What a fun read with a cast of dysfunctional characters. An old home place that’s a resort. A maid who is caught up with a stray wanting to hide from an abusive boyfriend and a crazy bunch of sisters and two of their offspring and one husband. A lot of twists from the past cause friction. A murder happens and we’re off to who done it. I did have a feeling of who was behind things and turned out I was right! Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

A story filled with chaos, grudges, secrets and many family issues. Storytelling was great and I was hooked from the start.

One Big Happy Family is just bad. And I don't mean the family referenced in the title, though they are. The book itself was not written well. The protagonist is a nineteen year old high school dropout, and the book kind of feels like it was written by one. I'm all about authors getting in the minds of their characters, but writing like one isn't necessary. In this story Charley is a chambermaid at a boutique, family owned hotel. Hired by the owner because he has a thing for young women that Charley fits the profile for, she takes the job and fends off his advances to be able to pay for care for her grandmother. When he dies, his three daughters come to town to hear the reading of the will. And even though it's Maine, which never experiences hurricanes, of course there's a hurricane that turns the hotel into a locked room situation. But Charley and the sisters aren't the only ones there. The lawyer is there, two spouses, two sons - one undeniably creepy and rhyming in everything he says, and Bree, a woman that Charley's crossed paths with is there too. And Charley's friend Rodrigo, who has a grudge against the lawyer may or may not be hanging around as well. No one should be surprised that Bree is not what she seems. The story isn't written well enough for her to just be a woman fleeing her abusive boyfriend. Again, not surprisingly, people start dying and the sisters start sniping at one another with attitudes and allegiances changing regularly. The dialogue is banal. Then Charley has to develop a crush on Quinn, one of the sons, because apparently there needs to be a romance that doesn't make any sense in the middle of a thriller. Then there are several parts that go back to rehash the three Bishop sisters' past and that of Bree's in ways that seem entirely unnecessary. Then there's the abrupt chapter at the end of the book that's told from Bree's point of view instead of Charley's. Basically, I was just trying to make it through this book. It didn't take me long to not care who died, why somebody killed them, or if Charley and Quinn would or wouldn't have a happily ever after. Save your time and skip this book for one that's much better written. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This family is def. one I don't want to be apart of. Having said that, the way they interact, the secrets and emotions the author writes through, the book had a sound plot. Even though I didn't find any of the family members memorable, that's okay. The book stands on its own merit.

First of all I’d like to thanks NetGalley for the advanced ARC copy. This was my first time with this author and sadly it fell short for me as a thriller. With the thriller category in my head it just didn’t match up to the hype I was expecting. However, I did enjoy the book being separated into four parts and shorter chapters is always a bonus especially with a longer drawn out book.

One Big Happy Family has a strong yet somewhat convoluted premise: locked door mystery at an isolated hotel during a hurricane featuring a family reunion that’s full of secrets and the results of a will that will surely tear the family apart. Add in a desperate maid who befriends a stranger, staff that have their own axes to grind, and a lawyer who somehow dabbles in immigration and estate law. Whew!

With all of those aspects, one would expect the tension to be taut and the pace to be fast. What unfurls is a fairly predictable story where the author tells us the story instead of showing us. Characters make decisions that are 180 degrees from what we’ve seen and some are just incredibly stupid. I also thought that putting the occurrences of the past in the middle of the book instead of at the climax wasn’t ideal.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoy a locked-room mystery and this one had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath.

The setting is The Precipice Hotel in Main. Hurricane Larry is approaching and George Bishop (owner) has died. His daughters and lawyer are coming for the funeral and to read the will.

Charley Kelley (age 19) is a maid at The Precipice and lives at the hotel as well. She also has responsibility for her Nana who lives at Guiding Way. Charley does whatever she has to to take care of her Nana so she's nervous about her future at the hotel The more we get to know this great cast of characters, the more their personalities reveal who they really are and their secrets are exposed. What could possibly go wrong while they're trapped in the hotel as the storm rages outside and tempers are flaring inside? You've got to go on this journey with Charley to get to the ending that I was thrilled with!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. I highly recommend "One Big Happy Family"!

Another great book to take on a beach trip, in my opinion. I always love thrillers that take place at the beach. This one was a quick and easy read.

4 ⭐️- at first i didn’t think i would like this book but WOW! it had A LOT going on, so many secrets, and the twists did not disappoint!

I was very excited when I saw that Jamie Day was publishing a new book. I had read her debut novel, Block Party, and liked it. I couldn’t wait to jump right in and read it. After reading it, I liked the book but was disappointed by it.

My disappointment was with how flat this book felt to me. I was expecting a more fleshed-out book that had layers to it. Don’t get me wrong, this book had layers. But unraveling one layer and going to the next became exhausting to read.

Other than Charley, the other characters in the book weren’t as fleshed out as they should have been. The dynamic between the sisters seemed forced and a little over the top at times. They were also flat. The author attempted to give them depth (and of the three, Faith had the most depth, in my eyes), but it wasn’t enough. Even Oliver, who was on the spectrum or neurodivergent and spoke in rhymes, was flat.

Don’t get me wrong—the book wasn’t that bad, and I will discuss the good parts after this paragraph. However, the lack of depth in the storyline and characters did bring it down in my eyes. Also, remember that this is her second book, and I haven’t met an author yet whose second book does as well as their debut novels.

So, with that said, let’s move on to the good.

I enjoyed the storyline and the secondary storylines that supported it. I felt they were well written, and some details gave additional insight into how the Bishop sisters’ relationship evolved. Significant trauma in their home life influenced how they turned out as adults. I’m not making excuses for them, but I didn’t see anyone walking away from their home life and being an emotionally healthy, stable adult.

Charley’s backstory was awful. She lived through so much in her life. She was devoted to her Nana and worked herself to the bone to cover the nursing home’s rent. The scenes with Nana broke my heart. Dementia is not an easy thing to happen to your loved one, and the author did hit the nail on the head. There is a twist to her storyline that made me so upset and so angry for her. All I have to say is thank goodness for Bree. If Bree hadn’t done what she did (to repay Charley’s kindness), what was happening would still be going on, with Charley none the wiser.

The mystery angle of the book was terrific. The author had me all twisted in knots trying to figure out who killed Todd and Ms. Black. The author brings in a paranormal angle to the mystery with Holly and Oliver. But I found that a bit distracting. The author also layered the mysteries. It also added to the overall suspense and tension of the situation (stuck at the hotel due to a hurricane). Believe me when I say that all the secrets are revealed. I was surprised at the twist with Todd’s murder, but, at the same time, it made sense (considering what was revealed later on). But the biggest reveal happens at the end of the book. Not only did the author reveal who Ms. Black’s killer was, but she also revealed another colossal surprise that, honestly, I should have seen coming.

The end of One Big Happy Family was anticlimactic. I can’t tell you what happened (spoilers), but everything made me a little let down.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Jamie Day for allowing me to read and review this ARC of One Big Happy Family. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

This was a very interesting thriller. I really liked parts of the book and others I didn’t. I saw some of the twists coming. Overall, it was just an okay read.

Wow talk about a dysfunctional family! I was totally into this at first but got slightly bored and distracted with the second half. It was a promising start but a mediocre finish! Thankful for the advanced copy though

Welcome to The Precipice, a legendary family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine, where secrets abound and danger lurks around every corner. In Jamie Day's One Big Happy Family, the Bishop sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—have gathered to claim their inheritance after the passing of their father. But with a hurricane looming and each sister harboring dangerous secrets, murder is in the air, and not everyone who checks into The Precipice will be checking out.

While the toxic family dynamics add an intriguing layer to the story, One Big Happy Family fell short for me. As someone who isn't a fan of locked room mysteries, I found myself comparing it to similar novels I've read in the past. Unfortunately, the book didn't quite hit the mark for me. Although the twists and turns kept the suspense high, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd been down this road before. If you enjoy suspenseful locked room mysteries, you may find this book entertaining, but personally, I felt that other authors have executed similar premises more effectively.

Thank you NetGalley and Jamie Day for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ This is my first Jamie Day book and will not be my last. It took me a bit to get into, but I throughly enjoy this book. I loved the setting, drama, and characters. The only thing I would say I didn't like is the amount of stuff going on. I had to take notes of the different characters. Overall I think this was a good read!

Book Title: One Big Happy Family
Author: Jamie Day
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: July 16, 2024
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages: 384


I read and enjoyed Jamie Day’s [book: The Block Party] and have been looking forward to this her latest summer suspense.

The story is told by Charley Kelley and the three Bishop Sisters

Charley Kelley is smart, resilient, older than her years, and is the chambermaid at the ‘Precipice Hotel’ in order to help pay for Nana’s housing.

‘The Precipice Hotel is a legendary, family-owned hotel located on the edge of Gull Hill; overlooking the ocean in Jonesport, Maine. George Bishops was the current owner and recently died. His three daughters —Iris, Vicki, and Faith—arrive at the hotel for the weekend to claim their inheritance.
Vicki – is the elder sister she is vicious married to Todd who is a lot like her!
Iris – is the middle sister an ex-convict, troubled, and into the new religious awakening.
Faith – is the youngest, a model, stylish, loves being in the spotlight!

This one big happy family has many secrets and with the threat of a hurricane Larry there might be more than wind in the air.

Early in the story Carley meet Bree Bradford- of course, I had no idea at that point that she might be worst Larry!!

Although I did love Charley and her relationship with Nana -unfortunately this wasn’t one big happy read for me.
I believe my expectation was too high since I enjoyed “The Block Party”.

I did enjoy reading the Author’s Acknowledgements. I like known the behind the scenes well as the inspiration for the story.
Found out that yes there is a Gull Hill only it is in Provincetown, Massachusetts; plus the hotel is the ’Land’s End’.
Hmm It would be fun to have a book club meeting there – wouldn’t it?

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 16, 2024.

What a fun read. I loved how the book was written! Jamie Day paints a great read with her words. It’s quite a family affair. Just when you think a family couldn’t be any more dysfunctional, the story takes another turn. This was a cover to cover 2 day read for me. I highly recommend it!
Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Jamie Day for the invite/opportunity to read and enjoy this ARC.

This one had a strong start, and while I was anxiously turning the pages to figure out they mystery (I didn't), there was a large chunk in the middle that really dragged for me. This was my first Jamie Day novel, and I will give her another chance given my desire to keep going (despite feeling only so so about the plot).

Just so-so for me. Started strong,then dragged on and on when it didn't need to. Unlike most here, I didn't like the author's other book either, but wanted to give one more chance.
I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I loved Day’s The Block Party and this book began just as strong. I loved Charley and her character development. I believe the setting was unique and interesting. However, when paranormal activity was mentioned and spirits I began to believe this book was taking a turn that didn’t hold my interest. The last 30% dragged on for me. I kept going with the book and I’m glad I did. That twist wrapped everything up and left me appreciating the writing skill that Day has.
Overall, 3.5 stars

Charley is a maid at a successful hotel when the owner dies. With his three daughters come up for the funeral and will, Charley knows she must hide her habits of stealing money, as well as the stowaway she offered shelter to. The night after the will reading, one of them is found dead and murder is suspected, however, with a huge storm rolling in, there is no way to contact authorities. They are stuck together.

I absolutely loved this book! It was plot twist after plot twist and I truly couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed learning about the sister's lives as it sort of explained why they were the way they were and every chapter had a cliffhanger that sucked you right back in. The end was the biggest plot twist ever! I never saw that coming! I also loved how the mystery alluded you to think something was going to happen, but then it was a completely different thing!

I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anybody, especially is you love murder mysteries or who-done-it books. I can't wait to read more by Jamie Day!