Jonah Levinson is a famous gay fiction writer and he has a successful life in Seattle. He only has one problem in his life – his family. They live in Connecticut and he is going home to be with them for Hanukkah and more importantly – they don’t know he is gay nor do they know he writes gay fiction. Even though Jonah is dreading it, he nevertheless plans to come out to his family during this trip home – to come clean once and for all.

However, Jonah is picked up at the airport by his childhood nemesis Dr. Ethan Rosenburg. Ethan was always the perfect one, the one that was best at everything, the one that teased and tormented Jonah for being gay and the one Jonah always had a huge crush on. Now it appears that Ethan has a crush on Jonah and the more time they spend together over Hanukkah, the more they find that old enemies make the best lovers.

But can this infatuation survive past the holidays or is it just a flash in the pan? Can Jonah learn to trust the one man who always was his enemy?

Then there is the mystery of the missing pushke. Who took it? And why? And when is the power coming back on?

Astrid Amara writes a humorous tale of Hanukkah, family and love in Holiday Outing.  I loved the who-done-it with the pushke that bonds Jonah and Ethan in a Sherlock Holms like mystery. The fact that an old childhood nemesis can now be the lover was cute as well. Ethan has grown up a lot since Jonah has seen him last and he has gotten some great abs along the way! Jonah, however, is insecure with who he is and learns that the truth can sometimes really set your free. I would love to read another tale from Ms. Amara in the future. Holiday Outing stands out as a fun Hanukkah story that will not be forgotten any time soon.