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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The best thing I can say about One Big Happy Family is that I am now done with my book club reading for the month and can read whatever I want. And the cover is cute.
An airing of grievances:
There’s too many characters to keep straight and none of them are well fleshed out. They’re all wildly codependent. The plot doesn’t make any sense. I actually forgot they went to the cabin to remember the dead dad until the brother and sister have a private memorial late in the book. No one seems to be grieving at all. Too many wildly unbelievable things happen. She falls down the stairs and they choose a tree a cougar peed on and someone gets shot and everyone’s ex ends up at this house for the holidays and someone is pregnant. I relate to both the medical conditions in this book and I thought both of them were portrayed unrealistically. I fractured my arm and my ankle in a fall this year. Sad news for the author: they don’t give you frickin opioids for that, and that’s the only kind of “pain medication” I can imagine would make a person act like Julie did. More joy: I also have IBS and while I’m sure some people have it worse than I do, it’s mostly controlled by diet. Are we sure your character doesn’t have chron’s disease?
Another review mentioned that it seemed like this was written by AI and I think that’s an apt comparison. Absolutely awful.
ETA: I can’t believe I wrote so much and still forgot some grievances. Good thing I still have time before festivus. In the year of our Lord 2024 WHY are we still getting sideswiped by diet culture?? I cannot even.
An airing of grievances:
There’s too many characters to keep straight and none of them are well fleshed out. They’re all wildly codependent. The plot doesn’t make any sense. I actually forgot they went to the cabin to remember the dead dad until the brother and sister have a private memorial late in the book. No one seems to be grieving at all. Too many wildly unbelievable things happen. She falls down the stairs and they choose a tree a cougar peed on and someone gets shot and everyone’s ex ends up at this house for the holidays and someone is pregnant. I relate to both the medical conditions in this book and I thought both of them were portrayed unrealistically. I fractured my arm and my ankle in a fall this year. Sad news for the author: they don’t give you frickin opioids for that, and that’s the only kind of “pain medication” I can imagine would make a person act like Julie did. More joy: I also have IBS and while I’m sure some people have it worse than I do, it’s mostly controlled by diet. Are we sure your character doesn’t have chron’s disease?
Another review mentioned that it seemed like this was written by AI and I think that’s an apt comparison. Absolutely awful.
ETA: I can’t believe I wrote so much and still forgot some grievances. Good thing I still have time before festivus. In the year of our Lord 2024 WHY are we still getting sideswiped by diet culture?? I cannot even.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The concept of this book was fun. Lots of people gathering to celebrate Christmas at a huge, but still cozy, family “cabin”. Obviously, drama ensues. There’s love, loss, family dysfunction (to a mild degree), business trouble, and even a shooting (kind of). Enjoyable. But character depth is poor and the shenanigans mostly predictable.
Loveable characters:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really cute read. Some of the dialogue was pretty bad/unrealistic and there were a lot of characters, some that didn’t really add to the storyline but I enjoyed it.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I could not stand any of these characters. I found Julie to be insufferable and low key self centered. I also found heath annoying, like who are you to tell these adult children not to speak and apologize to their mother. Also he was acting all high and mighty getting mad at Nick for not telling his mom something, but being ok with Julie not telling her daughter something important. Also these idiot adults not knowing how ovulation and pregnancy work? Like be serious, how stupid saying that you can’t get pregnant the week after your period. 🙄 I would honestly not recommend this. The start was fine, but everyone just got so annoying.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You'd die before finishing this cringey book if you make a drinking game for this story heavy-handedly bringing up any of the constantly brought-up subjects:
- age gap romance (literally no one else actually cares about the age difference that matters so much to Julie)
- abusive mothers vs. "perfect mothers"
- Nick and Dana suddenly remembering they're supposedly at the cabin to grieve and remember their dad, but recovering from that thought in 10 seconds each time
- Dana pining over her ex and being Determined to Not Take Him Back, and then, of course, dropping that plan instantly when he repeats their pattern
- apologizing for not wanting sex due to being injured/sick/upset because of course the partner will expect it anyway??
- Julie making grand gestures without thinking about them to indicate why she's the perfect mom/girlfriend/boss, and then agonizing about them and martyrdom
- shoveled-in inclusion of IBS and poorly handled chronic illness representation
It's not actually a festive story, it's painful and most of these relationships would be toxic in actual people.
- age gap romance (literally no one else actually cares about the age difference that matters so much to Julie)
- abusive mothers vs. "perfect mothers"
- Nick and Dana suddenly remembering they're supposedly at the cabin to grieve and remember their dad, but recovering from that thought in 10 seconds each time
- Dana pining over her ex and being Determined to Not Take Him Back, and then, of course, dropping that plan instantly when he repeats their pattern
- apologizing for not wanting sex due to being injured/sick/upset because of course the partner will expect it anyway??
- Julie making grand gestures without thinking about them to indicate why she's the perfect mom/girlfriend/boss, and then agonizing about them and martyrdom
- shoveled-in inclusion of IBS and poorly handled chronic illness representation
It's not actually a festive story, it's painful and most of these relationships would be toxic in actual people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abandonment