Probably really 2.5 stars. I'm not the first person to point out that the Knives Out and Ocean's 8 comps are somewhat misplaced, but it's worth saying anyway. I wanted something twisty and clever, and this just wasn't it. The reveals were anticlimactic to say the least. I got a bit more invested when Beck was introduced, and I honestly think I would have liked this book better if it was from his perspective and we got more of that outsider angle.

CW: past parent deaths (including suicide), past incarceration

The Moorewoods are completely dysfunctional, and super funny like had me laughing out loud. They sucked me in from the first page when Jillian is describing the best way to return to the family... and of course, flying in via helicopter and landing on the front lawn was obviously the best choice. And the fact that it ended up being during a huge party just makes it all the better.

This book was so entertaining, I ended up reading it in one sitting because I just didn't want to put it down! I loved every page, and if the author ever decided to write more books with the Moorewoods I would absolutely buy them.

I was a little unsure about this one at first. It took me a bit to get into the story, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was over the top, but hilarious at the same time. Definitely a fun easy read.

Jillian is out of prison after taking the fall for her family and determined to stop her family of grifters from their conniving ways and to go straight. They, of course, try to get away with as much as possible as well as hatching a plan to eliminate Jillian.

Moorewood Family Rules is more of a dysfunctional family/ contemporary fiction novel. I think the comparison to Knives Out does it a disservice. There is a small romance arc about Jillian and her bodyguard, Beck, but I don’t think the romance aspect is necessary to the story per se. I wish there was a bit more plot development too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC. Moorewood Family Rules is out April 25, 2023.

Jillian is the daughter of a con-artist family who went to prison to take the fall and clear their names on the condition they all go straight-laced, but three years later after she’s released for good behavior she finds out they haven’t changed their ways one but. And she plans on making them pay for it!

This fast paced, dysfunctional family ensemble cast is a fun romp but I think the comps to Knives Out and the Ocean’s movies do it a disservice. It has those vibes but it’s not a heist book, it’s the behind scenes/fly in the wall story focused more on character and relationships. You also get a fun romance with a body guard that I feel could have been given more page time because I was here for it!

Fans of con artist stories and heist books who wish there was more time spent on the characters than the heist/cons will enjoy this book, especially if you love colorful quirky characters!

After going to prison to "save" her family, Jillian is out and wants them to finally stop their conning ways. This time, she's more prepared and has the ability to cut them off from the money if they refuse again.

I think comparing this book to Knives Out and Ocean's 8 does it a disservice. Unfortunately, I went into this book with very high expectations that it couldn't reach. While there were some threats on Jillian's life, it wasn't very many and the scheming wasn't as involved as I'd expected. It also wasn't as suspenseful as either KO or O8. Jillian did have some much needed growth and I liked her relationship with the bodyguard. I enjoyed it, but I was expecting to love it based on the description.

Readers looking for an Ocean’s Eleven tale with a conscience should pick up this book. The Moorewood family is a family of grifters and thieves, a family that will con the shirt off your back, and then the shirt off of one of their own. When Jillian returns from prison , she is determined to turn this family around what ensues is a funny and slightly heartbreaking tale as Jillian unwinds the Moorewood family chaos and turns this family on the straight and narrow. (Well, at least she tries to). A surprising story of love, family duty, finding oneself, and grief, I really enjoyed watching this family and their antics play out.

While it does take a minute for the story to get started, I felt that the pace was true to Jillian‘s inner conflict and resolution. With Beck, her bodyguard as her outward conscious, she’s able to make decisions and guide her family in a way that she wouldn’t have been before. I absolutely loved this slow burn, high chemistry romance between them, and even though it’s closed door I am completely team Beck. I thoroughly appreciate the grief arc that came with both of these characters as well. It brought a level of depth to the novel that was unexpected, and while the story broke my heart about both of their parents, I truly think that it brought their characters to a different level and that many will be able to relate.

I really hope we get a sequel and get to see what happens with the Moorewood family next. The way this book ends, while there’s resolution, there’s also a possibility of seeing more crazy antics and unhinged cousin behavior, and I would love to see it.

This reads more like a comedic version of Succession than Knives Out. These folks aren’t even ruthless, they’re just trying too hard.

DNF

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Moorewood Family Rules by HelenKay Dimon is a contemporary fiction novel with tangential themes of crime and family. The story revolves around Jillian Moorewood, who hails from a con-artist family. She is returning home to her family from prison. In exchange for taking the fall and going to prison, her family agreed to go straight and stop their lives of crime. Unfortunately, when Jillian arrives, she realizes that they went back on their promise. Now, Jillian is going to do whatever it takes to lead her family on the straight and narrow.

Here is an intriguing excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 1:

"Jillian Moorewood waited thirty-nine months and seven days to make a spectacular and unexpected entrance. A simple car and driver wouldn’t do. That left a yacht, splashy yet sure to draw attention, or dropping down from above into a sea of stunned faces via helicopter. Clearly, the latter won.
She scanned the target area from the window next to her seat. From this angle she could see the expanse below. A gated entrance. Towering trees hiding a wall that outlined every pristine inch of the property. Not one pool but two . . . because, of course. Didn’t every house need two?
...
The whapping and rattling grew louder the closer they got to the ground. Mere feet from landing, Jillian could make out the faces of the dozen or so people standing at the bistro tables set in a careful pattern around the larger, cascading pool.
A party. How convenient . . . for her, not them."

Overall, Moorewood Family Rules is a contemporary fiction novel with a really intriguing premise. One highlight of this book is the premise. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew that I wanted to read this book in full. I did take off 1 star because it wasn't as funny as I expected it would be. I took another star because I was expecting more action-packed scenes. It's not the book's fault. I had the wrong expectations going into reading this. I was expecting more of a comedy/thriller when the genres are actually listed as adult fiction/romance/women's fiction. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of crime-related contemporary fiction, you can check out this book when it comes out in April.

I wanted a fun romcom with a bit of family drama mischief. This seemed to drag on quite a bit tho without anything really happening. I just wanted more development.

Entertaining as hell and briskly paced. A great mix of grounded characters and absolute screwballs who bicker and banter their way to a satisfying resolution.

I keep seeing mentions of Knives Out in reviews, but to me the Moorewoods are like a more skillful set of connivers than the Bluth family from Arrested Development.

Thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun! I really enjoyed reading about Jillian and what was motivating her and her learning what was motivating her. The Moorewood family was complicated and had very intricate ties and dealings with each other.

I liked that there were two perspectives of the Moorewoods (Jillian and Anika) in the book. Anika, I wasn't too sure about but learning more about Jay (her father) and how awful he was to all of his kids made me empathize more with her. It helped a lot seeing Anika's perspective, because Jay had a lot of meetings with some of the family and it wouldn't have helped put what Jillian was doing into perspective (getting the family to go clean). It was sad that Jay couldn't take any accountability in his actions or his effect on the rest of the family, but to be expected with people like that.

When I was looking through titles in NetgGalley, I stumbled across "Moorewood Family Rules" and the premise of this book had me hooked. Although I personally do not believe that it compared to "Knives Out" or "Ocean's 8" as the synopsis suggests, it was still a fun fast paced read. I think the cover of this book is super cute and it was part of the reason I requested this book, so in this case I DID judge a book by it's cover. I enjoyed Jillian as a main character, I thought she was strong willed MC that I love to see in books. I also enjoyed the tiny bit of romance that developed but I do wish there was more throughout the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book but I was under the premise that there would be more mystery or suspense woven in the story line. This book more so than not full of a "fun" banter between this dysfunctional family. The lighthearted take on a more serious family dynamic (con artists) had me cracking up at some points. This is a fun book that readers should be on the lookout for.

This book was a huge disappointment. It wasn't at all like I thought it would be. The plot was barely there and boring throughout most of the book. The writing was repetitive and it was hard to care about the characters.

4.5 stars rounded up.

It's not often that I give a new (to me) author this many stars. There really has to be something about the book that calls to me. Everything about this book called to me. I love a good story about screwed-up, bitchy, backstabbing rich families. Books that have twists and turns. Books with some mystery, intrigue, and surprises. Books that leave some of the characters with insight that they hadn't had when you first started reading. And boy, howdy, do we sure have all of that here. That and just a bit more that put the shine on the book. There is some humor and a bit of romance, too (sort of)!

This is a perfect beach read - not too long, not too short. Perfect for a long vacation flight.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Avon and Harper Voyager, the author HelenKay Dimon, and NetGalley.

Book Name: Morewood Family Rules
Author: HelenKay Dimon

ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for an ARC of Morewood Family Rules by HelenKay Dimon

Stars: 3.5
Spice : 0

- Standalone
- Multi POV
- Slow Pace
- Modern Comedy with Romance Subplot
- Similar to Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano

- Topics
- Family
- Boundaries
- Coming into Oneself
- Tropes
- BodyGuard
- Every Con Artist Movie Ever
- Thoughts & Feelings
- Slooooooow start
- Witty dialogue.
- Entertaining and Engaging Characters
- Need to know what happens after…

Moorewood Family Rules is a book about a dysfunctional family if there ever was one. Following Jillian’s release from prison, she returns to the Moorewood estate with the knowledge that she is solely in charge of all the assets her mother left behind following her death. Everything is hers. When her family finds out, her cousins and uncle hatch up a plan to eliminate Jillian, and she knows it. As a result she hires a bouncer whose job is to protect her, and you know where it goes from there.

This story reminds me of a very tamed version of Knives Out. Revenge, dysfunctional families, a heist, jilted lovers, etc. It had a lot of potential but in the end fell flat for me. The love interest was boring and there was no build up. In fact, everyone talked about how “Ugly Hot” they were. There weren’t any redeeming characters, other than Jillian because she is pretty bad ass until the very end. Although this book wasn’t for me, I can see why others will like it! If you love a lot of ridiculous and silly family drama, you’ll enjoy this! Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! 2.5 ⭐️

This is such a cute book. Enjoyed all the characters. Four stars! Thanks publishing and netgalley for the read and review

3.5 stars! This was a super unique plot and the reveals were great. I almost feel like it was too short and could have benefitted from being more developed because I wanted more time with the characters!

Moorewood Family Rules is about a dysfunctional, grifting family and all of their drama when Jillian gets out of prison and insists on having them toe the straight and narrow. The problem is…they are in the middle of their cons and they have a robust history- they are family after all!

Told primarily from Jillian's point of view, you get to see her figure out who exactly sent her to prison in the first place, learn to trust her newly hired bodyguard (aka, love interest) and find out if her family is going to bend to her demands or not.

A fast-paced, quick, fun book that made me laugh a couple of times and held my interest as Jillian navigated her loyalties and found her own way.

Thank you to #netgalley and #avonandharper for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.