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

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!

The owner of the legendary, family-owned hotel The Precipice, on the rocky coast of Maine, has died, leaving the hotel and the rest of his estate to be fought over by his 3 daughters and their families. Not only are the three Bishop women descending on the hotel this weekend to claim what is rightfully theirs, but a hurricane is bearing down on the Maine coast as well. Charley Kelley, the hotel's nineteen-year-old chambermaid who also lives at the hotel only hopes that she will still have a job after the dust settles. She can not afford to lose this job. She also can't let them find out she has been stealing small sums of money from all of the guests as she cleans their rooms. Or that she has hidden a non-paying guest away in one of the rooms, to help her hide out from her abusive boyfriend. Before the weekend is up, heads are going to roll, and she needs to make sure hers isn't one of them.

I really enjoyed this author's previous book, so I was really looking forward to this one as well. Unfortunately, this one fell a little short of the mark for me. Don't get me wrong..... it wasn't bad, I just thought her previous novel was better. I think a lot of the characters just lacked depth for me, so I had trouble connecting with any of them. Plus, no one was all that likeable, so I didn't have anyone in particular I was rooting for. The mystery was good and kept me guessing, and the rhymes were creepy, so there was that. Overall, this is a solid 4 out of 5.

That was a fun-filled locked room mystery!

The characters are atrocious, and their motives are insane, but it was so much fun to hate them that it was hard for me to put this book down. I loved to hate them all - which didn’t make me feel too bad when or if they were hurt.

I really loved the secluded hotel setting, the approaching hurricane, the death of the hotel owner, and the subsequent “will-reading” family gathering, and the creepy vibes of this very toxic and strange family.

I truly enjoyed the descriptions of the hotel and its grounds. The cliffs, the storm, and even the Adirondack chairs all provided such a clear picture of the setting and how the plot played out.

There were a few twists - some I saw coming from a mile away, and some I couldn’t even fathom. All of them made sense and moved the plot along nicely!

This was a fun one! We meet Charley, a live in maid at The Precipice Hotel, who is preparing for the incoming storm. Hurricane Larry will soon make landfall but that’s not the only storm she’s preparing for. The daughters of the recently deceased owner of the hotel, and their families, are coming for the reading of the will. Everyone is shocked at the division of the inheritance. We soon find out who is willing to risk everything for family.

This is a great thriller! Secrets, lies, murder, oh my!

A really good and twisted story about family, secrets, lies and betrayal. I got sucked into this one right from the beginning, completely sympathizing with Charley and rooting for her from day one. When she finally encounters the Bishop sisters, it’s more of a shit storm than the hurricane they’re all currently stuck in. They give every other dysfunctional family a run for its money - especially all the secrets they have piled up. But as always - things get worse before they get better….and sometimes what you think you know isn’t even true.

“For me, books are magic. They transport me to a different world. Opening the cover of a new book never fails to fill me with hope. It’s as though it’s whispering that I have the power to choose a different life, even if I never seem to leave the one I have.”

Money. Money. Money. The root of all evil indeed. Unfortunately this one was just meh for me. I was excited by the premise but it just did not deliver in the thriller way that I like.

The hotel itself, The Precipice, sounded eclectic and so fun. It reminded me a lot of an Inn I stayed at in Provincetown and I loved that aspect. But the sisters were petty and not all that interesting and the hurricane baring down didn’t add much to the suspense. Overall an okay read but more of a family drama than thriller. .

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is set in a hotel on the rocky shores of Maine. Charley is a local who works at the Precipice Hotel as a maid. The owner has died and his three daughters, their families, and their lawyer, arrive to receive the reading of the will and to find out about their futures. Needless to say, things don’t go as the sister’s hoped (or planned). The hotel is busy preparing for Hurricane Larry, when the family arrives. Since it is the off season, Charley is the only remaining staff member, since the cook quit and Rodrigo, the manager disappeared. Coincidence or not?
This book has multiple murders, power outages, poisons, and a mystery stowaway in the hotel. Needless to say, there are plenty questions to ponder while family secrets are revealed.

This book was an enjoyable, easy read. I liked this book, and would recommend it to others!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this digital ARC. The opinions are my own.

Twisty and mysterious thriller. I was quickly engrossed in this story about a hotel maid who finds herself trapped in the Precipice hotel during a hurricane. While Charley, the maid, has some secrets of her own the arrival of the Bishop sisters and their families put the action in motion. The sisters have come to the Precipice to hear the reading of their father's will. He was the owner of the hotel and the sisters grew up at the hotel.

We quickly learn that the sisters have a lot of secrets. Some are their own secrets and some are collective secrets. The secrets slowly come to light as the storm rages. Throw in some murder and the characters being trapped and you have a good thriller/mystery. I loved how the author kept giving us new secrets throughout the story. It certainly made for a page turning read. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.

A locked room mystery is always fun, and I looked forward to an enjoyable weekend reading One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. What's not to like when you put a dysfunctional family at a remote Maine hotel with a hurricane approaching for the reading of their deceased father's will? While the novel had a Knives Out feel and the family was as backstabbing as can be, this one will not go down as a favorite in my opinion.

There is a lot going on that sometimes felt a little cluttered and some of the incidents in the story were quite a stretch for believability. The characters were all suspect, none were even remotely trustworthy or likeable, and it was difficult to care what happened to any of them by the end of the book.

Overall, the book was a quick, easy read that I liked, but did not love. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. The opinions in this review are my own.