I had high hopes for Jamie Day's second novel, but ultimately it fell a bit flat for me. The Precipice is a family-owned hotel on the edges of the Maine Coast. When the owner passes away, his three daughters (Faith, Iris, and Vicki) decide to return for a weekend in order to claim the property. With drama and issues all their own, they each come in tow with family members that also may not have the best motives. Also residing at the inn? The long-time chambermaid, Charley, along with a woman on the run that Charley has been secretly harboring. With the return of the three sisters, Charley is a ball of nerves. Not only does she work at the inn, but she also resides there. What will happen when the sisters become the new owners? Will Charley be tossed out onto the street? And what will happen when they find out about the stray hotel guest that Charley has been allowing to hide on the property?

To make matters even more stressful, a rogue hurricane is looming on the horizon, potentially trapping all of the guests inside the property for days on end. As emotions become more tense, family secrets are slowly revealed. It appears that things have not always been what they have seemed. Will all of the guests survive the devastating hurricane.....and each other?

I feel like this novel has been done many, many times before, and a whole lot better. While it had the potential to be a thrilling read, it just seemed unrealistic to me. I did not particularly care for any of the characters, and the ultimate twist at the end just seemed a bit farfetched. This book was a take-it-or-leave-it for me.

"One Big Family" by Jamie Day promises a tantalizing blend of family drama, secrets, and suspense against the backdrop of the atmospheric Precipice hotel on the coast of Maine. The story follows the Bishop sisters – Iris, Vicki, and Faith – as they converge at the hotel to claim their inheritance amidst the looming threat of a hurricane. With each sister guarding dangerous secrets, the stage is set for murder and mayhem.

At the heart of the narrative is Charley Kelley, the resourceful chambermaid with her own set of troubles. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Charley finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue that could spell disaster for her precarious situation.

Jamie Day skillfully weaves together a tale of ambition, betrayal, and survival, keeping readers on the edge of their seats with razor-sharp wit and unexpected twists. The characters are vividly drawn, each with their own motivations and flaws, adding depth to the intricate plot.

"One Big Family" is a gripping summer read that delivers suspense in spades, making it a must-read for fans of atmospheric thrillers. Jamie Day's storytelling prowess shines through, ensuring that readers will be captivated until the very last page.

This book was unique. The beginning of the book captured my attention quickly however, I did feel like at times the story drifted and got away from the actual story at hand. While I enjoyed the character development I did find that the narrator was not my favorite.

I think the premise of the story was very interesting, I just wish the way it played out had caused me to be more invested.

I finished because I genuinely wanted to know how it end. It started off so well... but I had to push through after the 60% mark. I was underwhelmed.

I enjoyed Jamie Day's last book The Block Party and was excited to dig into another thriller about adults behaving badly. One Big Happy Family did not disappoint. The family-owned Precipice Hotel is on the remote coast of Maine and three sisters have gathered there for the reading of their father's will. The sisters have arrived with a lot of personal baggage, and when the reading of the will unveils unexpected beneficiaries, things turn deadly. With a hurricane bearing down, the group is also now isolated. 19 year old Charley Kelley finds herself in the middle of all the family drama. As secrets are exposed, the hotel devolves into chaos, with everyone pointing fingers and fighting to stay alive. While the story felt, at times, over the top, I could not help but love every minute. This is a fun read! I rooted for Charley who has been caught in the middle of something she has had no control over. It was hard to pick which sister was more unlikeable and with each reveal I would change my mind. The plot was a rollercoaster and the ending was completely satisfying.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

The Precipice is a unique hotel on Maine. When the owner George dies, his 3 daughters arrive for the reading of the will and bring along a lot of secrets. . The sole maid, Charley has secrets of her own. Of course nothing is that easy- a hurricane, death, hidden guests and selfish sisters cause chaos. Will they survive the storm? Jamie Day is now one of my must read authors.

Thank you to St. Martin Press, Jamie Day and NetGalley for the advance Ebook.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

An okay read. It's a clue in and of itself, there are so many red herrings it's easy to latch on to the correct one.

I'll admit, I liked her first book, (The Block Party) better.

3☆

George Bishop owns the Precipice Hotel off the coast of Maine - at least, he did before he died. His three daughters are coming into town for the reading of the will/funeral, and they brought with them Hurricane Larry (because you can’t have a locked-room mystery without a storm to knock out the power!)

The story is mostly told from the perspective of a chambermaid at the hotel, 19-year-old Charley. Her mother overdosed, so she lives and works at the hotel to take care of her Nana, who suffers from dementia. As the storm is rolling in, she awaits the Bishop Sisters and the drama they will bring. Along with them, we have:

-Rodrigo, the maintenance man who went home when the storms started
-Olga, the cook who quit when the family arrived
-Bree, a girl on vacation with her boyfriend, Jake, who she is running from after he assaulted her, and
-Brenda, the attorney who is there to read the will

And then we have the Bishop sisters: uptight Vicki, her creepy husband Todd, and their son Quinn; Faith, her hippie partner Hope, and their son Oliver, and Iris, the recovering addict born-again Christian.

Charley immediately notices the family doesn’t seem to care for each other, or about their father’s passing, and the reading of the will definitely didn’t help matters. Then, someone is dead and there’s a weird poem written on a mirror, which leads to the Tarot cards coming out. Then, the story takes a short turn on the back burner while we hear all about the sisters and how they became the women they are. Finally, a lot of stuff goes down before a conclusion I never saw coming.

This is definitely a typical locked room thriller, with a wealthy family at odds and a storm that makes escape impossible. The lack of originality in the plot overall was slightly disappointing, but the ending did get quite creative as family secrets kept coming out. You’ll need to suspend plausibility, but overall this was a mystery that surprised me at almost every turn. 3.5 stars!

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Jamie Day and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 16, 2024.)

I really enjoy a high-stakes thriller, and this definitely was set up to be one. In the end, I think that the author tried to do too many things and it fell a little flat for me. Parts were predictable and while the point was that none of the characters were likable, I needed to have someone to root for. I would definitely read more books from this author.

One Big Happy Family
3.5⭐️

Family drama. A big mansion of a hotel on the edge of an isolated cliff. A major hurricane threatening otherwise accessible resources. And, of course, murder. I kept fluctuating from 3 and 4 stars throughout my reading.

Part 1 introduces the Precipice Hotel and Charley, the hotel housekeeper. Charley is very young and working to the bone to provide basic necessities for herself and her grandmother’s assisted living costs. She lives and breathes work at the Precipice. It hasn’t been a good experience working for George, the owner, but now that he’s passed the unknown just might be worse as his daughters come to the hotel for the reading of the will. Charley worries she won’t have a job.

Part 2 reads as a quick overview of the past few decades giving us a deeper introduction and history of the Bishop sisters. It feels like breezy bullet points to cement the important historical facts. Reminded me of a movie montage. Unique and different from Part 1.

Part 3 and 4: the storm and drama rage on.

Some of the twists were predictable, but there were some I just couldn’t figure out until they were revealed. Much of the book was told from Charley’s POV (Charley Kelley: It’s Always Sunny fans this made me laugh). Charley is a very young adult which made much of the narration seem immature, but it made sense for Charley.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. The review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Pub Date Jul 16 2024

My Thoughts

The name of the book is actually not what attracted me to this read.

Indeed from my own experiences in life am well aware there is rarely such a thing as one big happy family .

What we do have is a family filled with secrets, both shared and others that are kept closely guarded.

During the course of this intense story secrets from the past impact the present as a Hurricane named Larry traps Iris, Vicki, Faith, Charley and others within what turns out to be quite an intense reading experience.

While I didn’t totally love it, I couldn’t stop reading once I started the book.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I had never read a novel by Jamie Day before... but, I love mystery and thriller novels so when this became available to me, I jumped on the opportunity to read it!

The story was broken into four parts, which I enjoyed as the chapters were short and easy to read. However, I think that the story started to drag on halfway through the novel... the characters backstories made it too long for me. It kind of lost it's "thriller" title. The plot, at the beginning, hooked me-- but, there were many times that the story didn't hook me and thinks seemed unanswered.

Overall, I will definitely be reading more Day novels...

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Jamie Day for allowing me to review this twisty thriller. This is the second book I have read by this author and I can’t wait to read more in the future. I love the twists and turns and family drama! It is so entertaining! This is a great summer read! Thank you again for allowing me to review this book.

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY ⭐️⭐️

I wanted to love this one so badly - but it was just mid for me. It does NOT help that I’ve been in a reading slump for a month buttt this one fell short for me as the ending was too predictable and the book was too long.

The main character, Charley was the maid at the family owned hotel - she had her hands full juggling the hotel, family secrets, and a murder. And puts up with a LOT of drama throughout the novel.

I do love a family drama thriller but this one was heavy on the family secrets really. I just couldn’t fully get behind this one.

📆Thank you @netgalley for this ARC - One Big Happy Family comes out July 16th!

READ IF YOU ENJOY: Agatha Christie’s Books or 📚The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

📚2024 Book 23/52

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Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.
The Precipice Hotel in Maine is the setting for this locked room mystery. A hurricane is bearing down on the Bishop family as they gather for the reading of George Bishop’s will. The ownership of the hotel hangs in balance as Charley, the maid, and Bree, a woman that Charley is providing shelter , watch the chaotic Bishop sisters bicker over the will.
Death and dysfunction prevail over the twisty secrets that are unveiled. The characters were a little over the top at times.
Alice Feeney and Ruth Ware readers will enjoy this murder mystery

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is a must read! Following the Bishop family and Charley through a hurricane while they are all trapped together at The Precipice Hotel. There are so many twists and turns while serious secrets come to light! This book kept me guessing and I wasn't disappointed in the least!

One Big Happy Family?

This locked-door mystery is anything but family-friendly! The Bishop sisters are a whirlwind of secrets and drama, each with their own scandalous baggage. ️

Throw in a hurricane, a suspicious death, and a cast of characters with more to hide than a magician’s hat and you've got a recipe for nonstop twists!

This book will keep you guessing until the very end, but be warned - the chaos can get a little overwhelming at times. ‍

Overall, a fun escape for mystery lovers who enjoy a good dose of family dysfunction but it lost its steam towards the end.

The Precipice is filled with history, bad memories, and distrust. For Everyone weathering Hurricane Larry! This book is filled with the past and present, angst, anger and regret.

The book is split into four sections, the first section was hard for me to follow. There are a lot of characters and they are mostly female. For awhile I was confused on who was related to whom and how they fit into the equation. Honestly, it took me awhile to get through the first section but once I did it was so worth it and I could not put it down.

There were many points in the book where I thought I had it ALL figured out, only to change my mind and suspect someone else. There were many unexpected twists and I never suspected one of the plot twists. It was brilliant and it kept me on my toes! What I liked even more is that the excitement continued throughout the book, with results being revealed part way through the book and at the end of the book. It made the book super exciting and interesting. So exciting that I finished it at 3 am....

This book was especially awesome because I have two sisters....hoping we never have this much conflict and drama!

The setting in this book created such a tense vibe. I couldn’t put this book down and as I raced through, I tried to figure out what was going to happen but I was completely wrong. This was a great popcorn thriller.

One Big Happy Family. But are they really? There seem to be an awful lot of secrets being kept. This book had all the thrills and more!