Last on the List by Amy Daws

Narrated by Erin Mallon & Teddy Hamilton

5th in a series of related standalones. Stands alone fine.

I read Wait With Me by Amy Daws years ago and loved it. I always wanted to go back and read more in the series but never got back to it, which I now regret because I loved Last on the List, the 5th book in the Wait With Me series. Now I want to read all the books in between.

Max has had a traditional custody agreement with his ex-wife. When he had his pre-teen daughter Everly for the weekend, he turned off work as CEO and turns on Dad mode. But this summer his ex wife and her wife are going out of the country for work and Max has Everly all summer, so he contacted a nanny agency. None of the candidates they sent were right for the job. Then in comes Cozy. She’s ‘last on the list’ of nannies and comes in an orange tie-dyed sweatsuit and an attitude of doing less/nothing all summer.

This goes against everything Max stands for, and Everly has a schedule of activities for the summer. But as he’s about to reject the beautiful, feisty plus-sized Cozy, Everly steps in and says “you’re hired”.

“It’s almost not fair that the first job I land has to be with a man I couldn’t have even conjured in my dreams.”

Cozy (Cassandra) moves in to the tiny guest house on property and immediately bonds with Everly, teaching her the art of doing nothing and using her imagination. But there is something that we, as readers, don’t know yet, and that’s why Cozy has this do-nothing attitude. I hate this in books! I loved everything else about the story, but I hate when all of the main character’s actions are because of something in their past that we aren’t privy to yet.

Max and Cozy, despite their age gap, had such chemistry! I love how Amy mixed really funny with really hot, sometimes on the same page. There was a little kink and Max definitely lived up to the sexy ‘Zaddy’ moniker, but I wish the word wasn’t said quite as much.

“Make no mistake, you aren’t a convenience fuck, Cassandra. You are a dream fuck.”

I really loved Cozy’s relationship with her plus-sized body. She was happy with her body for the most part and wasn’t trying to change it, but it comes with burdens that skinny people don’t have, like finding designer clothes that fit. As body-positive as she is, she had the natural insecurities everyone gets when you are with a hot guy.

“If you think for one fucking second your body isn’t everything I want… Everything I have been craving… And everything I jack off to when I can’t sleep at night because you haunt all my waking moments…” My tongue slickens my lips as I pull back to stare hungrily at hers. “Then you’re not as smart as you think you are.”

Likes:

I absolutely LOVED Cozy.
Everly was a doll, especially as the narrators portrayed her.
The LGBTQ+ rep and benefit.
Max was a wonderful dad and an all-around great guy.
I loved the friend group.
Scenes that made me snort-laugh out loud.
Plus-size heroine who isn’t trying to lose weight.
It stood alone fine.
Cockcuterie boards!

Dislikes:

The FMC had something that happened in her background that affects her entire personality now, but we don’t know what that is for a while.
Not sure I ever want to hear the word Zaddy ever again.

The Narration:

Erin Mallon is by far my favorite romcom narrator and she couldn’t have more perfect for Cozy. Her comedic timing is so great. Teddy Hamilton was also amazing as Max. They both made Everly adorable. They enhanced the enjoyment of Last on the List.

The Down & Dirty (TLDR):

I absolutely loved Last on the List by Amy Daws. The story, the characters, the daughter, the friends, they were all amazing. I loved it so much I wasn’t ready to leave this world, so I turned on her Passionflix movie of Wait With Me, the first in the series. Now I’m trying to find the time to listen to books 2-3-4, but her next book (standalone), Nine Month Contract, comes out this week, so maybe I will just hop over to that. I can’t wait to read more Amy Daws. I’m kicking myself for not making the time sooner.