2.5/3 stars
The family banter was supposed to come off as witty but completely fell flat. I could tell the author was going for quick zingers like the dialog in Gossip Girl & Succession but the end goal was not achieved. It made this one really hard to read & focus on the progression of the plot.
Felt like there was too much going on that it deterred from the perceived amount that was. For all of the closed door chats there was not nearly enough resolution. Felt like there was so many side missions that we forgot about the main one.

This one wasn't for me. I had a hard time getting into it, and I just didn't connect to any of the characters or storyline.

I ended up not finishing this around the 70% mark. I love the concept but I wasn't into this book at all.

This book has everything… drama, crime, family turmoil, and romance. The white collar crime aspect of this book is light-hearted and makes reading so much fun. Definitely a book I couldn’t put down. You love to hate the characters. I love that there was multiple POV and the characters have depth.

Thank you netgalley for this E-Book ARC. The opinions are my own.

I loved everything about this super fun romance with excellent elements of a thriller and a family drama.
Jillian Moorewood is back in her family home after spending 39 months in prison. She didn't commit the felony, but her being the head of the family and a dying request from her mother made her always put herself in front of anything that might endanger it. Unluckily for her, that family is mostly made up of con artists that live for the thrill of taking things they shouldn't. She had given her family the ultimatum to stop or lose everything before going to jail, then someone ratted her out to the FBI and now Jillian is back for revenge. But things are not at all what she expected and there's more to the Moorewood family than even Jillian knew.
I loved how the plot kept me guessing and showed different aspects of each family member. There are also little hints leading you to the revelations at the end that might not have felt so important but ended up playing big parts.
Overall, it was a fun story that instantly caught my attention and kept me glued to pages to see what else could possibly happen. I liked it enough that I'd love to get more books following what happens to the rest of the family.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the super fun read!

While I somewhat enjoyed MOOREWOOD FAMILY RULES, it was not what I expected going into it. The book ended up being more family drama and less, well, drama. I was hoping for some more action/adventure elements and less standing around and talking. So while it was fairly well done, it just wasn't what I was thinking it would be.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 Stars

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and HelenKay Dimon for allowing me to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for an honest review! This book was published on April 25, 2023.

Moorewood Family Rule #1: Family comes first. Always.

The Moorewood Family may be full of trifling con artists but, believe it or not, they were once a cohesive and supportive unit. That was until someone turned Jillian into authorities for their family’s financial malpractice. Now the family certainly knows how to put the “dis” in dysfunctional. They dis each other at every opportunity that presents itself.

Moorewood Family Rule #28: Never let your guard down.

Revenge ought to be engraved on the family crest. Jillian took a huge dig at the family by secretly stealing all of their money from under their noses. Now, everyone is out to get Jillian when she isn’t looking. Hence, the need for Beck…Jillian’s new crush…err I mean bodyguard.

Moorewood Family Rule #36: Sometimes you have no choice but to sneak around.

Will Jillian be able to sneak around and survive the attacks and wrath of her family? Will the family be able to survive the strict new terms that Jillian is trying her best to implement? Will forgiveness surface anytime soon? Or, will the family continue to crumble and eventually separate?

This book certainly throws surprises around freely. It is a book that I needed to put down for a while and come back to but I’m certainly glad I did. I ended up enjoying it much more than I predicted.

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the pacing was a little too slow and I never found myself eager to pick the book back up. It wasn’t the writing that I didn’t care for but the development of the story.

I loved this book. It delivered everything promised from the synopsis. The pacing and back and forth was a little hard to get used to, but once I got into it, it was an easy read!

I really enjoy reading books about con artists and I thought this one focusing on the complicated family dynamics had an extra fun twist. It definitely dragged a bit in the middle but overall I think it was a fun and engaging story.

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. The character development was excellent. I would definitely recommend to others, a must read!

4.25/5

I found Moorewood Family Rules by HelenKay Dimon to be thoroughly addicting and such a fun read! I'm not sure why the Goodreads average is so low, but I feel like I got exactly what I was expecting when I went into this. There is a little bit of romance that was actually a surprise to me, but that was fine, and I loved Jillian and bodyguard Beck. Each chapter starts with one of the Moorewood rules which was a nice touch, and I loved that it was a mix between family drama and the wonderful world of grifting. There were many times that I laughed out loud, and you can't help but find some of the antics from this family to be completely ridiculous in the best kind of way.

There isn't a ton of suspense in this book, so I have a bit of a hard time categorizing it as a mystery or thriller, and if anything, it is a very cozy... SOMETHING. 🤷‍♀️🤣 There is a minor air of mysteriousness to the story, but you definitely have to be in it for the dysfunctional family aspect. I still haven't finished Knives Out but I do think I could kinda see that comparison, except with no one dying. Most of Moorewood Family Rules is told from Jillian's POV but we also have Anika and I found myself wishing the audiobook had more than one narrator. Mia Barron was great, and I loved her voice for Jillian, but I wasn't a huge fan of her voice for Beck, and I tended to get confused during the viewpoint switches with Anika. I think I would read this one over listening next time, but either way, it is fun with great banter and that is just what I wanted.

If you’re a fan of Schitt’s Creek, this is the story for you!

We follow Jillian Moorewood after she goes to prison for her family’s cons. After 3 years locked away, she is ready to turn the family business around and do things the right way. With the help of some trustworthy relatives and a handsome bodyguard, she is ready to kick the Moorewood’s to the curb and take back what is legally hers.

This book is filled with insane family members and drama which was fun. Think Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek times 3. It definitely made the story interesting but unfortunately did not save the story for me.

I was under the impression that this story is a mystery/thriller based off the synopsis and marketing but that is not the case. It is more of a romance with some family drama subplot. I couldn’t tell where the story was headed the entire time and didn’t believe the romance, which was a big part of the story. He was so serious about his job that we didn’t even get a glimpse into his feelings. This was also a closed-door romance, so we did not get to see any relationship progression.

I think this would be a good book for you if you love a good family drama plot, but don’t expect there to be any thrilling or mysterious elements. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me and I wouldn't recommend it otherwise.

Moorewood Family Rules is a light and fluffy read about a dysfunctional con family. While there were some witty conversations, there were also a lot of boring ones that led nowhere. My favorite characters weren’t even in the family!

Unfortunately, I really wasn’t into the style of writing, and that prevented me from ever getting into this.

Moorwood Family Rules is a mix of The Glass Onion and the Oceans 11 series. A family of conartists all trying to outwit each other makes for a hilarious story! I loved reading this!

One word to describe this book is fun. Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved it. The wit, the sarcasm, the tiny bit of romance it was everything I could have wanted.

This book was unexpectedly clever! A bit dark and twisty but with a light mystery. I am going to recommend to my patrons who enjoy The Spellman books by Lutz.

3 stars

Ah yes, the delightful tale of a white collar criminal being released from prison and conning her con-man-filled family into never conning again because crimes are bad or something. So while Jillian, the criminal, is trying to outcon her family in the one (1) week this book takes place she:
- hires and sleeps with her bodyguard
- that she hired because one of her cousins keeps trying to kill her??
- because Jillian controls the money but if she's dead then ... Profit!!!???
- I'm not sure the bodyguard did any actual protection work. What kind of professional sleeps with their client who just got out of prison after 2 days of knowing each other??
- finds another conman lady trying to steal from her Uncle Conman and exposes her!
- never leaves the estate at any time?? I wish a hot bodyguard would show up at my house and date me. And also that I was wealthy with a giant house.
- evicts her conman family from the estate except her sister and the one cousin i guess she sort of likes now
- the end!

Yeah, a lot happens and everyone in this book needs to go to therapy and get a real job. So, if you want an absurd and sort of fun story this one is low stakes and easy to read! But do not follow any of the rules or try to take up a life of illegal trickery for monetary gain it only leads to having to talk to your family too much and being kicked out of their house.

The cover and synopsis had me hooked.
But the book totally fell flat from what i had hoped.

It was a fun in theory but the chapters dragged a bit. There was little to none of a backstory given, but there were a few funny moments.
i wasnt a huge fan of the writing style/character types.
this book wasnt a hit for me, but i believe other readers will love it more than i have.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the ARC