The Usual Family Mayhem follows Kasey who in a desperate moment in a department meeting pitches her grandmother's bakery business. She sets the the business as a company that should be invested in and taken from local to national. Her grandmother does not feel any such way. When she goes home to get her grandmother on-board, she stumbles into secrets that her grandmother may be hiding. Is her grandmother and her partner poisoning men?

This story didn't know what it wanted to be. The characters and the relationships were cute but was it a small town romance or a cozy mystery? I didn't know what storyline that I should care about. I think getting Kasey home without including including her job would have put more of the focus on the poisoning storyline which was the better storyline...in my opinion.

This novel is so convoluted with way too many sup-plots. It is next to impossible to keep everything straight.

ARC Review

Thank you to HelenKay Dimon, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
🌶/5

This book was delightful! I struggle with classifying the subgenre of mystery books but I think this would classify as cozy! If you like books like Finlay Donovan is Killing it and Arsenic and Adobo, you will love this book!

I identified with Kasey more than I expected as I also went to law school, lived in the DC area, and have family/friends that keep things from me because it's not my job to worry about them! Except I'm going to worry anyway, just like Kasey!

The cast of characters are funny and engaging! The romance was adorable! And the villains were easy to dislike! I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AvonAndHarperVoyager for the book #TheUsualFamilyMayhem. This book is about revenge, secrets and abuse. Mags and Celia are best friends and they live together. Kasey pitches the idea of Mags Desserts to Mags and Celia but they are not interested. They have servers they are trying to hide which involve their pies and possibly abusive husbands. Are these sweet little old ladies committing murder?

I had high expectations for this book. Dimon's first novel in this vein, Moorewood Family Rules, was one of my top books of 2023. While The Usual Family Mayhem didn't quite reach that level for me, it was still a very enjoyable read.

I loved the relationship Kasey has with her grandmother and Celia; the unconditional love the two women have for a young woman who is still trying to find her path. Those two are sharp cookies. It's hard to put anything over on them, though Kasey tries her darndest. In the end, though, it's Gram and Celia who show it's never wise to underestimate two white-haired ladies or what they might be hiding behind those sweet smiles.

I enjoyed Jackson's character a lot. I found him to be interesting, endearing, and multi-layered. I appreciated his honesty but also his loyalty and how far he was willing to go to support those he loves. Kasey, on the other hand, is a clueless - but lovable - mess. She creates much of the drama in the book but has good intentions at her core.

If you enjoy a madcap cozy mystery that features dysfunctional family (Jackson's), supportive family (Kasey's), humor, finding one's path, murder (or is it?), female empowerment, dispensing justice, and a sprinkle of romance, give The Usual Family Mayhem a try.

ARC received from Avon via NetGalley.
Fair and unbiased review.

Kasey Nottingham heads back to her quirky hometown to pitch her grandma’s beloved bakery as the next big investment — but things take a wildly suspicious turn. Locked cabinets, cryptic conversations, and a trail of dead abusive men have Kasey wondering if Mags’ Desserts has a secret ingredient… and it might just be murder. With the help of Jackson, her long-time crush, Kasey tries to unravel the truth — while trying (and failing) not to fall for him.

This book was an absolute delight! HelenKay Dimon masterfully blends cozy mystery and romance, creating a story that’s equal parts charming, hilarious, and heartwarming. Kasey’s grandmother, Mags, and her partner Celia completely steal the show with their sass, wit, and secret-keeping ways — they’re the kind of characters you wish you could sit down with over a slice of pie. And speaking of pie… the bakery setting was pure perfection. All the talk of pies, muffins, and scones had me craving every sweet treat mentioned. Kasey and Jackson’s relationship added the perfect touch of slow-burn romance, full of playful banter and undeniable chemistry. If you’re looking for a lighthearted mystery packed with humor, heart, and a dash of intrigue, this one’s a must-read!

The audiobook version takes the experience to an even higher level. Mia Barron’s narration was spot on — she did an incredible job differentiating the characters’ voices, making each personality distinct and memorable. Her lively delivery and perfect comedic timing truly brought this story to life, making the humor, emotion, and intrigue even more engaging. If you enjoy audiobooks, this one is a fantastic listen!

Thank you to the author, Avon Books, Libro.fm, and Harper Audio for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

This felt like the perfect rom com mystery and I loved every moment! Jackson and Kasey's romance plot line is near perfection, and i couldn't put it down cause of their storyline! They had a level of distain for each other in the first section of this book that was perfect and matched their situation quite well! When they started dating, it was just so sweet and confident on Jackson's side that I adored so much! Kasey was a little more timid and afraid and I understand why, especially with her job in a different city and falling apart!

The mystery element of this book is so fun and unique because Kasey suspects her family of using pies to murder husband's and at the same accidentally offered her family business up for sale at work so there are some different things happening as everyone tries to hide things from each other!

Overall, this is a cute and fun book that i just adored!

2⭐️ Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I felt like the premise sounded so interesting and I was really excited for this book. I love a good cozy mystery but for me this book was just boring. I found myself dozing and thinking of other things while reading and it just didn’t capture my attention fully. I kept waiting for it to get twisty and mysterious and it just felt like it never came. A positive I do have for this book is I did enjoy the witty writing style and I would read from this author again, I just feel like it was poor execution unfortunately.

Kasey is struggling at her new job. Out of desperation she pitches her grandmother's baking business as a potential client. Mags runs her shop with her longterm partner Celia. Kasey has to return to her home town and figure out how to bring this up to her grandmother. Complicating her return is the presence of her former crush Jackson, Celia's nephew. He quickly deduces that Kasey is up to something. Kasey also begins to suspect that Mags and Celia's deserts may be associated with the deaths of the abusive husbands of multiple clients. With Jackson's help Kasey sets out to discover the truth.

I have had a great time with HelenKay Dimon's books and this one was no exception. It had the perfect mix of mystery, romance and humor. Kasey is a little bit of a mess but has a huge heart which makes her the perfect match for structured and sturdy Jackson. The real standouts for me were Mags and Celia. They are the heart of the story, bringing Jackson and Kasey together. The mystery portion of the book was very entertaining and plenty of twists and turns. I really hope this will be a series because I would love more of this crew. I will absolutely be picking up whatever HelenKay does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley & Avon for an eARC ♥️

Hey, have you ever stumbled upon a book that's just so ridiculously good, you can't stop raving about it? That's exactly what happened to me with this latest novel from HelenKay Dimon.😍
The story follows Kasey Nottingham, a determined and resourceful protagonist who's trying to save her job. She pitches her grandma Mags' beloved small-town bakery, Mags' Desserts, to her boss, but things take a surprising turn when he sends her to North Carolina to seal the deal.
Here's the thing: Kasey's grandma and her live-in "best friend" Celia are hiding some serious secrets in their kitchen. As Kasey digs deeper, she uncovers a web of mysterious deaths, cryptic conversations, and suspicious business records. It seems that Mags and Celia might be serving up more than just delicious pies...
I love how this book combines humor, romance, and intrigue. Kasey's investigation is helped along by Jackson Quaid, Celia's nephew and Kasey's long-time crush. Their reluctant partnership is filled with witty banter, swoon-worthy kisses, and some seriously funny moments.
What I think I loved most about this book is its lighthearted take on some heavier themes. It's all about female empowerment, family secrets, and the power of a good pie (just kidding about that last one... or am I?) 😌😁

Kasey Nottingham is a 26 yr old working for Nexus Opportunity Ideas (NOI) in Washington D.C. NOI looks for promising companies to invest in and then eventually takes over control of the company to make a profit. During the departmental meeting, Kasey zones out and gets called out by her boss, Brock Deavers to offer a potential client. Panicking, Kasey says Mags’ Desserts, her grandmother's baking company along with her partner Celia Windsor. Brock knows that she is lying, but the company's owner, Micah Bainbridge says that she should head to North Carolina and check it out. Kasey knows her grandmother and Celia would never sell, but sees this opportunity as a 2 week vacation with her family.

After Kasey arrives back home, she starts to discover a few things that seem suspicious with Mags' Desserts. Things also seem to coincide with sudden deaths of local husbands. When Kasey starts having strong suspicions , she enlists the help of Jackson Quaid, Celia's nephew and the 33 year old guy she has forever had a huge crush on. The lawyer has his doubts but agrees to help Kasey investigate. As these two spend more time together, feelings start coming out. It turns out Jackson also has crushed on Kasey.

When Kasey's boss, Brock arrives and partners up with Jackson's dad, Harlan, everything starts blowing up. It seems everyone has a few secrets. It will take a lot of people admitting to the truth of what is going on, and then everyone can finally come to an understanding. In the end Kasey and Jackson will finally find their happy ending....together!

I enjoyed this funny, cute family story with lots of secrets, twists and turns. Jackson was so yummy! He seemed like the perfect calm to Kasey's impulsiveness. It was great seeing these two finally find their way to each other.

This was a cute and cozy book with likeable characters and an enjoyable plot. The book tried to be both a cozy mystery (ish) and a romance, but both felt underdeveloped to me. If the book had focused on Kasey and Jackson, we could have seen a second-chance romance unfold. If the book had been about Mags and Celia (who are adorable, by the way), we could have enjoyed more of their antics. As it was, I was left wanting to know more about both of these stories. Thanks so much to the publisher for inviting me to read this book!

This book was just a lot of fun. It’s chaos, it’s strong personalities, it’s resilient. It’s about strong women, about surviving, and about injustices. A lot of fun.

First and foremost as always thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. This was an incredibly good read! The story was beautifully written and the characters were flushed out really well! This was a really great murder mystery! Definitely worth the read!

This didn't feel as light and funny as I thought it was going to be. Reading the book synopsis, I felt like this was going to be jam packed with comedic family mishaps and adventures. Sadly, for me, it didn't quite pull together. We have our main character who basically has no idea how to do her job and so she comes up (on the spot) with the idea to sell her grandmother's pie company. She goes back to her hometown with this mission and then it pivots to her sleuthing out a theory that her grandma is using pies to poison the husbands in town. We throw in a love interest and his controlling crappy father. There's a lot of withholding information from all the character and it just felt like it didn't come together. The book has fade to black romance which was alright. (the FMC and MMC had ok dialogue overall).

I wanted more humor and a stronger FMC so unfortunately my rating is 3.25 out of 5

The Usual Family Mayhem is a cute title for the latest book by HelenKay Dimon. Filled with strong female characters, it’s a cross between a cozy mystery and a romcom with some laugh-out-loud moments. There are so many secrets to uncover, and that’s half the fun.

Kasey, at twenty-six, is still trying to find herself. She now lives in Washington, D.C., but is always waiting to be fired, especially since her direct boss doesn’t like her. She grew up living with her grandmother and her grandmother’s close friend in Winston-Salem. Gram and Celia run a business that creates pies and other desserts, and I was drooling over some of the descriptions.

When Kasey shows up back home for several weeks, they think the worst, but little do they know why and what she has inadvertently set in motion. Jackson, a friend and Celia’s nephew, always seems to be around when he’s not being a workaholic lawyer. There’s a definite attraction, but Kasey seems clueless about what’s really going on, even with romance in the air. He comes to her defense throughout, always picks up the pieces, and always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

There are multiple stories being told with many unexpected twists and turns. The story was sometimes choppy, but other times, it had a good flow. The secondary characters besides Jackson seemed to pop in and out when they were least expected, but we didn’t get to truly know them.

Jackson’s dad, Harlan, had his own agendas and was always vocal about them, even when no one else was interested. Gram and Celia definitely knew how to use their Southern charm, and I was surprised there weren’t more “bless your hearts” thrown around. There is some closure, but the story ends abruptly.

The Usual Family Mayhem stands up to its name with multiple stories and Kasey always snooping around. Grab a glass of sweet tea and discover what everyone is up to.

The review is posted on NovelsAlive.

Kasey Nottingham needs a big idea for the next big thing to save her job. In panic she pitches a small-town pie business that happens to be run by her grandma Mags and live-in “best friend” Celia, She goes home to see if they would be interested in this idea. She is scared to talk to them about it, and starts snooping. Kasey finds information that could implicate Mags and Celia in murder! Enter Jackson Quaid, Celia’s nephew and Kasey’s long-time crush, while a huge distraction, becomes very helpful to Kasey trying to find out about these secret pies!

How have I never read HelenKay Dimon?! Fun cute read, AND I looked at her backlist and added more books my TBR!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. #TheUsualFamilyMayhem #NetGalley.

So fun! I loved grandma and Celia and their pie business. Readers of Pies Before Guys will enjoy this family dramady!

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of The Usual Family Mayhem!

4.5 rounded down to 4.

This book was really, so, so funny. It was filled with memorable characters that were flawed, yet incredibly endearing! Kasey and Jackson pair up to figure out some puzzling things about Kasey's grandma and Jackson's aunt. Kasey has also gotten herself into quite the pickle and her impulsive nature doesn't help her out at all. Kasey was hiding lots of secrets from her grandma and it drove me crazy the throughout most of the book! After quite a while of her sneaking around, being dishonest,
I was so annoyed. BUT, this book was filled with humor and baked goods and I can't think of anything better! I would love some of those scone recipes! 😀

This story is cute and has so much potential! I really enjoyed the storyline of the bakery and everything Mags and Celia do together. But I didn’t love Kasey. Her attitude about everything was subpar and didn’t seem to mesh well with Jackson. I also felt like there were a lot of things happening at once which made the story hard to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for this ARC