As Peanuts character Snoopy wrote, "It was a dark and stormy night..." The lights go out, a murder occurs, then another; who is next?
Loosely following the classic "locked room" type of mystery, "One Big Happy Family" is full of family members who all have it out for each other in a remote Maine hotel which is being battered by a hurricane. The roads are impassable, the Wi-Fi is out and a classic case of "whodunit" begins.
Is it one of the three sisters who have been estranged from each other for years? One of their spouses? One of their children? The maid, the hotel manager or the attorney who is there to read the will of the siblings' father who recently passed away? Or is it the abused young woman who is hiding out at the hotel from her boyfriend? Is the hotel they want or are they after the rumored priceless painting hidden somewhere amongst the endless rooms of collected items that their father treasured?
Once readers get involved with these characters and their various motives, they will want to race to the end of the book to find out if their suspicions about the who? and why? are correct. With plenty of revelations about the characters, readers will switch their thoughts on who is the murderer(s) several times before the answer(s) are revealed. Agatha Christie would be proud!

One Big Happy Family is a locked room type mystery that happens in a small family owned hotel during a hurricane. Charley works as a maid to pay for her grandmother’s room in a nursing facility. She’s not above pocketing a little extra money when she finds it since times are hard. The Bishop sisters are home to learn the terms of their father’s will with plans of for the hotel. Knowing her job hangs in the balance and that she desperately needs it, Charley still agrees to hide someone on the run in the hotel. The will drops some big surprises on the family and jealousy runs rampant. The mystery guest is discovered and Charley is fired. No one is leaving as the hurricane bears down on the hotel and the body count begins to rise. The story is okay with several small irritating details. Charley is a sympathetic character but not particularly likable. She is fired and keeps cleaning up after the awful family with no plausible reason. The family is full of horrible characters and are not particularly likable. The ending is not awe inspiring it’s just okay. I loved Jamie Day’s first novel but this one left me a little underwhelmed. My voluntary, unbiased and non-mandatory review is based upon a free review copy from NetGalley.

I was so excited to receive a copy of this as I loved The Block Party but unfortunately this one fell flat. I don't like when there are too many characters and all various storylines. It was interesting that they intertwined together but it was just too messy. I was left with more questions than answers.

I was unable to open this. It says that it is corrupted. Says I downloaded it, but cannot access it.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day

Released July 16, 2024

This was my first book by Jamie Day and I had no idea what to expect. The beginning of the book felt a bit disjointed to me but it certainly set the scene for suspense.

Main character Charley Kelley is a chambermaid at the legendary Precipice hotel where things aren't always as thry seem. Working to take care of her Grandmother is hard enough but when Mr. Bishop dies she worries even more about making ends meet.
The three Bishop sisters come to the hotel for the reading of the will. Each with their own secrets and desire to get their fair share of the hotel. Tempers flare and not everyone will make it out alive. Add in a looming hurricane and you will be holding onto the edge of your seat till the very end.
Who can be trusted and who will survive? Read One Big Happy Family and find out!

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. More of a domestic drama than a psychological suspense novel. Despite some ingenious twists, the story was convoluted and predicable. The characters were immature, shallow and melodramatic. The ending was a convenient HEA. The location and atmosphere were well described and there were sparks of humor within the narrative.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I love a mystery set in Maine, and this had all the elements of a great story. Family owned hotel. Dad passes away. Sisters return to the hotel. Hurricane heading their way. Please and thank you!

Recently, I received the chance to read an ARC of Jamie Day’s upcoming release, “One Big Happy Family.”

I was instantly hooked on this book for the first 12 chapters. After that, it kind of got off track and I felt like the plot was not well received. The characters and plot were both well-written, I just wished we would have learned the history before learning about the lingering doom that’s approaching the coast.

I loved that, although they are from the same family, each family member had their own eclectic personality that stood out.

It took me a few times to finish this book, but I’m glad I did! I look forward to reading more by Jamie in the future. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book on NetGalley.

A cross between a locked room mystery and a psychological thriller.
George Bishop has died and his daughters Vicki, Iris, and Faith are coming to the Precipice Hotel to hear the will read. Hotel maid Charley is worried about keeping her job that she needs to keep her Gran in the Memory Care facility. A hurricane is coming but no one seems concerned except the hotel staff. Worse,Bree, a woman who says she needs to be hidden from her abusive boyfriend talks her into hiding her at the hotel.
Lawyer Brenda Black is there to read the will just as the storm hits. The will is a huge surprise for the sisters, giving most of the control the Lawyer Black and Vicki's husband Todd. That night Todd dies, possibly of a heart attack. Later the lawyer disappears and cryptic rhyming clues appear. The storm cuts them off from the world after the cell tower goes down and the wi-fi router is destroyed.
The bad decisions of long ago have come home to roost on ALL the Bishop sisters. Charley just hopes to survive to take care of her Gran.
The backstories of all the characters makes motive clear as the story progresses and reveals the multiple bad guys.
Certainly NOT a cozy, but a good read!

Eh, Block Party was better.
Rich family, with tons of secrets fighting over their inheritance is the gist.
None of the characters were likeable in any way, very superficial. The twists were sparse and predictable. And a weak happily ever after ending.
Not a fan of this one.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.

Jamie Day is back with another great thriller! This locked-door mystery is one you will definitely want to add to your TBRs!

I didn’t like this book as much as the previous book I read from this author. This one felt very long and sometimes boring, even when exciting things were happening. The story centers on a young maid named Charley who works at a hotel. When the owner dies and his 3 daughters arrive for the reading of the will, many secrets get exposed.

I thought the characters were pretty surface level in this one, though I did appreciate the backstories that were told in flashback chapters. While the 2nd half of the book moved at a faster pace, the writing style, long internal narratives, and repetitive conversations between characters made it feel like a slow read. I figured out the big twist early on, but there were a couple other surprises throughout. The end tied things up just a little too cleanly, but honestly I didn’t mind that and felt satisfied with the way it all turned out.

Overall, this was a decent story that just took way too long to tell. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One Big Happy Family had me hooked from the beginning. Locked room mysteries are quickly becoming one of my favorite reads! This book is a labyrinth of suspenseful twists and turns! The atmospheric setting adds an extra layer of intrigue to the tale and I want nothing more than to visit this hotel. I enjoyed getting the flashbacks, mostly because they were limited to one part of the novel and we weren’t going back and forth. They really helped me understand a little more of each sister and their background. I never knew which sister to trust and I loved that none of the main characters were reliable. This was a captivating read that kept me guessing until the final revelation!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

An enjoyable and unpredictable ride, but the ultimate resolution wasn’t satisfying to me. It felt like characters who had made criminal choices didn’t deserve their redemptions

I enjoyed Jamie's first book so I had to request this one.im glad I got approved

I was hooked from the beginning. These characters and a couple storylines kept me reading page after page.

Lots of twists and turns that make this a good thriller. I completely recommend

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. All thoughts are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

A gothic mystery set in a historic mansion hotel on the bluffs of Maine in the middle of a storm sounded fabulous, but the writing and overall plot fell short. 20% into the book I kept hoping that the mundane story would pick up, but it never did. The characters were immature and the twists were predictable. The book had potential, but it fell short.

I initially read the description for this and was so excited. I live a good whodunnit thriller AND the location/weather mixed into it? Sign me up!

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed in this. The story itself I think was good, but the execution of it being told wasn’t as thrilling and intriguing as I hoped it would be. It seemed to drag a little and was longer than it should have been.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I will still definitely read more from this author.

I loved The Block Party, so I was thrilled to get an ARC of One Big Happy Family! I was also drawn to the book based on its description -- I'm one of three sisters and also have a daughter named Charley. Once again, Jamie Day hit it out of the park. From the eerie setting to the sisters' relationships, Day truly nailed the domestic thriller. The perfect beach read for this summer!

Set in Maine at the iconic Precipice Hotel where the patriarch has died, leaving his three privileged daughters to hear the reading of his will. Oh, and there’s a hurricane aiming for them. The lowly maid, Charley, is used to being less than, but is hardly prepared for what’s to come. Victoria, Iris, and Faith arrive with more personal baggage than actual suitcases. They come with complicated relationships and each has petty grievances, serious transgressions and secrets they need to keep buried. Charley has aided a stowaway, she’s is lurking in one of the empty rooms, hiding from an abusive boyfriend. Before the storm can cause them harm the sisters own greed may end in murder. None of my hunches could come close to unraveling the motives behind this family’s drama. If you enjoy crazy family dynamics this one is full of surprises. It was a romping good read. I have read Jamie Day before and would again.
Thanks to NetGalley for the uncorrected digital galley of “One Big Happy Family” by Jamie Day, St. Martin’s Press, expected publication date 07/16/2024. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Overall, I think this was a solid book. Admittedly, it took me a while to get into it. The book started off very well with the intro. However, when giving a lot of the background on the main character and the hotel, it started to drag a bit. It wasn’t until about halfway through where I felt it started to get going again and pick up momentum. Although, I figured out “whodunnit” ahead of time, the story line and the “why” was not what I was expecting, so that was a pleasant surprise. The ending for me felt too convenient and was too wrapped up neatly for me, but I think I’m used to reading series, so there is always something left to hang onto until the next story - so that could just be a “me” issue. I think it’s a solid story and a good read.