"My name is Todd...And I'm going to be the best thing that ever happened to you." If you think Todd sounds bad, just wait until you read this book and get to know him. But is he the worst character? That's for you to find out because reviews should not ruin a reader's fun with spoilers.

Wow, author Jamie Day planned an intricately woven cast of characters, and I enjoyed not being able to predict all of the ins and outs and dysfunctional-family backstories. There are plenty of characters going through the daily routines of normal life with despicable behavior bubbling beneath the surface for quite a few.. The Maine boutique resort with 14 themed rooms spread out over 3 floors is an intriguing setting and the plot line immediately drew me in. Readers will understand main character Charley's gratitude that part of her pay as the housekeeper is a room to sleep in and food to eat at this hotel. Afterall, Charley must support not only herself but also support her beloved grandmother who needs to live in an assisted-living home. As Charley says, hers is life on the bottom rung, and she's used to it.

Fortunately, Charley has Rodrigo, a gay guy pal who also works at the Precipice Hotel. He supports Charley in every way he can and has had enough hardships in his life that makes him a good judge of character.

The book begins with the present day and kept my attention. When the focus shifted to the backstory of the characters, I was disappointed at first; however, the backstory is essential and quickly becomes equally as interesting as the contemporary timeline. I wish there were half stars available because this was an entertaining 4.5 book for me. The reason I did not round it up to a 5 was that I would have preferred some tightening and condensing of the chaotic actions when the novel returns to the contemporary timeline.

I will definitely be interested in reading books from author Jamie Day in the future! Many thanks to #NetGalley for this copy. I am voluntarily leaving this review with my honest opinions.

3.5 stars, rounded down. Having enjoyed last year's "The Block Party", I wanted to check out author Jamie Day's sophomore release, "One Big Happy Family" and the characters are most sincerely not happy at all! They're really nasty, privileged rich people, who are stuck together in a Maine hotel during a hurricane after the death of their crappy patriarch with some interesting other characters - mostly focusing on a young hotel maid, Charley. While I do love a good locked room mystery, this one just felt too long & there was just way too much back-story on the MC's. I did like the hotel, tho. So a mixed bag for me. My sincere thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the free DRC, my pleasure to review it.

I found this to be an enjoyable cozy mystery with enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning. The setting in Maine was interesting and the family aspect of this was a character in itself. Charley and Quinn were my favorite characters and I would read another book featuring them, for sure! Thanks to #netgalley and @stmartinspress for this really of #onebighappyfamily to read and review ahead of publication. All opinions are my own.

Set on the coast of Maine. Moody, atmospheric and of course a death kicks us off.
The owner of The Precipice has died, and the Bishop sisters are blowing in with a hurricane. All with secrets.

Each sister wants a piece of the pie, including chambermaid Charley.
Charley has a lot of secrets too.

For me this started promising and quickly devolved into predictable.


NetGalley/St. Martin’s Press July 06, 2024

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this advance copy. I read Jamie Day’s previous book, The Block Party, and loved it, so I was happy to get the chance to read this one as well, and it did not disappoint. I think the characters were really well developed, and the imagery of the mansion and the storm made it so easy for me to really see it in my mind. I love mysteries with twists that keep me guessing, and trying to figure out, and that’s exactly what I got with this. When I thought I knew what was going to happen next, I was surprised. I definitely recommend this book for anyone that likes a book that keep you guessing!

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.