I was excited to read this book after reading The Block Party.

Charley is a maid who works at The Precipice, a, eclectic, family owned hotel. The owner, George Bishop, passes away and Charley is preparing for his daughters to arrive and prepare for an upcoming hurricane.

One Big Happy Family is filled with shocking secrets, family drama and interesting characters..

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

There are few things I love more than a locked-room domestic thriller. Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite.

Ugh. Unfortunately I really did not love this book at all. The writing felt a bit juvenile and the plot contrived. I also felt like I could see all of the twists coming from a mile away. There were too many ancillary characters to really feel connected with any of them individually. I sort of felt the author was trying to pack too much into one story--spooky hotel, the recently popular maid trope, family secrets, murder, paternity questions, stowaway, person facing deportation.....again, too much. I really loved Jamie Day's "The Block Party" so maybe this was just a fluke.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.

The book does a great job of introducing each character both in the present but also the past. There are quite a few twists I didn’t see coming and caught me off guard.

3.5 stars

This book made me so thankful that I don't have sisters. Talk about dysfunctional.

I love a good locked room mystery, and the setting was perfect. A hotel in coastal Maine with a storm coming sets the perfect scene for a whodunit mystery.

The story was good and well paced, but I felt like it was just a little too long with a rushed ending. I enjoyed The Block Party by this same author, but I didn't enjoy this one as much. I will most definitely give his other books a try!

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day had a lot of plot ideas to like: murder, locked-room mystery, hurricane bearing down, and drama. However, the family drama was also a negative as it detracted from the rest of the plot. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

An interesting story with many twists and turns that are unexpected. When the patriarch of a family passes away what will become of his hotel. Add in a major hurricane and lots of family drama and you get One Big Happy Family! There are lots of interesting mini story line throughout the book, like who is this random stranger that just appears with no money... how will all the characters fare in the storm. Read on!

Ok, I really liked certain things about this book….aaand I really didn’t like other things. I enjoyed the premise of everyone being stuck at the hotel during a hurricane trying to figure out the murderer. It was also fast paced and kept me guessing. I love the writing style of the author. However, the characters are just all so unlikable. I mean, I was rooting for the villain because those sisters were just insufferable. Also, the love interest was horrible. There was a moment towards the end that I thought he acted so stupidly that I couldn’t believe the main character cared about him. I didn’t enjoy the ending in general and felt it didn’t give appropriate justice to the people who deserved it.

This as a great story about a very dysfunctional family. It was interesting how all the sisters had issues that alll wove together in different ways. The story showed ways that even in today’s society those that work hard for a living are still looked down upon by those that have money. I as happy to see in the end that wealth was shared by all.

This novel captures the essence of family dynamics. The writing style is engaging drawing readers into this chaotic family.
The characters are each well developed with their own quirks. The Miller family has sibling rivalry and buried secrets as the plot unfolds. The twists sometimes felt predictable, but I did think it was an engaging story.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my #gifted copy.

This definitely was a nail-biter locked room thriller that I really enjoyed. I loved the setting of this novel. This will definitely be THE summer thriller to read!

This was a mixed bag for me, sometimes I liked it and other times it felt unrealistic, overdramatic and a bit too long. I liked the characters though and that kept me reading 3.5

Review: I’ve been waiting to read a Jamie Day novel for a while, and wow, I’m so glad I did! This was such a great story from the plot, to the characters, to the ultimate twist at the end.

It’s a locked room mystery, which I really enjoy, set in a family own hotel. When the owner dies, his three daughters return to read the will and get their part of the estate. While they are heading there, the chambermaid (Charley) has to get the hotel really not only for the guests but the looming storm.

The story was told in first person from Charley’s account. I absolutely loved her character giving a fresh perspective amongst all the chaos. Multiple people die, lots of backstabbing, secrets revealed, and plot twists make this story great. While I kind of guessed where the story was going, I didn’t know how it would play out. It was a little slow in the beginning, but really picked up speed. I still really enjoyed it and highly recommend this book! A really fun mystery that I loved reading.

I can’t say I overall enjoyed One Big Happy Family. I found it a bit far fetched and too much drama that just made me want to roll my eyes. I liked the setting and the approaching hurricane added some suspense. This was one messed up family! The ending felt drawn out and I felt like I wanted it to end quicker than it did as I lost interest in how slowly it was wrapping up.

I loved the setting of this book - a group of people stuck at a hotel, in the middle of a hurricane, no cell service - and a killer in the midst.

Things got a little weird and unbelievable towards the end, but I can definitely say that it kept me guessing all the way through.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was one combination of story line that had a punch from the very start. The sisters gather for the reading of the father’s will. He was the owner of the Precipice Hotel in a small town in Maine. Charley was the cleaner of the hotel for years, truly hating the job but having to keep it to pay for her grandmother in a care home and to keep her home also. No job would mean they are both homeless.
This is all happening as a hurricane is heading their way. I have to say that as I was reading this book the pages could not turn fast enough for me!
The author has done a great job of hooking the readers and keeping them engrossed in the story. This is one book you will want to get and be ready for all the twists and turns along with secrets, lies and personalities that are each different from the others.
As I was reading, I could hear the music that would be playing in the background if this book were a movie!
Thank you NetGalley, Jamie Day and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of the book One Big Happy Family. This is my personal review.

This is such a nice, mentally relaxing, fast paced psychological thriller as a change of pace from the more gruesome horrors I've been reading lately. The story moves along quickly and I was immediately engaged in the plot. I enjoyed the plot as I chose this as a change of pace, but it might not be your typical thriller, mostly with a little less suspense and more family drama. That being said, I do recommend this book as a light and fun read, and I will definitely be picking up another of the author's books.

I really enjoyed this book and I can’t say I’m surprised since I enjoyed this authors first novel as well. The short chapters were awesome and the setting was fun too!

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin's Publishing Company. This storyline had so many twist and turns and will leave you guessing until the very end! There is drama, mystery, suspense and maybe some romance. Charley is a survivor. She has been a dealt a hard hand in life. With her mom dying young and having to take care of her Nana. In life who can you trust. Can you trust the ones closest to you or are they the ones you need to keep a close eye on. Then the Bishop family/sisters have an interesting family dynamics. Do they protect one another or each other worst enemies? Or is it maybe both? This story is for a mature reader and can be read anywhere.

I had mixed feedings on One Big Happy family. There are times I enjoyed the characters and the mystery of who dunnit but overall the story just fell flat for me and I figured out the main twist pretty early. The flashbacks didn’t quite fit for me.