One Big Happy Family

September 15, 2024
Julie Parker's adult children have their own plans for the holidays, and she's looking forward to spending time with her much-younger boyfriend, Heath, whom her children don't know about. But then son Nick and his wife, Blair, decide they want to spend Christmas at the family cabin. Daughter Dana decides to join, if only to get over her on-again, off-again relationship with Axel. Julie agrees to change her plans, inviting Heath to the cabin, too. Then Blair decides she can't leave her difficult mother or beloved Uncle Paul alone, and Heath's ex gets a last-minute invitation, leaving their young children without a Christmas destination, and that's just the beginning of the surprises that snowball the guest list. But Julie is used to being strong for everyone, so this ever-expanding family Christmas will be no problem. Right? Mallery's latest (after For the Love of Summer, 2024) is light-hearted (except for mention of an infant death) and full of charming characters and hilarious plot escalation. Readers will root for Julie as she comes to terms with the fact that she can't do it all, and she doesn't have to.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Mallery is a relationship-fiction stalwart, and her many fans will relish her take on holiday romance.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 19, 2024
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.