I began reading this book just as a hurricane was bearing down on the Texas coast. How fitting since the book is set along the coast of Maine, with a hurricane on the way. The owner of the Precipice has just died and his three daughters are on their way to the hotel for the reading of the will.

The main character, Charley, works as a maid at the hotel. Living in a small room off the kitchen, Charley is trying to make enough to support her grandmother who lived in a senior home.

The deceased owner, George Bishop, was not a nice man. He cheated on his wife, tried to seduce all the maids and wasn’t supportive of his daughters, with the exception of one.

This is your classic locked room trope. No one can leave due to the storm and the tree that has fallen over the driveway leading out to the road. The only people in the hotel are the family and their spouses, an attorney and Charley.

When the husband of one of the daughters is found poisoned, the tension throughout the house escalates until all the secrets begin to emerge from years past.

I enjoyed this locked room mystery and the setting was just perfect.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review and recommend this to readers who love a good mystery.

Thank you Netgalley, Jamie Day and St. Martin's Press for the ebook! I absolutely loved the setting (coastal Maine antique motel) with an impending hurricane on the way! So much to unpack in this book and it was delivered perfectly.

What a messed up family! Everyone in this book has secrets and seems capable of being the "bad guy." The Precipice Hotel is almost another character, being full of themed rooms and all of the patriarch's collections of objects.
Most of the book is from Charley the maid's POV, but there is a section that delves into the sisters' history. Lots of twists and conniving and plotting. The book was interesting and well written.

This is an extremely riveting thriller with a pace that never lets up. It's chock full of exciting twists and turns that you never see coming. Throughout most of the book, the title is rather ironic because these people seem like anything but one big happy family. However, the ending is surprisingly touching.

A closed room mystery about a family with lots of secrets who all get together to discuss their father’s will after his death. The three sisters come together at their family’s Precipice Hotel in the hilly shores of main right as a hurricane is hitting. Told from mostly the POV of the 19 year-old maid, we slowly get the unraveling of decades of held family secrets.

While I loved the setting, especially the Maine coast town with the arriving hurricane, I think there were quite a few parts of the plot that just didn’t do it for me. The first half of the book was pretty slow, which was fine for me, but it was the reveal and the unraveling of secrets that didn’t work. It felt really predictable (and I rarely can guess the twists), and the cast of characters didn’t really leave me to care what happened to any of them. The epilogue also really tanked it for me, and I felt like it was the most unrealistic of it all.

Charley is struggling and is grateful for her job as a maid at the Precipice Hotel where she also gets free room and board. The conditions aren’t great but it’s all she can manage to help care for her ailing grandmother. When the wealthy owner dies, his three daughters and their families return to the Precipice fur the reading of the will…. Just as a hurricane is about to hit.

As you can imagine, in this locked room thriller, the sisters have a lot of animosity to each other, there are lots of secrets, backstabbing and of course, a murder. Unfortunately, Charley and a stowaway guest find themselves caught up in this nightmare situation, fearing for their lives as the sisters air their dirty laundry and turn on one another.

This one intrigued me initially and then slowed down a bit before it picked up again. I guessed the twist early on but still wanted to see how it would play out. It was a quick and easy read and Charley was the star of this book, considering how unlikeable everyone else was.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for a digital review copy of this new thriller

This book was fantastic!! I loved the atmosphere of the seaside hotel with a hurricane looming. Set in a small town in Maine at the Precipice Hotel One Big Happy Family is about three sisters coming home. Their father has passed away, and it's time for them to collect their inheritance. After they each arrive is when the secrets start to unravel.

The story is told primarily from the POV of Charley, a young chambermaid working at the hotel. There are a few chapters told from the POV of the sisters.

I was able to guess at some twists, but not all of them. From start to finish, this book was filled with twist after twist that I didn't always see coming. Jamie Day is fast becoming a new favorite author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Jamie Day is one writer I absolutely love to read. She keeps you intrigued and wanting not to put the book down and this was is no exception. Charley is the housekeeper at a hotel in Maine. She is awaiting the arrival of the three Bishop sisters to see what they inherited from their late father. In the meantime Charley is hiding a young woman that is hiding from an abusive relationship and she can’t pay. Vicki arrives first and she is so demanding. She wants all new repairs done to the inn and she is a bully as well. Charley has a little problem she has sticky fingers with cash because she is trying to keep bills paid for her Nana and herself. Jamie writes so you want to know more about this dysfunctional family and oh the twists and turns are intense to say the least.

I received this ARC for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was really excited for this novel and it began with lots of promise. A hotel with a bunch of interesting characters and a hurricane bearing down on them all. There was a ton of drama and that seemed to overshadow the rest of the story. I felt the story was predictable in places, so I was a bit disappointed but I stayed with the story.


Thank you Net Galley, Jamie Day and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to preview this title and the opinions shared are my own.

Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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After loving Jamie's debut novel The Block Party last year, I just knew that I had to get my hands on this one. I was super lucky to not only get an eARC but an ALC as well.
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One Big Happy Family is anything but a happy family. Its drama galore and I sat there and I ate that shit up. I absolutely love a good family drama. Best part - its a locked room mystery with an impending storm on the horizon and murders happening.
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Day does a phenomenal job at building tension, suspense and suspicion with all of the characters. Majority of the characters are morally grey and/or are unlikable which makes this an interesting read. Rich people behaving badly is just so much fun to read sometimes!
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One Happy Family is super atmospheric - I loved the feeling of impending doom that I had while reading this. The ending was a smidge predictable, but there were some really awesome twist that I did not see coming and I absolutely enjoyed the ride from start to finish.
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I listened to this one via audio while reading along with the eARC and it was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. I loved how well this performance was. I felt like I myself was the main character. She made this one suspenseful in all the right places. Highly recommend the audio for this one.
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Overall, another solid win from Jamie Day. So excited to continue following her writing journey. One Happy Family releases today 7/16. Don’t miss out on this one! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Day, St. Martins Press and MacMillan Audio for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

One Big Happy Family, the latest mystery by Jamie Day, is a quick and different whodunit packed with action and thrills. Not only chockful with excitement, but this book also has a good storyline and is jam-packed with quirky characters. All of the characters may sometimes leave the reader a bit confused and bewildered, but if you stick with it, it will become easier to follow. Regardless, said family may be big, but happiness is definitely lacking. If you want a change from the beach bag, rom coms of summer, check this one out.

3.75 // A very twisted sister mystery!

One Big Happy Family follows… one big family: the Bishops. We're following Charley, the maid at the Bishops' Precipice hotel in Maine. The Bishop patriarch, George Bishop, has recently died and his three daughters (Vicki, Faith, Iris) are coming to the Precipice for the reading of the will-- dysfunctional family members in tow. Also joining is Hurricane Larry! Chaos (of course) ensues as the sisters' secrets are forced to come to light and Charley begins to unravel the truth of what really happened at the hotel when the Bishop daughters were kids.

The first maybe third of this book was paced a little too slowly for my personal taste. Hiding Bree in the hotel while the Bishops were arriving was an added element of stress that should have felt thriller-y, but ultimately fell flat for me. I expected this to be faster-paced than it was, but it felt like a chick lit fiction novel for the first 25%+. Learning about the Bishop sisters' backstories was interesting but I still found myself yearning for more action and thriller elements. I also felt like learning their backstories preemptively spoiled the entire mystery. Once I got to the 50% mark, the pacing started to pick up, and I felt more immersed in the story. The ending… is a little far-fetched, but I'll admit that it was plot-twisty and surprising, so I can't complain too much.

The main character/narrator would also sometimes just have these one-liners that made me cringeeeee. Not sure if this writing style is unique to this book or the author in general. It didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book, but it did momentarily remove me from being immersed in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Jamie Day's ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY transforms the idyllic coastline of Maine into a treacherous, dangerous, scary place where secrets kill and intrigue abounds. At The Precipice family-owned hotel, three sisters arrive with serious personal baggage to claim their legacy and get what's coming to them. A woman on the run and a chambermaid with deep secrets and terrible habits are added to a potent, explosive situation as a hurricane bears toward them. Told from the maid's point of view, the story is gripping, summer terror at its best. I have never been a 19 year old maid stuck in Nowhere, Maine, but now that I have read this book, I have a feeling for the life I would never want to have -- Day is fantastic at getting you into a character's head, heart, and actions. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

One Big Happy Family is a slow-moving thriller. A father has died bringing his children back together. They are stuck in the family hotel due to a hurricane. Secrets come out, threats are made, and no one is to be trusted.

I usually a follow the path the author sends me on type of reader but with this book I figured out what was going on pretty quickly. There were many clues given early in the book that led me down the right path. I like having that ah-ha moment but feel like this one could have had a bigger ah-ha.

One Big Happy Family is a book that I enjoyed reading but it will not be a book that I remember in the long run. The writing was easy to read and follow. The characters were predictable and not very exciting.

I was blessed to have read an early copy of The Block Party which was a wonderful story.
But after devouring One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day this is my favorite so far!
Every time I tried to stop reading! I was pulled in for more!
The characters were so well developed and interesting. The plot was twisty and turny and did not quit. I was riveted until the very end.
Atmospheric, gripping, and unpredictable.
In other words, the perfect ingredients for a satisfying result.
Another riveting summer suspense from Jamie Day.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Precipice is a family-owned hotel in Maine that is well known, but when the current owner does and the reading of his will takes place trouble ensues. His three daughters all expect a part of the estate, but still playing games after he’s gone their father’s will is anything but expected. Each sister wants what is theirs and Charley, the maid who is living at the hotel, gets caught in the middle of it. While a hurricane passes through and the squabbles continue secrets and lies will come out that will change the course of everything.

The synopsis of this book is so intriguing and I am always game for a few good lies and drama. This book was full of it all, but something just didn’t connect for me. I enjoyed the storyline and the locked room mystery feel of this book. The hurricane also added a nice touch of impeding doom to everything. I think my biggest problem was I didn’t connect with a single character in the book, even Charley, and I feel like there was a lot of over the top drama that was unnecessary at times. There is usually at least one character I enjoy and root for in books like these but that wasn’t the case this time. Overall it was an enjoyable and fast paced read that is good if you are looking for a nice mystery with lots of family drama. There were just a few things I didn’t connect with in the end.

Thank you to St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

After loving The Block Party last summer, I was so excited for another novel by Jamie Day. One Big Happy Family was so different from Day’s previous novel in the best way, both are great, but I was expecting more rich people/domestic drama in suburbia and was pleasantly surprised to discover this was a locked-setting whodunnit.

This novel was instantly gripping with a compelling FMC for the reader to relate to. With elements reminiscent of Daisy Darker and Agatha Christie, this kept me engaged and still had plenty of familial drama like Day’s previous novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, dripping with intrigue, betrayal, and threats both internal and external to the setting - I highly recommend One Big Happy Family.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review!

Hoo boy, let me tell you, One Big Happy Family is something this Bishop family certainly is NOT. But let’s back up. We are gathered together at The Precipice, a family owned hotel off the coast of Maine. The patriarch has recently passed, and the Bishop sisters are there to claim said hotel. A hurricane is on the horizon (literally), and the staff, namely 19 yo chambermaid Charley Kelley, is just trying to make it through another season and save some money.

Does all go as planned? Heck no, but I bet you could have guessed that, and if you love unlikeable characters, murder, family drama, and secrets all in a locked room setting with a storm a-brewing, then this is the perfect summer thriller for you! Our gal Charley even has a few things to keep hidden as well! I loved reading this one via audio, I binged this on a Saturday and could not stop. I loved the trouble everyone found themselves in, as well as the flashbacks to the past where we learned a little more about our characters. It was not a surprise in how it ended, but I still really enjoyed this one overall and definitely recommend it.

There was a little bit of everything that makes a good mystery/whodunnit story. There were a few times I needed to suspend my disbelief to get into the book but I’m so glad I did. Charley is down on her luck trying to keep her grandma’s nursing home paid for. As a maid in a fancy hotel she had been avoiding the advances of her handsy boss and then he passed away. This left Charley to deal with hosting the family for the reading of the will all while expecting a hurricane. Add in Bree allegedly hiding from an abusive boyfriend and Rodrigo who hates the lawyer and this makes for a really fun story.
I really enjoyed the revelations in this story and the uncovering of who was responsible for the mayhem and death. I was so happy for the ending and how things worked out for Charley.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this really fun book,

Thank you to @macmillian.audio for the gifted audiobook and Books/ NetGalley for the ebook ARC. All opinions are my own.

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a great job of narrating One Big Happy Family. I listened at 1.75x for the first half of the book and then sped up to 2x to hurry and finish. This is my first book by this narrator.

Bookish Thoughts: This novel resonated with me because as I started the audiobook a hurricane was making landfall in the book and simultaneously in real life Hurricane Beryl made landfall along the Texas coast. The book started off promising and then slowed down in the middle. I started to get a bit bored so I increased the speed to hurry and finish. It didn’t blow me away and left me feeling meh.

#MacAudio2024