I was so excited to get an advanced copy of this book as I just loved her debut book, Block Party. This book did not disappoint! The story has all the elements of crazy, twisted, suspense and a little bit of humor.

Charley is the maid at the Precipice hotel and when the owner dies, the daughters come with their families and attorney to get their inheritance. Things start off rocky as a hurricane is coming in off the Maine coast and adds to the creepy factor. You see how crazy the Bishop sisters are not only with each other but those around them. Then you add in the factor of a stranger that is running from her boyfriend into the mix for more twists!

Jamie Day did a great job of creating characters that bring you in and make you want to find out their secrets. Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin Press for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was sent a digital ARC by Netgalley for review and I'm so glad. This book was better than I expected. There were so many different aspects to the story and so many different twists. I appreciate that there are a few pages at the end that let you know where all the characters land in the aftermath.

Charley, the smart and kind nineteen year old maid at the Hotel Precipice in Maine, spends her days working so she can keep
her head above water while paying for her nana’s assisted living, is busy with prep for Hurricane Larry and the arrival of the Bishop sisters, daughters of the late hotel owner, George Bishop. The sister are coming in for the reading of George’s will.. the inset of the hurricane is not the best time for this to be happening, especially when Charley is hiding Bree, someone running away from an abusive boyfriend, at the hotel.
Within the course of the hurricane, this story becomes a murder mystery. I found myself reading as fast as possible, as I couldn’t wait to find out whodunit. With many personalities trying to figure out clues and brandishing guns about, I was completely caught up in the action. Kudos to the author for an interesting and fast paced story that kept me guessing throughout.

So many thoughts, where to start? I really enjoyed the premise of this book. 3 sisters, spouses, children, the maid, an attorney, and a stowaway are trapped in a hotel with no power due to a huge storm. When one man ends up dead and the attorney is found murdered shortly after, it’s up to Charley to figure out what’s going on.

Spoilers: I had a hunch that Bree was behind a lot of what happened. That said, the details of the car accident 22 years prior were a genuine curve ball. The details about Janice at the nursing home were surprising, but also didn’t feel like it added much (if anything) to the overall plot.

Essentially, I enjoyed the plot and I think the character development was strong, but there were parts that felt lacking.

Charley is working at the Precipice Hotel when Hurricane Larry is looming off the coast of Maine. Unfortunate timing leads the Bishop sisters to the hotel for will reading of their father, owner of the hotel. Twists and turns abound. I did figure it out well before the climax but it was very well written and twisty. 4 stars from me!

𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭!

This held my attention from start to finish!

When George Bishop, the owner of Precipice, an old Maine inn, passes away, his three daughters are called for a reading of the will. As the Bishop siblings (Iris, Vickie and Faith) assemble at the beachside hotel for the long weekend, a storm rolls in and soon the hurricane outside mimics the one the Bishop girls have created!

Yes, it’s OTT 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖. Yes, there are 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨. I’m not normally a fan of catfights and siblings dishing up drama, but this time I let it be what it is, petty disagreements, and enjoyed a back seat to the drama.

The elements associated with the storm (power outage, weather, locked room setting) added to the intense drama inside and were elevated by the secrets and hostage-taking. Charley Kelly, a chambermaid at the hotel, narrates for most of the story, introduces the mystery and keeps the reader guessing. Her background story helps us connect to her and trust her to tell the tale.

I’m not telling you any more! It’s well-plotted. It’s light. It’s petty. And, it’s 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙. You’ll want it in your beach bag this summer.

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Jamie Day has quickly become a favorite author for me. I adored her debut, and wasn't at all disappointment by her sophomore novel. It was one of the first books I read in 2024, and I was completely enthralled by the setting, plot, and characters. Set over the course of a long weekend, during a hurricane in an old inn - this one was giving Agatha Christie meets Liane Moriarty. Grateful for the advance copy and can't wait for the next book from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5)
Add this book to your TBR list if you like intense, family drama, beachside thrillers. I had the honor of reading Jamie Days newest novel that comes out July 16. I loved her book Block Party (another great book to add to your TBR). She has such a great way with writing that keeps you hanging on until the end trying to figure out who did it. Each time I think I know, she creates a few crazy plot twists, and I’m left blindsided. A sweet chambermaid with a sad story that your heart goes out to, working at the beachside hotel trying to make it in this world. And boy oh boy is she caught in a storm of this family. The death of the hotel owner, brings his three daughters to read the will. But with that a hurricane rolls in…..literally and figuratively. Secret messages, a hidden painting, no service, lights out, poison berries, jealousy, a gun, a hostage situation, and everyone is for themself. More and more secrets come to the table of their pasts that intertwine in shocking ways, and more lives are lost because of them. I was in such suspense until the end! My husband knew to not bother me towards the end, because I was so engulfed by the story. Excited for you all to read this book! Thank you @jamieday for allowing me to read and review your new novel #onebighappyfamily. #netgalley

Big thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this new book, “One Big Happy Family.”
For me, the story had a great storyline, but was not written in a flow that kept me engaged. Because of this, I put it to the side and read other books, and then went back to this.
The story is about a young woman who is a maid at a hotel where after a death, the family members come and take over.
The story just doesn’t have the twists and turns written in a way that I hoped it would, but it does have a lot of twist and turns.
So for me, this is 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed “The Block Party” by this author and had high hopes for this book. It did not disappoint. It was juicy and thrilling. Definitely recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great mix of suspense and women’s fiction for me. I also loved the setting of a boutique hotel on a cliff in coastal Maine. I honestly thought this ran a little long, but it was still enjoyable. The one piece of advice I have is that this is not the book for you if you are not able to go along with plot lines and characters that might not seem completely realistic. However, if you are down for a mini saga full of characters and suspenseful situations bordering on soap opera territory, then don’t hesitate because you will sink in and have fun with this one.

I had such high hopes for this one because of the blurb. High thrills stakes, a dead body, family secrets and a hurricane bearing down on an out of the way coastal hotel. Sign me up!

I liked the atmosphere and the location as they were described well but the actual story wasn't as thrilling as I expected. It had more than a few things that were, to me, predictable and this just went on longer than it needed to. In the end, this felt less psychological thriller and more family secrets saga (and some of the sisters' stuff was eye-rollingly petty). Not bad but not exactly what I was looking for. This is the first I've read by Day and I would definitely read another.

Thank you for Netgalley for the approval. Thoroughly enjoyed the story, short chapters, and each one kept you wanting more. The storyline flowed well, it could have been shorter, but overall I appreciated how the author tied the story together at the end.

This book will keep your attention from the beginning to the end. I thought I had it figured out and then found out I was totally wrong. Shows what I know! Lol. Jamie Day did a very good job with this one and I enjoyed reading it. I fell in love with Charley and was always worried about something happening to her,.

Charley is a young lady that has been a maid at the Precipice for years since George offered her a place to stay and a job all in one. When George passes away though, his daughters are left to deal with the Precipice and what to do with it. The Bishop sisters, Iris, Vickie and Faith have the job of deciding what to do with the Precipice and deal with their father's affairs. The Bishop sisters have come in for the weekend to have their father's funeral and wouldn't you know it a hurricane is headed for the area.

When attorney Black comes to read the will of George Bishop, things begin to get interesting at the Precipice. Secrets come out and claws do too. On top of everything else that is going on, Charley and her big heart has taken in a stranger that says she is on the run from her boyfriend and needs a place to stay. If there is anything that I have learned from this story is that you can trust no one. Always keep your guard up even when you think there is no reason to.

I know you will enjoy reading about the Bishop sisters and Charley as I did. This one was well thought out and flowed very well. I fell in love with Charley and was rooting for her the whole time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book. I enjoyed it.

I read Jamie Day's debut novel, The Block Party. It was a tale of suburban secrets. This novel felt completely different. Because I was expecting a similar style, I was unfortunately disappointed, This was a really dark, convoluted tale with many characters I found hard to follow. I would be happy to give her next work a try but this one fell short of the mark.

There are both literal and metaphorical storm clouds gathering in Jamie Day’s One Big Happy Family as the Bishop sisters return to their coastal main town to settle their un-mourned father’s affairs at the Precipice, the hotel he owned. While the sisters have secrets they’re desperate to hide, they’re trying to uncover their fathers’. Charley Kelly, a young chambermaid at the Precipice with secrets of her own, bears witness to the events of the next few days, which include a contested will, a mysterious guest and a suspicious death…and that’s before a massive hurricane makes landfall. Charley narrates the majority of the book, with help from the Bishop sisters. No matter who’s narrating, Day keeps up the plot pacing and keeps the readers guessing. While the locked room mystery of One Big Happy Family stimulates the reader’s brain, its exploration of the relationships that make us who we are hook the reader’s heart. One Big Happy Family will be released on July 16 and it’s an ideal book to take with you on your summer family vacation…just be sure toc heck the weather forecast first.

I wanted to love this book like I did The Block Party, but had a hard time getting into it. I picked up several times to read and just keep putting it down over and over. I was finally able to get through, but found it rather boring.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy of One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. This book is about family secrets, a hurricane, and an old hotel. The story sucked me in with detailed writing and I could imagine the beautiful Maine setting. It’s a great psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.

This is a locked room mystery located in an isolated hotel in Maine. Our protagonist is a nineteen-year-old female maid. The not-nice male owner dies, and his three evil daughters show up. Once they arrive, the murders begin. Sometimes the story reads a bit too much like a Nancy Drew novel, which is because a teenager is narrating. Still, it was fun trying to guess who is the craziest sister with some crazy twists.

After the death of their father, the three Bishop sisters return home during an impending hurricane to claim their inheritence, the hotel Precipice. Each sister harbors a secret. Charlie, the young hotel chamber maid, is afraid the sisters might close the hotel and she desperately needs the income to support her grandmother. She's also hiding an abused woman in one of the rooms. This had a good plot and started off at a fast pace, but then it just dragged in the middle, The pace picked up during the last part of the book but the characters were just so unlikeable that by the end of the book I just didn't care whodunit.