One Big Happy Family
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this feel-good contemporary from bestseller Mallery (For the Love of Summer), an extended family uses the Christmas holiday to plan hopeful futures. Julie Parker, 54, has enough confidence to single-handedly run the towing company founded by her father, but she's insecure about introducing her boyfriend, Heath, who's 12 years her junior, to her grown children. So she's glad the two of them will be spending Christmas alone. But then plans change: Julie's daughter Dana, son Nick, and Nick's wife, Blair, decide they want to join Julie at her mountain cabin. Blair can't abandon her mother and Uncle Paul over the holidays, so they're invited as well. When Heath's grade school children and his ex-wife need a place to go, warmhearted Julie insists they come to the cabin too. The last straw is when Dana's ex gets shot and arrives days before Christmas to recuperate. Julie can handle a crowd, but these difficult guests need a full-time mediator, especially when a family squabble lands her in the hospital. It's refreshing to read about a slightly older heroine, and her relationship with Heath is both hot and supportive. The happy endings all around tip things over into sappy territory, but Mallery does a great job capturing both the chaos and the joy of a family Christmas. Readers will be heartened.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful Holiday Boom
A great holiday family story full of drama, love and laughter. With family always comes chaos and drama, but love always shines through. A great book to get you in the holiday spirit! Susan Mallery has hit another homerun with this holiday book…
What a holiday!
Susan Mallery has a gift of storytelling! Her characters are so relatable and fun to read about. There truly is at least a few characters in this story that we can all relate to! Julie is my hero! Heath is amazing and the perfect balance for Julie(once she lets him be!) Nick & Blair are cute as can be. Dana! Oh Dana! The way this group gets to through the holidays really resonated with me! Love love love this book! Thank you Susan Mallery for sharing all the stories!
Fun and Entertaining Novel
The latest book by Mallery is a romp through a snow-covered field of happiness and fun. I loved this story so much that I didn’t want it to ever end. The characters are realistic and dynamic. I especially liked and identified with the character of Julie, a woman who wants to spend time with her new younger boyfriend at Christmas, but without her adult children finding out. Her plans don’t work as she wanted because Dana and Nick, her children, are sentimental about this being the first Christmas without their dad, so they want to spend Christmas at the family cabin. A few minor changes in Julie’s plans become a big deal when Nick’s mother-n-law decides to come along, as well as Julie’s employee Huxley, Uncle Paul and her boyfriend and his children. What was supposed to be an intimate Christmas with just Heath and Julie becomes a family and friends reunion of sorts, and of the most hilarious kind. I felt a whole gamut of emotions as I read this great, multi-layered story. I was empathetic towards Gwen, Nick’s MIL, because she has difficulty relating to her estranged daughter Blair and Christmas just doesn’t seem the right time to set things right. I felt sad for Dana who has tried over and over again to establish a relationship with Axel, but he keeps breaking up with her and destroying her emotionally. I was thrilled with Julie and Heath’s relationship because he is the perfect boyfriend, attentive, loving and swoonworthy, too. I cried, I laughed out loud, and even gasped at some of the antics of the characters. This is a perfect read for the holidays because no matter how many people you invite to your house, I don’t think it’s possible to have as much fun as Susan Mallery’s big, happy family!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”