Wow, what a ride! Jamie Day’s "One Big Happy Family" is a thrilling, stormy saga of family drama and secrets. Set in a coastal Maine hotel during a hurricane, this locked-room mystery brings out all the juicy family feuds and hidden agendas you could ask for. Charley, the chambermaid, is caught in the middle of the Bishop sisters’ intense showdown, and let me tell you, it’s a wild ride!

The blend of suspense and drama kept me hooked, even if some twists were a bit predictable. The atmospheric setting and the intense family dynamics make this a gripping read for fans of domestic thrillers. Definitely worth picking up if you love a good mystery with a stormy backdrop.

One of my favorite types of thriller reads is the locked door mystery and I also love a good domestic drama. What drew me to Jamie Day’s new thriller One Big Happy Family is that it is both. It reads like a mashup of a Ruth Ware or Agatha Christie murder mystery and a Liane Moriarty domestic drama.

The story is set at The Precipice, a hotel located on the coast of Maine and owned by the Bishop family. Dad has recently passed away so the Bishop sisters decide to come to the hotel to hear the reading of the will.

Chambermaid Charley Kelly is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Bishop sisters. She desperately needs this job (and the extra money she has been stealing from the hotel’s guests). What will she do if they decide to close the hotel? And even worse, what will they do if they find out Charley has been hiding a woman who is on the run in their hotel?

The reading of the will sets off a dramatic chain of events within the Bishop family where long held secrets and grudges come to light and people end up dead. The scene is made even more chaotic and dangerous by the fact that a dangerous hurricane is bearing down on them, thus forcing them to stay at the hotel together even though they are at each other’s throats.

I found the mystery aspect of the story compelling but I did guess a few of the twists along the way. What really kept me entertained though was all of the drama within the Bishop family Talk about toxic people!

The staff of the Precipice are anticipating the three Bishop sisters. After the death of their father, the Bishop sisters arrive to hear the reading of the will but this is not a tight-knit, close family. Each sister wants what is rightfully hers. The three sisters have plenty of secrets and unchecked jealousy so for them to be shoved into a room during a dangerous storm that literally holds them hostage, the outcome can’t be good. Charley is the housekeeper. A housekeeper who was very familiar with the previous owner and his unwelcomed advances. She’s not thrilled to be expecting the sisters. She’s heard plenty about them and guess what? They don’t really care to know or be around Charley either. Charley has some issues. When the guests are plentiful at the hotel, she skims from them as much as she can to take care of her grandma, who is tucked away in assisted living. Yes, she steals for a good cause but when her loose morals commingle with that of the sisters a tug of war ensues. Plus, with all the guests gone, due to the storm, how will she earn the living she needs to earn to support her grandma?

The author writes a novel that is a mystery and thriller. There are twists and turns throughout the story. I liked the wit and suspense in this novel!

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is a gripping thriller set at The Precipice, a family-owned hotel on Maine's rocky coast. After their father's death, sisters Iris, Vicki, and Faith return to claim their inheritance, each harboring dangerous secrets. As a hurricane looms, tensions escalate, and murder hangs in the air.

The novel is a masterful blend of suspense and family drama. The Bishop sisters' complex dynamics drive the plot, while Charley Kelley, the resilient chambermaid, adds depth and intrigue. Vivid descriptions of the storm-battered hotel enhance the atmospheric tension.

Jamie Day's sharp writing and well-timed twists keep readers hooked. With its memorable characters and twisty plot, One Big Happy Family is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers and suspenseful family sagas.

Jamie Day's ironically-titled "One Big Happy Family," centers around a dysfunctional family reuniting for the reading of their patriarch’s will. George Bishop - a despised father, husband, and employer - leaves behind a substantial estate, attracting his estranged daughters and their families.

Charley Kelley, the protagonist, works as a maid at George's hotel, The Precipice, a mansion in Maine filled with George's eclectic estate sale collections. As Hurricane Larry approaches, the storm outside mirrors the brewing tensions within the mansion. Charley and her friend Bree, who is fleeing an abusive relationship, witness the volatile dynamics among the Bishop sisters: Vicki, Faith, and Iris. The only other outsider is the unscrupulous attorney Brenda Black, who vanishes mysteriously after revealing shocking details of George’s will. Suspicion and accusations fly, particularly against Vicki’s husband Todd, over a supposedly valuable painting.

The narrative echoes Agatha Christie’s "And Then There Were None," with suspense building as cryptic poems and dark secrets emerge. Trust is scarce, and Charley’s distrust intensifies amid escalating violence and power outages. The story culminates in a tense resolution with justice served, secrets unveiled, and survivors left to rebuild.

Is "One Big Happy Family" a genre-changing novel that will top all other mystery books? Probably not. But it is an entertaining tale for fans of "whodunit" mysteries, and those who enjoy reading about fractured relationships and hidden truths. It was an entertaining, easy read, although somewhat lacking in substance.

Lots to unpack in this story. A family drama that is about a truly dysfunctional trio of sisters (the Bishops) all vying for their share of their inheritance when their father has passed away, secrets on top of secrets, a murderer on the loose, a woman on the run, a scant few employees to prepare the hotel with an impending hurricane on the horizon and all of them trying to keep it together, save the hotel and stay alive. I liked the character of Charley, who only wanted to take care of her beloved grandmother even if she were not always in the right. It was an okay read, but to me a bit wordy and felt disjointed to me and I am probably in my head comparing it to the Block Party, which I enjoyed from start to finish, so maybe that’s on me. An okay read, but not my favorite this summer. I’d have rated 2.5 stars if half stars were available so uprated to 3.

This mystery book had my head spinning and it was so damn good. I highly recommend for thriller lovers.

Okay this one took me a minute to get into but once things got rolling, they ROLLED!! The way the characters all played key parts in the overall deception and kept me guessing was well played. I never knew who to trust or even why or why not. I do wish more was explained about the ties between Charley and Bree. Some hints I assumed were sprinkled in seemed to fizzle out with no connections or revelations (no spoiler but hint hint to some comments about Charley looking like Christine) but still the story was a nice wild ride with twists and turns all over! I'd recommend for readers who enjoy locked door stormy mysteries busting at the seams with deep dark family secrets and deceptions.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review!

This one fell flat for me. The beginning is really slow on the setup and the ending is eye rolling. Love the cover, but the mystery didn't do it for me. I am starting to think this is a genre that I might not be into. In this case, I may be able to say "it's me Jamie Day, not you".

This book was a bit of a disappointment for me. I thought it was going to be so good. I didn't connect with any of the sisters and have just read a couple of caught in a hurricane or storm recently. I thought the back stories were ok and the book is well written. It's just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I always enjoy locked room mysteries and really devoured the crazy family antics in One Big Happy Family. What a nutty family the Bishops are- almost every one of them! I really liked Charley although most of the other characters were quite dislikable. Jamie Day is a new author for me and I definitely plan on checking out her back list- I really like her writing style.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

First of all, I love this cover, it's what first drew my attention to this book. Second, mystery thriller? Yes, please. And lastly, a dysfunctional family, seriously? Count me in!

Carley is just trying to live her life and care for her elderly grandmother. She's got a job, not the greatest, but it's a job, and a place to live. When the Bishop sisters show up to claim their inheritance, that all could change, especially with the threat of a hurricane and a murder or two.

This is definitely a page-turner with a lot of interesting characters, some you're just going to love to hate. When bodies start to fall, everyone turns on the person next to them and no one knows who to trust. The person that seems to be in control changes from hour to hour and you never know what's going to happen next. I loved it!

Jamie Day is a new-to-me author, with this being her second novel. I'm thinking she's going to become one of my must-read authors. Highly recommend!

This book was phenomenal. Jamie Day has a fantastic writing style that really allows you to immerse yourself in the story and delivers it at just the right pace to keep you unable to put it down. Charley is such a strong character and while the entire cast is great, she shines through from beginning to end, between her love for her friend Rodrigo to how she takes care of her nana. Figuring out who was behind not only the deaths, but WHY they were happening was definitely a challenge and came as a shock once all was revealed. I also enjoyed the ending (no spoilers) and how things worked out. This is definitely a 5 star read!

Lots Of Moving Pieces, Yet Feels Slow Somehow. I think a growing peeve of mine- maybe not yet a pet peeve, but certainly a major annoyance - is using a "hurricane" bearing down on a location and yet using it poorly... which is what happens here. Why a hurricane when a normal storm system would have worked just as well for plot purposes??? Hell, here in *Florida* (much less Maine, where this is set and where they get far fewer hurricanes), our daily thunderstorms (particularly in the summer) are generally worse than many of the hurricanes I've lived through here in North Florida (including Irma, just a few weeks after I moved here).

Beyond my irritation with the misuse of the hurricane though, which is admittedly a personal thing, the story works reasonably well, if seeming a bit slow and perhaps a touch unrealistic/ idiotic with some of the moves some of the characters make. But hey, we're all idiots at some point, right? It just seems like our supposed "heroes" in this particular tale are particularly stupid at times... which grates some people more than others. (Indeed, reading over the other reviews, it seems like many have a hangup on this similar to my hurricane one above.) And yet the stupidity ultimately works to make this novel work, and perhaps that is the reason it is here - this near 400 page book may have been reduced by at least a third and perhaps as much as a half had one or two characters made even a single better decision, perhaps a couple of better decisions. And maybe Day had a word or page count to meet.

Still, there's nothing objectively wrong about this book, and it *is* an enjoyable read that is *certainly* better than other books and is a solid way to lose a day or a few afternoons in a fictional world... which is becoming so much more important as election season ramps up in the US again. So forget the politics for a bit and pick up this book. You may be disappointed a bit in it, but it will still be better than spending that time watching the news. :)

Recommended.

Wow! I didn’t think Jamie Day could outdo her last novel but she did! I devoured this book in one day and loved every minute of it. I thought I guessed all the twists but boy was I wrong, I loved that this book kept me on my toes, I never knew who I could trust or whose side I wanted to be on.
Those sisters, they may have their issues, but I really liked how close they were. Charlie was a very likable character from start to finish, it’s hard to believe that she was so young. Quinn, he is interesting. Loved the stowaway. I enjoyed Ollie’s rhyming. I guess I just loved this book so much I couldn’t or change anything.

Thank you so much NetGalley for an ARC! I really appreciate you letting me read this amazing book! It’s one I am definitely adding to my forever shelf!

I read Jamie Day's The Block Party last year and loved it. So I had high expectations for her new book One Big Happy Family.

I immediately liked Charley - I love an underdog. The setting was a promising one. It is almost a locked door mystery as a hurricane is moving in and the storm eventually leaves the characters stranded at the hotel.

Some of the plot points were predictable. As soon as we were introduced to the Bishop family, it was obvious what one of the secrets was.

It didn't keep me from really enjoying the first half of the book as there were plenty of other questions to be answered. I was curious how Bree fit into the story. I'm always suspicious of people who are overly friendly and instantly act like your BFF and it carries over to fictional characters.

However, somewhere near the middle of the story, I started losing interest. Some of it I think is we get more details about the secrets so it was easy to put the pieces together and though the reader has figured it out, it is chapters and chapters later (almost the end) before the characters do and then it basically had to be spelled out for them.

There were also some other issues. I found it strange for one character to think "the fetus is not even out of utero" while seeing the baby on an ultrasound. I understand that it was the 1980s so the technology was still kind of new, but the words used just didn't sound like the character. Then there was the whole thing about the flashlights and the lights going out - I kept thinking they have their phones don't they all have flashlights on them. A final example of some of the wording that irked me came towards the end of the novel when it felt more like I was reading a melodramatic romance novel: "[He] ... eager to return to his beloved [sic]" (I removed the names so not to spoil the story. In this section, there were also references to "one true love".

This book started out pretty strong so I'm disappointed that the middle and end often felt like it was spiraling into the ridiculous. With that being said, I never considered not finishing it and it wasn't a chore to finish it. It is mainly because I liked Charley and I wanted to find out how it all worked out for her.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Friday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/08/one-big-happy-family-by-jamie-day-review.html

Thank you @netgalley for this free copy of One Big Happy Family. This whodunit thriller is the perfect stormy weather read! So much family drama with so many secrets. After their father passes away, the Bishop sisters and their families reunite for an interesting and intense will reading at their family hotel while a hurricane is looming. People start dying, more and more secrets come out, and the ending definitely surprised me!

🎉 Happy Pub Day! It’s Tuesday and there are a lot of great books published today, many are summer thrillers! 🔪 This is one that I was able to read early thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio - the opinions I’m sharing are my own!

I really enjoyed Jamie Day’s release last year of The Block Party and have been looking forward to sharing this year’s summertime suspense with you!

🎧📱 One Big Happy Family
I started on my kindle and swapped to the audiobook
✍🏻 Jamie Day
🗣️ Saskia Maarleveld
🗓️ Released Today - July 16,2024
📚 Published by @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress
➡️ synopsis in graphic

🌀 What a crazy ride this book is! I really like the locked room/stranded setting with the hurricane brewing! It added an element of intensity to the story!

🏨 The sisters are not well behaved and have secrets oozing out of them, not to mention, greed, lies, and a lot of family drama. They all bring something to the story and give you pause to enjoy your own family or compare notes 😆

🌀 I liked all the twists and turns, it took us awhile to get to the end but the journey was full of interesting surprises which I enjoyed in this thriller!

🔪 If you like any of the elements I mentioned in the graphic grab this book and jump in! The setting in Maine and the storm added more for me.

🗣️ The audiobook narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a great job differentiating the characters and that helped to keep it all straight.

🏨 The ending is satisfying, so pull up a chair and visit The Precipice Hotel, full of a dramatic family members and secrets to tell!

With their father's passing, the Bishop sisters are reluctantly drawn back to The Precipice Hotel for the reading of his will. It has been years since they last visited, and each sister harbors dangerous secrets they are desperate to keep hidden. Charley, the maid, dreads their return, having received ominous warnings about them. Compounding the tension, a looming hurricane has driven away all other guests, leaving only the three sisters, their families, Charley, and an unexpected stowaway Charley has taken in. When a murder occurs before the hurricane hits, the question looms: will more chaos ensue as they find themselves trapped at the hotel?

The story was a slow read for me, and I struggled to stay engaged. The main character, while portraying maturity externally, often came across as immature in her internal dialogue. It was particularly jarring when she focused on trivial concerns like romantic interests while facing significant danger to her own life and others.