I enjoyed this ARC, but I would have loved if there was more comedic relief in it. One funny outrageous character mixed in the chaos would have been amazing! I enjoyed the family drama and the lengths they would go through to continue conning. I don’t think the Ocean Eleven description is even close. It’s the opposite Jillian is trying to get her family out of the conning business.

Thank you to NetGalley, author HelenKay Dimon, and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Anytime a book or movie is marketed as being similar to Knives Out, I am all in! I love family dramas, especially ones that have a mystery aspect with wacky characters. Moorewood Family Rules definitely falls into that category, and this was a fun read. There were a lot of hijinks, scheming family members, and complicated scenarios to be had. I was definitely Team Jillian the entire book, and I enjoyed trying to figure out how she'd use her control over the family as I read. With all this being said, this book didn't quite land fully for me. There was just entirely too much going on at any given time. The book drops you right into the action and takes nearly the whole book to reveal the background scenarios of many of the characters. In the way that it's done, it feels almost like this is a second book, making it confusing for me as the reader. I kept losing track of who was supposed to be on who's side and what was the context of them being there. It felt messy, and so many of the intertangled side plots kind of distracted and added to the chaos of the overall book. I also didn't enjoy the romantic plot between Jillian and her bodyguard, as it developed way too quick and didn't read even remotely believable to me. Overall, this was a fine book that had some fun moments, but I finished it feeling a bit confused and disappointed.

I loved the family drama portion and the funny moments. There was a lot of humor and banter. The plot and action dragged for me at times towards the middle.

If the Finlay Donovan books married the Spellman Files series this would be the result. A funny, entertaining, clever novel about a dysfunctional family of con artists at odds with each other.

Jillian is out of prison after three years and just wants her family to go legit. That's the deal she made with the family when she was arrested. Free at last, Jillian returns home to find her family still grifting. Ignoring her was a mistake, so now it’s time for her revenge plot to kick in, regardless of the Moorewood Family Rules. Jillian never wanted to be the fixer, the cleaner up of messes, yet here she is. Again. But this time, with the help of some unlikely allies and a very intriguing bodyguard, Jillian finds a way to live the life she sees for herself.

When Jillian Moorewood Landon on the front lawn of her home fresh from prison it was obvious she had more than reform on her mind and despite the fact her family was there to greet her it wasn’t a happy reunion at least not underneath the bleached million dollar smiles in the fragile veneer of surprise they all tended to show. Jillian is back in despite popular consent she is also the head of the family. Her family is a bunch of crooks and Jillian wants to know who helped her wind up in prison and also who is going to go on the straighten arrow and also stay on the family dole. This is a snarky dysfunctional family drama with one LOL moment after another. I found this book to be so much fun and although there were no big gestures or tragic situation the family drama threaded through the storyline was enough to keep me interested in turning the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I received it from NetGalley and Avon, Harper Voyager but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was a fun read! Lots of anticipation and intrigue from the beginning. It held my interest the entire time and I highly recommend!

Jillian Moorewood served time in prison to protect her family of con-artists with the understanding that she take the fall and they go legit. Returning home after serving over three years, she finds that nothing has changed, and Jillian has had it with her family. She kicks some of them out of the family home and cuts off everyone's access to money, hoping to force them on the straight and narrow.

But a con will always con, and what ensues is a series of wacky, convoluted, outrageous shenanigans as Jullian's family fights her tooth and nail. The story doesn’t end here though and includes twists, turns, and surprises along the way.

It's been years since I read HKD, and this is not at all the HKD I remember. I like her older work, but I completely adored this unexpected, madcap delight! Women's fiction with a dash of romance, this charming, witty story had me hanging on every word. If you’re looking for something a little off beat, you’ll love this fun, quirky, phenomenal read!

This book kept me intrigued and guessing what the big bomb was going to be dropped by Jillian. Definitely a fun book to read to sus out who did what. Lots of family drama like Knives out.

Thoughts
I love a good drama and this opened on a note that hinted we were in for a high-stakes family drama a la the Van der Woodsens or Waldorfs of the world. But it didn’t quite deliver those promises by the time I hit the last 50 pages mark.

What I liked
First, let’s talk about what I loved. The opening 20% of the book leaves us in the dark on what exactly happened before the story begins. This secrecy really kept me on my toes because, clearly, something very bad happened and someone needed to pay. Heavily. This is a story about a family of con artists, after all. Normalcy and humility are simply not in their vocabulary. I really enjoyed the quick wit and sass of the main characters. (Anika and Aunt Patricia were my favorites and I really wanted to get more story on their roles and pasts!) They really captured my attention and made me wonder who’s side to take!

What went wrong
But.. things started to crumble quickly. At its core, this book has great plot and dialogue. But what made it miss it’s mark, imo, is that by the 60% point, nothing of note had happened and the genre tropes we were promised in the synopsis and advertising for the book were very clearly missing (I went in expecting major crime, heists, even murder, etc). This isn’t an Oceans 8 family nor do we ever see the actual high-stakes situations we were promised come to fruition… things just fizzle out and a lot of threats and promises ended up being empty or conveniently stopped. The resulting conflicts fizzle out in anticlimactic ways and a romantic subplot develops seemingly out of nowhere (which I felt really didn’t belong and distracted from what could have been a great story focusing on Jillian and her family and their decisions between betrayal or loyalty.) The romance just didn't fit. I think if it had been paced differently, there might have been room for it to fit naturally, but as it stands, the romance felt out of place and distracting from what we all picked the book up for.

In the end, we’re really left with a story that started strong but didn’t quite deliver in the end as far as high-stakes conflict. Bickering, gossip, and snark? We got a perfect amount! Just not enough of the stuff that I picked the book up for in the first place. I think the major error here wasn’t the writing itself per se, the marketing just really didn’t match what was actually in the book, so my expectations weren't met and couldn't possibly be because it was simply inaccurate. The drama was still incredibly fun and very juicy, so I did have an easy time reading. I just ended up being disappointed that we didn’t get show-stopping plot twist ending. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Rating
I give this one 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
While it didn’t quite deliver on what I expected, I did have fun and felt like it was definitely an enjoyable and quick read. I'd give this one a chance if you're a fan of anything contemporary and dramatic! (If you enjoy shows like Gossip Girl, Dynasty, Knives Out, etc. This might be a book for you!)

*3.5

I enjoyed this enough I guess. I liked the story but it feels weird that the publisher is avon when this is not a romance. It's about a girl who just got out of prison figuring out how to get her family under control. The romance with her bodyguard was cute but it wasn't the main focus.

I received an arc through netgalley.

As always, much thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If you can't resist a mystery thriller set amongst a pit-of-vipers family, all of whom are up to no good to varying degrees, welcome to the Moorewood clan.
As an extended shady gang of conniving grifters, these familial sociopaths specialize in marrying wealthy heirs and heiresses, with a cold eye centered on their victims' bank accounts. Jillian, one of their few non-psychopathic members, made a futile demand for them to give up the grifts and go legit. For her troubles, one of them anonymously set her up for an FBI arrest, resulting in a grueling, miserable prison stretch of almost 3 years.
Out on parole, Jillian's back and seething with a vengeful agenda to thwart all the family's illegalities.....control their money, claim ownership of their mansion home and thwart their newest two grifts to marry into separate fabulously wealthy families.
But the Moorewoods aren't likely to take Jillian's 'go-legit-or-or-else' demand sitting down. When mysterious, murderous 'accidents' begin to befall her, her few family allies supply Jillian with hunky bodyguard Beck.......and a predictable but still amusing slow burn romance simmers while literally everybody's deepest family secrets start coming out.
While the set-up seemed to promise a deliciously dark comedy, I felt surprised to find the book spent more time on the soap opera conniving and the all too serious drama of the Moorewoods' dysfunctional family histories. True, there a good amount of wit in many of the dialogue exchanges, but the 'Knives Out' type laughs, if that's what your expected, don't occur with any frequency. And Jillian, along with the storyline, both take an awful long time to finally get where they're going.
Even with the dawdling plot, the chapters do zip along fast enough. Plus, I'm right there for any book that offers the fun of watching a sprawling household of toxic rascals meet their match. Best saved for a warm lazy spring afternoon.....or even the beach.

Moorewood Family Rules is a unique family drama but it also reminds me of so many of my favorite binge worthy shows like Bloodline, The Sopranos and even Yellowstone! I loved the relationships between all of the family members.
My favorite part of the book was definitely the very beginning. I mean, who wouldn't want to start revenge by crashing a party on a helicopter?! Talk about an attention getter.
The conversation and banter is so well-written in this book that you literally feel like you are in the room with the characters.
When Jillian gets out of prison to cover for her family's messed up schemes, she's mad. Like really mad and who can blame her? She wants the family to be decent people; not a family of con-artists. But thanks to her, they are going to eventually get what’s coming to them with Jillian as the smart female lead as the mastermind behind her own elaborate heist! It's not a serious read despite serious topic matters but more of a romcom. Super fun!
Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!

Jillian Moorewood is home after spending three years in prison to protect her con artist family. Hoping that they had finally gone legit, but not surprised that they hadn’t. She knows and expects that they will revolt, but not that they might try to kill her. When her business manager (whom she does trust) hires her a bodyguard, he is nothing like what she expected, but he sure is something! Beckett Gabriel Romer, aka Beck, is not just a security specialist, but owns the company. He slowly gains the entire picture of what her families’ plans are for Jillian and her money. When she needs a confident, he is there and when she needs a lover, he is also there. Will Jillian be able to remove her family from HER home without anyone, especially her, dying? A little confusing at times due to the various characters and their plans to rid themselves of Jillian, but altogether an amusing story. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Predictable and slightly annoying at times with unlikable characters. Some funny moments but repetitive.

Thank you Avon and Netgalley for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Overall, I enjoyed Moorewood Family Rules! The premise was really interesting and not something I've seen done a lot before. I also liked how there was a romance plot line woven throughout the book, although it felt EXTREMELY rushed.

I found the family dynamics interesting, but I did find myself getting frustrated at the main character, Jillian, and all that she continued to put up with from her family instead of kicking them out from day one.

This book didn't blow me away, but it was an entertaining, quick read that I think others will enjoy!

This was fun to read. I liked the family drama but found some of the twists a little predictable. I wish it was a little more heist centric or you got to see the family pull off a good con before they had to go legit. The love story aspect also came out of nowhere and didn't seem to fully fit? But this was a good escapist read that I had fun reading.

LOVED THIS BOOK! It was exactly the type of book I didn’t know I needed in my life! It is about a family of conartists, who don’t seem to know when to stop. Jillian gets sent to prison for helping cover up her families assets. When she gets out, her family is surprised to see her, and not all that keen about it. Jillian wants them to go legitimate, which they have no intention of doing. She throws bombshells their way, and comes off as a boss bitch! I really enjoyed the banter, and how the story wrapped up. I would love to see more books about this dysfunctional family. I think they could make a great series! Maybe even as a limited tv show option!

3.5 stars

Jillian Moorewood is back home after her time in prison. She took the fall to protect her family. As part of the deal, Jillian’s family of con artists were to go legit. However, the family has continued their conning ways. With the help of some allies and a bodyguard, can Jillian really change her family’s ways?

This book is full of eccentric family members that bring the humor and drama to the story with their continued hijinks. As Jillian struggles with her family; she is also struggling to find her new role in the family and what she wants in life.

With a touch of mystery and romance, this book has a little bit of everything. It was a fun read and I would recommend if you are looking for a light-hearted read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed the dysfunctional family dynamics of this book. I even enjoyed that we got two narrators. the book absolutely starts off with a bang and SO. MANY. QUESTIONS. I could not put the book down. I needed to know who did what, why, and what was going to happen.


I really thought this book would be a five star read for me. what dropped it down to four stars were a few things…. 1. Beck was way too comfortable speaking his mind in familial situations way too quickly and that just kind of threw me for a loop. 2. everything was tied up a little too nicely for me in the end. it all just happened so quickly and so neatly. like I guess Jillian had all that time to plan, but still. 3. I felt like the ending was a little rushed. 4. Jillian’s big reveal really didn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. I couldn’t understand why she was so guilt-ridden about it.

I know it seems like I had four things that I wasn’t in love with in the book, but I would say it’s a really solid, high four star read. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes dysfunctional (rich) families. aka the succession crowd.

This was a super cute, quirky book. Jillian Moorewood just got out of prison. Her family is a long line of con artist and someone finally blamed her. Now she’s out and wants to know who put her in prison. This book is loaded with family drama. I felt like it could be a full series of each family character. It just kept building and building. I was more interested in the family drama than the love story that unfurled.