Charley, who has been on her own since a young age, is a maid at the Precipice, a hotel in Maine. When the owner dies, his heirs are expected to arrive to claim their inheritance. Before their arrival, a young woman arrives and begs to be hidden there from her abusive boyfriend. Charley agrees but stresses that she must stay hidden because she could lose her job with a non-paying guest. A hurricane is expected at the time the three sisters are due to arrive with their families. None of the sisters seem to have much in common with each other or their families. It seems that they all have secrets. Not everyone who checks in will check out alive.

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I really enjoyed Day’s debut novel The Block Party so I knew I had to add One Big Happy Family to my TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my gifted ARC

Short Synopsis:
The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—have come for the weekend to claim it. But with a hurricane looming and each of the Bishop sisters harboring dangerous secrets, there’s murder in the air— and not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out.

Thoughts:

I haven’t read a thriller in a few weeks so I was all for the change of pace and really enjoyed this one.

I love books about sisters because as the oldest of three girls I know how dramatic sister dynamics can be. The Bishop sisters did not disappoint!

There is a lot of backstory in this thriller but I didn’t mind it. I enjoyed getting to know each Bishop sister which made for more complex characters.

There is a lot going on with this thriller and I didn’t predict the ending until more than halfway through which is always a win.

Overall, I would recommend One Big Happy Family as a quick, enjoyable summer read.

I was excited to start this one as I really liked the authors last book. Unfortunately this one fell flat for me. No likeable characters and the twists weren’t wowing me. Looking forward to seeing what the authors come out with next.

Thanks to netgalley for my advanced ecopy

One Big Happy Family… or is it?

This story revolves around the infamous Precipice Hotel, its employees, and the daughters of the recently deceased hotel owner. I enjoyed that this story was broken up into four parts with relatively short chapters in them.

There are many characters in this book but I found it easy to keep up with them. We meet Rodrigo, the front desk manager, and Charley, a chambermaid, who both work for the hotel and are preparing for incoming Hurricane Larry. The owner of the hotel, George Bishop, has recently passed away, thus leading his three daughters, Vicki, Faith, and Iris (along with a few other family members) to come back “home” for the reading of the will.

There was so much drama in Part 2 and I devoured each chapter.

There was a ton of action and spilled secrets to keep up with in Parts 3 & 4, but I also felt like the last half of the book was dragging on and on to be honest. In the first few chapters Part 3, if you’re really paying attention, you can figure out the main twist.

Overall, this book was enjoyable and I am a sucker for a good book cover! I really like this author’s style of writing and loved his previous book The Block Party. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

One Big Happy Family is a twisty mystery about a very dysfunctional family. Charley is the young maid at a beautiful family owned hotel. When the owner of the hotel dies, his three daughters and their families come to the hotel for the reading of the will. Every character has a secret and everything is not as it seems. Definitely a fun, exciting read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: I read this advanced copy several months ago. I found it engaging and the characters were well developed. The twists felt a bit contrived, but the descriptions of the class struggles felt very realistic. A well written mystery.

Very soap opera like. This family is crazy and though a bit far fetched, somehow this whole crazy tale was believable.

This is a suspenseful, atmospheric read set on the coast of Maine. A family reunites after the death of their father. Differing personalities and the aftermath of past events cause tension and descension. I loved the setting and stormy atmosphere. Lots of twists cap this off making an enjoyable read.

Not an easy read - it felt choppy and never found its rhythm.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Just barely 18 Charlie works and lives in a hotel in remote Maine. She got this job when she was 16 when her grandmother was put in a home, and had to pay for it herself, her mother died she Charlie is all she has. When the own of the hotel dies and his 3 daughters come to get what they claim they are entitled to right before a hurricane hits. No where to go a young women shows up asking to hide out from her abuse I’ve ex boyfriend Charlie agrees to help her. When one of the women’s husband ends up dead and you find out the secret to all these women who is telling the truth who’s a murder and who is innocent.

This book was so horrible I’m sorry I read it but I wish I didn’t. There is child abuse, abuse, drugs, alcohol, narcissism and throw in immigration issues. It’s wow research should have gone in to this book a bit more because this was unrealistic.

Everyone always thinks your one big happy family but are you really? This is a must read filled with twists and turns and things you would never think of.

I loved this story and right up to the end I was on the edge of my seat! This was my kind of book with characters that you love to hate and none stop action. There was so much going on and I loved every second of it. If you like a twisty thriller, this one is for you.
Many thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
The Precipice is a family owned hotel on the coast of Maine. When the patriarch of the family dies and his three daughters come for the reading of the will they get more than they bargained. Dangerous secrets, and a murderer is amidst them. There were so many twists throughout the book and at times I had a hard time keeping track of the sisters, but it was a good tale of who dunnit. I think this book would be extremely popular with fans of Freida McFadden. Thank you NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this.

I was hoping this would be a lot more suspenseful than it ended up being. It seemed to drag on, be improbable and none of the characters were particularly likeable. I would give it 2.5 stars but rounded up to 3.

This book had so many of my favorite things going for it. Spooky, eccentric location? Check. Decades old mystery? Yep. Revenge? Murder most foul? You better believe it!

I will say that I suspected who the villain was about halfway through, but it was an adventure to get there! And even though I suspected the who, I had the why wrong, and there was just so many more layers and red herrings to it, I definitely did not feel like it was a standard, generic plot. I was up until 1:30am trying to read “just one more chapter”.

This book was GREAT.

I received an ARC, but my opinions are all mine.

It ended up being a pretty predictable ending but the story itself was entertaining.  There were a few red herrings tossed around which made for a fun thriller.

There were so many twists! Most of the book is set in the present. A few chapters flashback to the Bishop sisters as teens, but that's where we learn their biggest secrets.

The Precipice is a family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the father having recently passed, the Bishop sisters Iris, Vicki, and Faith are descending on the hotel for the reading of the will. The air is charged with threatening energy because a hurricane is headed straight their way, not to mention each sister is harboring dangerous secrets.

Each sister is expecting to inherit what is rightfully hers and smart, resilient, nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelly is stuck with the dysfunctional group.

Their arrival could spell trouble for Charley. Will they close the hotel? Fire Charley? Discover her little secret? Or worse, that she's hiding a woman on the run?

Thanks so much to the author and SMP for this ARC to review.

Family drama? Check!
Isolated location? Check!
Inability to leave because of bad weather? Check!

So many things I love it a thriller!

Jamie Day is back at it with another drama filled, easy to binge thrill ride! I listened to this one on audio and it was the perfect companion to my work commute. I was entertained from start to finish as I tried to guess the secrets each character is clearly hiding. There’s tension for days as secrets come to light and I was 100% there for the drama!

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced read for the beach or poolside this summer, this is definitely one I would recommend!

A fierce hurricane looming over an historic hotel, while the scandalous Bishop sisters meet to hear the reading of their father's will, what can go wrong? With Charley, the maid and company there to take care of the guests, just about everything. One Big Happy Family is fun and almost farceical. The sisters, full of damaging secrets and unpredictable violence, are in a crazy dance to protect their hidden lies and betrayals. Charley and her sidekicks know the secrets need to be revealed. I had read the author's previous novel and really enjoyed it. This is different, but a fast read that's intriguing and suspenseful. The characters are nicely created and not always what they seem. I enjoyed the setting and the hurricane with a character of its own. This is a good read during a lazy summer day or maybe during the next storm. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of One Big Happy Family. It was part locked-room murder mystery and part family drama, with a tiny bit of romance mixed in. I loved the setting of an old, eclectic hotel on the coast of Maine during a terrible storm.

Broken into four parts, the book read fairly quickly with a great cast of characters and a lot of twists, turns and family secrets revealed throughout. While I felt some of it was a bit far-fetched I still enjoyed it. The only part I really didn't like was toward the end when it felt like I was reading the narrative of a very long action scene in a movie. (I tend to get bored and distracted when these get drawn out too long.)

The ending held several surprises that I didn't see coming. Overall it was a good read. Nothing exceptionally memorable, but a fun read.