A review by hookedbythatbook
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery

4.0

This Christmas family drama was riveting and poignant, evoking a whole range of feelings from anger and heartbreak to forgiveness, happiness, and love. 

There were parts that I loved and others not so much. Dana and her relationship woes felt a bit neglected. I was happy that she found her own happy ending, but between all the other things going on there wasn’t enough time to explore this plotline properly. And there certainly was a lot of drama. 

Nick came across as very charmed. Everything seemed to fall in line just right for him. Even with the conflict with his mother, you just knew it would work out for him because Julie would never begrudge him any of it. 

As for Julie and Heath, Susan Mallery has done this before and she does it really well – create conflict and consequently strengthen bonds in an existing relationship. Julie represented a generosity of spirit that should be everyone’s goal. She held no real resentment, even with Nick’s revelations and Gwen’s unpleasantness. Heath embodied the image of an ideal partner. One who sees all your faults and still loves you unconditionally. Yet, these two characters showed enough flaws to be realistic at the same time. 

I was captivated by this family dynamic. The ending may have been predictable, but it was a pleasure getting there. I can highly recommend this if you like big family drama and romance. 

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.