In One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day coming out July 16, Charley Kelley is the chambermaid for the Precipice Hotel in Jonesport, Maine. The owner has recently died, and his three daughters, Iris, Vicki, and Faith, are arriving on the weekend to claim their inheritance. On top of her cleaning duties, Charley and the front desk manager are working to put up plywood and plastic as they brace for a hurricane.

The Bishop sisters are a force to be reckoned with as they are concealing secrets that will be unveiled as the weekend goes on. Each sister wants her share, but their father’s will comes as a surprise. Vicki is a take charge person, and she wants to renovate the entire place. She has Charley take notes while they tour the property and determine the projects to be completed.

After her detailed inspection, Vicki considers tearing down the hotel and building condos which would be a low blow for Charley who has been able to live at the hotel rent free, helping her afford the elder care her grandmother needs. Charley has already been making a practice of taking money from guests to help ends meet. Worse, she is using one of the expensive rooms to hide a woman on the run from her abusive boyfriend.

The story is told from Charley’s point of view as she tries to accommodate the sisters and their families that include a wife, a husband, and two children. In this Agatha Christie-like tale, one by one people are winding up dead. Who will be next? How will the hurricane impact the weekend? How many secrets will be revealed before the weekend comes to a close?

Jamie Day follows up her debut novel Block Party with this thriller. She lives in a New England town. In addition to writing, she enjoys reading, yoga, the ocean, cooking, and long walks on the beach.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting April 15, 2024.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I loved this family, locked door thriller! It would be a fun summer/spring break book while still be exciting and engaging. Highly recommend!

Once I started reading this book I seriously couldn't put it down!
At first I got overwhelmed with how many characters were introduced all at once! But after a few chapters you got to know each and every person on a personal level!
I was not expecting this many twists, affairs or scandals!
I love Ollie, and how he mostly spoke in rhymes! It added a very funny element to the story!
This is an easy 5 star read for me!
I am still in awe after finishing it!
Jamie Day has become one of my favorite authors!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book. I was lucky enough to also get an ARC of her first book, "The Block Party" and I really enjoyed it. This read was a tad bit off for me. I felt it was a very slow start with characters that weren't well developed. There definitely was some good twists and turns with some family member relations and the painting. Overall it was ok read for me. I hope others enjoy it.

One Big Happy Family is definitely one to throw in your beach bag this summer! It's a fast-paced page-turner with short chapters and will certainly hold your attention. The Bishop family, proprietors of the Precipice hotel on the coast of Maine, are dealing with the death of their father and an impending hurricane. Charley, the hotel chambermaid, is trying to hold it all together and keep the three Bishop sisters from killing each other after their father's will is read. How many people will die before the hurricane subsides and the police can rescue them? Read this twisty, locked room mystery full of family secrets to find out! Thanks so much to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and author Jamie Day for the librarian preview copy.

One Big Happy Family is such a fun read!! It is completely captivating from the very first page until the end with lots of twists and turns. Jamie Day never disappoints in delivering a fun easy read that will keep you hooked. I really enjoy the way she weaves a story throughout. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

To use a cliche: I didn’t see that one coming! Jamie Day has written a novel with more twists than the road that leads up towards The Precipice Hotel, the scene for this mystery. Its owner, the odious George Bishop has died of a heart attack. In come his three villainous daughters, one money hungry son-in-law, a new age daughter-in-law and his two grandsons who are unique. Add to the mix, the general manager Rodrigo, the Bishops’ attorney Brenda Black, the “stowaway “ Bree and the live-in maid Charley.. Family secrets, crimes and true colors come to light along with revenge during a vicious hurricane named Larry. A good summer mystery for sure!

At about 60% of the way through, I started to have my suspicions. At about 90% of the way through, some of my suspicions were confirmed, HOWEVER, there was a huge twist that I didn’t see coming.

Thoughts:
-loved the setting - so vibey
-made me wanna read it while it rained
-relationships are complicated
-reminded me of that quote that talks about your worth… I can’t totally remember it but basically if you don’t feel worthy you’re in the wrong surroundings? Or something like that. You are not your circumstances. Sometimes things go wrong and nothing seems to go right (talking about Charley here - not the other situations in the book) but then sometimes, everything seems to work out.

Read this if you like:
-that Spider-Man meme where he’s pointing his finger at other versions of himself
-cozy hotels with dark secrets
-books that have stormy scenes that make you want to read when it rains out under covers in bed
-playing clue

Thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Day, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love this. Great suspense, several possible suspects. I couldn't put it down! The added drama of a hurricane made the story even more ominous

I want to thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review the ARC of One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day..

“Who’d even use Belladonna anyway? he asks. That’s such a bookclub way to die.”

“One of us will lose her life.
Another one will pay the price.
The last one will mourn alone,
For the past she must atone.”

A happy family.? I don’t think so! Creepy from the start. The Precipice Hotel overlooks a cliff in Maine.
Hurricane Larry is heading their way.. The family has gathered for the reading of the will. And so it goes.
The book is a bit long but you want to see how it all plays out!
One Big Happy Family publishes July 16th, 2024.

I loved this author’s last book, Block Party, so I was so excited for this one. I didn’t like this one quite as much, but I still liked it!
It’s about a family that returns home after their father dies to hear the will. The father owns a large hotel and that is where they all gather. Once there, a terrible storm bears down, trapping them all in isolation. Fighting begins on the very first day and then someone is murdered. No one knows who to trust.

This thriller will have you on the edge of your seat. More like 4 1/2 stars ⭐️. I was intrigued the entire time. So many different twist and turns that you don’t know who to believe. We find ourselves in a small in in Maine as a storm approaches where three sisters are returning to deal with their father passing. Let’s just say everybody holds secrets. The characters were amazing, the writing made it easy to read, and it was very well thought out

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Thrilling Stormy Stars

Do you really know who your family are , and at what lengths would go to protect them ?

“Somewhere behind me, the three Bishop sisters are cloaked in this impenetrable darkness. Only one question remains: Which sister is coming to kill me?…”

Woah 😳 One Big Happy Family is a taut thriller that will have you hanging on for dear life , with classic twists & turns that will keep you guessing to the very end .

Read this book if you like stories centred around :
🔪 Dysfunctional Families
🔪 Stormy settings
🔪 Excellent character building
🔪 Hotel Atmosphere
🔪 Mystery & Murder
🔪 Perfect Ebb & Flow of plot twists

Charley is the chambermaid of The Precipice Hotel and the owner George has just passed away.

She is faced early on with challenges and placed in a difficult position that could cost her job, but her heart gets in the way and decides to help out the young woman in need .

Charley secretly hides the young woman Bree in the hotel before the Bishop family arrives for the unveiling of the will .

But the storm is getting closer and tension rises and Charley learns quickly that the Bishop sisters are a bunch of crazy dysfunctional siblings…and a lot of death to follow 💀

This is my first time reading this author and will not be my last . I loved the writing style and it was very easy to read and fast paced . It also reminded me of the old board game Clue , a classic who done it mystery! 🕵️‍♀️

Make sure to save this post if you’re a lover of mystery suspense novels !!

Thank you NetGalley ,St. Martin’s Press and Jaime Day for this tantalizing mystery 🙏

This is the story of a not so functional family returning to their family’s hotel for the reading of a will. During their time there, there are several deaths, lies, deceit, and oh so much drama.

I appreciated the eventfulness and twists and turns the story took. It was sometimes a little hard to follow along with, however, and for all the drama that ensued, I didn’t necessarily find the plot to be terribly riveting. I was pleased with the ending and the unveiling of the mysterious villains of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this ebook!

Since this has a couple of hundred of helpful reviews, I don't have anything new to add.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

Great hook in the beginning. Lots of suspense and mystery during a storm. Hard to put down, lots of twists. The Bishop sisters return to the family hotel to claim rights after their fatjer passes away. 3.5 stars

Jamie Day rocks! One Big Happy is an awesome locked room thriller! Hotel maid Charlie is preparing not only for the Bishop sisters, the heirs to The Precipice Hotel, but also Hurricane Larry! A knock on door reveals, not the sisters, but a woman seeking a place to hide from her abusive boyfriend. The sisters arrive, but so does Larry! They are cut off from the main road as the storm rages.
So many twists and turns! Rich complex characters and a setting you won’t soon forget.

I loved Jamie Day's debut novel, and this one did not disappoint! I gave it a 4/5 because there were a few moments where the story lagged from the character development in the different sections, but overall, it was a great thriller. I devoured this book in two days and loved the plot twists with characters. The characters kept me guessing. I was able to figure out many of the twists, but a few still shocked me! Definitely a great summer thriller to enjoy!

Thanks #netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my arc.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one early.
This book started out having me interested then slowed a little but picked up in the middle.
With many ups and downs, twists and turns and surprises it kept me interested. Boom I did not see that coming! The Bishop family is Dysfunctional at its finest!! Don’t believe me. Read it for yourself but you may have to wait until July 16,2024 published by St. Martin’s Press!!

If you like a good rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns this is definitely a book for you. A fun book to read on a crappy day with a nice cup of hot tea.
A murder mystery, that has some twist and some glimpses of what you think might have happened. But some major twists I didn’t see coming.
I will definitely be looking for more of Jamie Days books.
If they are anything like this one they I’m sure I will enjoy them
If you like a good whodunnit mystery this is a book for you.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC