The Precipice Hotel is a quirky, secretive beacon overlooking the stormy coast of Maine. Owned by the Bishops, it is the perfect setting for a suspenseful murder mystery by Jamie Day. One Big Happy Family begins with the slow build-up to a full blown hurricane, and the arrival of the Bishop sisters after their father’s death. Each sister believes they have the claim on ownership of the hotel, and all will do anything to ensure they get what they are owed. In the middle of the family drama is the 19 year old maid, Charley. Broken, fierce, and resourceful, Charley desperately needs her job in order to keep her grandmother, the only family she has, in the nursing home that is taking care of her. Charley lives on a knife’s edge of poverty, and the arrival of the Bishop sisters does not bode well for her livelihood.

While the storm begins to build outside, the family tension begins. The only guests at the Precipice are Charley, Iris, Vicki, Faith and their families. And…one extra guest that is hiding away. When Vicki’s husband is found dead, the accusations and secrets start to fly. But who stands to gain the most? And will they all make it out before the murderer strikes again?

Day does a good job of creating enough twists and red herrings to keep you guessing. But, the characters don’t seem to fit together as a family. Of course the point is that the Bishop sisters have demons from their pasts that have torn the family apart, but there doesn’t feel like there is any cohesion. And the twists begin to seem far fetched and unbelievable. Ultimately, the reveal was a bit of a let down for me. You want to have some false leads and quirky characters to throw you off the scent of the killer, but a novel that does nothing BUT throw you off isn’t enjoyable either.

I liked One Big Happy Family but I wouldn’t say it was the most thrilling or shocking of mysteries. It is, however, the perfect summer beach read- thrilling enough and yet not too heavy. You’ll be interested enough to keep guessing, but you can still hit the waves or pool and pick right back up again a few hours later without missing a beat. Random rating 3/5. I recommend, just know that you are not going to be doing any deep sleuthing to solve the mystery. Thanks as always to @NetGalley for the eARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Was super excited to delve into anothet myster thriller novel since I just started getting into them, but sadly this one was way to long and way to predictable.

I kept reading because I thought there had to be a twist coming as I said to myself there was no way I solved it that early. Sadly thete was no twist and the book never got better.

Not for me. DO not recommend.

I was really excited for a good spooky storm-looming-and-everyone-trapped-in-a-creepy-old-hotel murder mystery but honestly I had a very hard time getting into this. I feel like the whole set-up with Charley and her backstory just took far too long, and I did not feel invested in Charley at all from the beginning. She just didn't give me much of a reason to care for her (I know, I know, she had a tragic upbringing, but still, she just didn't do it for me). I also struggled with times in which Charley's narration sounded far more intelligence than her age and education would normally betray. It felt too much like the writers voice rather than the narrators voice. And then it felt implausible when that girl she met fleetingly just showed up looking for a place to hide. I guess I was unwilling to suspend my disbelief. So I abandoned the book midway through.

I was intrigued because I loved the authors previous book, the block party. Great story line and kept me interested

Goodness! This book was just...DRAMA. And as long as the drama has zero to do with me, I am all for it.
Once I picked it up, I found it hard to put down. I enjoyed the flow of the storyline. It gives away enough to give you solid theories in this whodunit, trapped room type of book. I really was not counting on who murdered Todd. I picked up on one characters plot immediately though. I'm guessing, that's intentional but that you're tying to figure out how the character fits in. I did think we'd get thrown a surprise with said character and it was actually kind of nice to not have it happen. I like my predictions failing in these cases. . Just enough predictability to make you feel intelligent, but not enough that it takes away from the book.
A well done story that I enjoyed start to finish.

I just finished reading "One Big Happy Family" by Jamie Day. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin'a Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of a young housemaid who works in a hotel owned by a creepy owner who dies and has his daughters ascend to the hotel for the reading of the will. There is also a possibly dishonest lawyer and a stowaway who is hiding in the hotel because of her abusive boyfriend. How are all these characters related....Well, that is one heck of a story which weaves in and out of the past and present to expose all the secrets the sisters have (and boy are they BIG secrets) and leads to a very explosive ending where all secrets are revealed.

What I liked about this story was the back story of the sisters and how they grew up with a total loser of a father who had many mistresses and didn't really care about his children. I kind of felt sorry for them. The back story set up and explained alot of why there were so many secrets in the family.

What I also liked was how the author managed to keep the mystery secret and tie everything together at the end in an explosive way. I liked that all the sisters were deliciously flawed and all acted terrible to each other. I liked the murder mystery and how it also led to secrets being revealed.

What I didn't like was the flow of the book. I went from being exciting to really wordy and I found myself skipping paragraphs because I didn't see their importance. I also didn't like the Charley was stealing from guests to help pay her grandmothers rent.

Overall, I liked this book. It was filled with interesting characters who had secrets that impacted everyone in the book. The ending which revealed the villain behind everything was brilliant. I felt sorry for the villain because their backstory was incredibly sad but....everyone got what they deserved.

A good choice for anyone who enjoys this genre. Happy Reading!

A captivating mystery that seamlessly blends familial complexities, individual secrets, and the atmospheric tension of a coastal storm. This is a suspenseful page-turner that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last, making it a must-read for fans of gripping thrillers with a richly developed ensemble cast.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and author Jamie Day for the ARC of this book.

I was so excited to read an advanced copy of One Bjg Happy Family as I really enjoyed Jamie’s debut novel, Block Party!

OBHF kind of gave me “Clue” vibes mixed with that Adam Brody movie, “Ready or Not” Eccentric large estate? Check. Obnoxious but intriguing characters? Check. Multiple murders that have you guessing who did it and how?! Check!

“One Big Happy Family” is a multiple murder mystery set in a small hotel on the Maine seacoast and involving what must be one of the more dysfunctional families depicted in today’s fiction. I found the beginning well done. Ultimately, however, the novel became convoluted and melodramatic, straining credulity at almost every turn. At the same time, despite numerous twists and turns, it was predictable. Nevertheless, there is some comedy and wit to it. Readers willing to overlook the novel’s flaws may find parts of it entertaining.

19-year-old Charley Kelley is the maid at the Precipice Hotel, located high on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Jobs are scarce and she desperately needs this one which provides room and board and a small salary that pays for the care of her last surviving family member, her grandmother who suffers from dementia. That’s why, for the past several years, she’s been willing to put up with the lecherous behavior of hotel owner, George Bishop, whom she thoroughly detests. But George has just died. His three daughters and their families are returning for the funeral and the reading of the will which, presumably, will dictate what’s to be done with the hotel and whether Charley will still have a job.

Just before their arrival, Boston bartender, pretty Bree Bradford seeks out Charley at the hotel. The two women met briefly in town just last week. Bree came to Maine with her boyfriend on vacation. But the boyfriend turned abusive and now Bree is on the run. She has no car, money, wallet, or friends or family in Maine. She convinces young, naive, “soft touch” Charley to hide her in the hotel. If anyone discovers her, Charley will be fired.

A hurricane threatens. All the hotel’s guests leave.

The Bishop sisters—Vicki, Faith, and Iris—arrive with their families and the lawyer for the estate. Once, the sisters were close. But a series of events engendered by their father’s infidelities—conducted at the hotel right under their mother’s nose—drove them apart and set them on very different paths. Bitterness and jealousy are rampant, not only amongst the sisters but also among the spouses and offspring accompanying them. Conflict abounds.

The hurricane strikes. Phone and internet service die. The sisters, their families, the lawyer, Charley, and Bree are completely isolated and alone.

And then people begin to die. Who’s doing it? And why?

I thought the novel started well. Charley is a likable narrator and protagonist, someone to root for. The setting of an isolated, eclectically furnished hotel perched high on a bluff is imaginative and interesting. The backstories seem to promise a story with some depth.

But as the novel progresses, its flaws become more and more apparent. While Charley charms in her role as either the narrator or the protagonist, she does not play both parts well simultaneously. As the protagonist, she’s supposed to be a 19-year-old who has spent her entire life in rural Maine. But as the narrator, she comes off as someone with far greater knowledge and sophistication. In other words, Charley-as-narrator and Charley-as-character don’t jibe, which negatively impacts her and the novel’s credibility.

I found almost all the rest of the characters dislikable or tough to feel sympathy for, making it hard to care about what happens to them, thereby robbing the novel of the kind of suspense that keeps readers turning the pages.

The plot may be ambitious, but it is also not very believable. The backstories that seem to hold such promise turn out to be too numerous to keep straight. Many of those backstories, as well as present encounters between characters, struck me as melodramatic and outlandish. And at least one of the big “reveals” was very predictable—which was disappointing.

Still, there are some comic moments. And those who enjoy Agatha Christie mysteries may find something to entertain them here.

All in all, a 2.75-star read rounded up to 3.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Jamie Day, and publisher St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a complimentary ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day was a decent, light read thriller. The setting of the story reminded me of the Shining ,with a family that becomes trapped in a hotel during a severe weather event while trying to solve a crime but also avoid being the next target. There were fun aspects to the title and a few moments that made me laugh out loud. This was a thriller that also had comedy elements to keep it colorful. There are a few cliche phrases and moments that sounds like the story is searching for cheap laughs but it almost adds to fun nature of the book. I didn't begin this title looking for depth, but instead just looking for an entertaining read, and that's what I received.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Jamie Day for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
This story pulled me in from the start! A young woman, hiding from a killer during a hurricane that keeps knocking out the power at the hotel where she works. But which of the guests is the killer? And will she survived the storm? The owner of the hotel has died and his 3 daughters and their families have arrived with the lawyer for the reading of the will followed by the funeral. A hurricane has decided to crash the party so all other reservations for the weekend have canceled. It's a good thing too, or the body count might have been higher!
As the sisters arrive, we are taken back in time to see how they've each ended up at this point in their lives and learn the secret they have kept from everyone else as well as secrets they are keeping from each other. The tension remains high as secrets are revealed while the storm intensifies along with the suspicions. I eventually figured out the who but didn't have the why quite right. All in all a very enjoyable read!

DNF - Read through Ch 4.
Chapter 1 is an attention grabber! Promises great things.
Chapters 2-4 were too depressing for me to continue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. One Big Happy Family is the first book that I have read by Jamie Day. It was very entertaining thought the story. Most of the book is from the perspective of Charley, maid at The Precipice. The new owners of the hotel, the bishop sisters, are coming to stay during a hurricane. The weekend does not go to plan, and there are many twists and turns. I would recommend this book.

At first I thought there were too many characters, but they are all kind of similar. That's not a bad thing necessarily but it may not be for readers who want a character-driven work. That being said, it is a quick read with a relatively clean resolution, though unrealistic (suspend your disbelief and enjoy :)

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

I loved Jamie Day's Block Party so much, so my hopes were really high for this one. Unfortunately I feel like this one fell just a little short. Don't get me wrong though, I still loved it!

Three sisters return home to their family’s hotel after the sudden passing of their father. Brought together by grief or strictly the massive will reading to unfold? That’s what Charley, the live-in maid is soon to find out. Secrets, sisterly rage, a stowaway, and murder all going down in the midst of a hurricane!

My complaints: It was about 90 pages longer than it should have been. I'm all for a slow-burn, but this one felt like it drug on and on. The romantic element between Charley and Quinn felt so weird and out of place. Like, "oh, I'm being held hostage with a bunch of strangers, but that doesn't turn me off ~at all~" It felt unnecessary. I feel like the entire Bree storyline could have been introduced in a less abrupt way.

My likes: Closed-door mysteries are always a win in my book. I loved the sister's banter. If you have a sister, you know how it is. Even in the midst of gun wielding, you still continue to talk the craziest trash to each other. I loved Oliver's character. Just a little weirdo, doing weirdo things. A king. The setting was perfect. An eccentric hotel during a hurricane? Sold. The storyline was a little chaotic, but overall I enjoyed this read.

While this one didn't quite check all of my boxes, I would still recommend! Jamie Day continues to reside on my auto-read list.

3.75 rounded up!
I was a huge fan of The Block Party, so I was super excited to receive this! This was a solid locked-room thriller! That just happens to be one of my least favorite tropes. The secrets, twists, and turns still kept me intrigued! Dirty ole Todd kept me on my toes

I spent an enjoyable weekend reading this book. I liked the setting, the premise and all the characters. I had it pretty much figured out early on, but I still would recommend it

This book started very strong with a curious lead and a thriller storyline. It got me hooked .. with interesting characters and family intrigue. I love mysteries but somewhere along the line, the story gets convoluted and contrived and I ended up skipping pages and then skimming through chapters then revisiting to see if I missed something. With too many subplots and false leads, it felt like "everything but the kitchen sink" - a great story mired in excess. which made the tidy ending awkward.

This book has all the great qualities of a thrilling suspense novel - great characters, a claustrophobic atmosphere in an old hotel with a raging hurricane outside, dark secrets that need to come to light, and a little humor thrown in as an added bonus.

Charley works as a chambermaid at The Precipice Hotel on the coast of Maine. She also lives there as part of her employee package. When the owner dies suddenly, Charley needs to prepare for the arrival of his three daughters who will be attending a reading of the will. The Bishop sisters are the epitome of dysfunctional. Vickie is bad-tempered, rude and blunt with her words. Faith gives off an air of superiority but is really just looking for approval from everyone and anyone. Iris is the “bad girl”, ex-con, rehabilitated addict. When these three get together, nothing good happens, so when another and another death happens, it’s difficult to know where to look. With the storm raging outside, and a different kind of storm raging on the inside, Charley must get some answers to save her own life.

I thoroughly enjoyed “One Big Happy Family”. It was much more than a great thriller. It was fully immersive and unputdownable, with a great ending to boot. This is easily a 5-star read for me and I highly recommend it.

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

It had an absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone.