Oh this was such a funny festive read. The characters were brilliant and the chaos in the house was so hilarious. I loved this one. It was warm and welcoming. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC copy.
Imagine if Motherland and Agatha Christie had a baby and then sprinkled on top a massive dose of relatability. This book had me giggling throughout and I really enjoyed the black humour. Anna as a protagonist is highly relatable, we've all dealt with challenging in laws!
I could imagine this as a "Carry On" style TV show. I loved it! Nice that it has a sprinkle of festive vibes too. Perfect for this time of year.

A laugh-out loud Christmas cracker!
Everyone should be able to relate to this book; maybe not the murder in the larder but definitely the Christmas Eve preparations and stresses and family dramas.
I loved this book which had me laughing out loud from the bubble writing to the marzipan fruits. Fabulous and funny!

Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton is a wickedly fun and darkly humorous take on the holiday season, blending festive cheer with a macabre twist. Middleton crafts a story filled with quirky characters, unexpected chaos, and a holiday celebration that quickly spirals into a wild and bloody affair. With its sharp wit and fast-paced plot, the novel balances humor and horror in a way that keeps readers both entertained and on the edge of their seats. Perfect for those who enjoy unconventional holiday stories, Happy Bloody Christmas offers a unique mix of festive joy and grisly surprises, making it a thrilling read for fans of dark comedy and holiday mayhem.

I knew I was going to enjoy this from the opening sentence: "There is a brief moment with a hangover, just after you wake up, when you think perhaps that everything is going to be okay. And then you move." I hadn't actually realised this was a murder mystery so that nice was a nice surprise. But it was the totally relatable and humorous element of a family Christmas that was the draw for me - and it didn't disappoint. I loved the family dynamics and banter throughout, with my favourite being Oli reporting that the neighbour "had a bat and was being very threatening" only for the kids to confirm that actually "Dad ran away from a man Crocs waving a baguette." So, in short I loved this and as it looks like there's going to be a sequel I can't wait to catch up with the family again soon.

Whilst this story has a credible murder mystery vibe, it is a very humorous book. It is family-centred and festive since Anna discovers a body on Christmas Eve. Much of the humour comes from Anna's introspection, but her interactions with her best friend, Jennie and her family are also often hilarious. It is the seriousness of finding a dead body contrasting with relatable family festivities that are so entertaining to read. I like the family's festive ethos, the murder mystery, and the irreverent humour.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This is one of the funniest and yet murderous books I've read in a long time and if I could award it six stars out of five, I would. I thought I'd take a punt reading what might be a funny Christmas murder story in September, and this is as good as it gets. The mixture between clever funny lines while dissecting everyone who attended a party to see who might be the murderer, was an excellent combination. Everyone was guilty at least during one stage of this novel and everybody was cleared as well until the guilty party was finally located and arrested. The wit and nature of this book may not appeal to everyone but it certainly did to me and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series, if there are any and certainly, as soon as I've finished writing this review, I’m off to see what books this person has written. Although many may decide that this story should be placed in the cosy category, that should not put you off if you also need an amusing novel with many laugh out loud moments. The way that the main character treats her friends. husband, children and parents in law is enough to keep you going to the very last page. The incompetence of the police is unbelievable, but that's what makes you read on each page as quickly as possible.

Am amusing Christmas mystery, it’s not groundbreaking but it’s familiar and the plot is a fun and comfortable read!
Good for Christmas time, especially if you like a little murder with your mistletoe.

I liked this but I didn’t love it. I found it amusing at times but nothing really kept me captivated, it’s fine for a Christmassy mystery though

Anna Johnson is waking up to a life that she's not totally in love with. So, normal. She's hungover, her husband is oblivious, and her kids are temperamental. In fact, her husband lets her start the day with something... odiferous. She's lamenting her life with a house to clean up after a party and her husband's judgmental family showing up in 26 hours. And it's all gotten worse. Not only was her cat locked into the larder, but so was a dead Santa Claus. And the dead Santa Claus was her boss who no one really liked.
I liked aspects of this story, it was quick, it take place over a day. Also, I enjoyed the fact that Anna and Oli seem to have a realistic marriage where they sometimes love each other and sometimes... eh. I didn't always get the comedy but I tried not to hold that against this book (that seems more like a me thing). I also didn't like how much Anna was actively interfering with the investigation. Note that this is not a "fairly clued" mystery as there is really only one hint as to who the killer is.

Three stars
This book came out September 26, 2024
ARC kindly provided by Avon Books UK and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Highly Amusing and Quirky*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

I decided to read Happy Bloody Christmas because of the plaudits and the précis and that it might prove to be a bit of "fun" with its Christmas allusions. All of those people must have been writing about a different book.

I struggled through 14% of the book and, with respect for my brain, stopped reading and am so pleased that I did.

It is very, very rare for me not to complete a book.

Regrettably I have not one good word to say about this one.

‘Happy Bloody Christmas’ by Jo Middleton is a festive mystery that seamlessly blends the relatable chaos and pressure of preparing to host your in-laws for Christmas Dinner with the horror of discovering Santa dead and bloody in your larder! The lead character Anna is frazzled wife and mother-of-two who thought her biggest Yuletide challenges would be avoiding marzipan fruits or anything else her mother-in-law might scrunch her nose up at, controlling her two kids and creating an acceptable tablescape. Her husband, true crime podcast fan Oli, and best friend, Jennie - who seems to be enjoying the bizarre situation a little too much - band together with her to discover the culprit.

I loved the red herrings and suspicions which really tested family ties! I also liked the pace of the book and the way it mixed mundane traditional family Christmas activities with a shocking murder. I did find some elements a little predictable, but it didn’t really spoil my enjoyment.

Overall, I’d give this four stars! If you liked Janice Hallet’s ‘The Christmas Appeal’ or if you fancy yourself an amateur investigator, pick this one up!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Avon Books UK via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I absolutely loved this book and loved the title

This book made me laugh and I loved all the characters especially the busy body neighbour

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

A quick, amusing read with a Christmas theme. Totally unbelievable in terms of the police investigation, however it was necessary for the story that the police wouldn’t investigate closely. From the minute I read the huge give away I’d worked out the murderer, but stuck with it as it was quite funny in places. Thanks to Netgalley and Harpercollins for the chance to read in exchange for a review

3⭐️
Happy Bloody Christmas is a cosy Christmassy murder mystery. It follows the Christmas Eve of Anna and her family after hosting a party the night before and waking up to a dead body in their larder. I’m not convinced this book is for me, unfortunately. I found that I wanted to like it more than I did in the end.

I think the main thing which affected my enjoyment with this book was the humour. Whilst a few times I did audibly laugh, I found that most of the humour simply didn’t land for me. Whilst I did like Anna as a character and connected to her pretty well, I felt most other characters outside of her main family unit were pretty distant. It was nice to read Anna’s interactions with Oli and the children though. I felt I couldn’t try and make guesses as to who I thought did it as I didn’t know the characters well enough.

I think a different audience would appreciate this book better, as can be seen by most other reviews. Thus fans of cozy murder mysteries and/or mothers would probably quite enjoy this read.

Amateur Detective work at its most bonkers and absurd.

It’s Christmas Eve. Anna and Oli are hosting Christmas dinner for his parents tomorrow. Last night they hosted their annual Christmas Eve Eve party for a small selection of friends, family and acquaintances that provided the opportunity or everyone to enter the season in good cheer. Well, almost everyone! With a raging hangover and a dead body in her larder, Anna has to pull herself together pretty quickly if she is going to woo the disapproving Mother-in-Law. However, when a bungling police officer demonstrates his incompetence, best friend Jennie decides they need to establish who from this small intimate circle of guests has the killer’s instinct. With a fuzzy head, no sleuthing skills, but armed with a sense of adventure, can Anna, Jennie, and Oli narrow down the suspects to crack the case?

Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton will certainly make the Christmas season interesting. So many of the characters are highly relatable. I almost daren’t say it, but in the opening scenes, I could have been a third person in the conversations between Anna and Jennie as they downplayed certain events, gave priority to things of little consequence, and reasoned about why they themselves shouldn’t be on a murder board. Does that make me a bad human? The conversations between the besties and those between Anna and her family that includes her husband Oli, 15-year-old son, Ben, and prepubescent daughter, Lily, are realistic with a natural flow, accurately depicting their years. The inner thoughts about the mother-in-law are not uncommon to any woman who just doesn’t make the cut for someone’s perfect, darling, son. And who can forget the nosey, elderly neighbour who gives themselves an air of importance by joining every committee going?

Key characters aside, the writing style is easy. There are no big words to trip you up, no convoluted twists and turns that have you in a knot that has you going, ‘Huh, what the….?’ at the end of the book. Rather it is a book with simple people, written for simple people that wouldn’t mind being a ‘have a go’ hero for the day. The book has a gentle pace that starts and finishes on Christmas Eve mid-morning and finishes on Christmas Eve evening making it feel like you are exploring and watching the mystery unfold in real time. Although there are red herrings and plot twists, the level of sleuthing does not rival the likes of Agatha Christie. With a relatively small cast, provided you are paying a little attention, the clues that are also as common as the marzipan fruits in this story are solvable.

I really enjoyed watching more and more people get sucked into the investigation, and the visual images Middleton was able to help conjure in my head. I found there to be such hilarity in scenes of photographing ‘evidence,’ shoplifting, raiding gardens, wheedling one’s way into someone’s home, talking moon cups, and more, all for the sake of the greater good. The fact that it happens during the season of goodwill, when there are so many other stresses going on just adds to the laughable mayhem.

This book is a gossip’s dream. If ever you need justification for the amount of drama you share, Happy Bloody Christmas is it. I wanted to write a balanced review, so having raved about the good points, it’s only fair that I consider the negatives. Thinking, thinking, thinking… the fact is, there are none. The book is perfectly pitched at readers that do not have to be too logical, or too attentive, or too niche. Readers don’t have to be too involved; they can choose to get involved or simply enjoy the frolics for what they are. The structure is easy to follow, the spelling and grammar has been checked and double-checked and the story reaches a satisfying conclusion with everything neatly sewn up, so you are not left filling in the blanks. The language is tame making it suitable for older teens and above. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a cozy mystery, you won’t be disappointed. Now if Middleton could just hurry along and release another book that would be the icing on the cake.

Anna does not plan to find her boss's body in her pantry the day after her Christmas party. The police ruin evidence and are disinterested in finding his killer so it is up to Anna, despite her in-laws arriving the following day...... Absolutely brilliant reading with many laugh out loud moments, highly recommended for wet day reading , you won't be able to put it down until you discover the killer.

I started reading Happy Bloody Christmas having read a number of very enthusiastic reviews and was dismayed that my initial reaction didn't match up with them. At the beginning it read like a very cringy sit com and I nearly gave up but I am so glad I persevered.
Jo Middleton is obviously a very talented writer with great insight into people and what makes them tick, and also what the reader will find highly amusing. This is a warm, very cleverly done Christmas novel with an amusing, likeable and relateable family trying to solve a murder before the overbearing mother in law arrives on Christmas morning.

Well this was simply bloody brilliant! I literally giggled the whole way through! So much of it reminded me of conversations I have with my mum about our husbands (the constant having to think of what’s for tea etc) that it felt very close to home! Obviously finding a dead Santa hasn’t happened to either of us (I’ll say yet because you can never say never!) but what a fun read. Anna and Jennie made me think of me and my bestie, Mel, and what either of us would say if the other rang us up with the news (pretty much what Jennie said)! Honestly, this was so much fun and silly at the same time, perfect Christmas book without it being a typical sickly sweet Christmas read!