I loved reading her previous title Moorewood Family Rules!
So of course I jumped up and down when I seen a new novel pop up!
The Usual Family Mayhem by HelenKay Dimon was such a delight!
I found this book to be funny, compelling and such a page-turner.
The twists just kept coming and I just kept turning and I couldn't flip these pages quick enough.
A manipulative, dysfunctional, hilarious read and one I enjoyed tremendously.

A super fun and at times, laugh-out-loud story! Kasey Nottingham has had little luck with finding and keeping a job and now works for NOI, aka Nexus Opportunity Ideas. It is time for her to announce her latest (well, her first) promotion idea for the company; one that she doesn’t have. Instead, she mentions Mags’ Desserts, hoping to buy some time and come up with another idea. What she didn’t mention was that the business belongs to her grandmother and aunt. What she didn’t expect was for her idea to be well received and for her to be sent to close a deal. Arriving home, she’s unable to find a way to mention the real reason she has come home. Before she can tell them, she begins to have concerns about their business and what her grandmother and aunt may be providing in addition to their pies. She decides to confide in Jackson Quaid, her aunt’s nephew and someone she has thought way too much about, for his input. As she tries to quietly investigate the business, Jackson, a respected attorney, is trying to avoid his father’s intent to push him into a political career. Will she and Jackson be able to shut down the interest in Mags’ Desserts, his father’s devious plans and still find time to pursue a possible romance? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

This gifted storyteller is one I first found through her romance and romantic suspense, and I'm here for her hilarious shenanigans era. This on has a little of everything and is sure to please a wide reader base.

Kasey Nottingham needs a business idea to pitch for her company. In desperation, she fells her boss about Mags' Desserts, her grandmother's company she runs out of her home. So it's back home to Winston-Salem she goes to convince Grandma Mags and her business partner, Celia.

Except when she gets there, she sees some things that don’t add up. Kasey enlists the help of her long-time crush, Jackson Quaid, who is also Celia's nephew. As they begin snooping around—okay, Kasey snoops and Jackson tries to rein her in—there are things that don’t add up and point to her grandma and Celia somehow being involved with unexplained deaths popping up in their community.

Part small-town Southern charm, part second-chance romance, part mystery, and part vigilante justice, the madcap mayhem and hilarious hijinks kept me reading this one late into the night. With deeper elements of family bonds and following your heart, this is one you won’t want to miss.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Mary at Harper Collins for providing an early copy.

This book was marketed to me by the publisher as a book that was similar to The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. I really enjoyed that book and the mixing of the mystery and rom-com genres. This book did not do that quite as well. Unfortunately, the whole time I was wishing for more. The mystery plot was lacking, and the romance was not believable to me. I did enjoy this well enough, though I only finished due to the publisher reaching out personally.

i am not sure how i feel about this to be honest. the premise was so promising but this felt a bit all over the place. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars. This story was dial a for aunties meets the lost apothecary. It was SO MUCH FUN! Who doesn't love morally grey grandmas? This is the type of book that will get you out of a reading slump. It's light, funny, quirky, and has a the perfect amount of romance. I absolutely loved the age gap x second chance romance aspect but it was developed so subtly. The flirting and the banter between Kasey and Jackson was *chefs kiss* and the banter between Mags/Celia/Kasey was even better. Mags and Celia talking without Kasey able to get a word in was such an accurate portrayal of many families. More books with Morally Grey grandmas please!! The concept that they are helping women escape the shithead men in their lives is a storyline I wont easily forget. I look forward to reading this author again.

For those looking for a light, humorous, cozy read. I would recommend picking up The Usual Family Mayhem. While this book does touch on some serious topics, it overall has a lighter feeling to it with the humor throughout the book.

The Usual Family Mayhem setting gives all of the cozy vibes with a big house in the South; Gram’s in the kitchen baking all of the desserts you could want (it may also leave you with some cravings).

This book also has a little bit of romance, mystery and shenanigans. I actually wish there was a little bit more shenanigans with the main character and her Grams. But overall a fun read!

asey Nottingham, 26, works at Nexus Opportunity Ideas (NOI) in Washington, D.C. So far, she has not had anything big for her to work on. In a meeting she is pressured to come up with an innovative idea. Impulsively, she suggests Mags Pies which is fairly small company in North Carolina that makes primarily pies, but also cakes and cupcakes could be bought to make it larger and be quite a lucrative investment for the firm. She admits that the company is run by her grandmother, Mags Nottingham, and her aunt Celia. Her boss gives her two weeks to head to North Carolina to see if she can get them onboard to sell the business to NOI.

Kasey was raised by her grandmother after her father killed her mother and set fire to the house. He is now in prison. Her grandmother had been in an abusive marriage and understands how bad that can be. Thus, she and Celia have been very loving to her.

Back home in North Carolina, she is wrapped up in all of the delicious goodies that Mags and Celia make all day. She loves the sweets that they make. She is dragging her feet presenting this proposal to the ladies. Some sleuthing on their computer turns up some surprising and scary things.

Kasey’s longtime friend, Jackson, is the nephew of Celia and a very successful attorney. Kasey has had a crush on him since she was 9-years-old. Seeing him again, makes her heart race. However, his father, Harlan, is a jerk who has made his way through life schmoozing people and wants Jackson to follow in his footsteps to be a politician which is something Jackson does not want. Kasey and Jackson spark an attraction that leads to, let’s say, fun things.

This story had me somewhat confused at times but I finally know that it was due to the squirrelly, air-headed actions of Kasey. She is impulsive and doesn’t necessarily think things through before acting on them. But her love for baked goods is solid, as is her love for Mags and Celia, and let’s not forget Jackson. Harlan is a true villain and his character is written to make him such a jerk. Loved it. Well done. Enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

While this book had a lot of merit, I had a hard time getting through it. Mayhem is the right word to describe the book. So much of the conversation in the book was chaotic and tiring to follow. I honestly couldn't tell what genre the book was supposed to be. The romance was not particularly enticing and the mystery was not much of a mystery at all.

The main character, Kasey, was a bit annoying to me. Having a character that is adrift and trying to find herself is one thing, but Kasey came across as immature, incompetent, and kind of lazy. She had her moments where we saw glimpses of a competent adult, but they were few and far between and they didn't develop into much.

Kasey's relationship with Jackson was basically a childhood crush turned adult crush. There wasn't much substance beyond that. The book as a whole is not positive toward men at all, and while Jackson is supposed to be the one "good guy," he was kind of mean to Kasey and didn't stand up for her as much as I would have liked.

As for the mystery, there wasn't much to it at all. There isn't much in the way of clues or twists. It is primarily Kasey making assumptions.

I did like Gram's character. She was fun and feisty, and she did care a great deal about Kasey. Her snark was the high point of the book.

I adored this book! Thank you Netgalley for selecting me for an ARC copy! I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but this is the perfect blend of cozy small-town mystery and a sweet, closed door rom-com romance. Literally the marriage between all of those things is freaking perfect.

There are so many little layers to this story that you don't really understand all of them until the end, but I will say it was very slow through 40% then I couldn't put it down. I think the issue was that in the first 40% we are getting to know the lay of the land so to speak and we get nothing conclusive except more questions. Which is perfect, it's what should be. But I feel like I needed a little more gravity to hold on to at the beginning whereas we learn little pieces through the whole story.

Kasey is an unpredictable time bomb. Maybe a whirlwind. There's a little bit of unresolved trauma *see content warnings* and undiagnosed ADHD with sugar overload. While it's endearing, it makes for a hilarious plot and excellent banter. Jackson couldn't be more opposite of Kasey; he's also a little bit older and her grandma's partner's nephew. But those opposites complement each other so well and again, makes for excellent banter! I laughed out loud so much! Kasey comes back home after getting herself in a pickle. Jackson's been keeping an eye on things at home and on Kasey. He's had feelings for her for a very long time and her unexpected return to their small town is raising questions... and interests.

I would be remiss to not mention Celia, Jackson's aunt and Mag's, Kasey's Grandma. The story is as much theirs as it is Kasey and Jacksons. Celia and Mags come from traumatic backstory's and found love and friendship by chance through baking. This story is all about breaking generational curses and women helping women through tough and scary times. Even if that means serving some funeral pie.

If you're looking for a lighthearted cozy small-town mystery, then this is it. Don't miss it.

This feels like a bit of a deviation from my usual, so I was excited to read it! The highlights for me were the banter between the FMC and the MMC and the overall storyline. I love scheming grandmas, so add in scheming grandmas who may be secretly poisoning bad men and I’m intrigued!

I liked the banter between Kasey and Jackson, even though I thought it was super obvious that they were both into each other. It was cute to get their backstory over the years and watch them inevitably admit their feelings.

ALSO this book made me hungry. Kasey is constantly eating little sweet treats and it made me want a sweet treat too!!

And the whole semi-murder mystery plot was fun! It was a little less of the focus than I would have hoped though.

Unfortunately, the FMC was just SO insufferable for me. I genuinely couldn’t stand her, and every time she had a chance to tell the truth or take accountability for her actions and actively made the decision not to was really frustrating.

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

3.75 ⭐

The Usual Family Mayhem is a fun, cozy mystery, with a hint of romance following Kasey and her grandma, and Jackson and his aunt. While at work, Kasey *accidentally* pitches her grandma and aunt's dessert company to take it ubernationally. Returning home, she is forced to confront them about the idea that she shared, while also realizing that Grams and Celia (Jackson's aunt) is being a little....spacey and cryptic.

This book was fast paced and fun. While the mystery aspect was quite predictable, there were some fun twists and turns. I enjoyed how the romance wasn't the main focus of the story, but loved seeing the relationship between Kasey and Jackson develop as the story went on.

Thank you to HelenKay, Avon, and NetGalley for the eARC! The Usual Family Mayhem is out now!

The Usual Family Mayhem by HelenKay Dimon is a cozy romance with a touch of mystery with some badass grandmas and a conflict-avoidant main character. It's a fun, easy read. I couldn't put it down.

Kasey Nottingham needs a big idea to save her job, so she throws out a wild pitch—her grandma’s small-town bakery, Mags' Desserts. She never expects her boss to say yes, but when he does, she’s sent back to her waspy home in North Carolina to make it happen. There’s just one problem: Mags and her best friend Celia aren’t interested. Actually, scratch that—there’s a much bigger problem. Something sketchy is going on in their kitchen.

Locked cabinets, cryptic whispers, weird financial records… and oh yeah, a string of dead abusive men in town, all of whom recently got a delivery from Mags' Desserts. Yikes. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Kasey ropes in Celia’s grumpy but gorgeous nephew, Jackson Quaid. Between dodging investors, uncovering secrets, and way too much kissing, Kasey’s got her hands full. But if her grandma really is in the poison pie business, keeping her out of jail might be the toughest challenge yet.

There's a lot to love in The Usual Family Mayhem. There's great banter and a few laugh out loud moments. I loved the romance between Kasey and Jackson. They are delightfully flirty. What I didn't love about this story is how conflict-avoidant Kasey and her grandmother are. I wished that they would just talk to each other.

Overall, The Usual Family Mayhem was a fun read. Thank you to Avon Books, HelenKay DImon, and Netgalley for and Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I honestly really enjoyed it and look forward to recommending it to friends and family this summer.

A sweet (see what I did there?) cozy mystery that will make you want to grab a pie. The family dynamics were great and you could see the real love between the characters. I love how this goes a bit deeper with the why behind it all. The grandmas were definitely the best duo in this story and I do wish we had more time with them.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story. This book has it all, cozy mystery, opposites attract and lots of family drama. Strong females that dominate the story. Loved the grandmas and how they take Kasey under their wings even though they are keeping secrets on their baking that might be related to deaths of certain men. Loved Jackson, Kasey's long time crush, whom helps Kasey try to uncover these secrets that her grandmas are hiding. Many laugh out moments through out the book.

The Usual Family Mayhem is a hilarious, feel good story about a granddaughter who accidentally uncovers her grandmother’s might be murdering people with pie, with laughs along the way.

From the moment I read the synopsis of this book I knew I was going to be in for a good time. Kasey, Mags, Celia and the gang are a colorful group of characters, and had me genuinely cracking up at all the ridiculous things that go on throughout this book. From the initial sales pitch to her clearly awful snooping skills, Kasey is a flawed but lovable character, who only wants the best for those she loves but manages to screw things up along the way. She’s adorable and funny and so likeable that I fell in love with her from the start. Mags and Celia are such a fun couple - complete opposites of each other but so devotedly in love, that you can’t help but feel a grandmotherly hug when reading them.

The subplot of Kasey and Jackson’s love affair was also so fun - while mostly off page. It keeps a good mix of the mystery and romance genres, without getting spicy in case you’re not into that.

Overall I adored this book, and I can’t wait to see what else HelenKay Dimon writes!!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet, action-packed and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and would read other books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ms. Dimon, and Harper Voyager / Avon for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I LIKED the Moorewood Family Rules. It was fun, even though both the romance and plot were a little more underbaked than I had expected. But the Usual Family Mayhem was (to continue the baking analogy) completely raw on the inside. Based on the blurb I had expected a poison pie scheme being carried out by two crafty lesbian grannies, with a side of romance for Kasey the MC. I was disappointed by the back seat the poison pie plot arc took. I'm still not entirely sure what exactly Mags and Celia's exact roles were. They provided the poison? They were just a listening ear? *shrugs*

Meanwhile, Kasey, Kasey, Kasey. Wow. I read in another review the phrase "weaponized incompetence" and frankly I think it's perfect for Kasey. She was COMPLETELY incapable of telling the truth, finishing a sentence, taking any accountability or responsibility whatsoever, doing her job, being a good family member, you name it. Her two grans were such competent, capable women but they (s)mothered her straight into complete infantilization. It's no mystery how or why Kasey was incapable of retaining a job: she's a female BIG, a child in a woman's body. It was frustrating beyond words how Kasey floundered in indecision and wallowed in avoidance, exactly, EXACTLY, like my 10 year old child putting off a chore. The real mystery here is what about this woman Jackson found appealing.

I did like the North Carolina setting and the southern atmosphere (and culture) felt very authentic. I also liked that the toadstool Brock got his comeuppance, albeit somewhat undeservedly: he was an ASSHOLE, but he was absolutely 100% spot-on about Kasey. I would have liked to see the poison pie plot line brought way, way forward as that was the real draw, for me. The peach scones sounded pretty good too although if I ate that many baked goods (and skipped running) I'd have to buy new pants in a week. Enjoy that youthful metabolism while you've got it, Kasey!

Unfortunately overall I was disappointed but YMMV.

⭐⭐

I so wanted to love The Usual Family Mayhem, which teases hijinks, girl power, hilarity and revenge served with one of Grandma’s “special” pies.

But, alas, award-winning author HelenKay Dimon’s rom com/mystery only rose to a three-star bake for me.

The story seemed to be on preheat way too long for my taste and I lost interest in the characters. While the premise was good, a few twists and turns and some amusing scenes, I’m sorry to say, weren’t enough to save it for me.

I received this advanced reader copy of The Usual Family Mayhem from Avon and Harper Voyager courtesy of NetGalley.

The Usual Family Mayhem was described as a mix of mystery, romance, and comedy featuring the serious main male character, the chaotic main female character, and spirited grandmothers. The story blurb describes a young woman, Kasey, arriving home to her grandmother’s house and discovers suspicious activities with whispered conversations, locked cabinets, and secret business spreadsheets. She begins to suspect that her grandmother and her grandmother’s partner may be involved in vigilante justice against abusive men in their community. She enlists the help of childhood friend/nemesis Jackson to discover the truth.

This description invoked a feeling of the classic film Arsenic and Old Lace. This expectation is what may have lead to the slight disappointment in the story. The main character, Kasey, does not come off as spunky, but as immature. She often jumps to conclusions and is quick to blame others for her own lack of direction. These are not the most endearing character traits and they seemed to dominate the first third of the story. This made the first third drag a bit and the mystery aspect was very light. After the first third the story began to pick up and the mystery ramped up. Overall it was not bad, but not what I was looking for at that moment.