Official Review: Suzette’s Daddy Issues

[JKO]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Suzette’s Daddy Issues" by Suzette Shanle.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Suzette’s Daddy Issues by Suzette Shanle is an autobiography that narrates the author’s experiences growing up amid the chaos created by her mom’s inconsistent relationships with several men. Having been born a little after Laura left Daddy John, Suzette's biological paternity has always been unclear. Suzette had always felt that she was Daddy John's, but there are suggestions that she is Fred's daughter. Her mom, Laura, may have had some indiscretions with Fred, while her marriage to Daddy John was rocky.

Nonetheless, Laura getting married to Richard (Dad) after leaving Daddy John posed other challenges for Suzette, as she had to deal with different forms of verbal and physical abuse from him right from a very young age. In addition to Fred’s determination to kill Laura, Dad came along with several scamming habits, which meant the family always had to be on the move for their safety. From having only one reliable fictitious man in her life called “the man in the moon” to being involved in several failed relationships up until her husband, readers are invited to take a peek into the writer’s life to see how her experiences shaped her for the future. We also see how she fares to date.

The first thing I like about this book is the way the story is told. The first-person narrative style that was employed by the author ensured that I got a front-row seat to see things through her eyes. As a result, I was able to get a better understanding of what she went through. Also, I was pleased to see that the author was able to define most key characters sufficiently. For example, Laura was compassionate and kind, and I learned a few things from her. Richard, on the other hand, was more like a tyrant; Suzette was so scared of him that on one occasion, she tried to kill herself by overdosing instead of facing the consequences of her actions with Richard.

It was also pleasing to see that the author didn’t just stop at talking about the questionable traits of Dad. Suzette acknowledged that she knew that Dad loved her, and she felt protected when she was out with him. A typical example of Richard's love for Suzette was displayed when she was threatened by a stalker when she started her modeling career. The author didn’t try to paint herself as someone with little or no flaws. I felt like she told the complete story because she included “not-so-nice” things about her past, and that enhanced the credibility of this autobiography.

Another aspect of the book I like is that the writer included photos of some friends and family members that were mentioned in the book. It was not only refreshing to see, but it also provided me a mental note of what these individuals looked like in real life. For example, Suzette's husband, Terry, was described as a man who was "big, strong, and tall, with gorgeous green eyes." Although I wasn’t able to tell the color of his eyes from the black and white picture provided, I was pleased that I completely agreed with Suzette's description of his looks. Also included within the book's pages were pictures from Suzette's modeling career as well as experts from newspapers that confirmed the credibility of her story as a modeling finalist.

Additionally, I enjoyed that my reading flow was not distracted while I read. As a result, I was able to read with ease. I can say that this book is professionally edited; I found only one minor error throughout the 332-page book. I cannot think of anything there is to dislike about this read. I have the pleasure of rating Suzette’s Daddy Issues a comprehensive 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend the book to everyone, especially people that are interested in reading other people’s memoirs. However, because of the use of a few non-borderline profane words within the text, as well as suggestions of rape, sensitive readers are advised to read with caution.

******
Suzette’s Daddy Issues
View: on Bookshelves

[RHD]

Memoirs are interesting as they are real. This particular one seems quite unique. Thank you for such an insightful review

[GianKosi77]

Life is full of mysteries and surprises. I have gone through your review and I sympathized with the author's experiences. Failed relationships are painful indeed, I can imagine what Suzette had to endure.

[Justine Ocsebio]

This sounds like an interesting memoir! Thank you for your recommendation.

[Sararob06]

It sounds like this book is very honest which generally leads to a good memoir. Hopefully Suzette found some healing in this writing as well.

[Unique Ego]

It's crazy brave that with all the uncertainty about her paternity, the abuse she endured from her mom's husband, and the fact that they were always on the run, Suzzette was still brave enough to trust another man enough to get married to him. I'd love to see how her childhood affects her adulthood, especially after marriage.

[Vannaskivt]

This probably wouldn't be a book I would pick up without someone else's endorsement. However, the premise of her family history and her relationship with her father does sound intriguing. Thank you for your great review.