I absolutely LOVED and ADORED this book! For me, I felt it captured the true spirit of Christmas which is about family and coming together. In my opinion, it also gave a very realistic portrayal of relationships within families - the good and the bad.

I would HIGHLY recommend this for all those readers who enjoy a holiday story, a book with romance both new and old, and for those who are hoping (or open) to healing past wounds and moving forward. I can’t wait to read more from the author!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Very easy and heartwarming holiday read! Not something I would normally pick up, but enjoyed the depiction of realistic family dynamics and holiday functions. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

One Big Happy Family is a heartwarming Christmas drama. Throughout the story, different things go wrong with the family which leaves you turning the pages wanting to know what will happen next. I enjoyed this Christmas story.

A decent holiday novel with a lot of family disfunction to go around. Not too much disfunction to be uncomfortable but definitely enough to be interesting and relatable. If I had to pick any of the holiday novels to read, it would be this one!

One Big Happy Family was a lot of fun to read/listen to! Christmas for Julie was supposed to be a quiet time with her new and younger boyfriend, but it quickly turns into chaos when her two adult children request that they go to the family cabin for Christmas in honor of their dad who passed earlier that year. One by one more people and children are added into the mix plus an adorable dog. There's humor and sadness and every emotion in between...kinda like what "real" families go through. I loved every minute of Susan Mallery's latest Christmas romance and am a looking forward to reading more by her.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 1 October 2024

I absolutely adored this book. Sometimes Christmas books can be too “cheesy” but not this one. Reading this book I felt like I was one of the occupants of the cabin. It felt like the perfect Christmas!

Family drama and romance at Christmas.

I really enjoyed the characters in the Christmas story. You want to keep reading just to find out what happens next to each character. Every good Christmas story has children, dogs, snow, decorating, making cookies and lots of family drama - this one has it all. The only thing missing from this story is grudges between friends and family. There are twists and turns in the story but everyone comes to terms and it all comes together for a happy ending. Which is also required for Christmas books, if you ask me.

One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery is another one of her wonderful Christmas stories. We meet Julie Parker, who owns a towing company and has two adult children; as well as a boyfriend, who happens to be 12 years younger than her. With Christmas coming, Julie is looking forward to spending time with Heath, with her grown up kids making their own plans; but everything is about to change.

Julie’s ex-husband passed away a year ago, and both Nick and Dana have decided to cancel their plans, and instead get the entire family together, to honor their decease father. Nick, who is married to Blair, were planning on going on their belated honeymoon, but Blair is willing to cancel till the spring. Nick has another secret, which he isn’t planning on telling his mom, just yet; he does not want to take over the towing business. Dana, Nick’s sister, is unhappy, because her ex-boyfriend, Axel, whom she is in love with, constantly dumps her, and has done it again. Both Nick and Dana tell their mom they prefer to spend the Christmas holiday at the family’s huge cabin, in memory of their late father, which Julie agrees. Julie is concerned, as she dreads the reaction from Dana and Nick, when they meet Heath, but when they arrive, they were perfectly fine getting to know Heath.

The family meets at the cabin, where they will gather for 10 days; as the guest list continues to grow. Nick and Blair, Dana, Heath and his two young kids, Blair’s mother Gwen (who was a terrible mother to her over the years), Blair’s uncle Peter, Huxley, co-worker friend, Heath’s ex-wife Tiffany, comes a bit later, when her boyfriend dumped her, and Axel, makes a later visit when he was hurt. I actually enjoyed meeting all the family/friends/coworkers, who were all so wonderful.

One Big Happy Family was a wonderful delightful story that made for a fun merry Christmas, even with some complications along the way. The story was so much fun, with a lot of humor, a bit wild and crazy, some drama, and even chaos. I loved everything about this enjoyable holiday story line. One Big Family was so very well written by Susan Mallery. I suggest you read, One Big Happy Family, as you can never go wrong reading anything by Susan Mallery.

4.5 stars

This is such an enjoyable book to kick off the upcoming holiday season. Most readers will be able to relate to at least one character, as well as the holiday season filled with drama, family chaos, love, and forgiveness. Mallery combines all of these to make a delightful story that will be fun to read at any time of the year. After all, who couldn't use a little bit of Christmas magic? There is a great character development in the relatable and flawed cast which quickly feel like friends you've known for years. Kids, exes, in-laws, and a dog all set the stage for a crazy, but memorable, family Christmas. If you are looking for a quick, heartwarming holiday read, be sure to add this one to your list.

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY is a wonderful story set at Christmas by one of my favorite go-to authors, Susan Mallery. We explore family dynamics, relationships, holiday traditions, loss and seeing the holiday through the eyes of others

This is Julie and Heath's story and there is a definite age gap that Julie can't let go of. The story is set in Seattle and the mountains where the cabin is located. But it's not a cabin by any stretch of the imagination! I loved all the descriptions throughout of the cabin, the mountains, the activities, the decorations and even the food. So many stories are being told and entwined together especially those involving both of their families.

There is a good flow to the story with some laugh-out loud moments. There is anger, angst, injuries, breakups and makeups along with tears, hurt feelings, disbelief, romance, loving and love. There are a lot of people planning to spend time with each other and some are barely known to the others - but it works. I loved how big Julie's heart was even if others couldn't fathom being as kind and caring to others as she is. She's definitely the glue that seems to hold everyone together. A satisfying read with happily ever afters and reconciliations on several fronts.

Susan Mallery never fails to disappoint with her books - One Big Happy Family with it's Christmas setting - who doesn't love that - gives you lots to enjoy. What starts out as a potential getaway for a fairly new couple trying to get away morphs into almost a free-for-all of characters - adult children and their relationships, in-laws, ex-wife, kids, watching a relationship grow between the two main characters - Julie and Heath makes for a satisfying read. There is a lot of introduction of characters in the beginning which is needed to set the stage for the rest of the book. It's like any messy family - which I could relate to - good times, poignant moments, some tough conversations, sentimental times remembering those lost and the impact on our lives and fun - cookie baking, and a dog and a Christmas tree that wasn't going to be ... some great unexpected moments that leave you with a warm feeling.

Thank you to the author and Canary Street Press for the book. These opinions are my own.

Susan Mallery writes absolutely lovely and heartwarming family dramas. In this book, Julie is ready to have a Christmas with just her boyfriend after her adult children decide to go elsewhere for the year. But with just a week to spare, plans change, and suddenly everyone will be joining Julie and the boyfriend they didn't know about at the family cabin. The guest list was ever expanding and all inclusive as more and more people with any sort of tie to anyone already there showed up.

I found this so messy and complicated and so real. It was set in the most amazing winter wonderland cabin. It included people of all generations with all sorts of issues. And there was even a phenomenal dog. Everyone came with secrets in the midst of a cabin with amazing acoustics that made private conversations essentially nonexistent.

And it its heart, this is a story of love and generosity. It filled me with such joy. It's certainly a great read for the upcoming holiday season, and I also think you could enjoy this any time of the year.

CW: grief, hospital visits

4.5 stars rounded up

One Big Happy Family
by Susan Mallery
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Susan Mallery, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boardwalk Bookshop, returns with the joyful and utterly irresistible story of a mother who couldn't love her kids more but hopes that, just this once, they please don't come home for Christmas. Perfect for fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Julie Murphy!
This book came out at a good time for me. I needed some distraction from political and severe weather and it was nice to have a great book like this to escape in.
Mallery’s signature warmth and humor shine through in every page, making it a joyful read. The well-developed characters and heartwarming relationships will leave you smiling long after you’ve turned the last page! Super cute holiday read.... quick, funny and all the quirky family relationships! I loved this book!

One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery
A Novel
Susan Mallery, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boardwalk Bookshop, returns with the joyful and utterly irresistible story of a mother who couldn't love her kids more but hopes that, just this once, they please don't come home for Christmas. Perfect for fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Julie Murphy!

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.
This is Julie Parker and Heath's story.
This is a good Christmas story.
I recommend reading.
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery is a 5 star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Susan Mallery.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

Family members keeping secrets from each other is nothing new, but in One Big Happy Family, the resulting chaos makes for a cute Christmas read. Julie Parker is in her early 50s but secretly dating a younger man. Her son Nick has decided he does not want to take over the family business but hasn’t been able to break the news to his mom. And those are just in the first few chapters!

When holiday plans change, Julie finds a way to include everyone, and I do mean everyone! That was the most difficult part of this book– keeping the many different characters straight in my head. Once I was able to do that, I enjoyed this sweet story by Susan Mallery. Though the family was dealing with grief and change, it was told in a lighthearted way. It’s got a few mentions of sex but would be rated PG if it were a movie. In fact, if you love Christmas movies about families, One Big Happy Family is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

If you’re ready for some great Christmas vibes and family drama, look no further than One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery. Normally, this time of year, I’m all about cozy mysteries, witchy romances, and everything fall-themed. However, I love Susan Mallery’s books, and I needed a break from my usual reads, so I figured it was the perfect time to get into the Christmas spirit🎄plus I’m all about the family drama.

Julie is a badass mom and business owner who’s looking forward to a quiet Christmas at her family’s cabin—aka mansion in the woods—with her younger boyfriend, Heath. Her kids all have their own plans, and his ex-wife has the kids for the holiday. But as we know, life doesn’t always go as planned. The cabin ends up packed with more people, secrets, and drama than anyone could’ve imagined.

I saw so much of myself in Julie that it was hard not to root for her. She cares deeply about everyone else and making them happy. It’s so evident in her detailed plans to ensure everyone has the most amazing Christmas ever. And while Julie might seem like the perfect mom and girlfriend, we also get to see her unravel and expose all her flaws as the story unfolds.

Thank you to the author Susan Mallery, the publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

One Big Happy Family was such a heartwarming, laugh out loud holiday book.

This was such a delightful read over a few Fall days. I loved the dynamic of the family and all those they choose to embrace during the Christmas season even if it left things feeling a bit on the awkward side.

I am most definitely down to read more about all the fantastic characters included in One Big Happy Family.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed.**

A quite holiday with her new boyfriend gets derailed when her adult children want to spend the holiday with her. Of course Julie changes her mind for her children and plans this perfect holiday get together to include more that she can actually handle but through tears, happiness and laughter it becomes one big happy family.

I loved this book from the first page. Julie is such a independent and organized woman. I see a lot of me in her. Not asking for help but grateful in the end when family and friends can step in. I loved everything about Christmas in this story, so many traditions. I highly recommend this story.

Family drama, festive fun, and a little sweet romance made this a cozy escape read.

I loved Julie’s character. She is strong, brutally honest, a great mom and she’s dating a younger man. In fact, she’s looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays with her new man.

But her adult children have a different plan. This is the first Christmas after the loss of their father, so they want to spend it as a family up at the family cabin.

Having a big heart, Julie agrees and even invites extended family and a few friends (including her new man’s ex-wife and kids). As all are gathered in close proximity, emotions boil up and secrets slip; things get a bit chaotic. But love is in the air during this wonderful time of year.

I love family drama, but this wasn’t overly heavy - the writing had a certain snap and humor that made things fun. It involved a family business, relationships taking the next steps and healing and forgiveness. I found this truly entertaining!

Thank you @HTPbooks for a spot on tour and a gifted ebook.

One Big Happy Family is a very classic Susan Mallery novel that somehow gives you the warm and fuzzies while navigating (very real feeling) family drama. The main storyline follows Julie, who for years has put on a long, elaborate family Christmas, looking forward to finally having a quiet Christmas with just her and her new (and younger!) boyfriend, Heath. Those plans go out the window when her grown children come to her and ask to have a big family Christmas after the death of Julie’s ex-husband. Julie’s quiet Christmas quickly snowballs to include an estranged mother, an uncle, two exes, and Heath’s children. As she does with everything, Julie jumps right in to make sure the holiday is wonderful for everyone, but things get messy when Julie has trouble with leaning on anyone else for help – especially with Heath.

This was a very sweet Christmas novel, as you can always expect from Susan Mallery. I did start off a little confused with the multiple plotlines and characters, but after a while settled into it. Heath is such a calm, steady presence for Julie throughout the book, forcing her to slow down and take care of her own needs, and I really loved that. She’s so well intentioned, and giving, and afraid of the vulnerability that comes with relying on other people, which many people, but especially matriarchs, can relate to. I think all of the couples had such great connections to each other and balanced each other out. Family is hard, and this book really took that head on, dealing with issues from the past, the present, and the future all at once. So few families now adays are just the nuclear “Dad, Mom, and 2.5 kids” and include step-family and extended family and messy relationships. It was great to see that represented in a novel where, in the end, you knew how much love everyone had for each other. A great, cozy Christmas read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for an eARC to review. All opinions are my own.