Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  The Happy List

AUTHOR:  Briar Prescott

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  307 pages

RELEASE DATE:  October 25, 2020

BLURB:

Gray
There are some things I excel at:
– Exercising rigid control over every aspect of my life
– Making sensible decisions at every turn
– Being organized, predictable and responsible to an abnormal degree
In short, I’m boring as hell and in desperate need of a change.
Luckily I have my best friend by my side and a newly written to-do list to guide my way through the murky waters of finding happiness.
It’s all very promising at first, but as weeks pass, I start to realize that the best part of my day has always been Kai.
And when I see him out on a date with some guy?
Let’s just say I’m definitely not happy about it.

Kai
I’m back in Boston after ten years of traveling, and I’ve fulfilled all my goals:
– See the world
– Figure out what to do with my life
– Get over my impossible crush on Gray
Check, check and check.
Life’s good until I accidentally find Gray’s happy list, which contains some very interesting things that friends never ever do with each other.
And as weeks pass, it becomes clear those not-so-innocent parts are the ones Gray is determined to explore with me.
In short, I’m screwed because no matter how hard I try, I can’t resist him, and pretty soon I’m forced to admit that I’m not as done with my crush as I thought I was…

REVIEW:

The Happy List is a sweet and very funny best friends-to-lovers story between Kai and Gray, two highly likable guys. What sets this book apart is the clever banter and the laugh-out-loud humor. I laughed so hard the bed shook. Tears of mirth ran down my face. My poor husband was trying to sleep as I read The Restaurant Scene but I couldn’t stop. 

I knew the instant Kai showed up to rescue Gray from an awkward predicament that I would love this novel. They have an effortless chemistry that jumps off the page. It speaks of a lifelong friendship between best friends who know and accept everything about each other. Well, almost everything. Gray doesn’t know Kai had been harboring a crush on him since they were teenagers. 

Both men are at a crossroads. Kai had apparently sated his wanderlust and is returning to Boston after a decade of traveling the world. He’s ready to settle down, get his woodworking/furniture making business off the ground, and generally start adulting. He thinks he’s finally gotten over Gray. Gray is an uptight corporate lawyer who’s unhappy at work, was unhappy with his relationship that just went up in flames, just unhappy period.  

“My existence is pretty much a row of uneventful years with nothing outstanding to report in a long line of too many days that all look the same.”

While his best friend gained priceless life experience, Gray dutifully went to college and law school and now works for the family firm. Yawn. He’s never done anything fun. So, to stave off a way too early midlife crisis, Gray creates The Happy List, his manual to become less boring. “Have more fun … find a hobby …” 

When Kai accidentally finds the list, he decides to help his friend achieve his goals, but oops, there are a few items that make it hard (ahem) for Kai to ignore the pesky unrequited love he’s caring around like baggage. Gray starts to experience odd feelings when around Kai, but since he’s the king of the oblivious, he doesn’t have a clue. It takes a Hallmark Christmas movie worthy fall-on-top-of-each-other-while-ice-skating moment for them to realize what’s going on. Unlike Hallmark, though, this is comical and not G-rated. There’s a lot of awkwardness, skittishness, and avoidance that ensues, but most problematic, Kai is afraid of getting his fragile heart broken by being an experiment or a curiosity for Gray. 

“As long as I can keep fooling myself that I’m not in love, I will not end up with my heart in a million tiny pieces.”

The plot is creative and enjoyable, and the writing is strong. The pace lags while we’re waiting for them to finally admit their feelings for each other, but once they do, they’re explosive together. The epilogue is seven years down the road which makes me very happy. It feels like a solid happily EVER after when they’ve been together that long. While 2020 has been an awful year for many of us, the same cannot be said about Briar Prescott’s writing career. The Happy List is her third novel – all wonderful, and all published this year. Her writing has a maturity to it one rarely see in new authors. She’s killing it and I can’t wait to see what she pens next. In the meantime, go grab this book. 

RATING: 

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