One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery is a heartwarming and chaotic holiday tale brimming with family drama, humor, and love. Set against the backdrop of a dreamlike Christmas cabin, this story captures the highs and lows of family life, blending moments of laughter, tears, and joy.

Mallery skillfully weaves a tapestry of relatable characters, from ex-wives and new loves to children and even a spirited dog, creating a delightful dynamic that keeps readers entertained. The unexpected twists and heartfelt moments make it more than just a typical holiday read, offering a fresh take on seasonal storytelling. Perfect for fans of clean romance and contemporary fiction, this book is an ideal escape for the holidays, full of humor, love, and the warm chaos of family ties.

I read this to get me into the Christmas spirit and out of a slump, and it sure did! It was a quick read full of festivities. As a mom, it did anger me a bit how selfish the adult children were. Mine aren't quite there yet, but the amount of work this woman was supposed to do last minute was a little much and I would've given them a piece of my mind! lol. But it was sweet and cute and even a little steamy.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This story is filled with rich emotional depth and humorous moments. It’s a tale of discovering that family is not just what you’re born into, but what you choose to create. Julie’s journey toward embracing both the past and the future, alongside her complicated but loving family.

This story brings up personal memories and emotions. Christmas with family has a unique way of being both joyful and challenging, doesn’t it? There’s often a mix of traditions, old wounds, and the potential for new memories to be made.

This was a great book. Thank you NetGalley for opportunity to read it.
#OneBigHappyFamily #NetGalley

This was a great read if you love family dramas with a holiday twist! It’s the perfect book to cozy up with during the holidays. The characters are lovable, and the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the family chaos. I’d definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a festive, feel-good story.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into this one but once I did I started loving the true family dynamics laid out by Mallery. I connected with the characters and events and truly enjoyed this one. Married, divorced, widowed, single and conflicting relationships all came together to enjoy a beautiful Christmas together as one. Relationships mended and love abounds all in the true spirit of the holiday.

I saved this one for closer to Christmas to get me in the holiday mood. I am a BAH HUMBUG. But I do love a good Christmas read!

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.

These characters are fantastic and I enjoyed the family drama and all the little quips! Don’t we all have family drama on one of the best days of the year! 😜.

Susan Mallery weaves an adorable Christmas tale full of Christmas cheer…well at the end of the story!

Need a family drama to get you in the fighting (ugh…Christmas) spirit…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I loved everything about this one! It's a big chaotic mess, with families of all kinds coming together, plenty of drama and some heartbreak. But it's also filled with love and hope and holiday magic! The main character Julie, has the biggest heart, and I loved her story. Her relationship with her kids, her younger boyfriend, all of it. This was truly a magical story!

I loved the “found family” aspect of this story! The chaos that ensued from the gathering of random people was fun. The setting was spectacular and full of festive cheer! By the end, the antics became a bit over the top and eye roll worthy. However, it was fantastic leading up to it!

If you're interested in a crazy big family holiday story with laugh out loud moments and tons of drama look no further! Thank you to NetGalley, Susan and Canary Street Press for the eARC!!!

Rated 3.75!

What to Expect:
⭐ Age Gap Romance
⭐ Healing after loss of a husband and father
⭐ Christmas with a big family at the holidays
⭐ Crazy family situations
⭐ Family Holiday Traditions

My Thoughts:
Lets start with the good parts! I love Susan Mallery and her way she doesn't make the romance the center of the story. This is another one of her plot driven stories. I enjoyed the comical, almost ridiculous family dynamics and drama of this story. Poor Julie the head of the family is driven to a holiday she didn't want, in a house she loves but brings some sadness, but will do it for the love of her children. Who doesn't love a mom willing to go to all lengths to keep tradition alive for her kids...even if they're adult. The characters are well developed but there are SO MANY!

The sides of the story I didn't love. The beginning was delightfully paced. This is personal opinion but age gap romances aren't my favorite, just because the women in the stories always seem to struggle with the perception of it. Whether its of their family or the public. I just wish for once there wasn't some sense of guilt or embarrassment about it. So many stories that feature this troupe spend too much time focused on it. This was the same. Additionally, while this should be low spice, as it is mostly about family, there are DEFINITELY areas that are almost too graphic. They felt unnecessary. Which is what brings us to the end it felt rushed! I closed the book thinking what the heck! I will also say while the start is quick paced I had started and stopped it several times before finally committing.

All in all It was an easy holiday read to get in to the swing of the season. While it wasn't MY personal favorite it could definitely be someones! And if you're a fan of Susans then this story definitely falls in line with MANY of her others!
Synopsis:
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.

I absolutely loved and adored this sweet Christmassy book! It had all the family hype and feels for a fun holiday read! The storyline and characters were so much fun to read. A fast paced, Christmas read to enjoy!

This is contemporary women's fiction for the holidays. Fortunately, the main character is older and that is much needed for holiday fiction. Julie Parker is dealing with a new younger boyfriend and so many unexpected visitors for the holiday when her own kids change their plans. Throw in the boyfriend's kids and ex-wife, and you have family drama all under one roof. I enjoyed this book and the characters, but I did find that it was hard to keep up with all of the characters if I put it down for too many days. Susan Mallery is a go-to author for me and I look forward to her next book. I also hope she will continue to write for the holidays as there are not enough choices featuring older characters. I recommended this to all ages of readers who enjoy contemporary fiction for the holidays.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you HTP, Canary Street Press, and The Hive for the gifted digital copy.

One Big Happy Family
Susan Mallery
Publishing Date: October 1, 2024

I am lingering in Christmas/holiday mode for a bit longer! I really loved this book! This is definitely more of a character study, and while there is a plot, it very much just feels like you are joining this family in their cabin for the holidays and living life with them.

Nick and Dana lost their father and feel that they need to spend Christmas at their family cabin this year as a way to heal and keep his memory alive. Their mother, Julie, had plans of spending a quiet holiday with her secret boyfriend as she thought her children had other plans. Like a good mom, she quickly pivots and does what she needs to do to help her kids. A mish mosh of extended family, friends, in laws, and exes wind up at the cabin with them, and the way Susan Mallery executed this was just magical. You could totally feel the chaos in the best way and it all had me smiling.

The way the family dynamic was portrayed was just so genuine and realistic. There was really nothing over the top or far fetched and I so so appreciated that. I could have done without the brief third act breakup, but the resolution was well executed. This book has the holiday vibes while also adding depth as the characters experience personal growth, healing, and forgiveness. One of my top holiday reads this year, I will be checking out more of this authors work for sure!

A cheesy, holiday family story about coming together for the holidays as a mixed family. Some of the conversations made me cringe a bit because they were so awkward and half these characters desperately need some major therapy 🤣 BUT if you ignore that this is a silly and light holiday read I enjoyed reading over the holidays this year.

One Big Happy Family was a whirlwind of a multi-POV holiday read! Julie's quiet holiday with her new boyfriend, Heath, becomes family chaos with both of their kids, exes, family dysfunction, and a dog. But there is no resentment (mostly) and it's a sweet read overall. I enjoyed it but could have done without some of the thoughts/ruminating related to weight/lamenting eating choices. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

"Please don’t come home for Christmas…"
One Big Happy Family was an easy and cute read for the holiday season. This is about a quiet Christmas that ends up being a crazy one with so many situations happening. The author was new to me and I look forward to reading more books by her. It was written well with decent characters and had me turning pages until the very end. Overall, this was a great read that I enjoyed and would recommend to any reader who likes Christmas or Romance books. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this read and to HTP Books/ The Hive for this holiday read in exchange of my honest review of One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery.

So much family drama!!! I liked the idea of them all back in the cabin together and all the shenanigans but some of it was too much for me! Still a fun one for Christmas !

I want to start my review by thanking Netgalley, Canary Street Press, and Susan Mallery for a Digital ARC of One Big Happy Family in return for an honest review. Everything I write here is completely my own thoughts and opinions. I will say I was extremely excited to get one of her books because I have read a few by this author in the past and truly enjoyed them. I really enjoyed this story. I do want to point out that right from the beginning, this is not just a Christmas Story. There are so many serious, heavy-hitting topics here, but in my opinion, I think that the author has done a great job of writing about them.

If you are looking for a Christmas Story where you follow multiple characters of different ages who are all fleshed out, in my opinion, very well, then this is the story for you. If you want a Christmas Story about a mother who is dating a younger man while keeping it a secret from her adult children, then give this one a go. If you are looking for a story about family in all of its glorious messiness, then I think you will like this book. If you like a new romance, second chance romances, following your dreams, making discoveries about yourself, and forgiveness, then I really think you will like this story. If you want all the coziness of the Christmas Season with snow and spending time with family and friends, then I believe you will enjoy this story.

Again, I want to thank Canary Street Press, Netgalley, and Susan Mallery for this Digital ARC in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed this story, and I can see myself revisiting it next year. This book, in my opinion, had it all. I do want to mention that you may want to check trigger warnings because, as I said above, there are some heavy-hitting topics, but I found them to be handled with care. I hope you decide to give this book a go and enjoy it as much as I did.

Such a fun book. So many tropes! It was a quick read for me but that did not take away from how much I enjoyed it. Highly recommend!

Susan Mallery’s One Big Happy Family is one special book. I’ve been reading Mallery for years, enjoyed many of her books, but even among the many Mallery keepers lining my shelves, this book is an all-time favorite. It’s so addictively enjoyable I read it in one day and am already looking forward to my next re-read. I won’t be a bit surprised if it ends up being one of my special annual, in-front-of-the-tree-with-hot-cocoa-and-a-cozy-blanket Christmas reads. It’s just that good.

Mallery brings an ever expanding cast of characters to this story but it never feels cluttered or confusing. Chaotic? Well, that’s a different story but it’s the kind of holiday chaos I gobble up faster than hot-from-the-oven holiday shortbread. The characters are all developed with care and a thoroughness that brings them to life on the page. They are layered, complex, intriguing, and authentic. Even those who are eminently unlikable at first have layers that slowly reveal unexpected depths. Secrets are revealed, life decisions are made, a romance rekindles, another deepens, broken family relationships take the first steps toward healing, children bring a magical anticipation, and friends and family, old and new, biological and chosen, illustrate clearly that Christmas is the perfect time to open our hearts to the hope, joy, love, fun, and unexpected guests of the season.

Don’t miss Susan Mallery’s One Big Happy Family. It has my enthusiastic recommendation.

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley
Fair and unbiased review

Christmas, family drama, age gap romance- who could ask for more? One Big Happy Family was so different than the typical holiday/Christmas book I usually read. . I loved this storyline & the characters are so lovable. Epically the dog. Lot of humor in this - literally left me lol-ing.