Julie Parker was excited for a quiet Christmas with her new much younger boyfriend. But her two children decided they needed a Christmas together at the cabin to say goodbye to their father, who died in January. Before she knows it, the cabin is full of family and friends: her son Nick, his wife Blair, Blair’s estranged mom Gwen, Blair’s Uncle Paul, her daughter Dana, her boyfriend Heath, and her business friend Huxley. As plans shift, more and more people join the group, including Heath’s two young children. Julie plans and organizes a week full of meals, fun, and holiday traditions.
At the cabin, it’s hard to get away from all the people. The big room’s acoustics allows everyone to hear conversations. The secrets start to unravel.
Blair and Gwen start rehashing the past. Blair had a younger brother who died as a baby. Gwen never got over his death. In her grief, she pushed Blair away. Now they struggle to have a relationship with any meaning. They spend most of the week fighting and rehashing old wounds. Gwen wants to become a family again; Blair’s not sure she can trust her mother after all the time and pain.
Nick and his mother had agreed to save the talk about Nick’s professional future until after the holidays. Julie wants him to take over the tow truck business eventually. But Nick isn’t interested. He’d like to go into business with Blair’s uncle. When they do have a talk, it ends in a disaster as Julie falls down the stairs and injures herself.
The injury puts a damper on the week and forces everyone else to step up and help out. Julie’s not good at letting other people help her. She likes to be in control, but even she has moments of self-doubt that require someone to give her a boost of confidence.
One Big Happy Family is a messy family holiday story that showcases love and traditions, goodwill towards others, and family drama. There are humorous moments, like picking a tree that’s been marked by a cougar, and tough honest moments like Blair and Gwen deciding if they will have a relationship that’s more than superficial. One would expect nothing less from a Susan Mallery book. I enjoyed how this group of family and friends came together and helped each other through some difficult moments.
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.
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