An engaging protagonist. Unusual family relationships and issues. An entertaining tale. I would have preferred not to have an explanation of the closeness between the two elderly ladies. Not that it was detailed, but I was trying to ignore their connection. Thrilled that there was not detailed intimate scenes for the younger couple. An enjoyable read. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This was a fun, quirky cozy romantic mystery. I really enjoyed the story of Kasey and her family (gram and “aunt” Celia). The banter was great, it kind of reminded me of Gilmore Girls, how quick and witty Lorelei is! This was overall just a really fun read and perfect to have during this cold weather. Definitely check this one out, especially if you need a break from thrillers and want something light and fun!

This one was a cute, quirky read with a bit of mystery on the side. I really enjoyed the premise and wanted to love this, but it was just okay for me overall. The narrator was a bit too scatterbrained for my tastes, but I could see readers who love cozy mysteries or even cozy type romances really loving this story.

Loved this! I used it as a palette cleanser from some heavy thrillers and honestly it was perfect. Just the right amount of romance, suspense and of course family drama. I really really really hope there is a second one soon! I want to know how their new future goes!

This was cute ready with many laugh out loud moments. My favorite characters were Mags and Cecelia, but mainly Mags. I also enjoyed the slow burn budding romance between Kasey and Jackson. Throw in a little mystery and this book has something for every reader!

Another super cute and funny book from this author! The inner dialogue was relatable, the family dynamic was cute and the no third act breakup is *chefs kiss *

The only thing that bumped this down a star was the main character was written as a little too dumb/clueless for my taste.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 🌟

I love a book with strong female characters! 💪

I mean, a story about baking grandmas who may or may not help women with abusive husbands?! Yes, please! This book does deal with the tough subject of domestic abuse but the overall book is exactly what you want from a cozy mystery- light hearted and funny. I'm so glad I picked this book up.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Okay, this book is small-town chaos, family drama, murder mystery, and romance all rolled into one, and I ate it up (pun very much intended). Kasey Nottingham is just trying to impress her bosses by pitching her grandma’s dessert business as the next big thing. But when she heads back to her small-town home in North Carolina, she realizes Mags (grandma) and Celia (grandma’s BFF) are acting very suspicious. The Problem? Locked cabinets, secretive conversations, and series of mysterious deaths linked to their dessert deliveries. (I’d like to believe cake should never be a murder weapon, but here we are.) Then we have Jackson Quaid, Celia’s annoyingly attractive nephew who teams up with Kasey to uncover WTF is actually going on—and obviously, there are sparks flying in the middle of the mayhem.

Mags & Celia STOLE THE SHOW. These women have zero chill, and I loved every second. This isn’t dark and twisty, but the mystery kept me hooked. I appreciated the romance + murder investigation cross-over, it was a great hybrid filled with eccentric locals, gossip flying everywhere, and a town where everyone is in your business.
I
t took a minute to really get going, but once it did? Chaos in the best way. I liked Kasey & Jackson’s dynamic, but I wanted more of their chemistry earlier on, a little more romance would've be nice.
In general this was a fun, quirky, mystery-meets-romance read with a family that’s equal parts lovable and unhinged. If you love small-town chaos, meddling grandmas, lighthearted murder mysteries, and slow-burn romance, add this to your TBR!

I really enjoyed reading this book. All of the main characters are really likeable and I wanted to know more about their stories. The main character was really relatable as someone who is also in their late 20s. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Romance novels. It is a closed door romance. There is also a bit of a mystery element to the story which is fun. I highly recommend this book. It was a joy to read.

I'm going to be honest: I struggled to get through the initial banter between Kasey and Jackson. Though I was able to push through it (and enjoyed the book!), my favorite book by HelenKay Dimon is still Moorewood Family Rules.

Special thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC,

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy of The Usual Family Mayem!

This was a perfect palate cleanser after reading thrillers. It's a cozy mystery with a hint of romance. One fun fact I did know, the author HellenKay Dimon is also known as Darby Kane!

Grab this book, if you like cozy mystery or you need something to read in between thrillers!

An enjoyable blend of romance and mystery. Although Kasey was a little all over the place, I really liked the characters and their bonds to one another. Loved the family dynamics and also enjoyed the banter between Kasey and Jackson. This was my first time reading this author and won't be my last either.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this ARC.

While The Usual Family Mayhem has its good moments, I mean who doesn't love a good romance and murder mystery, I found that I just couldn't connect to the main character Kasey Nottingham.
In an attempt to keep her job she suggests her grandmother's dessert business as a business worthy of being developed as the next best thing for investors even though she knows that her grandmother would never go for this change. When her boss expresses interest in her pitch, she leaves Washington, D.C. to go to her hometown in North Carolina to convince her grandma.
Once there she discovers, by snooping, that her grandma's dessert business seems to be involved with mysterious deaths of abusive men in the area. Now, she has to find a way to stop the interest in the business so that her grandmother and partner don't end up in jail.
All the while, there is unrequited love with an old friend, Jackson. I wanted to root for her and Jackson to get together but all there encounters seem to be full of miscommunication and not enough communication that I felt like screaming at Jackson and Kasey to just get on with it and be together. The meddling of Jackson's father Harlan, I found off putting also.
Although this book wasn't my cup of tea it would still appeal to those who like a romantic mystery with some off-beat characters.

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the arc!

Old lesbian couple who help women in abusive relationships with a bit of a poisonous pie?? Sign me up!
This was a lovely, cozy mystery. The main character Kasey was fun and I liked her narrating. I liked the love interest too but I just that they didn’t have to repeat the age gap by mentioning how she was an actual child when they first met.
Now I want some pie!

When Kasey Nottingham comes back home to Winston Salem, N.C., it was more than a social call to visit her grandmother and aunt. To keep her job at a business incubator company, she came up with the idea to sell artisanal pies, ones like her family's business sells. As she is trying to find a way to tell them what she did, she runs across Jackson, her teenage crush, who is now a successful lawyer. If this isn't enough for Kasey to handle, gossip has it that one of her grandmother's customers died mysteriously and she begins to think that the pie was intentionally poisoned. So, while trying to keep her job, wondering what Gram and Celia are hiding and getting Jackson to help her investigate, juggling everything is only helped by enjoying a few sweet bakery treats along the way.
An enjoyable cozy rom-com mystery that has delightful and quirky characters and ending with a satisfying solution for all.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this e-galley of "The Usual Family Mayhem".

I was sent this one by the publisher as a 'read it' and it did not disappoint! As a Casey, it was a bit jarring to constantly be reading about a Kasey, but this book had a great sense of humor, I loved the entire cast, even the annoying ones. Mags and Celia are AMAZING and Kasey and Jackson were adorable. It is a closed door/fade to black in case that matters to anyone but as someone who reads romance more for the feels than the descriptive sex scenes, it was fine by me!

I want to start by thanking NetGalley and HelenKay Dimon for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Unusual Family Mayhem was such a fun read! I loved Kasey’s inner monologue—it had me laughing at some of the ridiculousness, but she was such a great character. The grandmas were absolutely hilarious, and I was glad we got so many scenes with their antics, Gran especially! This was definitely a cute, cozy, mystery-esque read.

Now, my only two complaints: first, the pacing. Some parts felt really dragged out, and I found myself losing interest while waiting for something to happen. Second, and this might just be a personal quirk, but the love interest referring to his dad as just “Dad” instead of “my dad” in conversations with Kasey felt a little off. For example, he’d say something like, “I’m sorry, you know how Dad is,” which weirdly made it sound like they were related (even though they weren’t). A simple tweak to “my dad” would have helped avoid that.

Overall, I really enjoyed a lot about this book and would rate it 3.5/5 stars!

Highly enjoyed this new light romance, full mystery by HelenKay Dimon. I would die for the grandmas.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise was cute, but the story was all over the place and I felt out of breath just trying to read it. Perhaps another round of edits would be beneficial to clarify storyline and prose.

This book was such a unique storyline and I can honestly say I enjoyed every second of this read. The characters were loveable and sassy at the same time. Except Harlan, never Harlan.