Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  The Holiday List

SERIES:  Script Club #4

AUTHOR:  Lane Hayes

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH:  158 pages

RELEASE DATE:  December 3, 2021

BLURB:

The Mars maestro, the single dad, and a wish list…

Chet-

Boy, am I lucky! Finding a living situation with a houseful of passionate scientists just before the holidays is ideal in every possible way. As the newest member of the Script Club, I feel it’s important to step up and tackle the to-do list my friends would prefer to avoid. Item one, address the tutoring request from the neighborhood-hottie-slash-single-dad on the next block. I’ve got this!

Or do I?  Handsome, older, sporty gentlemen intimidate me. And Mr. McSwoony doesn’t like the holidays. This may be a daunting task.

Sam-

What do you do when a new neighbor shows up on your doorstep with cookies and a wacky plan to spread holiday cheer? I don’t need cheer, but I could use help with some of the experiments my son wants to try. I know football, not science. Hopefully, I can talk Chet into a mutually beneficial trade. The only snag is that I’m seriously attracted to my local Mars expert. He’s unintentionally charming…in the very best way.

Don’t quote me, but maybe this holiday elf with thick glasses and a mile-long list might be exactly what I need.

The Holiday List is an MM bisexual, geek/jock romance with a holiday twist featuring a lovable scientist and a single dad who’s probably on the naughty list!

REVIEW:

The Holiday List is my favorite of the Script Club series, mainly because it departs from the formula used in the previous books. They felt too similar, in my opinion. While the opposites attract trope is utilized, there’s less of a focus on the geek/jock differences. There are also age gap, grumpy/sunshine, and forced proximity themes. 

Twenty-nine-year-old Chet is a temporary housemate at the home of the Script Club scientists. Like Asher, he’s a robotics engineer on the Mars Rover team at the NASA lab. He’s kind and generous so when Asher asks for someone in the house to take pity on Sam, the injured single dad down the street, Chef volunteers. His plan is to bring him holiday cheer, but what Sam really wants is a science experiment tutor for his eight-year-old son, Linc. As Chet decorates and bakes for Sam and Linc, he’s all kinds of awkward around Sam. As the holidays grow closer, Sam evolves from a grinch to a man who smiles with enjoyment. 

Chet and Sam are very different men. Chet needs order, plans, and direction, while Sam is more of a fly by the seat of your pants kind of guy. He’s disorderly, doesn’t like rules, and has few inhibitions but he really likes Chet’s differences and neither minds their eleven-year age gap. He admires how engaging and patient Chet is with Linc, who adores him. The science experiments are a big hit. Opposites attract in this case and their mutual attraction is explosive. It begins with a kiss that Chet thinks is a mistake and grows into fiery sex when a snow storm strands them in a cabin together. Soon they catch feelings and whatever’s happening between them begins to feel very real. It’s not insta-love which many holiday novels are because of the short Christmas time frame.  

I found the leading men to be more charming and likable than in the prior books. Importantly, they aren’t the geek/jock caricatures as I found the previous MCs to be. There are still geeky stereotypes I continue to dislike: the thick framed glasses Chet has to repeatedly push back up his nose and the exaggerated nerdy speech. Instead of saying “having kids”, for example, Chet says “adding to the populace”. It’s a little thing but it grated on my nerves.  

Sam co-parents Linc with his ex so he only has him part time. He feels inadequate as a father so when Linc is with him, he tries to compensate by being the fun dad. With his arm in a sling limiting his activity and frequent travel as an NFL referee, he’s not as available for Linc as he should be. As the story unfolds, Chet helps him squelch his fears of being a bad dad and teaches him that what Linc needs most is just his presence. His involvement with the family helps bridge a gap between Sam and Linc that Sam didn’t even realize needed bridging. Sam’s character arc is rewarding as he begins to value himself more, believes in his parenting skills, and sets new priorities. 

If you’ve enjoyed the Script Club novels, you should enjoy The Holiday List. It’s a cute, feel-good story I happily recommend.  

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

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