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highlypuctual's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
emmareviews's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this one sounded fascinating to me, but I’m not sure it lived up to my hopes. Let me start with the positives - I left it thoroughly entertained and having a good time. I liked a lot of the places the plot went (even if none of the reveals particularly wowed me), and I thought the dual perspectives in the story added something. The family definitely grew on me, but the first third of the story especially was underwhelming. It was challenging for me to connect with the characters in this story, and the tone of the lead frustrated me. (It felt like the author kept waffling between trying to make her the sympathetic moral compass of the family and a more devious/complex one who was becoming more like them in her attempts to do the opposite, which felt a bit uneven.) I also think I wanted some more weight to the story and time to set it up more fully so relationships and actions felt earned. (There was also a specific character, the bodyguard, who felt completely unnecessary. I personally didn’t feel like he added anything to the story other than annoying me.) However, rant over, I left this book happy that I stuck it out and enjoying the development of one of the characters in the story.
🫂👥📈🌤️
🫂👥📈🌤️
michellehenriereads's review
5.0
I received an ARC from HarperCollins and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Genre: Romance, Crime Romance (is that a thing?), RomCom, Women's Fiction
Spice Level: Medium (closed door + innuendo)
Language: Fairly low (Some cursing but not on every page)
Representation: Secondary gay character
This is my first book by HelenKay Dimon—honestly, the cover caught me with its romcom vibes.
One word review: HILARIOUS!
Seriously, this one had me laughing aloud several times. The banter between Jillian and Beck is awesome. Sometimes I can't believe that characters click so quickly, but it works in this book. Probably because of the stressful situation. I also loved that Beck isn't described as this traditionally handsome man than belongs on the cover of GQ (I don't even know if that's a current magazine, but hopefully, you get the gist).
I was a little concerned if I'd feel any empathy for the characters because of their conning ways. (Skip this list if you want to go in blind, but it doesn't hold any spoilers.) Warning: morally gray characters on the loose. But can you guess which are morally gray?
Here's my rundown:
Aunt Patricia: Love her & string cheese
Jay: Hate him on a deep soul level
Astrid: Hate her even more than Jay along with her diamond bracelet
Anika: Grew on me—a bit like mold
Tenn: Loved his nerdiness
Kelby: Adored his honesty amongst the wreck
Jillian: Empathized with her and ended up loving her
Beck: Yes! More characters like this please
Gregory: Heebiejeebies
Emma: I liked her, and she kept getting better
Harry: The poor darling
Bev: Shudder
Izzy: Completely beige
Now just because I said I hated some characters, doesn't mean I didn't love them in the story context. They were deliciously bad. Every single character does exactly what they need to do to make the story work.
I kept wondering why Jillian felt so much remorse over one of her actions. To me, her past "action" made sense to me. Now I'm wondering if I'm a morally gray person.
This book was so much fun. A silly tragedy. A farce. A romance. A book about relationships.
I highly recommend this book.
Happy reading!
Genre: Romance, Crime Romance (is that a thing?), RomCom, Women's Fiction
Spice Level: Medium (closed door + innuendo)
Language: Fairly low (Some cursing but not on every page)
Representation: Secondary gay character
This is my first book by HelenKay Dimon—honestly, the cover caught me with its romcom vibes.
One word review: HILARIOUS!
Seriously, this one had me laughing aloud several times. The banter between Jillian and Beck is awesome. Sometimes I can't believe that characters click so quickly, but it works in this book. Probably because of the stressful situation. I also loved that Beck isn't described as this traditionally handsome man than belongs on the cover of GQ (I don't even know if that's a current magazine, but hopefully, you get the gist).
I was a little concerned if I'd feel any empathy for the characters because of their conning ways. (Skip this list if you want to go in blind, but it doesn't hold any spoilers.) Warning: morally gray characters on the loose. But can you guess which are morally gray?
Here's my rundown:
Aunt Patricia: Love her & string cheese
Jay: Hate him on a deep soul level
Astrid: Hate her even more than Jay along with her diamond bracelet
Anika: Grew on me—a bit like mold
Tenn: Loved his nerdiness
Kelby: Adored his honesty amongst the wreck
Jillian: Empathized with her and ended up loving her
Beck: Yes! More characters like this please
Gregory: Heebiejeebies
Emma: I liked her, and she kept getting better
Harry: The poor darling
Bev: Shudder
Izzy: Completely beige
Now just because I said I hated some characters, doesn't mean I didn't love them in the story context. They were deliciously bad. Every single character does exactly what they need to do to make the story work.
I kept wondering why Jillian felt so much remorse over one of her actions. To me, her past "action" made sense to me. Now I'm wondering if I'm a morally gray person.
This book was so much fun. A silly tragedy. A farce. A romance. A book about relationships.
I highly recommend this book.
Happy reading!
scottonreads's review
4.0
Nothing beats a good book and killer scenery- and this combo had it.
This is the first book I’ve read by @hkdimon and spoiler alert: I LOVED it. Big thanks to @avonbooks and @netgalley for gifting me an advanced copy to read and review. This hysterical mystery rooted in a family of con artists is out on April 25!
We meet Jillian Moorewood upon her release from prison. She crashes a family event and we quickly learn that her family is… dysfunctional as hell. Her con artist dad attempted an epic con with an heiress - and what resulted was Jillian and her younger sister, Emma. But the con gene runs strong and extends to Jillian’s uncle, cousins and great aunt.
This was SO fun. It gave me strong oceans 11 vibes, but also reminded me a bit of Weeds and Good girls. There’s some mystery elements, a lil romance and lots of family intrigue and drama.
Come to learn why Jillian was in prison, and stay for hot bodyguard Beck, the laughs and the surprising twists and turns
Posted on goodreads, my bookstagram @scottonreads and will post on retail sites
This is the first book I’ve read by @hkdimon and spoiler alert: I LOVED it. Big thanks to @avonbooks and @netgalley for gifting me an advanced copy to read and review. This hysterical mystery rooted in a family of con artists is out on April 25!
We meet Jillian Moorewood upon her release from prison. She crashes a family event and we quickly learn that her family is… dysfunctional as hell. Her con artist dad attempted an epic con with an heiress - and what resulted was Jillian and her younger sister, Emma. But the con gene runs strong and extends to Jillian’s uncle, cousins and great aunt.
This was SO fun. It gave me strong oceans 11 vibes, but also reminded me a bit of Weeds and Good girls. There’s some mystery elements, a lil romance and lots of family intrigue and drama.
Come to learn why Jillian was in prison, and stay for hot bodyguard Beck, the laughs and the surprising twists and turns
Posted on goodreads, my bookstagram @scottonreads and will post on retail sites
j0_peter's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
ctasala's review against another edition
funny
relaxing
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? Yes
4.0
overbookedmama's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In Morewood Family Rules, you’re thrown into the action of a dysfunctional con family as one of their own returns from a prison sentence. Each chapter begins with a Morewood Family “rule” and then explores the values through the text. I liked the exploration of roles we are assigned to play in a family. The main character and our primary narrator, Jillian, has been plotting her own revenge to trick her family into coming clean and finally leave their old ways behind. What she really needs is closure. The romance element with Beck, Jillian’s bodyguard, was a little unexpected but I think it added a nice layer to the story since it is fairly low in terms of mystery and drama. Overall this was a really fun read due to the quirky cast of characters. I pictured this as a movie the entire time I read it so I think the comparisons to Knives Out are accurate. This book appeals to a certain type of humor and it hit the mark for me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, and Cancer
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
This was SUCH a fun family drama with revenge and romance and a memorable female main character who gets released from prison and turns the tables on her family of con artists who think they’ve bested her out of the family “heist” money.
HelenKay was new to me author that I am going to have to do a deep dive into their back list. Perfect for fans of Knives out and fantastic on audio too. If you’re looking for something a little different from the usual romcom fare out there I highly recommend this one!!
HelenKay was new to me author that I am going to have to do a deep dive into their back list. Perfect for fans of Knives out and fantastic on audio too. If you’re looking for something a little different from the usual romcom fare out there I highly recommend this one!!
sophiascoppettone's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0