This cozy mystery strikes a perfect balance between humour, kitchen antics, family drama, romance, sisterhood, and eccentric characters.

The story follows Kasey, who reluctantly offers up her grandmother’s beloved business for sale. Amidst this, she navigates her complicated relationship with her bosses and a secret crush.

While the book delves into serious themes such as loss, trauma, violence, and misogyny, it does so in a way that doesn’t overshadow the overall enjoyment of the story.

One of the standout aspects of this book is the quirkiness of its characters. Each one is unique and memorable, including Kasey herself, despite her occasional flaws.

The grandmothers, in particular, shine as resilient figures who have endured immense hardships. Their bond with Kasey and Jackson is both heartwarming and entertaining, while their relationship with each other adds a layer of emotional depth and complexity to the story.

However, the book falls short of its potential. The central plot point, the poison pie business, was underdeveloped, rushed and failed to deliver.

The slow burn and miscommunication were completely unnecessary. The story dragged on and on in places and could have ended way earlier than it did.

Also, telling this story from only one point of view (Kasey’s) didn’t exactly help matters as she is messy and uncoordinated and not a reliable narrator.

Despite these flaws, this book offers a cozy mystery experience with a touch of romance and a dash of quirkiness. If you’re looking for a light-hearted and entertaining read, it might be worth checking out.

I very much enjoyed the story of the little old ladies running their bakery business and helping out women who needed a hand. They were the highlight of the story and absolutely charming. However, some of the other parts fell flat for me. The romance was sweet, but there wasn’t a lot of depth to the relationship, and the MMC’s father was almost cartoonishly villainous. It was fun, but not my favorite.

3 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kasey Nottingham needs a win. She needs to pitch an investment to the company she works for. In a moment of panic, or perhaps brilliance, she pitches Mags' Desserts. It so happens this small town business is owned and operated by her grandmother, Mags, and her long time lover (partner), Celia. The business means the world to these women, having started it when their husbands left them in financial distress. Kasey's bosses are interested in the business and send her to get the women to sell them the business.

Kasey has put herself in a tough situation. If her own business situation isn't complicated enough, her longtime crush, Jackson Quaid, Celia's nephew, is on the scene. Wow, and to add even more chaos to the situation, there are rumors that Mags and Cecila are serving poisoned pies to abusive husbands who wind up dead. Well, there are locked cabinets in the kitchen, strange notes on their business papers. Could they possibly be operating a poison pie business? Kasey, with Jackson's help, is going to find out.

This is a fun and engaging cozy mystery. I found that the stars of the book are Mags and Celia. They are a delight to watch as they work together. Kasey was scattered and at times I could do without her little lies, not telling why she was really visiting. I was reminded of Misha Popp's Pies Before Guys series as I read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Avon, for an ARC. The review is my own.

THE USUAL FAMILY MAYHEM by HelenKay Dimond is equal parts mystery and romance.

Or maybe a bit more romance, but there's definitely a strong mystery element. Kasey's grandma, Mags, and her partner ("aunt" Celia) have a thriving baked goods business, but Kasey gets suspicious when a bad husband dies under mysterious circumstances not long after his wife received a delivery from Mags' Desserts. Kasey enlists Celia's actual nephew Jackson to help her investigate.

Jackson, the guy Kasey has had a crush on since she was a teenager. Jackson, who has ignored and hassled her for years. Jackson, whose dad is trying to convince him to run for office and Mags and Celia to sell their business.

There's actually a lot of plot, which puts this more on the mystery side than romance (I'm sorry, but a lot of books have become real thin on the plot lately. Which is a separate conversation). I haven't even talked about Kasey's job! She needed to pitch a business deal and impulsively suggested getting Mags and Celia to take their baked goods to wide distribution. Her supervisor is a jerk, Jackson's dad inserts himself...so much happens!

Note that there is a strong plot thread involving domestic abuse, mostly in the past, including physical abuse, financial abuse, cheating on a terminally ill partner, killing a partner, etc. If you've ever read an post about how lotta men used to die in mysterious ways before no-fault divorce, that's definitely the vibe.

I thought it was a lot of fun, even if the mystery side isn't actually that mysterious. Not really red herrings or any of the classic mystery devices, mostly we are just on the journey of discovery along with Kasey. But it's a fun and original premise, and I hade a good time.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Mystery Romance, RomCom, Suspense
Spice Level: Fade to black
Language: Some profanity
Representation: Gay secondary characters

THE USUAL FAMILY MAYHEM, a hilarious book about love, family, and justification.

Kasey continually makes bad decisions, but because she's self-aware that she's failing, it makes it work. I was a tiny bit confused about the relationship with her and Jackson (yeah, they're not related and annoyed with each other). I chalk my confusion up to not paying attention.

I always love it when a character causes more chaos in their lives. This is one of those, full of chaos, laughter, and even twists.

Is this book cosy or not?
- Cozy setting and family
- Not cozy the dive into how abusive some men are and some swearing and fade to black sex
I'd say it's closer to cozy than not, but some diehard cozy fans might be upset.

Mystery readers are going to have fun with this one. It's more of a suspense than a mystery.

Happy reading!

THE USUAL FAMILY MAYHEM – HelenKay Dimon
Avon
ISBN: ‎ 978-0063240582
March 11, 2025
Contemporary Romance

North Carolina – Present Day

Kasey Nottingham needs an idea at the company where she works that will wow her boss. The company finds and develops the next big thing for investors, and Kasey, during a spur-of-the-moment decision to save her job mentions the pie-baking business run by her grandmother (Mags) and best friend Celia. She is sent home to talk to Mags and Celia, but she isn’t sure how to approach them about selling the company. Kasey barely arrives when she begins to get worried. The two women are acting mysteriously, with whispers and a locked cabinet. Then the talk turns to the recent death of a local man, whose wife just recently bought one of the pies. Why would a healthy man suddenly keel over and die? Was he poisoned after eating one of their pies? After the police confirm that he was poisoned, Kasey wonders if Mags and Celia helped the wife commit the deed.

Meanwhile, Celia’s nephew, Jackson Quaid, arrives to visit his aunt. Kasey talks to him about whether he agrees that the two women might have poisoned the man. Or if they were involved in a recent death of another local man. Jackson thinks Kasey is crazy to think so, but as Mags and Celia continue to act strangely, the more she’s convinced that she’s right. She came here to talk to them about selling the baking business but now she’s involved in a possible murder mystery.

Readers soon learn that THE USUAL FAMILY MAYHEM is a quirky tale that pulls you into a “did they do that?” type of mystery. Kasey has always admired her grandmother because she dealt with an abusive husband (now dead) and the murder of Kasey’s mother by Kasey’s dad. Yes, there have been a lot of abusive men in Mag’s life, and she seems to be the perfect crusader for justice. But…murdering the culprits? Kasey doesn’t want to confront Mags or Celia, but she attempts to enlist Jackson’s help. He doesn’t believe her but lets her run with her theory by meeting her. They are growing closer, but will it end with them both reeling by what they find?

There are lots of humorous scenes and dialogues in THE USUAL FAMILY MAYHEM as Kasey reacts to the reactions of Mags and Celia at various times. The two older women are closer than two peas in a pod as they seem to convey by looks between each other what they’re saying. Kasey loves her Grams and doesn’t want to actually come out and accuse them of murder, so she does some digging when they aren’t around. Meanwhile, her boss and a fellow employee by the name of Brock are pushing her to get back to them about the sale. Then Brock shows up in town, and he’s up to no good when he goes behind her back. She can’t tell Mags and Celia why he is there. Will Kasey get to the bottom of what is going on and succeed in keeping everyone happy? Will getting closer to Jackson lead to some romantic hijinks?

If you like to read a romantic comedy with a bit of mystery thrown in, then THE USUAL FAMILY MAYHEM is the perfect book for you. It was fun and highly entertaining. Be sure to pick up a copy today.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This was a fun, cozy romance, and mystery! I loved the idea of a pair of grandmas that bake pies and are poisoning evil men.

A cozy mystery that lacks mystery!

I was so excited to read this as cozy mysteries is one of my favorite genres and it started off so well. As I kept reading, it just completely lost my interest and the point of it.

I really liked the grandmas, regardless of their mischievous ways. Like I could almost look past what they helped in doing given their point was a good one. However, it didn’t settle well with me either. Plus I feel everything was resolved way too fast to add any sort of pizazz to it.

For the most part, I liked Kasey and Jackson’s bantering. The whole situation with the dad was resolved way too quickly and wanted more of something in that situation.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

A twisty cozy mystery involving senior bakers accused of murder. I am always here for a good women getting revenge on bad men story and this one was top notch. With poison 'funeral pies' and a second chance romance, this was all around a fun listen. Good on audio and perfect for fans of the Pies before guys mystery series by Misha Popp. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading The Usual Family Mayhem. The family had a lot of drama and a few shady characters. It had everything I like when reading a cozy mystery. It was funny and I laughed out loud a few times. I liked the characters and there was a strong sense of sisterhood. The romance aspect was closed door and it didn’t take away anything from the mystery of the book. I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy. All opinions expressed above are my own.

This adorable cozy mystery read was great to get out of my reading slump. Kasey pitches her grandmas pie shop to her firm only for her grandma to turn her down. I like the hint of romance mixed into this.

Fierce, feisty Southern women are central to this one and it's a quick paced, charming read that happily takes down some toxic men. Great dialogue.

This was so much fun and I really hope it becomes a series! If it does, then this was the perfect way to set it up. I loved all the characters and there was just the right amount of drama and tension to make everything fun.

I’m really relishing the cozy mystery genre with a romance subplot, and this read was a great time! I particularly enjoyed the Winston-Salem, NC setting (tarheel born and bred gal myself) in addition to the vigilante slant of two southern grandmother bakers. Gram and her live-in partner, Celia, have escaped their own deadbeat husbands and achieved financial freedom with their baking business. But when Gram’s granddaughter, Kasey comes home to pitch an investment deal to expand the bakery, she stumbled into locked cabinets, hushed conversations, and ‘secret’ deliveries to customers whose husbands end up dropping dead. Concerned that Gram and Celia might be in legal trouble, Kasey forgers her childhood long-term crush, Jackson, to don their amateur sleuth hats to get to the bottom of this mystery before the police are involved.

The FMC, Kasey, has a curious + chaotic energy that I easily related to, and I really enjoyed the romantic tension between her and Jackson, who is her steady + practical opposite. With a great balance of humor, family secrets/drama, and “it’s always been you” vibes, I loved this fast-paced and fun new release! Narrator, Mia Barron, did a great job capturing the rollercoaster of action, suspense, and witty voice of Kasey!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the advance digital ARC, and to HarperAudio via the LIBRO.fm program for my gifted audiobook copy.

Kasey is not doing well at her job - in fact she’s not even really sure what she’s supposed to be doing. So she packs her bags and heads to North Carolina to visit her grandmother, the woman who raised her. Once there she becomes suspicious that Gram and her partner Celia are poisoning awful men in town via the pies they make. All sorts of mayhem ensues.


I decided to DNF at 38%. I loved the premise but it didn’t deliver. The FMC wasn’t very likable; it felt like she loved creating chaos but no one really called her on it? Also there were so many vague plots - poison, Harlan, Kasey’s job, the pie company, dating…and I just wasn’t invested in any of them. I was never sure where it was going, I didn’t buy that Kasey and Jackson would have or develop feelings for one another, and I felt tired keeping up with Kasey’s exploits.

It might better appeal to those who enjoy cozy mysteries.

I liked the idea of this more than the execution. There was nothing glaring but it just didn't make a lot of sense. I kept wanting Kasey to just tell the truth. The cozy mystery vibes were ok but something just didn't click for me. Hope you have better luck!

The Usual Family Mayhem comes out next week on March 11, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

"Running is like kale and quinoa. You've all convinced yourselves you like these things because someone told you that you should, but there's no way any sane person would partake in any of those choices absent undue pressure or the threat of bodily harm.

Revenge is a dish best served cold—especially when it comes in the form of one of Grandma’s “special” pies. Get the best of family hijinks, girl power, and hilariously justifiable crime

I went into this book completely blind and had such a fun time. I love the way the romance unfolded and thought their ending was really well done. The family dynamics were the best part of this book. Their conversations really gave “real life” for me.

Read if you like:
- Romance
- Mystery-ish
- Domestic violence rep

Thank you so much to Avon and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

Oh my goodness this book really does have everything: potentially murderous grandmas (complimentary), horrendous and despicable men (derogatory), a gal clueless about ~feelings~ a la an Ali Hazelwood or Sally Thorne character, dessert descriptions that made me want to go to a bakery asap, adventure and mystery, love and comfort, and so much banter I was laughing my way through this book!!

HelenKay has created delightfully strange and brave characters and I love them all and want to protect them from the horrors that persist while also bowing down to them for the steps they take! Clueless but clever Kasey is such a fun protagonist’s head to live in, with her running sarcastic thoughts to her wild theories. Clearly yearning for Kasey is Jackson, and oh my goodness what a sweet and dependable boy he is! Grandmas Mags and Celia are tough broads with gentle spirits, and they deserve all the happiness life can bring after surviving through to this point. This world and these characters were so richly created and all I felt was joy while reading!!!

Thanks so much to HelenKay Dimon, Avon, and NetGalley for a chance to read in exchange for an honest review.

A fun little mystery about some baking grannies. Over all I enjoyed the plot of this book, but felt the synopsis gave away a little too much and stole some of the mystery. I found the romance aspect to have a fair amount of miscommunication which is not my favorite. Also, just as a heads up it is a closed door romance.

Thank you to Netgally for providing this ARC.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This had a fun premise that reeled me in right away. I think some parts are a bit hard for me to get through but it was still a fun read.