I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I found this to be quite slow and found that it didn’t really hold my attention very well, I found myself speeding through it but more to finish it rather than to see what happened

Found this to be very slow and not really entertaining. The characters also grated - they style themselves as 'love is not our language; veiled barbs and insults are', and this was not a really nice thing to read, consequently. Really thought the plot would have 'more' but it failed to deliver for much of the book

Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

I spotted Happy Families when it was a Richard and Judy book club choice and have always wanted to read it.

This is the story of a Chinese family living in Wales…pretty much the only Chinese family in the whole area. They run a Chinese restaurant which and cooking and eating there is pretty much the main focus for this family. Amy has returned to help out her family, living above the restaurants and working shifts. Her Grandfather is taken to hospital and reluctantly agrees to a care home and as the family work out how to move forward family divisions, secrets and past histories emerge.

This is a lovely account of family life and the dynamics of extended family. The relationships between the different characters are well observed, particularly between Amy and her parents and Grandfather. Is is also very illuminating about being ethnically isolated in a community which views them at best as a bit of a curiosity.

I enjoyed this story, and laughed a lot, however I would say it didn’t hold my attention throughout and the writing for me didn’t feel consistent.

Very Many thanks to Netgalley and Welbeck Publishing for a digital copy of this book.

This was a fantastic book. .

Although sad in parts it was still full of laughable moments which set a nice balance. It showed the complexity of family and family dynamics and the perseverance we sometimes have. Some plot twists but not taking away from the story which I liked.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

Happy Families by Julie Ma is about the immigrant experience and different generations. To be completely honest I found it was not written very well.

Im afraid I didnt finish this one, I loved the idea of it but perhaps just a case of the wrong book at the wrong time. A multi-generational novel usually hits the spot for me and I often love the Richard and Judy choices, so I will give this another go in the future as its clearly well written and plotted.

I thought this book was really sweet - I loved the family dynamics and the made up town of Cawsmenyn (literal meaning is Cheese Butter) felt just like the small town I grew up in (also in Wales!) It wasn't anything earth shattering, and I was quite surprised when I read that it had won the Richard and Judy search for a bestseller, but on the whole I liked it a lot. I would definitely read Julie Ma's next novel.

A wonderful feel good read for a global pandemic lockdown. Totally engaging and highly enjoyable. Will certainly be looking out for this author's next offering.

Amy moves her life from the big city, leaving her career as a doctor behind her, and heads back home to her small, sleepy hometown to live with her grandfather, and work in the family’s Chinese takeaway. The town of Cawsmenyn provides us the backdrop as we learn more about Amy and her family and all of their secrets. Like what caused Amy to leave her job in the first place? Why won’t her grandfather and her father talk to each other anymore? And who is Elaine, and why is she back nestling her way into the family’s life again? A truly lovely, poignant, and realistic exploration into a multi-generational family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and despite its sad and vulnerable moments, for the most part it genuinely had me laughing throughout. I felt as though, even with all the secrets and turns in the story, it felt genuine and realistic. It was a lovely story, highlighting the complexity of family problems. I did, at times, get a little confused by the number of characters involved in the story, but that is more likely a testament to my poor attention span and not to the skill of the writer. I thought the book was well-written, Julie Ma is clearly a very skilled writer, and her humour and understanding of character shone throughout the novel. I will definitely keep an eye out for her future works.

Happy Families is a gentle family drama about three generations of a slightly dysfunctional Chinese family living in the small town of Cawsmenyn in Wales and the family run takeaway they own. The story opens with thirty-four-year-old Amy Li having returned from Cardiff to work in the takeaway and live in the flat upstairs with her grandfather, Ah Goong. Exactly why Amy has returned is not discussed but it’s clear that it’s a sensitive subject and one of several that are off limits within the family, although the declining health of Amy’s beloved grandfather is about to change all that. Until Amy’s recent return, her parents, Joan and TC, lived together with Joan’s father, Ah Goong, making the frosty silence between the two men that has lasted thirty years insane and left Joan acting as a go-between. When Ah Goong collapses in town it is a wake up call for the entire family and his health scare leaves Amy determined to uncover the source of the animosity and finally get both men to bury the hatchet. Amy’s older brother, Ray, is none the wiser on the source of tension and their mother is tight-lipped, but the return of her mother’s best-friend, Elaine, and a new supply teacher’s town history project starts to uncover a few home truths.

The story itself didn’t grip me and the narrative is very meandering, seeming to flounder at points and I really think Julie Ma needed to make her aims for the novel clearer. As it is the story probably tries to do too much with its complete overview of the family history and it doesn’t succeed in achieving anything other than being a forgettable family drama that lacks impetus. Whilst the writing was very readable I did feel the humour throughout was tired and I was frustrated that the novel left me with so many unanswered questions. Whilst I did enjoy the flashbacks to the 1950s onwards which charted Ah Goong’s arrival in the UK and Joan’s childhood they were all too brief. I would have been interested to understand more about the experiences the first generation to arrive faced given they are now an accepted part of the community and the takeaway regarded as something of a local institution. The fact that the reader never discovers more that vague details about Amy’s return disappointed me and I suspect this was part of the reason why I felt so detached from Ma’s characters. The reader never gets more that a superficial knowledge of each of them and I finished the novel feeling no closer to understanding the family dynamic or protagonist Amy.

Personally I also found the direction of the storyline became a little unpalatable as Ah Goong’s secret was revealed and I was completely bemused by Julie Ma’s need to introduce Walter, a dementia suffering care home resident, into the later stages of a novel that is essentially a family drama. A disappointing read given the backing of Richard and Judy.

Happy Families by Julie Ma is a novel heavily focused on family ties and how families can be dysfunctional from time to time. The books protagonist is Amy; a 34 year old who left her dream job in the city of Cardiff, to move back to the boring little village in the heart of wales where she grew up. She begins to work in the takeaway, which her family own. The question is, why did she come back?

Whilst this book was the winner of the Richard & Judy search for bestseller competition in 2020, I don’t think I would have selected this novel as the winner. For me, I found the novel to be rather confusing. There were so many family ties I felt like I couldn’t keep up, particularly with the flashbacks when Amy’s grandfather first moved to Wales with his wife. After finishing the novel, I still had so many questions to ask! This was mainly due to some of the character’s stories not being fully completed for the reader. I also thought some of the characters were a bit random, for example, Walter, who Amy’s grandfather met in the care home he was in. I appreciated that his character may have been used as an attempt to bring some form of humour to the novel, but I just thought it was a bit strange.

Towards the end of the novel, I was confused with the family ties and started to zone out from the plot. The end was a twist, yet it was a weird one.

On the other hand, I thought Julie Ma’s writing was calming to read and enjoyed the light-heartedness of the novel itself. I also really enjoyed the flashbacks to the mid 1950's and the story of Amy’s mother coming back to live in the UK. I enjoyed the Asian background and the insight of the racism that the characters experienced, it was very eye opening.

I think this book would suit someone looking for a nice easy read, but I felt like I was looking for a novel to pack more of a punch.

Amy is thirty-four and has just given up her glittering career in the big (Welsh) city to move back in with her grandfather, returning to work in the small-town Chinese takeaway where she spent her bookish and boring childhood. Why? That's a secret she won't tell. Just like the secret of why her grandfather, Ah Goong, and her father, TC Li, haven't spoken to each other in thirty years.

The author has done an amazing job at producing a funny, heart-warming, bittersweet novel that contains such an important message - family. It discusses in length that even though the family is at the heart of it, the past can very easily shape and define us.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

An entertaining, fun read about three generations of a Chinese family who run a takeaway in a small town in Wales. Amy lives in the flat above the takeaway with her grandfather and in the course of the book we learn about the family dynamics and the circumstances that brought them to where they are today. We are presented with a number of questions early on in the book - Amy has returned home from a high-flying career in Cardiff but why; her grandfather and father have a long-standing feud and don't talk but for what reason? The answers to these, and more, are revealed as the book progresses.

It may be a cliche, but this book is best described as heartwarming - I enjoyed the family dynamics, the small town vibe and the liberal sprinkling of humour throughout. Ma has created some well-drawn loveable characters and whilst it is quite a gentle book, moving at a relatively slow pace, the warmth of Ma's writing style kept me engaged and it is a debut that I very much enjoyed.

What a lovely book about Chinese family who move Wales open a Chinese takeaway. Light hearted and made me chuckle at times

Loved this wonderful story,I can understand why it won the Richard and Judy award, A warm story of three generations of a Chinese family in a Welch town ,,A story full of fun emotions and even secrets.Julia Ma has a wonderful style of writing that drew me right in a pleasure to read an author I will be following and recommending.#netgalley#happyfamilies

Amy is thirty-four and has just given up her glittering career in the big (Welsh) city to move back in with her grandfather, returning to work in the small-town Chinese takeaway where she spent her bookish and boring childhood. Why? That's a secret she won't tell.

Richard Madeley described this book as a “rare find” and I have to agree
This debut book is humorous and has you laughing out loud, but it also tackles serious subjects, such as racism, at the same time

The book was very easy to read and the characters had an impact on me - very memorable

This book is a real comfort read and it’s out now ♥️

Loved this book a charming tale of family in a different culture ... Amy works on the family take away living upstairs, we are introduced the the whole clan Mum Dad Grandfather ... brother Ray and his wife Mandy. What follows takes you through the ups and downs of the family uncovering secrets along the way ... a tur delight to read