Home for the Holidays is without a doubt the best of Erin Zak’s work to date.
There’s something about this book, a sprinkle of holiday magic if you like, a glimmer of something enchanting that catches your eye and reels you in. It’s one of those rare stories where even before the end, you know you’ll be picking it up again before long.
Truly great writers give us the ultimate gift, the pleasure of re-reading words that never cease to enrapture us just like the very first time. Authors who can conjure that sparkle re-read after re-read, are few and far between; Home for the Holidays is one of those rare breeds.
It’s also a story that is difficult to review without giving too much away; there’s a ‘Oh Holy F**k’ moment in there that I wouldn’t want to spoil for anyone!
Could she even keep calling herself a lesbian, though, if she didn’t consider U-Hauling across the country for someone?
Home for the Holidays, Erin Zak
So what can I divulge?
Well, Home for the Holidays is a spicy, age-gap, instalove story, which for a change is relatively believable. There are fabulous characters layered with Zak’s signature wit, humour, inner self-talk, and banter which makes it impossible not to fall in love with both of the main characters; Heidi and Iris.
There is a whole heap of depth to these characters, and their individual stories are well though out. Zak gives readers plenty to think about, including a character who comes out later in life. She also explores the anxiety surrounding coming out to loved ones, and the complexities of being enough for your friends and family.
The themes at hand are nicely paired with the holiday season, and the inclusion of a bakery as a plot setting does convey that wintery yet cosy, small-town vibe – where all you want to do is join the characters for a hot drink and fresh bakes! The balance of the story is refreshingly less angsty than one might anticipate given the book’s themes, and surprisingly there is a lot of real communication and discussion – no implausible miscommunication to be found here!
A fresh blanket of snow, regardless of its ability to wreak havoc, was always so freaking beautiful…She breathed the cold air in and held it for a few seconds. It was quiet. Eerily so. It’d been years since she could hear the snow.
Home for the Holidays, Erin Zak
The book is written from two points of view, that of Heidi and Iris, however there is a whole village of extended family and friends who help to bring this story to life. Yes, this is a romance novel, but there are so many more examples of platonic and romantic love intertwined around Heidi and Iris both as individuals and as a couple. Zak even made sure to cover the equally as important, but non-human love, with Maddie – an adorable golden retriever fluffball.
Self-discover, self-acceptance and identity are at the core of Home for the Holidays. But ultimately, this is a contemporary love story, one which is at times both lovingly gentle and impulsively sexually charged. And the fun part is, it’s set amongst the most wonderful (and quite often for some, the most infuriating) time of the year – Christmas! Zak’s unique take on having the characters fall candidly into the messiness of interacting with their family and friends during the holiday season gives this book its soul, and the characters their growth.
To put it simply – a magnificent story that I guarantee you won’t be able to put down. The perfect balance of everything you could wish to find in a holiday season read.
I received an arc of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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