A review by bookishhill
Last on the List by Amy Daws

5.0

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.75/5 ⭐️s

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh my god, Amy Daws!!!! (Sorry for the multiple exclamation marks; they were necessary)

This book was a masterpiece, and I’m so stinking sad it’s over. Max and Cassandra were PERFECT. I’m a sucker for the single dad trope anyways, and who doesn’t love a good “the single dad falls for the nanny trope”…but this story had so many amazing layers to it that it almost seems like a disservice to condense it down to those tropes.

Things I loved:
• Cassandra’s confidence. She’s fat, and she owns it! Yes, she has moments where she questions herself, but who doesn’t? I always love when we get a plus size heroine whose personality isn’t ruled by her weight.

• This. Family. Unit. I loved how none of the angst in this book was focused on Max’s ex-wife, and, instead, he’s got a genuine friendship with her. I love that they both just want what’s best for their daughter AND each other. And I freaking adored their daughter, Everly. Kudos to Amy for writing one of the only fictional kids I didn’t actively hate. This girl was amazing!

• Cassandra’s past. I won’t spoil this, but I thought Amy did an amazing job portraying how dark Cozy’s time at her previous job was.

• Hi, THE SPICE. The author’s note promised this book would be spicier, and Amy wasn’t lying! I, for one, am super happy about that!


What didn’t work for me:
• My only criticism is the level of exposition we got from Max’s POV at the beginning as he was listing every previous couple’s book summary. I didn’t need all of that information to enjoy this book. They’re couples. That’s all I really needed to know. But it’s such a small complaint!

Overall, I can’t say enough about this book. It’s exactly what I wanted and so much more!

Spice: 3/5