3.5 stars.

I was happy to be able to read an advance copy of this novel as part of Book Lovers The Buzz.

This is a cute, cozy mystery read that includes romance, baking, feisty older women, female empowerment, and friendship. I enjoyed the banter and chemistry in the romantic relationship and found the characters to be funny, quirky, and yet lovable. There was a miscommunication element which went on a bit too long but the other elements in the story kept me invested.

A fun, cozy read with a satisfying ending, perfect to settle down with on a cold winter’s night.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to HelenKay Dimon and Avon for the ARC!

#TheBuzz is that HelenKay Dimond’s newest book, The Usual Family Mayhem, is a wonderfully fun and cozy mystery. I’m happy to report to have read it with some of my bookstagram besties, Book Lovers: The Buzz - in fact, it was the first book we got to read together.

Delicious desserts, a childhood love and a badass grandma (who may or may not be making “special pies” for local women) - what’s not to love? When Kasey finds herself at risk of being fired, she has to come up with a stellar idea for the next big thing…so she chooses her beloved grandma’s bakery, Mags’ Desserts. It’s a desperate attempt and she’s not expecting her boss to be all for it, until he sends her home to pitch the idea to her grandma Maggie and her “best friend” Celia. There, she discovers more than she bargained for - and it’s definitely more than dessert!

I love this author’s thrillers (written as Darby Kane), so I had a feeling I’d love this cozy mystery as well. Full of witty banter, this was simply SUCH a fun book! Maggie and Celia were quite the characters, and I couldn’t wait to find out what they were really up to. A quick and easy read, this story was such a nice change of pace.

Revenge is definitely a dash served best cold - or, as it turns out, perhaps in a pie…


”The Usual Family Mayhem” releases March 11, 2025. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

Wow, this one was just...not it. I rarely give one star reviews, so I gave this a two, but don't mistake that for me enjoying anything about this.

When I am reading a cozy mystery (or a romance, for that matter), I expect a minimal level of competence with my female main characters. I feel like that's not a huge ask. Kasey had absolutely nothing going for her. It took until 70% of the way through the book for her to tell her grandmother that she used the pie business for personal gains at work, with a whole lot of nothing in between. All she did was go "oh woe is me" over the problems SHE created without any real attempts to solve them. The only one who actually solved her problems was Jackson, the most one-dimensional man to ever exist. There wasn't even that much poison in the book!!

Side note: a lot of the restaurant settings were at former plantations. No discussion of the history there, just another example of Kasey eating and being generally annoying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this quirky novel, the characters and the plot. Trying to save her job Kasey Nottingham pitches her grandmothers company in her investment meeting. Going homeshe can’t bring herself to tell them about the idea and any time she starts to Jackson Quaid is always around cliticizing her in his usual way. Love story and rom com, a great read.

I loved Norwood family rules and I loved this one too. HelenKay Dimon is now on my read everything I can find by this author list! I’ll have a more detailed review closer to the release date!

This book was honestly really good. I started off feeling like I was reading a typical rom-com type book. But that quickly changed with the mystery and suspense of what was happening with Kasey's Gram and Aunt Celia's business. I absolutely loathed Harlan. He was too overbearing and every time he showed up, I just wanted him to leave. Jackson and Kasey were cute together and I'm really glad they were able to talk about their relationship. The book ended rather well, with the epic showdown with the ladies versus Kasey's supervisor being completely like a mic drop moment. Kasey grew on me as she found herself while also learning what was actually the truth of the mystery. I give this book 5 stars because I just had to finish it. I had to know how it ended. It was very well written and I had never read anything from this author before. Reading this books makes me want to see if she's written other books and look for more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A funny and engaging cozy mystery for fans of The Maid and Vera Wong. We love funny women solving mysteries.

In an impulsive moment, Kasey pitches her DC consulting firm on buying and flipping a pie shop run by grandmas in Winston Salem. She doesn’t mention that it’s HER grandma. Or that they are wholly uninterested in selling. But naturally they send her to NC for two weeks to “seal the deal.” Kasey’s grandmother Mags and her partner Celia run the pie shop, and often see Celia’s nephew and Kasey’s long term crush, Jackson.

That is when she notices that bad men have mysteriously died after their wives get a pie delivery.

A charming mystery with a dash of romance, it was easy to love these characters. Although the author has many spicy romances, the romance in this book is “fade to black,” so to not take away from the lighthearted tone of the rest of the book. It’s very easy to know who to root for and root against, getting to know the motivations of the characters was a delight.

If you like lighthearted mysteries with strong female leads about correcting injustice, this is a great title for you.

Thanks to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the ARC. Book to be published March 10, 2025.

#booksbooksbooks #booktok #bookstagram #arcreader #bookreview #bookrecommendations #usualfamilymayhem

A cozy romance with a splash of romance … or a small town romance with a splash of cozy mystery . Whichever way you look at it this is a fun story with some wonderful side characters and lots and lots of baked goodies 😋 I just wish I liked Kasey a bit more - she seemed a total mess from beginning to end 🤷🏼‍♀️ Jackson on the other hand 😍

My rating 3.5 ⭐️

Revenge is a dish best served cold…or is it sweet? These grandmas may have just found the perfect way to serve up justice. Mags and Celia are the grandmas we all deserve: loyal, loving, and call it like they see it. It’s no wonder that even though Kasey suspects they may be adding a *special* ingredient to some pies she just wants to protect them.

I just can’t say enough how fun and entertaining The Usual Family Mayhem was. This story truly has a bit of something for everyone. We’ve got a little romance, great banter, tough grannies, a cozy mystery, *possibly* poison pies, and some family drama.

This book was exactly what I needed after the craziness that has been this month. It was such a charming, fun story that provided an escape when I definitely needed it.

Read if you love:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family drama
🥧 Baking
❤️ Side of romance
💁‍♀️ Strong female leads

Thank you to Avon, Netgalley, and HK Dimon for my review copies in exchange for an honest review 💜

I have enjoyed a few from this author, so when this became available on Netgalley, I grabbed it!

I found the characters engaging and particularly resonated with Kasey’s spirited journey through life.
Although her return to Celia and Gram was motivated by a fabricated reason, she misjudged her Gram’s perceptiveness. (I'm trying to be spoiler free, so there's so much I wanna say, but won't!) Suffice to say, it's fun to see Kasey try to be stealthy and sneaky in her efforts to find answers, only to have wasted her time.

The characters’ strong bonds to each other and the community made for an interesting narrative. A sizzling attraction between Jackson and Kasey made the story impossible to put down. Several times, the mystery of the baking company’s secrets were in danger of being exposed, only to have the spotlight shifted elsewhere.

The many surprises in the story thoroughly entertained me, and I adored the happy ending. I recommend this book, and other works from this talented author. I received a free ARC and happily leave my review.

Kasey es la oveja negra de su familia, no sabe qué quiere hacer, no dura en los trabajos y quiere demostrar que puede hacerlo bien. Sin embargo, al intentar quedar bien con su jefe, termina haciendo que unos inversores se interesen en la panadería de su abuela, y ahora ella tiene que convencerla de que la venda. Obviamente, la abuela y su socia, Celia, no están interesadas.

Durante su estadía, Kasey descubre unas notas muy sospechosas que sugieren que la abuela y Celia no solo venden pasteles normales, sino que hay un pedido especial para mujeres con esposos maltratadores en donde días después de recibir su pedido, terminan muertos. Queda tan impactada con tal descubrimiento que siente la necesidad de investigar si es cierto o solo un malentendido. Para ello, le pide ayuda al sobrino de Celia, Jackson, con quien no se lleva bien, o mejor dicho, con quien ella no puede soportar porque siempre la ignora.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved all of her thrillers, that she writes under Darby Kane! This is more of a cozy mystery, with some life lessons and love. And it was such an enjoyable story! I loved *almost all of the characters, the small hometown setting, the theme of found family and females getting revenge! I also loved that this book took me back to my great grandma’s kitchen! I can’t leave out one of Gram’s rules, no unannounced visitors! Anybody who knows me, knows that you cannot do unannounced popins! 🤣 That made me laugh! Highly recommend this one!

Kasey, with her back against the wall at work, throws out a pitch for her grandma Mags’ dessert business which is absolutely NOT up for sale. But her bosses immediately send her home to clinch the deal, with her job on the line. She heads home, hoping to figure away out of her dilemma when some mysterious coincidences catch her attention. Could her sweet grandma really be involved in some suspicious deaths in town? Trying to investigate Mags and her partner, Celia on the sly only raises the suspicion of Celia’s nephew and Kasey’s long time crush, Jackson. Ahhh, yes I could see why she’s had that crush on Jackson!
This was a cozy mystery with a slow burn, closed door romance to add to the fun. Filled with fun antics, feisty and strong women, loving family and lots of mouthwatering delicious desserts!

This book was hilarious. I really enjoyed the characters and their personalities. I would definitely recommend this book!

What a fun read! Celia and Gram cracked me up and the rom com elements were great. This was a great cozy mystery that kind of reminded me of Dial A for Aunties in a way. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

At times, we can really put our foot in our mouth at work—and that’s exactly what happens to Kasey when she feels the pressure to secure a business opportunity for her job. The catch? She hasn’t told her grandmother and her partner that she’s pitched the idea of selling their beloved bakery. While visiting them and trying to gather the courage to present her proposal, she runs into Jackson, an old friend who’s now much more attractive than she remembers. But things get even more complicated when Kasey stumbles upon some strange discoveries that suggest the two most important women in her life might be involved in something sinister—possibly even killing off men in their town. Now, Kasey must figure out what’s really going on while also trying to backpedal on her pitch to sell the bakery.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. The story started off slow, but by about a quarter of the way through, I was hooked and eager to see how everything would unfold. The concept was fresh and unique, and the characters were relatable and often humorous. However, Kasey’s aloofness did start to wear on me after a while. The romance, while not the central focus, had a nice slow-burn quality that was satisfying by the end. My main critique—though this may just be a personal preference—is that the book had a lot of description. While it helped build the setting and develop the characters, at times it felt a bit heavy and unnecessary. Despite that, I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery with a touch of romance.

A special thank you to NetGalley and publisher Avon/Harper Collins for the advanced reader copy in exchange for honest feedback.

The usual family mayhem by Helen Kay Dimon

Kasey visits her hometown in an effort to make a big win for her job, pitching her grandmothers Bakery. While providing a quirky cast and authentic plot. This book fell short for me. It was slow to start and it seemed to be heavy in unnecessary portions. I did enjoy some of the humor but not so much the man hater digs. Although seeming to drive the story it fell flat and became boring.
While this may be enjoyable for readers who enjoy cozy mystery with a Kick of romance. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon or Harper Voyager for this Arc and my honest review.

I loved the idea of revenge with pies and this book had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed getting to read this. The characters were everything that I wanted and was enjoying how they worked in the crime element. HelenKay Dimon wrote this so well and had a charm to it, I really enjoyed how good she wrote the characters and storyline. The overall story worked well and was glad I got to read this.

This book brought me back to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (the secret’s in the sauce).

The story was over the top and ridiculous which was the intent so well achieved. However, I struggled to get into the book since the main character was self-absorbed and I found it hard to empathize with her and her actions. She didn’t really have much character growth throughout the book so while she could acknowledge her faults, it seemed she wasn’t interested in becoming better.

Thank you to NetGalley, HelenKay Dimon, and Avon for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

In a time when people need cozy reading material, I couldn't think of a better book to recommend! The Usual Family Mayhem has it all! A cozy mystery, romance, and two awesome grandmas! I loved every minute of this book, and now I want more. I truly hope this turns into a series. If you are looking for your next cozy read, this one is for you!