"One Big Happy Family" follows the story of three sisters who have never truly gotten along. After their father's death, his will stirs up even more conflict among them. Each sister harbors a secret, and someone is determined to make them confess. This locked-room mystery/thriller will keep you guessing and occasionally laughing. Though the book starts slow and is somewhat lengthy, it gains momentum as the story progresses.

One Big Happy Family is a family drama thriller that is perfect to read on the beach or by the pool this summer! Three sisters convene on the family owned hotel on the Maine coast after their father dies. There is a hurricane on the way, family secrets, and a mysterious guest on the premises. This all adds up to create a story full of twists and reading just one more chapter.

I switched back and forth between the audiobook and e-book while reading this book. I enjoyed both versions and would recommend either especially if you love thrillers full of family drama.

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website.)

You know that one where the father dies and the family gathers to read the will? Yeah, the one where nothing is as it seems - this is the book.

There were a lot of characters in this book and even more plot twists! I was very surprised by some of the twists and not so surprised by others. It was easier to keep up with the characters while reading vs listening to the audiobook. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Jamie Day's second book One Big Happy Family is a perfect example of moral ambiguity. Few characters ae saints, and most have sinned quite a bit... some out of naivety, some out of necessity, and some for good reason. Shut off by a hurricane in an old hotel on the cliffs of Maine, the story serves as a type of locked room (or rather a locked nature) mystery. Bodies are dropping, a gun is changing hands, and secrets start spilling... and we all know everyone has secrets. The dichotomy of good and evil is within each and all. As an Agatha Christie fan, queen of the whodunnit, I had guessed the twist early on. It was still a neat ride to see how it played out and if revenge would be served cold or sins atoned, perhaps a mix of both.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This one was just okay. It had characters and elements that seemed familiar from many other mystery/thrillers. I was not especially shocked by anything that happened, or the “twists.” Still, I enjoyed it as a quick, easy summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One Big Happy Family is about sisters and an inheritance and the rumor of a hidden treasure.

"Three sisters come back to the hotel they grew up in - The Precipice. Iris, Vicki and Faith want to hear their deceased father's will and get their inheritance. Hurricane Larry is right off the coast and could cause some problems. The maid, Charley, is desperate to know if she'll be able to keep her job. The will contains surprises and when someone ends up dead, everyone wonders who is next."

Our main POV is Charley and you find yourself pulling for her - except that she's stealing from guests to help pay the bills. Todd is awful - and you have no idea just how bad he is 'til later in the story. Everyone has a family member like Vicki - control issues and thinking no one can survive without her input. All the sisters have a secret - something bad they did together as teenagers at the hotel. And the secret guest has a secret too. It all makes for an entertaining story.

The hurricane makes this a little bit of a locked-room mystery - almost. Day throws in a couple of surprises, especially at the end. I liked the ending and the twists. This would be a great beach read this summer (or a great rainy-day in the mountains read this fall)

The first book of Jamie Day's that I have read and I am putting the first one on hold at the library as soon as I finish this review.

GREAT book! It's been a while since the twists and turns kept me guessing. There was just enough - I think I know what was going on - WHAT????? was that twist? to keep me glued to the pages.

A family saga of drama that has a happy ending.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Geroge Bishop, the owner of the acclaimed Precipice Hotel on the coast of Maine has died and the Bishop sisters, Iris, Vicki, and Faith have arrived to take over their inheritance. They are not going to let the quickly approaching hurricane deter their plans. Sadly, not everyone checking in to the unique hotel will make it through the weekend.

Charley Kelley, the young chambermaid has a vested interest in what happens with the hotel. Will the hotel remain open? Will she still have a job? Will she survive the weekend?

What a family! The father was a letch. The daughters are self-absorbed and totally unlikeable. Vicki is the eldest and she is miserable, harsh, and at times vicious. She is married to her perfect match, Todd. He is a greedy, cheating womanizer with no redeeming qualities. Middle sister, Iris, has found God after spending time in prison for selling drugs so that she could feed her own habit. Faith, the youngest, was told she was beautiful so she became a model to get the attention she craved, but did she get her big break on her beauty or because of the actions of someone else? She is married to Hope, yes, Faith is married to Hope, a vegetarian cook and spiritualist. We also meet Vicki’s son Quinn and Oliver, Hope and Faith’s son. Oliver is on the spectrum and speaks in rhymes. Quinn is older but with Vicki and Todd as parents you know he has issues.

It was Charley Kelley that drew me into the story. At just nineteen she needs to work to be able to pay for her grandmother’s care which is getting more and more expensive. George Bishop paid her so poorly but he did let her live on the premises in a closet near the kitchen that was turned into her bedroom. He also made advances on her day in and day out. To have the funds necessary for her grandmother’s care she sometimes pockets dollars here and there from the well-to-do guests. When a young woman asks to stay at the hotel to hide out from her abusive boyfriend, Charley can’t say no, especially when the woman offers her cash that would really ease her burdens. Charley has a good heart but it could cost her plenty. This kept me turning the pages. I needed to know how her story would play out, especially with a murderer on the premises.

Yes, the Precipice Hotel had the eerie feel of Hotel California, where you can check in but never leave. The hurricane is hovering outside the doors, one person is dead and another is missing. Someone is leaving creepy messages around the house, the cell phone signals are non-existent and the electricity is iffy. Everyone is harbouring secrets and some are getting to the ends of their ropes.

One Big Happy Family was an entertaining read but it could have been even better had the author delved deeper into some things and pulled back on parts that felt overly wordy or repetitive.

Ms. Day had shown in her first novel The Block Party that she can take on a dysfunctional family and all their drama and she has turned that up a notch or two in One Big Happy Family. She is an author I will continue to watch and I am looking forward to reading her next novel.

I really liked the majority of this book. Charley was a great lead character and I really liked the mystery and the character dynamics. It would have been a 5 star read for me if it wasn't for the epilogue which was too far fetched and unbelievable.

Book Review: One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day

Jamie Day's "One Big Happy Family" is a suspenseful thriller set against the backdrop of a legendary family-owned hotel, The Precipice, on Maine's rocky coast. As a hurricane approaches, the Bishop sisters—each harboring dangerous secrets—arrive to claim their inheritance following their father's death. Nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley finds herself in a precarious position, trying to keep her job and her secrets hidden amidst the family's turmoil.

While the mystery is engaging and the twists kept me guessing, the characters lacked depth, making it hard to connect with them. The story is intriguing, with Charley’s predicament adding tension and the rhymes enhancing the eerie atmosphere. Though I enjoyed Day's previous novel more, this book still offers a fun and thrilling read. If you're looking for a summer suspense with a unique setting and plenty of twists, "One Big Happy Family" is worth a try.

The Bishop sisters return to The Precipice hotel on the coast of Maine. Their father has died and, Iris, Vicki, and Faith, are there for the reading of the will, which will surely give them the hotel? Hurricane Larry is on the way, leaving the bickering sisters with their secrets unable to leave.

Adding to the drama is Charley, a nineteen year old maid, who secretly lives in a closet in the hotel. Charley has a lucrative side "gig", she steals from the hotel's guests to pay for her grandmother's care. She worries about the hotel's future. We have Bree, a young woman Charley and Rodrigo, the front desk manager, are hiding from her abusive boyfriend. A person goes missing and someone is murdered.

One would think that all the drama would keep you interested, but unfortunately, I was disappointed. The book started out slow, picked up toward the end, but it just didn't meet my expectations. I really liked the author's previous book, The Block Party, and was excited to read this one hoping for the same suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Publishing Group, for an ARC. The review is my own.

You know that this title is totally sarcastic. You don’t need to think too much about what you would be getting from this book: there will be a big family, and they wouldn’t be getting along.

Owner of The Precipice died and all his kids got together to hear what their father’s will would tell them. They all expected couple millions to hit their bank account, but the reality did not meet the expectation. Money and inheritance always show the real face of the siblings. What happened at The Precipice after the reading of the will was way worse than what people thought.

This is a good book to read on the beach. It was a page turner with bit of family drama, and you would have a lot of theories about who did the deed and who wanted that inheritance the most.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day

This story is pure entertainment. You must be guessing it won’t be about a true happy family, but what goes on is crazy fun. Charley, the Precipice Hotel chambermaid, is readying the rooms for the Bishop family sisters and their families’ arrival for their father’s funeral.

A knock at the door and a panicked cry for help has Charley allowing stranger Bree to escape harm from her abusive boyfriend. Bree has no money, so she is essentially a “stowaway” for a few days at the hotel. What harm could that do? There’s a hurricane coming to this Maine town and it’s a bad one.

Well-thought out and easy to follow chaos ensues after the reading of the will. Anyone and everyone is suspect in a rash of of bad deeds. Bree is discovered, sister turns on sister and Charley tries to keep the peace. This is an exciting, edge of your seat five star mystery romp any reader will enjoy.

After the passing of their Patriarch, the Bishop sisters, Iris, Vicki, and Faith make their way to their family-owned hotel on the coast of Maine to gather for his will reading. Things quickly take a turn for the worst as the will is read and Hurricane Larry looms overhead.

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY by Jamie Day has all of the elements I love in a thriller - a unique location that also happens to be isolated, family drama, a locked room mystery, and a massive incoming storm, BUT it just didn’t work for me.

I enjoyed the first ~15% of the story where we’re intro’d to the hotel and Charley (the lead maid and primary observing character), as she prepares for the Bishops’ stay at the hotel and the hurricane that seems to be growing legs.

Beyond that, we’re thrown a random romance, a storm that I honestly wish were bigger, and a few too many shocking twists for my liking.This book also felt like it was 500+ pages long and maybe that’s just because I wanted out of the story so badly.

Unfortunately, I’m taking this as my sign for this to be my last read by Day.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: July 16

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to St Martin’s Press for gifted access via NetGalley. All opinions below are my own.

Charley is a maid at a small Maine hotel, her whole life relies on her job. When the owner dies, his three daughters and their families fly in for the will reading. Unfortunately, a hurricane is headed for the hotel meaning there are no other guests or staff at the hotel as the bombshell will is read. Then one of them turns up dead and it turns out this family had a lot of secrets that begin eeking out of the woodwork as they turn on one another.

This was definitely a fast paced read. There are lots of characters with complex backstories. Some of the twists felt predictable but in a good way, ie the right clues were there as the story progresses to start solving the mysteries before Charley does. Lots of drama and several unlikable characters but there is a nice balance here that makes this story very readable and entertaining.

Read this one if you liked The Daughters of Block Island.

After reading “Block Party” by Jamie Day, I was beyond excited to read this book! This is a locked room mystery with some Agatha Christie vibes. The Bishop sisters arrive at the family run hotel after the death of their father, each expecting to claim the building. When a murder takes places, secrets come to light. No one can escape, due to a hurricane being upon them. This hurricane also impacts electricity and cell service, so they are all truly stuck together with no way to call for help. This book is twisty, fast paced, and so witty! Thanks so much to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

In Jamie Day’s One Big Happy Family, none of the characters seem to be happy with their family. A truly delicious dysfunctional family thriller! I loved the premise and the creepy, remote Maine setting.
Charley, the narrator, is a nineteen-year-old housekeeper in the family-run Precipice Hotel. She is meant to be highly empathetic, but her petty theft while cleaning guest rooms left me less than wowed by the character. I get she needed the money for “compelling reasons”, but I’m not much into the gray-area ethics.
Although secondary characters, Rodrigo and Bree, seem innocent enough, they are also given motives to be involved in the murderous escapades that ensue as Hurricane Larry bears down on the small coastal town. The best characters are the Bishop sisters, Iris, Vicki and Faith. They are delightfully horrible, which makes them fabulously fun antagonists.
In “Knives Out” fashion, the plot is fun and fast enough. Author Day sets up the book in four parts with parts one and two providing scene setting and backstories. Parts three and four are where all the action takes place. It is a bit over the top but oh-so-fun to read. While the epilogue may not be fully believable, it felt satisfying for the characters I had grown to like.
4-4.5 stars

This is my first Jamie Day book and it won't be my last!!!!!!!!! Wow this book has so many twists it had my head turning but I couldn't put it down. I had to find out how everything turned out.

What a terrific story! The twists and turns kept me into it. The story and characters kept me page turning. I really enjoyed third one and recommend everyone give it a read. It does not disappoint.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Jamie Day and Netgalley.
This was some screwy arsed book, and I was here for it!
I had initially seen this on Netgalley and decided that it definitely wasn't for me, then I received an invite from the publisher and decided to read it. My thinking was that the publisher often knows what I like, and sometimes "not often" they know better than me! True dat! I ignored it initially because it was family drama. I'm not usually a fan of those hat genre, but every once in a while...I just stinking loved this damn book!
I loved Charley, the housekeeper and hated everyone else.
This really was one truly despicable family! But, as the story unfolds I realized that as messed up as my "un" blended family was, it couldn't hold a candle to this family.
I'll confess that I had fun reading this story. The ending though was kinda a soft landing. I did still appreciate it, but did find it to be a bit unrealistic. So for that I'm tempting it a star.
This is one book I'd recommend. Just because I had such a good time!