Julie is a single business owner dating a man 12 years younger. The Christmas plan was to spend quiet time with Heath. But, plans change and the location and number of guests continue to grow..
When 12 people and 1 dog are thrown together things get tense. Arguments and accidents happen.
This was a pleasant story with enough interpersonal conflict to keep a reader interested

One Big Happy Family is a book about a family Christmas with a large cast of characters, and lots of conflict to go around. Julie Parker is the matriarch who owns the family towing business and plans to spend Christmas with her secret boyfriend, until her two children decide that, since their father, her ex husband, passed away after last Christmas, they want to have a family gathering. Julie has to plan their usual 10 day Christmas holiday celebration, and it grows to include, her daughter in law's mother, her boyfriend's two young children and dog, her daughter's ex boyfriend, who works in the family business, and her boyfriend's ex wife, when her plans change and she will be alone for Christmas. There are also her daughter in law's uncle and one of Julie's employees invited because they usually spend Christmas with the Parker family. There are so many characters and so many conflicts, that it's a little hard to follow and some of the conflicts are resolved way too easily. I still recommend the book because Susan Mallery writes really good, witty dialogue, and I actually usually laugh out loud at least once. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to review a advance reader ebook copy of this book.

This book made me SO ready for the holidays despite it being the middle of July! lol I love the family aspect and all the hilarious little conflicts one goes through with the love/hate/everything that is family relationships and longtime friends. What a cute holiday romance with humor, lovable characters, and all the atmospheric vibes. I'm probably going to have to buy this in hard copy because it just has to go with my Christmas book collection!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

this has got it all. christmas vibes, family drama, age gap romance. i enjoyed this story line as well as the characters. it has lots of humor so if you enjoy that in a holiday read, i’d highly recommend.

OMG I loved this book. This is how Christmas should be. A free for all that works. Everyone had something going on and it all worked out together. My emotions ran the gamut from beginning to end. Loved Loved this!!!

One Big Happy Family is another amazing Susan Mallery holiday book. Dana and Nick want to spend Christmas as a family at the cabin to remember the passing of their father. Their mother had her planned on having a nice quiet Christmas at home for a change with her boyfriend and dinner with her daughter but she can’t tell her children no. As time passes unexpected guests keep getting added to the cabin trip and they have to manage to have fun and get along.
This books shows the highs and lows of the holidays and the trials of family, extended family and friends. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy for my opinion.

One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery is a heartwarming read that beautifully wraps up by the end. The story made me feel like part of the family, and I now dream of spending Christmas at the cozy cabin. Julie, the mother in the story, is a truly inspiring character. Her generosity and warmth, especially during the holiday season, are remarkable. She opens her home to anyone in need, embodying the true spirit of Christmas.

The book's charm lies in its ability to make readers feel connected to the characters and their lives. It’s a sweet, feel-good story that’s perfect for the holiday season. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. If you're looking for a touching and festive read, definitely pick this one up!

One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery is a captivating novel that transports readers to another time and place with its intriguing characters and compelling storyline.

Thank you to Susan Mallery, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this story! Susan Mallery has a such a way of drawing the reader into the worlds she has created. It was so much fun reading about the different Christmas traditions this family had and seeing such an odd mix of people together!!!!
Well written and full of heart, I would revisit this story again and again

Who says you can’t read Christmas books year round?…definitely not me, and definitely if you don’t want to miss this one!
Mallery pulls you right into Christmas with this book about extended family, love lost and found, along with every holiday tradition you can imagine.
I didn’t want to put this book down and wished it could go on and on. Hope she decides to make this a series.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

It was a difficult Christmas, the first one without their father. They all changed their minds about their separate plans and decided to honor tradition and go to the family cabin.
What started out as just family grew into a big crowd related in different and strange ways but turned out to be one of their most memorable.
Definitely an engaging story.

Great read. Twists and turns had me wanting more! Really identified with a some of the characters and found myself wanted to befriend them.

When Julie and Heath's plans for a peaceful Christmas getaway are unexpectedly disrupted by Julie's adult children, Nick and Dana, the holiday season takes a chaotic turn.

Nick and Dana, still reeling from the loss of their father earlier in the year, want to spend Christmas at the cabin with Julie to celebrate his memory. Julie, who had a good relationship with her ex-husband, is initially open to the idea, but things become complicated when she realizes her children are unaware of her new and younger boyfriend, Heath. To make matters more complicated, Julie doesn't want Heath to spend Christmas alone, as his kids are spending the holiday with his ex-wife.

As a result, Julie, Heath, Dana, Nick, and Nick's new wife, Blair, embark on a festive adventure to the cabin. However, the group's numbers quickly swell as a long-time employee, Heath's kids, Blair's mom, Heath's ex-wife, and Dana's ex-boyfriend join the mix. With so many personalities and relationships in the mix, it's only a matter of time before things start to go awry.

You will enjoy this fun Christmas novel that is full of twists and truths!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for a chance to read an advance copy in exchange for my opinion.

If you love family drama books, Mallery is the go-to author for these types of stories.

I’ve read so many of her works and they always leave you with a smile on your face even though you’ve been through the ups and downs any family goes through.

Whether it’s growing pains or happy times, Mallery is an expert storyteller in this genre. One Big Happy Family is all about a quiet Christmas that explodes into crazy situations.

From adults to children, ex-wives, and new loves (and don’t forget the dog) we experience a wild, wacky holiday. We are loading up on a bit of drama, a lot of love, happiness, and a few tears as the author takes us on an unforgettable storybook holiday in the perfect cabin we can only dream about. Building memories that are expected, and some unexpected too.

This book is a wonderful escape from the day-to-day as we dive into a delightful story of family ties with stand-out characters and locales. Wild and crazy with great dynamics!

(3.5) If you're looking for a Christmas story that makes you feel like you're living day by day at a wintery cabin with family and friends — and all the drama that comes with it — then One Big Happy Family is for you. A very relatable aspect of this book is how plans can snowball from cozy to chaotic before we even know what hit us. But just like Julie Parker, one of the main characters and matriarch of the family, we can do our best to take it all in with grace.

Most characters are well-introduced with their own distinct personalities, which makes it very easy to imagine a sequel or spinoff centered around any of the characters. There were some characterizations that seemed exaggerated and exasperating — for example, Gwen's lack of social awareness but sudden character shift 3/4 of the way through, or Julie's obsession with the age gap between her and her boyfriend, Heath. One character who really deserved more development and justice was Dana, from her self-image concerns to the sudden development with her untrustworthy ex-boyfriend, Axel (to avoid spoilers, I will not say more). Hopefully, if there ever is a sequel, it can offer deeper development into each character.

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Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing who provided this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Every family has dramas especially around Christmas time. This somewhat described that and it’s a cute Hallmarky movie!

Susan Mallery is one of my favorite authors. I’m glad she writes so fast. I really enjoyed this book. I hope I am able to read other advanced copies of her future works.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit and would love to see it turned into a series or even a second installment when they all get back together again. The characters were interesting to get to know and they all have things going in their life that I would like to follow. The only reason it did not get a 5 star from me is because some of the Christmas events/fun were glossed over. When I read a Christmas book I want to have all of the warm Christmas feelings and I feel like this could have taken place at a Summer getaway without very many things needing changed.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Christmas is coming, and 54-year-old Julie Parker is looking forward to spending two weeks with her much younger boyfriend, Heath. But when her two adult children, Dana and Nick, want to spend the holiday at the family's 6000-square-foot "cabin" in memory of their recently deceased father (Julie's ex), she can't say no. Little does she know that ultimately there will be a dozen or more people--family and others--living together for 10 days. And most of them have issues.

Julie hasn't told her children about Heath. Dana is still recuperating from her third (!) breakup with Axel, an employee at Julie's towing company. Nick is recently married to Blair, whose long-estranged mother suddenly moves nearby and manages to alienate everyone, and he hasn't told his mother he doesn't want to take over the family's towing company. Heath's ex-wife wants to go on a vacation with her boyfriend, so their two young children also need a place to spend Christmas. And that's just the beginning!

Even with the many featured characters, Mallery does an expert job at making each one distinct, detailed, and even relatable. And most of them undergo significant development during that 10-day period. Are things tied up too neatly at the end? Possibly, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. This is a Christmas-adjacent book, but it's really all about family dynamics and what really matters. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.