I need people to understand that book! Faramir is not a particularly soft and fluffy person; nor is he a sad boi waiting around for someone to love him in the way his dad never did. Those character qualities are mostly the product of adaptations, rather than the source canon itself, IMO.
Like yes, he is compassionate; yes, he is easily moved to pity; yes, he cares deeply for animals and has abundant empathy. The book reveals lots of moments where Faramir is attentive and caring: he brings Éowyn the starry mantle when she is cold, he furnishes Frodo and Sam with supplies, and even gives them walking sticks to make their (probably doomed) journey easier. He does not allow his men to kill animals in Ithilien "without need", echoing in some ways Beren's vegetarianism in the first age.
He's also deeply observant and intuitive (both in regular human ways and in fey Númenorian ways). We know that he is a scholar of nature and history, and the combination of that learning along with his innate qualities lead him to be thoughtful, reflective, poetic, and romantic when it suits him (such as when a certain wild shieldmaiden of the north comes marching into his corner of the garden).
However, Faramir is also someone with hard edges and high standards for himself and others. He questions Frodo and Sam roughly, before he softens towards them. He has a strong sense of his own internal moral rectitude and follows that. He's strong minded and strong willed. As others have pointed out(1), Faramir can and does snap back when someone has upset him, and he is sharp about it. Even with Éowyn, whom he loves and is wooing, he is straightforward and direct. He doesn't mince his words. When she's being evasive, he pushes back, "Look at me, Éowyn!", he says, as he calls her on her choices and motives.
We also know Faramir and Denethor are a lot a like, as Gandalf tells us. Denethor is characterized a competent, intelligent, very strong-willed, and practical (until he falls into despair) leader. Faramir is the same. He leadership is deeply respected by his subordinates and the citizens of Minas Tirith; "he can govern man and beast," his contemporaries remark.
Regarding their relationship, it's clear that there is a lot of tension there. There is hurt and disappointment and dysfunction. The book makes it clear that Denethor prefers Boromir, and that of course is going to be a wound for Faramir to work through, because how could it not be? But the book also makes it pretty clear that the tension is not only one sided. Instead, we see that Faramir and Denethor are both strong minded, they're both stubborn, looking at each other is like looking in a mirror of sorts, and that causes strain and the aforementioned favoritism.
All that being said, book!Faramir is not waiting around to be noticed by his dad. Denethor even tells us this: "Or do you ask for my judgement on all your deeds? Your bearing is lowly in my presence, yet it is long since you turned from your own way at my counsel," he tells Faramir. In other words, "why are you feigning deference to me now? You always do what you want anyways!" In this way, Faramir consistently pushes back on his father, and Denethor knows it. Faramir has gone his own way for a long time, because he lives life according to his internal standards, not to impress Denethor, or anyone else.
None of these are particularly fluffy qualities; on the contrary, all of these qualities show him to be someone who is diligent, deliberate, and strong-minded. Personally, I think that makes him all the more interesting of a character, and all the better match for Éowyn, too.
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