Christmas for the Parker family is very important. This Christmas especially. With so many people in the cabin something is bound to happen. Great family drama starts with mom and her 12 year younger boyfriend and continues from there.

Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for this arc coming out October 1, 2024!!

Susan Mallery's One Big Happy Family is a heartwarming and humorous story that captures the complexities and joys of family gatherings during the holiday season. Julie Parker, a dedicated mother, finds herself unexpectedly hosting Christmas at the family cabin. This novel brings together a diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets and personal struggles. The author’s deft touch with humor and emotion makes this novel a wonderful read, showing that the true spirit of Christmas lies in embracing love and letting go of past hurts. This book is a festive treat that reminds readers of the joy that can come from the most unexpected holiday gatherings.

I requested to read and review this book for free from Harlequin Enterprise ULC. This is another great book written by Susan Mallery. This story has drama, mystery, romance! Does age really matter ? To someone people it might matter more then anything else. Can you find love at any age? Secrets have a way of coming out when you least expect them to. Julie has it all or so she thinks but when a family loss makes plans change you deal with it. Dana and Nick have lost their dad and they thought they were good but when a holiday brings back the pain what do they do? Gwen and Blair have Avery difficult relationship. Can forgiveness come and help heal wounds or is it to late? Dana and Axel can they be honest with each other or is that not even an option. When families come together you just never know what is going to happen next! This book is for a mature reader and can be read anywhere!

I loved this book so much! It was delightful.
A perfect Christmas rom-com.

Julie Parker is excited. This year her kids have decided to do other things than have a big Christmas get together. She plans to spend her Christmas with her younger boyfriend. A younger boyfriend she hasn't told her kids about yet.

Nick Parker and his wife are heading off to a belated honeymoon, but at the last minute he changes his mind. It's the first Christmas since his father passed away and now he really wants to have a special Christmas at the cabin with the whole family.

Dana Parker is heartbroken. The guy she has been seeing on and off, just keeps breaking her heart and she has decided to spend her Holiday getting him out of her system. Then her brother suggests a Christmas at the cabin to remember their father and she's all in.

Things just get crazy from there.

Highly recommend!!

I really enjoyed the story of Julie Parker and her family. This story was hilarious and very heartwarming! The author did a great job of making the story flow even with all of the characters and plots going on. It was never difficult to separate two plots or characters.
In the beginning, I thought this was going to be a cute story about a family vacation, but I was completely wrong. It was so funny, and the story had me laughing out loud as I read the family banter and how everything was changing rapidly.
The pacing of the story kept me on my toes, yet it was never too fast. It was a perfect pace.
I would recommend this Christmas story to everyone who also has a huge family filled with humor but also love!
Thank you again for this ARC!

One big happy family. When your grown kids decide to forgo their plans for a big family Christmas. Darn it there goes your intimate Christmas with your young lover. I really did not like any of these narcissistic characters. I’m glad I don’t have to spend any time with them

Julie owns a towing company, has two adult children and is keeping her boyfriend, Heath, a secret from those children. Heath is 12 years younger than Julie.

Her son Nick, is keeping another secret. He does not want to take over the family business. He has other plans for his life. He wants to have a 9 to 5 life with his wife, Brianna.

Dana, her daughter, is unhappy. Axel, the love of her life keeps coming back, saying “I love you” and then dumping her again.

Then her kids want to have a family Christmas at their luxurious cabin in the mountains. They want to celebrate their late father’s life and his love for them. Julie agrees, against her better judgment. What will people think of her new boyfriend?

Heath’s two young children must come, Brianna’s mother (who hates everyone) must come and the hits just keep on comin’. People end up at the cabin who are completely unexpected. Life is so funny.

This is a fine illustration of real people who are not perfect. They are not even close. But, they have true emotions, limitations and secrets.

I liked this book so much I had to stay up and finish it the day I started it.

Ms Mallery often does that to me. She is a wonder as an author.

I liked the characters very much. I wanted their lives to go in good directions. I wanted them to be happy. At times I wanted to slap people. But, mostly I was in their corner.

Julie has a giant heart and feels it is important to be inclusive. She is a woman who loves generously. She is not so kind to herself. Her children are good people who have obviously been raised to be as caring as their mother. Dana and Nick are very warm and caring adults.

If a reader wants to find a lovely Christmas story, this is it.. There is snow, a tree that has cougar pee, cookies, and a breakfast casserole that sounds lovely.

There is wrapping of presents and people being truly present for one another.

Did you see what I did there?

Yes, this is a good book and I think it would be a good book no matter the season.

Family can be hard. But, when it all comes down to it, they can love without question.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

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.