Messy Families, Holiday Edition: 6 Books That Prove No Gathering is Perfect

Ah, the holidays — that magical time when families gather, emotions simmer, and the turkey isn’t the only thing getting roasted.

Between the group texts, the travel chaos, and the side-eye across the dinner table, the season can feel… well, a little dramatic. And that’s exactly why I love curling up with a book about families whose gatherings are even messier than my own.

So grab a blanket, pour something strong, and enjoy these six novels that prove dysfunction can be delicious — especially when it’s someone else’s.

1. All Adults Here by Emma Straub

A matriarch, three grown kids, and enough unspoken tension to fill a Macy’s parade balloon. When a sudden accident jolts Astrid Strick into reexamining her choices, her adult children descend on their small hometown — and the result is an honest, heartwarming (and often funny) look at what happens when families finally say the quiet parts out loud.

2. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

Four sisters, one sprawling Chicago family, and decades of complicated love. This is the kind of multi-generational saga you want to savor, even when the characters are driving you crazy. With its sharp humor and emotional depth, it perfectly captures that “we love each other, but wow, we’re exhausting” family energy — holiday edition or otherwise.

3. Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

Think Succession, but with holiday decor and trust funds. Three women — two sisters and one sister-in-law — navigate wealth, privilege, and family expectations in Brooklyn’s toniest zip code. Every dinner party comes with passive-aggressive comments and perfectly chilled Chardonnay. It’s glossy, gossipy, and surprisingly tender underneath all that polish.

4. We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange

When Sunday Brennan crashes her car and returns home after five years away, her tight-knit Irish Catholic family welcomes her back with love… and a lot of unresolved tension. This one has all the makings of a perfect family-drama binge: guilt, forgiveness, loyalty, and the ache of trying to rebuild what’s been broken. Bonus points if you read it while avoiding your own family group chat.

5. The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

A group of college friends gathers for mock “living funerals” — a quirky tradition that helps them process life, loss, and the complicated beauty of chosen family. It’s witty, poignant, and feels like a warm hug laced with bittersweet nostalgia. Not technically about a holiday dinner, but it’s absolutely about gathering, reconnecting, and realizing that love doesn’t always look the way we expect.

6. She Was Never Yours To Take by Jen Craven (that’s me!)

When sixteen-year-old Violet is forced by her controlling mother to give up her baby — to her older sister, Corinne — the family secret reshapes their lives for years. Over a decade later, Violet wants her daughter back, and the truth threatens to destroy everything they’ve built.

If your holiday table has ever included simmering resentment and forced smiles — this one’s for you.

Because Let’s Be Real…

No gathering is perfect. Someone will burn the rolls, bring up politics, or “accidentally” mention that one family secret everyone agreed to forget. But maybe that’s the point — love isn’t neat, it’s messy. It’s imperfect. It’s real.

And if you can laugh (or cry) about it through a good book? Even better.

So here’s to dysfunctional families — in fiction and beyond — for keeping things interesting this holiday season.