Reviews

Home for the Holidays by Erin Zak

queerafictionado's review

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

What do you get when a MILF loving lesbian goes home with her closeted gay BFF/roommate as his fake girlfriend for Christmas and the mom is a MILF who is also in the closet? You get one chaotic, merry mess and I loved every minute of it! 

This was my first book by Erin Zak, and suffice it to say..I will definitely be reading more! Home for the Holidays was full of humor, drama, and an incredible cast of characters who are equally beautiful and flawed. It was a hot mess express, but it was also a heartwarming story about family and friendship, speaking your truth, and finding love in unexpected places. Plus the chemistry between Iris and Heidi was off the charts - and not just in the bedroom. But seriously…the sexual tension between these two is 🥵🥵! And did I mention there is an adorable dog named Maddie? 

Zac isn’t ready to come out to his mom and he convinces Iris to come home with him to Indiana for Christmas. Iris initially agreed to go only as his friend/roommate, but ends up playing the role of his fake girlfriend. Which is fine. No big deal. That is...until she wanders down to the bakery her first morning there and becomes tongue-tied stupid over the gorgeous older woman behind the counter. Thinking she can have her cake and eat it too, Iris decides to have a side of MILF with her morning pastries. Which again…would have been fine. If not for the fact that the next time Iris saw this stunning woman was in her best friend’s house, finding out she’s his mom. 

Heidi is in the closet. Zac is in the closet. Zac has no clue about his mom. But Heidi, along with pretty much Zac’s whole family, seem to suspect Zac isn’t as straight as he pretends to be. There are so many secrets, and hidden/forbidden relationships throughout this book. And when all those secrets finally come tumbling out…it is EPIC! I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to witness that moment. Chaos erupts. Secrets are exposed. Relationships are revealed. And everyone is in varying levels of shock. 

There were times I was so aggravated with Zac and how he was behaving. I even messaged Erin about it while reading! Lol. But she told me to give him a chance, and I’m glad I did. Because he does grow and redeem himself by the end. 

This is officially one of my favorite holiday romance novels and I can’t wait to read more of Erin Zak’s books!

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian MCs, gay and bi SCs

📝Tropes/Themes: Coming Out, Fake Dating, MILF, Best Friend’s Mom, Holiday, Age Gap, Instalust, Forbidden Love, Adorable Dog, Small Town, Mature 40+ Lead

I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest review.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Car accident and Toxic relationship

emmieince's review

hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

layne_titzer's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

tofugal's review against another edition

On the surface this seemed like a perfect book for me. I loved Mistakes Were Made and Anyone But Her, and this is essentially a hybrid of those two premises. But I couldn’t put up with the characters any longer. Although obviously no one should be rushed into coming out before they're ready, Zac's motivation not to stay closeted just didn't make sense. If Heidi had reacted badly to his father’s pansexuality or his brother coming out, or if Zac was still coming to terms with his sexual orientation, I'd understand. But it seemed like the only reason Zac refused to confirm that he was gay—despite his entire family repeatedly indicating they already knew and were cool with it—was purely to further the plot. Heidi also being in the closet made slightly more sense (embarrassment at figuring it her sexual orientation late in life), but barely given that she figured it out around the same time her ex-husband did. Both Iris' and Heidi’s immaturity was starting to bother me as well. I also kept getting the two protagonists’ besties, Sandy and Stacey, confused because their names were so similar and neither character had a distinctive personality.

pandon's review

emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved this book…loved Iris and Heidi. There were a few people I wanted to strangle but they eventually redeemed themselves.

allyreadsstuff's review

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A funny, hot, steamy, and very queer holiday novel! This book had me laughing out loud. Loved the characters, their dynamics, and how relationships changed throughout the story. Also love stories w queer joy and this has plenty!

ghostlycreature's review

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

judeinthestars's review

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Because she loves him, Iris agrees to pretend to be her (much younger) best friend Zak’s girlfriend over the holidays while he gathers the courage to come out to his family. They arrive late in the small town where he grew up, go directly to bed, and in the morning, while everyone else is still sleeping, she meets a woman who takes her breath away. And who, as luck would have it, turns out to be Heidi, Zac’s mom.

Home for the Holidays is a very easy—if not very plausible—book to read. It’s funny and there are a lot of sweet moments, quite a few hot ones too, and some pretty toxic family relationships despite all the love. Good intentions, the road to hell, and all that.

If you’re ready not to take it too seriously, a fake romance and a hot mom make Home for the Holidays a fun and enjoyable book to get into the holiday mood.

I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars

shippychaos's review

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75