One Big Happy Family is part historical novel, part mystery, and a lot of family drama! The Precipice Hotel is under new management as its proprietor has died and his daughters are coming to Maine for the reading of the will. Housekeeper Charley is unsure what will happen - will the three women keep the hotel and allow her to remain at work, or will they be selling it and therefore making Charley find a new job?

Overall, I enjoyed this book but found one of the storylines to be pretty predictable. Some of the characters I was rooting for, others I was fine seeing them disappear. There were definitely some twists, but overall I found the plot to be just okay; which could also be because I read multiple books set in Maine recently.

I enjoyed this book. The setting and having to figure out what happens next made this an enjoyable read. I look forward to what Jamie writes next! Well done!

One Big Happy Family is not a thriller, it’s a soap opera. And like a soap opera it just keeps going on and on and on, sometimes without even a hint of plausibility, limping far too slowly toward a ridiculously impossible conclusion and a romance novel epilogue.
It seemed the author couldn’t make up her mind what she was writing about, so she threw in everything from soup to nuts. There was a heavy emphasis on nuts, as in crazies. At its core, it was a sad tale of dysfunctional families and the outcome of being children of parents who are any of the following: narcissists, philanderers, substance abusers.
For me, Ms. Day’s strength as a writer is in character development. Whether likable or villainous, they are well developed. I found myself more into the characters than the storyline. That saved it from being a DNF. There were certainly enough elements that could have made the story a real page turner and reasonably realistic at the same time.
Thank you to the author, the publisher St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

A fast and enjoyable domestic suspense novel!

I enjoyed Jamie Day's previous novel, The Block Party so I was really looking forward to checking this out too.

After reading many emotional stories recently, I found this was the perfect read at the perfect time.
I read it in just a few sittings this last weekend.

Nineteen-year-old, Charley Keller is a maid at The Precipice, a family owned hotel located in Maine. Charley's previous boss and the owner of The Precipice recently passed away. His daughters will be coming to the hotel for the reading of the will.

There is also a hurricane coming! So as well as making sure the Bishop sisters are happy, Charley needs to prepare for the upcoming tropical storm. On top of everything else, a woman Charley barely knows desperately needs her help. Charley has some family issues and is desperate to keep her job at the hotel. It turns out, Charley isn't the only one with issues or secrets.

Not everyone will survive Hurricane Larry and all the dangerous secrets that will be revealed.

Another enjoyable read from Jamie Day. There were some great twists and turns and though I correctly guessed a couple things, I was still entertained by the story. The story had many intriguing and well developed characters. Some like Charley, were easy to like while others not so much.

A perfect summer read. Great for the beach!

Loved the Maine and hotel setting, there were some interesting twists, however the overall mystery seemed rather far fetched. The secrets the sisters kept were the basis of this story and there seemed to be far too many by the end of this. Charley was my favorite character but the romance seemed forced in the story, not sure it was needed.

I wrote about this on Goodreads and Storygraph and mentioned it on various social media sites: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6801686979

I really wanted to like this, but I'm not a fan of locked room mysteries or stories filled family drama, if I had realized that, I wouldn't have downloaded this book. Overall, it had parts that were decent and other parts that were boring.

Thank you to St Martin's Press for providing this eARC. All opinions are my own.

A family inn, a hurricane, sibling rivalry, a will and plenty of twists and turns sounds great. While this was an interesting mystery, I did find my interest waning at times. Perhaps the story was a bit too long for me. Thanks #NetGalley

One Big Happy Family was a well-written and engaging locked room mystery-thriller. The story, told in past and present timelines, was suspenseful and engrossing. The numerous characters and events were a bit overwhelming to keep track of, but I loved the twists in the story. Although some parts were predictable, I thought the ending was satisfying. Overall, I enjoyed this story. I would recommend this book to mystery-thriller lovers.

3.5⭐️

One Big Happy Family was my second book by Jamie Day. I really enjoyed it. The setting was right up my alley: An old family hotel in Maine with a hurricane on its way. Charley, the live in maid, has chosen that life at such a young age so that she can take care of her grandmother's assisted living bills. Charley's security is suddenly rocked by two events: 1. The owner of the hotel has died and his family is coming in to decide what to do with it now, and 2. a strange woman has come to Charley begging for sanctuary in the hotel from an abusive boyfriend. Between the family drama and secrets, and the strange stowaway, Charley is juggling a lot, and right as a hurricane is supposed to hit. I was engaged from the beginning. So many unlikeable characters, but so fun to read. I enjoyed the book start to finish.

A masterfully written mystery. A dysfunctional family, a maid, a lawyer and various other people arrive at the old family hotel for a will reading and end up trapped in the hotel during a hurricane, what could go wrong? Whenever I thought I had it figured out, the author went in a new direction and gave new information. A robust page turner with well written characters and situations. Such a fun read, I couldn’t put it down. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

One Big Happy Family revolves around the new heiresses of the Precipice Hotel: a legendary family hotel located on the rocky coast of Maine where the three Bishop Sisters gather at the family resort to hear the will of their late father, George Bishop. Enter the maid: Charley. She more than has her hands full living in a closet in the hotel turned into a rent-free room, trapped in her job to pay for her nana’s care house. It vacuums the entire funds she’s made and forces her into pickpocketing from wealthy guests. (sound familiar?)
After the hearing of the will, the family members start arguing thinking one of them might have manipulated George to change his will. Iris and Faith are not happy with the outcome. Brenda Black, the ex-shady prosecutor, new lawyer also acting suspicious, might be involved in a scheme that the sisters wouldn’t like either. Things take a turn for the worst whenever a murder occurs...
Between the chaos of everything going on at the hotel itself, the absolute toxicity of the family, lots of secrets, and a history of grudges...

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this eArc with me in exchange for my honest opinions! I definitely enjoyed it and can't wait to read another one of Jamie Day's books.

I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan and love locked-room and secluded murder mysteries. So I was really excited when I started this one and it seemed to have those kind of vibes. Unfortunately it ended up falling short of my expectations. I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight, which in part I think was due to them all being quite two-dimensional. I did enjoy the secluded setting but the mystery and overall plot was just overall forgettable. It was a pretty quick read though so pick this up if you're in the mood for a fast Summer thriller featuring complicated familial relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I was definitely entertained but I feel like there was almost toooooo much going on. I overall think I would read other books by this author.

This was so far fetched and bizarre. Every page there was a new twist and turn. So many that it felt very unrealistic. This one was not for me.

<i>One Big Happy Family</i> ended up being an unrealistic murder mystery / family drama. It was set in an old hotel during a hurricane. There were plot holes and things I'm still confused about. I honestly couldn't get behind this storyline. Day is a good writer though, so I never once considered putting the book down to stop. I did legitimately want to know what was going to happen.
There were some ridiculous lines that were funny enough that I laughed outloud. I appreciated them very much.

I really enjoyed reading One Big Happy Family. A sprawling old hotel on the coast of Maine in the middle of a hurricane is a great setting for a locked door murder mystery. There are plenty of secrets and motive when the three eccentric estranged daughters and their families come back to The Precipice for their father's funeral and the reading of the will. Chaos ensues immediately and everyone is a suspect.

I did guess some of the big secrets early on but it was still fun to watch how things were slowly revealed. So much happens and since and since no one can leave it added to the tension of the story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

This book was a joy to read. I enjoyed the way the story flowed and I had a few moments that kind of made me question a few things. The characters were very interesting and I had smile quite a few times. This author really knows how to tell a story that will captivate you from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book.

I was excited to read this book as I really enjoyed “The Block Party.”

I found “One Big Happy Family” to be a bit of a tougher book to get into. I really enjoyed the main character, Charley, and her storyline, but there were a lot of characters and a lot going on. While I understand thrillers aren’t always plausible, the amount of family chaos, betrayal, and interwoven drama was a bit much. The book was slow for me and while it definitely picked up in part three, it still slogged a bit to the end.

Overall, this book wasn’t a favorite for me but I will look forward to reading the next one by Jamie Day as I do enjoy her writing style!

🎧 One Big Happy Family-a standalone

✍️ By: Jamie Day-new to me author

🗣️ Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld voiced all characters. The narrator's voice fit the characters with standouts from Charley, Bree, and Rodrigo. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along with the E-book and audiobook.

📃 Page Count: 384

🏃🏾‍♀️Run Time: 11:12

🗓️ Publication Date: 7-16-24 | Read: 8-23-24

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC and ALC 💙! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Mystery/Suspense, Thriller

🌏Setting: Jonesport, Maine

Tropes:
❤️family drama
❤️small town
❤️hidden truths
❤️LGBTQIA+ rep


⚠️ TW: child abuse, DV, murder-death of parent, foster care

POV: 1st person- Charley

💭 Summary 💭:
The Precipice is a family-owned hotel by George Bishop who recently died. His three daughters Iris, Vicki, and Faith have come for their share. Hurricane Larry is coming and the Bishop sisters are holding onto some deadly secrets, but the nineteen-year-old maid Charley Kelley who knows more than meets the eye.


Side cast: Bree-a woman on the run Charley gives sanctuary to at the hotel, Rodrigo-works at the hotel and is Charley's friend, Hope-Faith's wife, Oliver-Faith and Hope's son, Todd-Vicki's husband and Quinn-Iris's son

My Thoughts: This was a great murder mystery with many layers. There's our narrator Charley, a maid and thief who knew what kind of man George Bishop was. She sacrificed for her grandmother Nana who lived in assisted living. She was nice to Bree-a stranger in need but dreaded the Bishop sisters' arrivals. Each of them had their own agenda and wanted their inheritance. They were greedy and willing to kill to get what they wanted. It reminded me of King Lear and his three daughters. I'm glad they made amends (kind of), especially for Charley and her Nana.

Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄
🌶️: Spice 1/5
🎧: Narration 4/5
😭: Emotion 4/5
❤️: Couple n/a
⭐️: Rating 4/5