shriver, a Pulitzer Prize winning stage writer who has grown his empire to include television shows and Academy Award winning adaptations of his pays, as a way to break into the business and get his stalled career on track. These early chapters paint an unflattering picture of Jonah – he’s conniving, myopically ambitious, and narcissistic. A character with so few moral trappings leads to a fun plot as Jonah and Richard fall in love, wherein Jonah is predator and Richard is prey. Things quickly escalate and change when Jonah quits his server job in Manhattan to live full time with Richard for the summer in his modern abode in the Hamptons.

Parks-Ramage creates a foreboding and ominous atmosphere for most of his book, and this is particularly true when he moves our characters from an expansive New York City to a claustrophobic and isolated Hamptons. These are exciting chapters that deal with some heavy material of sexual assault and partner violence. I was impressed with Parks-Ramage’s dealing with these topics that in a lesser author’s hands could have landed emptily and less compassionately. It is a tightrope walk between decadent fun and weighty solemnity.

The book suffers from an unsatisfying ending, as so many thrillers do. Yet, I found myself most critical not of the plot, which is more typical of traditional thrillers, and more taken aback by the shift in tone and genre. That fun and intriguing exuberance is abandoned for a strange forbearance that is incongruent with the first three-fourths of the book.

Still, I would recommend this to readers who are looking for something fun to read that has a timely message. Yes, Daddy is propitiously positioned to capture audiences who are looking for a well-balanced literary diet this summer.

Okay then. What a wild ride that was. This review is hard to right, because I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about this book. Personally, the first half of the book was a lot more interesting for me. I really enjoyed the dark, twisted tale, even if the pacing was not what I would have expected or entirely wanted. A lot of my issues with the first half, the pacing, the prologue, made much more sense once I finished this book. I hope this book is able to hold some catharsis for someone, because I think the second half holds a lot of power. This book deals with some extremely dark topics, like sexual assault, conversion therapy, and issues of faith. But making it through all of the dark content of this book, making it to the end, you almost get that same sense of hope that the main character has. This book will defy and subvert your expectations, in a way that is both cathartic and frustrating.

First I would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to the author Jonathan Parks-Ramage for sending me a copy of his book! I would also like to thank NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as well for approving me after I had received my copy.

CW/TW: This book features scenes of sexual assault, conversion therapy, abuse, drug use, and suicide. I would advise against reading if any of those topics are triggering.

Snapshot: Jonah Keller is a young aspiring writer living in New York struggling to make ends meet. When he has the great idea to “set up” a meeting with Richard Shriver, the devilishly handsome, successful playwright Jonah wishes to be with. A very tumultuous relationship ensues and things go south very quickly for Jonah.

Thoughts: Whoa, this book was very raw and DARK. It was way heavier and filled with more emotions than the fun book cover portrays. I flew through this book and read it in 8 hours. That is not something I usually do with a book, but I could not set this one down. I was rooting for Jonah the whole way through his sad story.

It’s a somber reality, but this book really dove headfirst into the world of powerful men getting what they want from unsuspecting victims. It was at times, uncomfortable and explicit but important in the age of the #metoo movement, especially in the LGBTQ+ community. In his debut novel, Jonathan Parks-Ramage brings to the table what a lot of other authors fail to bring. This book will stay with me for a long time for its no-nonsense topic and writing. The story is an attention grabber and it definitely captivated me from the moment I started reading it. Bravo Jonathan, you’ve got me hooked and I can’t wait to see what you come out with next!

“Tonight you get a free dinner.” I beamed in relief, too young and dumb to know that there was no such thing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for this e-ARC. This was certainly… a book.

I don’t know what to feel about now that I’ve finished this. I can tell you now that this book has been mis-marketed, to say the least. I was expecting a thriller, yes, but the kind of thriller you’d pick up in the airport bookstore and enjoy the weird vibes of. Even when chaotic, horrible things happen in those kinds of thrillers, you can still walk away from it pretty easily.

This book has GRAPHIC depictions of rape. Over and over and over. It didn’t feel thrilling, it felt gratuitous. Not only that, but there’s a huge amount of religious homophobia that comes into this book that is not mentioned once in the marketing. This book is triggering on a very deep level and incredibly uncomfortable to read.

I hated the way the plot went, because it really did feel like there was too much going on. Nothing was surprising, but it was always awful! There were at least four points near the end where I thought the book was going to end but then it would keep going.

The characters felt flat, stereotypical. Even if characters weren’t stereotypical, they were flat. There were no motives, just a lot of trauma. A quote from the book itself that I think explains my feelings on the characters:

“I just think your character needs more dimension and defining qualities beyond his ambition.”

Yeah. The author has a beautiful way with words, but not so much with creating complex characters.

Should we be worried that the author had experiences like this? He mentions in his book that his main character, Jonah, would rewrite his own experiences and change only the name but keep it with the same first letter (his pseudo-self being Jacob). I feel the need to go and check in on Jonathan Parks-Ramage. At the very least, buy this book to help him pay for therapy.

I can’t say this was a bad book- it was a debut and it has a lot of potential. But it’s not a book I’d recommend. I think maybe they should put something in the front of this book warning about the graphic nature of the rape scenes.

That’s all from me.

I had high hopes about this book based on cover and description alone and I was not disappointed. This book brings you to so many emotions and leaves you satisfied. I personally was skeptical regarding the religious overtones but was so content with the resolution. Honestly the best book I've read this year and quite possibly the best book I've read in years. I am so honored to have read this and can't wait to own a copy of my own.

This book is not exactly what I was expecting from the premise, but it was a story that isn't afraid to dive into issues that need examination and for that I really appreciated that. At times, unfortunately I felt as if it surface dove into things, rather than really tackling some of the trauma that is obviously something the character carries. This made it a difficult book to figure out how to rate, because while there are interesting conversations within it, in most cases I don't feel as if they are really brought to any conclusion, and so at the end of the book I felt a little uneasy -- maybe that's partially the point.

CW for sexual abuse, manipulation, homophobia, religious abuse, consent issues, and probably other things I'm not thinking of.

Jonah is a struggling young man trying to make it in New York City when he meets a wealthy successful playwright, Richard, they begin a relationship, and Jonah is invited to spend the summer with Richard in the Hamptons. Over the course of several weeks, Richard disconnects Jonah from anyone in the outside world, and Jonah finds himself caught with multiple other young gay men who are there to 'serve' Richard and his friends.

Without spoiling the story, the book covers the aftermath of this summer, including trials, and Internet publicity, and Jonah must begin to deal with the trauma that he holds from the toxic situation that he found himself within. This is done in a lot of ways, although not always thoroughly. In the end, there's a lot of interesting threads in this book, although at times I feel as if it's just beginning to touch the surface of the story. It feels, at best, as if Jonah has begun to recognize and understand his trauma at the end of the story, but not dealt with it. This story considers #MeToo power structures and dynamics within the LGBTQ framework which is an interesting and necessary story, but it is an incredibly dark story with a lot damaged and toxic relationships and situations, and readers should know this going into it.

This review contains SPOILERS & TRIGGER WARNINGS:

Yes, Daddy is the story of twenty something Jonah living in New York who dreams of being a playwright. He meets & begins a relationship with Richard, a famous playwright much older than Jonah.

Jonah, whose father was a megachurch minister, grew up in a religious home in Midwestern America. At an early age he realizes that he is gay. He alludes to an unhappy childhood and poor relationship with his mum and no contact with his father. We learn later that his family’s religious beliefs about homosexuality have everything to do with this, leading to how Jonah leaves his hometown & ends up in New York.

When we first meet Jonah he’s struggling to pay for a sublet in New York while working as a server. In his desire to become famous he becomes obsessed with the idea of meeting & developing a relationship with famous playwright, Richard. He spends money he doesn’t have to appear wealthier than he is hoping for a chance meeting at an event, avoids all responsibilities to pay his rent (while having the audacity to complain about the guy he sublets from), shirks responsibility at work, & creates elaborate tales to impress Richard.

Not long after Jonah & Richard start seeing each other, Richard demonstrates some abusive behaviours. At the time Jonah is smitten with Richard, his lavish lifestyle & the bragging rights that come with being a part of his world, so he looks past that & continues to date Richard. Soon after, Richard invites Jonah to his Hamptons home for the summer which is essentially a compound made up of a couple houses that Richard & his snobby white friends own. Here, around the 30% mark is where the story turns. Though sexual violence is implied in the synopsis, these disturbingly vivid scenes of rape are as fast approaching & shocking as a punch to the face.

At this point we meet sixteen year old child actor Mace Miller: boyfriend/play thing to one of the older men in Richard’s circle of friends who also endures frequent sexual abuse and rape. Mace has been groomed by these men/men like them & conditioned to accept this as normal. When Jonah meets Mace he’s starstruck and envious for his successes & the attention he commands from Richard & his friends.

At the time Jonah is trapped, helpless, and manipulated into taking part in & enduring these terrible acts of violence. He is a victim and is surely traumatized by what’s happening. Mace, who has the freedom to leave the compound as he pleases helps Jonah escape. Jonah knows that Mace will then return to the compound & makes no effort to stop him. At the time he doesn’t acknowledge his responsibility as the adult in the situation to help Mace, get help for him, etc. Unlike young adult fiction, I think adult novels can be morally ambiguous. However, I think the author then does a great disservice to the story by never demonstrating Jonah had any awareness in the situation.

In my opinion, Jonah is a wholly unlikeable character. Beyond the materialistic and shallow observations he makes, he degrades & belittles others to feel superior, fuelled by an overwhelming lack of self worth. While vacationing with Richard & his rich pals you quickly see that Jonah goes to great lengths to people please & this behaviour continues throughout the novel, which makes it hard as the reader to empathize with Jonah.

With no feeling of progression (or direction!) in the story, I feel like it’s imperative the characters must develop to move the story along. However, in Yes, Daddy Jonah remains the same vapid one-dimensional personality we meet at the start of the novel. He makes selfish decisions, obsesses over his victimization whilst not acknowledging the part he did play in allowing the abuse of others to continue & never redeems himself. This is most evident in two instances: when Jonah chooses to lie to protect Richard in a civil suit Mace takes on against his abusers, & then later when he tried to burn down Richard’s home with him in it, has second thoughts, saves Richard & uses that situation as an excuse to not go to the police—though he claims to be battling that decision—all because he’s scared that he will get in trouble for starting the fire.

Later on in the novel Jonah hears the news that Mace has committed suicide after years of drug addiction, no doubt used to cope with the continual sexual abuse. The author writes, “The news hit at six a.m. I first saw the story on Twitter: Your mother found you in the bath of her Albuquerque condo. Wrists slit.
[...] By eight a.m. I began to feel hopeless. I didn’t know what to.[...] It was then I did what many anguished Americans faced with crippling anxiety do: I went to Gwyneth Paltrow for advice.” The delivery of this line (& others) is astoundingly insincere, accidentally humorous but in actuality just feels like poor writing because it conveys no emotional connection.

The author drags on what’s only a 280-ish page novel by introducing side characters that hold no great meaning & events which go nowhere, including a second completely unlikely and unrelated rape. These bits & pieces of the story—including the reoccurring subject of religion—fall flat & fail to further the story to its ending, of which was equal parts emotionally devoid & anti climatic.

Overall I’m quite disappointed with Yes, Daddy. I had high hopes that this debut would be an examination of DDLB (daddy dom little boy) relationships, sexual grooming, the effects of those relationships, & how power disparity influences justice and the societal impact on survivors of sexual abuse, specifically in the gay community.

I needed some time to collect myself before actually reviewing Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage & I’m glad I did because I was able to go back, reread some sections & really digest how it made me feel!

⚠️ CW/TW: This book features extreme instances of sexual assault, violence & abuse, drug use & suicide.

Synopsis: Jonah Keller, a young, handsome & struggling playwright, executes a perfectly orchestrated meeting with Richard Shriver, the wealthy, award-winning playwright Jonah aspires to be.

Richard quickly sweeps Jonah into his dazzling & intoxicating life...introducing him to a circle of wildly successful & equally enticing friends. As the two spiral into a toxic & rather one-sided affair & Jonah accepts an offer to summer with Richard & his friends, he quickly learns that everything, even his body, comes with a price.

As the summer unfolds & Richard rips the lavish rug from beneath him, Jonah begins to sense the sinister & violent path he is heading down...if he doesn’t act soon, it may be too late.

Review: This has been a hard one for me to write, you guys. I have to be honest, I hated how this book made me feel while reading it & long after...but I think that’s the point & a testament to Jonathan’s style as a writer. It invoked rage, fury, depression & disgust...emotions I’m not used to feeling.

Yes, Daddy immerses you in a world that isn’t highlighted as often as it’s experienced by gay men...the power & the intrigue of the older “daddy.” Honestly, I think THIS is the perfect addition to any book club to start a discussion on consent, power dynamics in relationships & manipulation.

Yes, Daddy will be released on ...so make sure you keep this on your #tbr list!