Review: One Big Happy Family

One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holey Moley! I loved, loved, loved this book!

This author sure knows her way around creating a family story that combines everything. It has lies, secrets, past issues, snark, and, eventually, a ton of love.

Julia is set to have a quiet Christmas with her much younger boyfriend at home in Seattle until her kids (they are adult kids!) let her know that they miss their dad and want to keep up with tradition and have their annual Christmas at their mountain cabin. Chaos seems to reign when unexpected guests need to be included (one due to a nasty break-up and the other a gunshot, LoL!) in this event. But boy, it sure all works out for the best. There is huge happily ever afters in this book.

The only issue I had with this book was when Blair (Julie's daughter-in-law) was thrown together with her mother. They have not gotten along for years, but the Mother is trying...in her own way, to make amends. Blair sometimes comes off as a whiney teenager instead of a sensible adult. It became annoying after a while.

I adored this book, and it was just what I needed to start the holiday season off the right way. It was not too ultra-sweet, but it was also not too snarky—just the perfect amount of sass.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves good women's fiction, romance, family stories, and happily ever afters!

I was supplied an ARC for this book by the publisher Canary Street Press/HarperCollins/Harlequin, the author, and ATTL-Edelweiss. However, I loved this book so much that I also bought my own copy!



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SYNOPSIS: "Please don’t come home for Christmas…

Julie Parker’s kids are her greatest gift. Still, she’s not exactly heartbroken when they ask to skip a big Christmas. Her son, Nick, is taking a belated honeymoon with his bride, Blair, while her daughter, Dana, will purge every reminder of the guy who dumped her. Again. Julie feels practically giddy for one-on-one holiday time with Heath, the (much) younger man she’s secretly dating.

But her plans go from cozy to chaotic when Nick and Dana plead for Christmas at the family cabin in memory of their late father, Julie’s ex. She can’t refuse, even though she dreads their reactions to her new man when they realize she’s been hiding him for months.

As the guest list grows in surprising ways, from Blair’s estranged mom to Heath’s precocious children, Julie’s secret is one of many to be unwrapped. Over this delightfully complicated and very funny Christmas, she’ll discover that more really is merrier, and that a big, happy family can become bigger and happier, if they let go of old hurts and open their hearts to love.