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wolfscout's review
5.0
Brilliant book. Every page is brilliant moving and heartbreaking.
I loved This book <3
I loved This book <3
ezrasupremacy's review
4.0
forgive me in advance if this review is incoherent.
wow. what a read. i started this because saying “tragic gays are my favourite thing to read about” is entirely accurate, and while i did expect to enjoy this book, i did not expect to be blown away the way i was.
genuinely the only reason why i didn’t finish this book in one or two days (still only took four sittings though) is because i was too emotionally drained by this book to finish it quickly.
i don’t generally like thrillers because 9/10 times they just feel formulaic and predictable, but this was so entirely different to what i expect to see when i pick up a thriller, that it actually managed to equally surprise and shock me.
the characters were genuinely amazing — everyone starts of feeling like a parody of a person, but as you get to know them you get to see behind the mask, so to speak, and see the human (or monster) behind the façade. throughout the entire story you equally feel for and with jonah and also hate him for what he’s done. and mace, God, i needed to mention him because his centrality to the plot aside, his end fucking gutted me, because i had simply not expected it, and i really really wish he would’ve gotten to move on, live a happier life — but it’s not unreasonable for his story to have ended this way, which makes it so devastating, to me at least.
now to the plot;
the way that the story opens is intense, and sets the picture perfectly for what’s to come — you know that richard is going to be doing bad things, and from very early on in jonah's relationship with him you get glimpses at just how bad of a person he is, but when his play is finally revealed i genuinely sat there, jaw dropped open, and needed a few minutes to process what i had just read. of course we know something bad will happen to jonah at richard's hands, but the way he is put into this position as well as what he is forced to endure afterwards just really got to me — and i don't often feel emotional about experiences i cannot relate to, so i was rather surprised by that.
another part of this story that was very interesting to me personally was jonah's relationship with religion. i didn't grow up as strictly religious as he did, but my family was catholic so i at least understand his situation a little, and as someone who has recently reconnected with his beliefs despite of his identity, my heart started to feel warm when jonah managed to reconnect, managed to heal a little, but then the red flags started to pop up, and God, i just wanted to scream at him to run in the same was mace had told him to run years before. adding the aspect of this figure of someone who, on the surface, seems like the perfect member of this religious group, who ended up again and again betraying jonah's trust in him, lastly in one of the worst ways possible, actually made me tear up (which i need to mention because that has only happened for like maybe 5 or so books before). i really liked how his apprehension towards his father's religious community in the very end was portrayed, scared to trust but willing to push yourself and try for the sake of healing.
i will certainly keep an eye out for any other books this author publishes.
wow. what a read. i started this because saying “tragic gays are my favourite thing to read about” is entirely accurate, and while i did expect to enjoy this book, i did not expect to be blown away the way i was.
genuinely the only reason why i didn’t finish this book in one or two days (still only took four sittings though) is because i was too emotionally drained by this book to finish it quickly.
i don’t generally like thrillers because 9/10 times they just feel formulaic and predictable, but this was so entirely different to what i expect to see when i pick up a thriller, that it actually managed to equally surprise and shock me.
the characters were genuinely amazing — everyone starts of feeling like a parody of a person, but as you get to know them you get to see behind the mask, so to speak, and see the human (or monster) behind the façade. throughout the entire story you equally feel for and with jonah and also hate him for what he’s done. and mace, God, i needed to mention him because his centrality to the plot aside, his end fucking gutted me, because i had simply not expected it, and i really really wish he would’ve gotten to move on, live a happier life — but it’s not unreasonable for his story to have ended this way, which makes it so devastating, to me at least.
now to the plot;
the way that the story opens is intense, and sets the picture perfectly for what’s to come — you know that richard is going to be doing bad things, and from very early on in jonah's relationship with him you get glimpses at just how bad of a person he is, but when his play is finally revealed i genuinely sat there, jaw dropped open, and needed a few minutes to process what i had just read. of course we know something bad will happen to jonah at richard's hands, but the way he is put into this position as well as what he is forced to endure afterwards just really got to me — and i don't often feel emotional about experiences i cannot relate to, so i was rather surprised by that.
another part of this story that was very interesting to me personally was jonah's relationship with religion. i didn't grow up as strictly religious as he did, but my family was catholic so i at least understand his situation a little, and as someone who has recently reconnected with his beliefs despite of his identity, my heart started to feel warm when jonah managed to reconnect, managed to heal a little, but then the red flags started to pop up, and God, i just wanted to scream at him to run in the same was mace had told him to run years before. adding the aspect of this figure of someone who, on the surface, seems like the perfect member of this religious group, who ended up again and again betraying jonah's trust in him, lastly in one of the worst ways possible, actually made me tear up (which i need to mention because that has only happened for like maybe 5 or so books before). i really liked how his apprehension towards his father's religious community in the very end was portrayed, scared to trust but willing to push yourself and try for the sake of healing.
i will certainly keep an eye out for any other books this author publishes.
calebmatthews's review
3.0
This book is very different in the end than it was in the beginning. It was interesting. None of the characters are really like-able. I might give the author another shot, but this was not my personal cup of tea.
ghoulbunny's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
arlingtonchamberofgay's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
In Yes, Daddy, Jonah dances the line between rags and riches, climbing the ladder of wealth the only way that many of us working class queers can: through our bodies. Parks-Ramage does a brilliant job conveying just how quickly survivors start reasoning away the abuse in an effort to stay sane and hold on to their life. The constant internal dialogue of “i’m doing this to survive” and “this isn’t fucking normal”, back and forth, over and over again, that damaging spiral of mental turmoil that just chips away at your mental health. He also explores the way that evangelical christianity is woven into our culture and often follows us long after we’ve left, even sometimes calling us back before falling out again.
As a trans, queer, sexual assault survivor with religious trauma and a plethora of daddy issues, this book got to me in a way I wasn’t fully expecting. But it brought words to the things that I’ve only ever kept to myself or told few friends. So thank you. Here’s to my fellow survivors. Let’s knock ‘em dead.
As a trans, queer, sexual assault survivor with religious trauma and a plethora of daddy issues, this book got to me in a way I wasn’t fully expecting. But it brought words to the things that I’ve only ever kept to myself or told few friends. So thank you. Here’s to my fellow survivors. Let’s knock ‘em dead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Homophobia, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Child abuse
lucyblackbirdreads's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This one is going to be a complicated review for me that I'm going to try to make spoiler-free.
I really loved this book a lot at first. The psychological manipulation, the realistic view of certain situations that have been (and very much still is) a focal point, the aftermath, the mob mentality.... If you've read it, hopefully you know what I mean.
And then, it switched. The ending took a turn that I didn't expect, and leaned heavily on something I guess I wasn't ready for. During this switch, a situation happens that was honestly done really well and kind of gave me some hope that the tone didn't completely change, but then it went harder and that's where it lost me.
We know early on that Jonah comes from a very religious background, and aspects of that come back into his life. I want to stress that I don't have anything against religion in books, but I felt the way it was done in the last part felt uncomfortably awkward. It felt almost forced. Religious trauma is part of the story, and maybe it is more realistic than I realize, and if so I hope someone will converse to give me another view, but for me it just really was a let down after such a strong story previously.
And then, I saw the acknowledgments, and that it was already being made into a (show? movie?) and I felt like that explained a lot of why the ending was the way it was. This book has not been out lo g at all, and it already is being made into a video adaptation? So was this written for a novel? A show? Or was this written by someone who wanted to cash in on as many entertainment areas as possible no matter what?
I realize I'm making assumptions, however when I then look back, I can see moments that go from subtly lacking detail to "oh, this was written for a visual consumption", and it changed the way I viewed it.
I would still recommend this book, but for me it ended up lacking once I went back and thought about it. I still want to hold Mace though. He was the best and most heartbreaking in the entire story.
I really loved this book a lot at first. The psychological manipulation, the realistic view of certain situations that have been (and very much still is) a focal point, the aftermath, the mob mentality.... If you've read it, hopefully you know what I mean.
And then, it switched. The ending took a turn that I didn't expect, and leaned heavily on something I guess I wasn't ready for. During this switch, a situation happens that was honestly done really well and kind of gave me some hope that the tone didn't completely change, but then it went harder and that's where it lost me.
We know early on that Jonah comes from a very religious background, and aspects of that come back into his life. I want to stress that I don't have anything against religion in books, but I felt the way it was done in the last part felt uncomfortably awkward. It felt almost forced. Religious trauma is part of the story, and maybe it is more realistic than I realize, and if so I hope someone will converse to give me another view, but for me it just really was a let down after such a strong story previously.
And then, I saw the acknowledgments, and that it was already being made into a (show? movie?) and I felt like that explained a lot of why the ending was the way it was. This book has not been out lo g at all, and it already is being made into a video adaptation? So was this written for a novel? A show? Or was this written by someone who wanted to cash in on as many entertainment areas as possible no matter what?
I realize I'm making assumptions, however when I then look back, I can see moments that go from subtly lacking detail to "oh, this was written for a visual consumption", and it changed the way I viewed it.
I would still recommend this book, but for me it ended up lacking once I went back and thought about it. I still want to hold Mace though. He was the best and most heartbreaking in the entire story.
mannnishboy's review
It was a little triggering. A pretty intense SA scene and I had to stop
Reading. Felt it was well written and a very fast read up until that point. Also interesting subject. Wish it was a little more closed door with the scenes. Maybe that is the one and only. I just didn’t want to keep reading to find out.
Reading. Felt it was well written and a very fast read up until that point. Also interesting subject. Wish it was a little more closed door with the scenes. Maybe that is the one and only. I just didn’t want to keep reading to find out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, and Sexual content
hart_ley's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Stalking