With a gorgeous cover and a remote setting in Maine, this one was set up to be a great summer thriller. The focal point is a hotel filled with eclectic antiques, The Precipice. The hotel owner has died, and the reading of his will brings his family to town. Hot on the heels of his daughters is an incoming hurricane.

There’s also the maid, Charley, in the thick of things. She’s an endearing character who works to keep her grandmother in memory care and wonders how to get ahead.

And Bree, fleeing an abusive boyfriend, seeks refuge at the hotel in the storm. The Bishop sisters bring their two sons and a husband as well. So it’s a full cast of characters at the hotel. They all have secrets and pasts they would prefer to keep hidden.

After the will is read, there’s a dramatic murder, and everyone is trapped in the hotel because of the storm.

Doesn’t this sound like a great premise? I’m not sure where it all fell apart for me. It was a slow read, which is not good with a thriller. There were too many characters with backstories to try and keep straight. After a slow start, it seemed like too many things were happening simultaneously, with uneven pacing.

I liked a few things about the ending, but it didn’t seem like all the characters could be redeemed overnight. I definitely liked the author’s first book much better than this one. I hope she returns to the form of that earlier one with her next book.

One Big Happy Family is the story of the Bishop family – the owners of the Precipice, a hotel on the coast of Maine. The father, George, has passed away. The sisters (Iris, Vicki and Faith) are coming home to meet with the family lawyer and read their father’s will. A hurricane is fast approaching the area so all of the guests have cancelled their plans. The only people left at the hotel are the three staff members. Rodrigo (front desk) and Olga (cook) abandon the hotel before the storm arrives. Charley (housekeeping) has no where else to go so she stays. Charley has secrets. She pilfers from the guests to have enough money to keep her grandmother in a home. She also is hiding a woman who has a tale of an abusive boyfriend. As the sisters arrive with their families, the reader discovers all is not happy in the Bishop family. Each sister has secrets they don’t want to share. There is also a secret from their childhood they are trying to keep quiet. As deaths occur and the storm intensifies, everything comes out in the open. I didn’t find any of the characters likeable. I’m glad that I finished it. It does have a surprise ending that I didn’t predict.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the book #OneBigHappyFamily by #JamieDay. I found this roller coaster ride of a book just fantastic. Charley is a 19 year old who is working and living in a big hotel to help support her grandmother who is in an Alzheimer’s home. When her boss passes away and his family shows up for the reading of the will, things quickly get out of control. Secrets come out, some people are murdered and the twist ending is spectacular.

Story: 4⭐️
Narration: 5⭐️
Overall: 4.25⭐️

I did a tandem audio/ebook read of this book, and what a ride it was.

Starting with the narration performance part of the review, Saskia Maarleveld was fantastic. She had a very concise and natural cadence to her delivery. I was consistently impressed with the subtle yet distinct tone and pitch she shifted between to differentiate the multiple female characters she needed to portray. She also had a pleasant delivery on the male characters that didn’t make her sound like she was trying too hard to be overtly masculine with her tone. Her transitions between characters were smooth and offered easy clarity. She did a great job bringing the story to life.

The twists and turns this book took were abundant. There were a lot of surprises that I didn’t see coming, and I was really impressed with the build up to everything. It kept me riveted and anxious for what was going to be revealed next. Some of the twists were somewhat predictable, but still enjoyable parts of the overall plot regardless. Essentially, the entire family was infected with various demons and was entirely dysfunctional. It made for an entertaining mess that needed to be cleaned up. Some of the motivations and end games behind some the actions maybe didn’t quite seem worth the effort to me though. There was A LOT going on in this family and outside of it, almost too much at times, but overall Jamie Day executed the delivery of it all really well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the ALC/eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The setting and the premise of this novel are most enticing, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. It couldn’t hold my attention for more than a few pages at a time. Hopefully others will enjoy it.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

🎧Song Pairing: Father of Mine - Everclear

💭What I thought would happen:

Drama. With big families comes thirsty drama😈

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Do you like family drama? Like not a little I’m talking backstabbing, hateful shiiiiit. Then this is the book for you 😂

I really enjoyed Block Party! So fun and the ending was wild so I expected the same. But was a bit of a flop. Like a flaccid little peen 🍤

Read if:
🤦🏼‍♀️You have sisters
😈Wish ill on your BIL/SIL
⛈️Love hurricanes
💜Have worked for hateful people

Can a family as dysfunctional as the Bishop’s truly be happy? They might think so. Wonderfully woven together, Jamie Day has given us another page turning thriller. This took me one day to get through because I just couldn’t get enough.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for the free book!

This one was a WILD and CRAZY family drama/thriller that I read start to finish in a day! If you read Jamie Day's debut book THE BLOCK PARTY and enjoyed it, you'll definitely enjoy this one! They followed a very similar pattern and both had some INSANE endings. The last roughly 10% of both of her books were off-the-wall crazy and my favorite part of both of the books.

I knew from the cover alone that this family wouldn't be NORMAL, but I didn't expect them to be as INSANE as they were. The book begins with 3 sisters meeting up at their family hotel after the passing of their father. All of the sisters are crazy (what more could we want?) and full of secrets and the drama is REAL!

Some of the plot was definitely unbelievable and over the top, but I was thoroughly entertained, so it didn't bother me!

The audiobook was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and as always, she did an excellent job!

This will be available for purchase on July 16th!

3.5 stars rounded up for GR

3.5 stars

Lock the door and prepare for a creepy, sinister mystery that will leave you wondering if anyone should get to remain at the end of this wild affair!

Charley, the m.c., is 19 and a maid at an eclectic, family run hotel in Maine. Though she is young, it's very easy to forget that. She has weathered some storms (yep. Intended!), and she continues to struggle. In addition to losing her mother, Charley is also financially responsible for herself and for her grandmother, who lives in a nearby facility. This - on her salary and with her limited support system - is all particularly challenging.

Though readers get to know Charley early on, the arrival of her now deceased boss's children and grandchildren - along with a surprise guest - completely upends her world. The three children, sisters, are all arriving with both kinds of baggage, and they are prepared to spill every drop of tea while a storm traps them in their family's most unusual asset. People start dying, secrets get revealed, and the past becomes present.

I was excited to read this one because I really enjoyed Day's _The Block Party_. While I also liked this one overall, the pacing was much slower for me. I listened to the audio and at times found myself tuning out and having to back track a bit, which was not an experience I had with the previous book. This is a good beach read as it's entertaining enough but does not require the focus that this genre often does.

I really enjoyed the first book by this author and was really looking forward to reading it.

Charley (pet peeve- can't we use female names for females please?) is working hard at the Precipice Hotel to pay for her grandmother's care. The owner of the hotel dies and his three daughters are arriving along with the father's attorney for a will reading. What could possibly go wrong you say? How about a hurricane is approaching and they will be trapped in the hotel for the duration.

Throw in a few deaths, a séance-like card reading by a nephew and a concierge who has issues with the attorney and you have a pretty effective locked room murder situation.

The first part kept my interest, second started to drag. I skipped a bit of part 3 and part 4 answered most of the questions in a satisfactory way.

Than you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

Toxic family members, a will reading, and an encroaching hurricane trapping everyone on an island? Say no more!

I really enjoyed Jamie Day's newest thriller that takes place at The Precipice after the owners dies. His three daughters come for the reading of the will, and absolute chaos ensues. I loved Charley's perspective watching the whole debacle go down, and couldn't wait to get to the end to figure everything out!

Jamie Day is a very good storyteller! This is a locked room-type mystery, set in a big old inn on the coast of Maine. The Bishop family is coming together after the death of their father, who was the patriarchal owner of the Precipice. A hurricane is brewing outside as tensions rise inside. This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and I look forward to reading more. Recommended.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day

Thanks to a hurricane, this story becomes a locked hotel mystery. Nineteen year old Charley is our very put upon protagonist. Her entire life has been extremely difficult and in the last two years has gotten even harder as her beloved grandmother has finally had to be put into a care home due to dementia. Charley works as a maid at the Precipice Hotel (yes, it really is on a precipice), living in what is really a storage closet, in order to not even make ends meet. A hard worker, a mostly good person, Charley has to resort to stealing money from guests and even that padding isn't enough to pay her grandmother's care home bills. Something has to give but Charley has no options.

Now comes a hurricane, at the same time that the Bishop family is arriving for the funeral of the hotel owner. He was a nasty piece of work, no one will miss him, but instead the family is arriving for the reading of his will. The entire family is not known for their kindness, and Charley knows she's going to have to be at her best since she needs to keep this job...she cannot risk being fired with this new change of owners.

We meet the three sisters, one husband, and two sons and the lawyer once everyone arrives at the hotel. There are no other guests since the hurricane caused everyone else to cancel their reservations. The story is slow going and really slowed down as we go back in time to see the background of the sisters. There seems to be nothing endearing about them, even when they were young. Once we get back to the present time the action starts. What a mess of a family! Oh, did I mention that Charley has made a deal to let a stranger named Bree stay a the hotel for a week, while Bree hid from her abusive boyfriend? Bree promises her a large amount of money for this favor.

A whole lot happens, there's a body or two involved, lots of fighting, verbal and physical, no phone service, no one can leave, fun times for everyone if you like fearing for your life. The story felt long and drawn out and too many people like to talk too long, my gosh these people can go on and on, especially the biggest villain in this story, what a motor mouth! But very few of the characters haven't done something wrong so it's hard to back anyone really. Which makes the rosy epilogue hard to believe. Maybe I'd have enjoyed the story more if it had been tightened up, more focused, but as it is, everything just goes on too long.

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

2.5 stars ⭐️

Hurricane Larry is bearing down on the rocky coast of Maine, and all of the guests have cancelled their reservations at the family owned Precipice Hotel. 🏨

But, there is a WILL to be read and an inheritance to claim, so the Bishop Sisters, Vicki, Iris and Faith, are still planning to arrive as scheduled.

The front desk manager, Rodrigo and the Precipe's nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley, begin preparations for both the storm and the Bishops arrival.

And, to add to the challenge, they have to figure out how to hide a woman named Bree, who is on the run from an abusive boyfriend.

I really liked our protagonist, Charley-so much so that I could even forgive her petty theft from guests because I knew she was desperate to provide for the only family she had left-her Nana-who was in a care home with dementia.

BUT EVEN CHARLEY COULD NOT SAVE THIS STORY

Part One was so S L O W-and it was hard to believe that the Bishops would not even look inside the room that Bree was hidden in-especially since they all wanted to stay in that room. And, Vicki was even in the room next door!

Part Two stalls the plot even further as we learn the sister’s back stories and secrets-explaining the animosity that had for one another.

Parts Three and Four is when the action picks up, but because of the revelations in Part Two-I had all but the little details already figured out. It’s also pretty OTT.

The epilogue: I just didn’t buy it.

I guess I am starting to realize that I am not really a fan of locked room mysteries after all-unless they are REALLY well done.

I did enjoy the author’s debut, “The Block Party” but unfortunately, I am less enthusiastic about this one.

Available July 16, 2024

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC, provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher, and Jamie Day for an ARC of One Big Happy Family! This was a fun read and it really started picking up at 50%. I wouldn’t call it a slow burn because it was interesting how everything was playing out, but then everything started piecing together and becoming much more suspenseful! I loved the locked room concept, without it technically being a locked room. The twists you can kind of seeing coming, but not the why and it was shocking when it laid it all out. This was my first book of Jamie’s and I did enjoy her writing and will give her other book a read!

The Precipice is a family owned hotel that is legendary in Maine. It’s near a huge cliff and has stunning views. The owner, George Bishop, has passed away and the family is coming to meet at the hotel for the will reading. Vicki, Iris, and Faith have not been together in ages and especially all together at the hotel. There is only a problem — a huge hurricane is on the way that might cause some problems if it hits the hotel. That’s not the only problem though — the sisters have some dark secrets that they might have to tend to. They all want a piece of their inheritance, but not everyone that enters the hotel will be leaving the hotel. Charley, the live in maid, will be staying at the hotel and assisting them during the storm. She is very dependent on this job and is worried what will come to this shifting of hotel ownership. She has her own secret — she’s letting a guest stay in the hotel for free who is on the run. This will keep your breath held and your heart beating fast!

There is a storm approaching the Precipice Inn in Maine. Charley is a housekeeper there and desperate to keep her job. The Bishop sisters are also arriving soon at the Inn to reclaim the Inn their father owned, who recently passed away. Charley has never met the Bishop sisters so she is quite nervous about their visit.

The Bishop sisters arrive and Charley quickly observes there is tension between the 3 sisters. Vicki is the oldest, married to Todd and mother to Quinn. Vicki is bad-tempered and bossy. Iris is the middle sister, an ex-convict, ex-drug addict and Faith is the youngest and is a stylish model.

Charley has hidden Bree, a young woman running away from an abusive boyfriend, in one of the rooms. When Vicki Bishop finds out about Bree, she fires Charley – who can’t leave because of the storm. Also checking in to the hotel is the attorney who is there to read their father’s will.

When a murder occurs, everyone becomes suspicious of those around them. The murdered is leaving creepy messages instructing them to announce their sins before dawn or another murder will occur. They race against time to figure out who the murderer is before the hurricane hits the hotel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this book.

I enjoyed this mystery, which is just a bit too dark to be termed cozy but reads along the lines of an Agatha Christie golden-age mystery, and at times even more like a Knives Out pastiche of one. Readers looking for a noir suspense thriller won't find that here, but taken on its own merits, it's an engaging story with almost soap-operatic characters and great pacing, and it makes an enjoyable whodunnit. The premise: several characters, each with secrets, are stranded together in an old inn as a storm rages and cuts them off from the outside world. Soon the first death occurs, but others will follow before the story ends. The main characters appeal, some likable, like Charley, Rodgrigo, and Quinn, and some suitably villainous, like Vicky and attorney Brenda Black. The events of the past and the motivations of the present gradually become clearer as the story twists and turns the reader's perceptions on their heads. There is more humor here than in the author's previous novel, The Block Party, but it flows well and kept this reader's attention until the final solution was revealed.

Many thanks to Netgalley to St. Martin’s Press for an arc of this novel. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

We are following Charley who is a maid at the Precepice Hotel. Charley’s employer George has died and his three daughters have inherited the place. When George’s daughters are meant to descend to get their inheritance (the hotel) a hurricane Lucas is about to descend. People are canceling their reservations and the cook decides to quit when the sisters arrive. The oldest sister Vicki and her husband Todd are the first to arrive. They have a son Oliver who is driving his Aunt Iris to the hotel. Faith and Hope are the next to arrive. Faith is the sister who will inherit and Hope is her wife, Ollie is their son who is special. Ollie speaks in rhymes and that’s how he talks Faith and Hope think he might be psychic but he admits that he just overhears things. When the lawyer arrives Rodrigo who works at the hotel with Charley leaves and admits to knowing the lawyer because she tried to get his mother deported and she has heart issues now and Rodrigo blames the lawyer for it because she is corrupt. George leaves the hotel to Vicki and gives his other two daughters shares to her husband Todd. Todd wants to sell the hotel and sell what’s inside the hotel in his stores and mentions a painting that is worth a lot of money which turns out to be important later on. Charley befriends Bree who tells Charley that she is running away from an abusive boyfriend and needs to hide out. Turns out Bree is the long lost daughter that George had with a maid that died from cancer that she got after getting an STD from George after his affairs. He leaves Bree the painting and makes sure that she will agree to never reveal her relationship to George and being his daughter. Bree kills him and gets her revenge. Faith and Iris are wounded after Bree shoots them and dies falling off a cliff after trying to escape the hotel with the painting. Todd dies from poisoning from a plant that Hope bought because he is Ollie’s biological father. Bree leaves Charley the painting but she gives it back to the sisters who buy the old folks home her nana loves and even help pay for her to go to college for saving their lives. Other things happen but you’ll have to read to find out. This book was very interesting from start to finish.

One Big Happy Family is a locked room mystery full of family drama that did not disappoint. However, it moved a bit slow at times, and some of the twists were predictable. All in all, it's a good read, but unfortunately, it's one that won't leave a lasting memory.

While I liked the action-packed version of this, it was a bit too predictable, AND the way the author writes pretty much describes all of the characters' motivations and intentions outright, leaving no nuance to any situation. Still a good read, just not my favorite.