An old, remote hotel, an impeding hurricane, unsavory characters, secret pasts are the makings for a perfect thriller. These elements were all well written but the story itself read flat and boring. I felt it was going in too many directions never really truly being suspenseful. I did like Charley and the crazy dysfunctional Bishop sisters-it just didn't work for me. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the Advance Reader's Copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a complex read with unexpected twists or is it turns?
Charley is a chambermaid [20yrs old] at an old hotel in a small Maine village. A hurricane is coming. The owner has died. Now the daughters are all coming for the reading of the will by the attorney. The hurricane approaches as they arrive. There is a death--murder? Soon a missing attorney, a teenage rhymner, yelling, gun shots, and more.
Read this story as it rushes from one secret to another. Charley asks questions, almost goes over the cliff into the ocean, learns more about old secrets and new ones. A tangled web.

After reading “The Block Party,” I was thrilled to get this ARC! “One Big Happy Family,” is perfect for locked room mystery fans. I also loved the atmospheric setting. I mean, come on, an old hotel during a hurricane!? Sign me up!

I won’t rehash the plot, because you can read the synopsis, but I will say I loved the main character, Charley. She’s a strong female, who is overcoming the hand she was dealt in life. When she comes in contact with three unlikeable, selfish sisters, let’s just say she can hold her own.

The pacing on this book was nice, and it’s a quick read! Perfect for the beach!

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this!
This is a somewhat closed room murder story, told at a hotel during a hurricane. Its told in three parts: the first setting the scene of three sisters coming back to the hotel to lay claim to their family inheritance, the second explaining a bit about how the sisters came into their personalities, and the third revolving around two murders and uncovering the twisty backstories of each sister. It is 'mostly' told through the POV of a maid at the hotel.
I thought this left a lot to be desired. I actually loved part 2 and learning more about the sisters and their childhood, as well as some of the 'twists' given away in the early part of part 3. But I thought the minute Vivian went off the 'deep end', persay, the whole thing got a bit farfetched. I didn't like the final reveal and the side 'romance' was a little strange to me. There was just TOO much going on, and too many times where the reactions of the characters didn't mirror the stakes of the situation. This was good but easily wasn't my favorite.

I love a locked room thriller and One Big Happy Family did not disappoint! While some of the twists was predictable, I still enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Charley spends her days working at The Precipice Hotel, a family owned business in Maine, saving money to assist her grandmother who is slowly succumbing to dementia. When the owner of the hotel dies, his three daughters come to the hotel to discuss their inheritance and future. The sisters are full of secrets form each other, a massive storm is brewing, a strange guest is also there, and murder is on the horizon. The sisters' secrets are finally coming to light, but will it happen before it's too late for someone?

This thriller is full of twists and turns as more and more family secrets come out during the storm. The setting is the perfect location for a murder mystery--an odd hotel right on the coast with a major storm hitting the area. A locked-room mystery told from the perspective of Charley the maid, murders are occurring and one of the characters has to be responsible for them. Could it be one of the three sisters? Their spouses or children? A hotel employee? A long night with the power out leads to so many possibilities. Day does a great job crafting a page turning mystery, leaving the reader wondering to the end what is going to happen next,

This is a locked door mystery which fans of slow burn thrillers will enjoy. Although the family drama seems to be the focus, there is an underlying murder mystery at the heart of it. I enjoyed learning the secrets that the Bishop sisters were hiding, but wish there had been more suspense. It seemed that every time something suspenseful happened, we were taken to a flashback which slowed down the pacing. I loved the location - and locked door mysteries are always a favorite of mine, but this moved too slow for me to really love it.

Rating: ⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Mystery Thriller

This mystery thriller is set in the iconic family-owned hotel, The Precipice. As the owner's passing leaves a void, his three daughters, the Bishop sisters, step into the spotlight to claim their inheritance. Little do they know, a storm of unexpected events is about to hit. A hurricane rages, revealing hidden truths! And amidst this chaos, a sinister murder mystery takes hold.

The story is narrated in the first person from the perspective of a maid named Charlie. The reader gets to feel Charlie’s insecurities and fear, especially now that there is a chance that she might lose her job after the owner's death.

The synopsis sounded amazing to me, but despite the author's great job with the setting and the overall atmosphere of the story, the tale itself felt somehow flat. Going back to the past period to understand the Bishop sisters didn’t help. It took me out of the tension that the author has built for the present.

Generally speaking, I enjoy reading about flawed characters as they represent us as humans. Unfortunately, I think the characters in this story still need a lot of work. The narrator is the eye with which we, as readers, look at the story and characters from her perspective. I couldn’t connect to her or sometimes understand her behavior. The other characters were not that interesting either.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Rant: When is NetGalley going to update the format of the ARCs they send to our Kindles? I need to use my Kindle Scribe to take notes, and sticky notes do not even work with the old format! I also wish the publisher would send us a decently formatted e-book. This ebook could have been more appropriately formatted. There were numbers inside the paragraphs, which really hurt the reading flow. I’m not sure who is responsible for the quality of the ebooks sent, NetGalley or the publishers; whoever is needed to do a better job.

This is my second novel by this author and all I can say is wow! I love books filled with family drama and this one is full of it. I did not expect some of the twists in this one

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY by Jamie Day from a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

One Big Happy Family profiles the Bishops. George is the owner of the Precipice, a unique hotel located in a very remote location in Maine. George has passed and the three Bishop sisters, Vicki, Faith, and Iris have returned to hear the reading of the will. But the main character is Charley. Charley is a maid who works at the Precipice. Simultaneous with the arrival of the Bishop family is a hurricane. And the hurricane is a perfect metaphor for the numerous plot twists. The spiral arrangement of the conflicts reaches a very unexpected crescendo. Equal parts who did it and can't put it down!

I didn't love this one, however I really wanted to. I loved the coastal setting and the premise of being isolated in an old mansion/hotel during a hurricane....guests being unable to leave at will, definitely was eager to dive into this one but it fell flat for me.
The book was full of mystery, murder as well as some revenge all circling around the Bishop family and the young maid, Charley, who has certainly been sucked into this family drama with plenty of secrets.
I didn't feel a strong connection to any of the characters and honestly felt myself scrolling through several pages to get closer to the end. The ending was fast paced and I did like how several things played out, however.

Thanks to Netgalley, St Martins Press and the author for allowing me to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One Big Happy was a page turner - perfect beach read for the summer. The reader is trying to figure out who the murderer or murderers are and there are lots of twists and turns along the way.

Another great read by Jamie Day. I really enjoy her characters and writing style. So many secrets and lies. I had no idea who to trust. Fantastic reveals!
Thank you NetGalley and Jamie Day for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jamie Day and publisher St Martin’s Press for the ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

I will say the ending was terrific and made the read worth it, but the vast majority was slow and slightly boring. While reading, it felt more like I was at one of those local theatre groups putting on a show.

I feel the book would make a great small town theatre production but as a thriller book it slightly missed the mark. I feel there was just something missing from the middle of the book that could have pushed it to a 4/5 star read.

The last section of the book is where all the tension and edge of your seat reading was. The characters were well developed with some you love and some you hated the way it should be in a fiction novel.

The storyline was very descriptive and the author made the readers feel as if they were a part of everything. I would recommend as the last part was full of twists and shocks.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this book. The twists throughout the book definitely caught me by surprise and the elements of the weather throughout put you more on edge as the story continued. The ending was perfect as it didn't leave you wondering what happened at all and tied the story together nicely. I would definitely recommend giving this book a read when it comes out!

Well, this was a hard hitting family drama. There were many secrets, lies, twists and turns as this story unfolds. Definitely wanted to read what was coming next. Thanks NetGalley for the eArc

I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of this book before it released. Jamie Day is an excellent author, but this book wasn’t one that I would choose to read over again.

Overall, it is a good book. I was cheering on Charley and hoping she came out on top after being dealt a rough hand in life. The chapter were nice and short, but it felt like I was never going to finish the book. Of the 25 books I’ve read this year, this one took me the longest, but wasn’t actually the longest book.

The Precipice is a legendary, family owned hotel in Maine. The Bishop sister return home upon the death of their father. A hurricane is looming, and the sister are harboring secrets. Each sister wants what is rightfully theirs, but the reading of the will proves differently. Charley Kelly is the chambermaid that really needs the job. She is fearful of what awaits the fate of the hotel. Add to this, she is hiding a friend in one of the rooms who is trying to get away from an abusive boyfriend. In addition, there is a death in the hotel. I won't give any spoilers. Read it to find out who and whether Charley saves her job.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the copy. I’d give this one a 3.5/5. This was my first Jamie Day book and I think it was pretty decent. The premise was intriguing - I’m a sucker for thriller movies set in hotel/motel settings so I was reeled in from the beginning. It was honestly reminiscent of an Agatha Christie style of storytelling.