One Big Happy Family was good, but it was honestly no Block Party. The remote location in Maine was not the same relatable vibe as the suburbs in Block Party, though the hotel was interesting.
The characters were pretty unlikeable but I still wanted to know what happens next. The main character, Charley Kelly (any other It’s Always Sunny Fans out there? How can you not love a Charley Kelly??) was the most likable of them all, and she still came off gullible and foolish.
After finishing the book, I did see hints of some of the twists and turns but some hints… they never came to any satisfactory conclusion for me. Unless, perhaps, I got to reading too fast and simply missed it…? What ever happened to their mother?!? She’s mention early on in relation to the girls childhood… then no more. They call and write to their father but… Nothing about their mother. I felt a little tricked by this cliffhanger and was expecting an explanation… and I almost got it, but the wrong person was… driving the car. Hmmmm. Todd? What a wonderful and loathesome character. Loved to hate Todd.
Thanks for the early copy #NetGalley! This book will make a cozy rainy day read!!!

Wow. Wow. Wow. I loved this book more than I thought I would. Layers upon layers of secrets are peeled back and you are left wanting to read faster! I was in shock with every page how this story turned out. I highly recommend!

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day takes us to The Precipice off the coast of Maine. A once thriving, eclectic hotel, now finds its owner deceased and the family wondering who will be the new owner. The maid, Charley, just want to keep her job. She desperately needs to keep it. She needs to be able to keep her poor grandmother in the nursing home. As the family arrives, the shenanigans begin.
I have read other works by Day and liked them but One Big Happy Family didn't work for me. I was bored from the beginning and then I just didn't care what happened in the end. The characters didn't work for me. I couldn't connect to any of them, including Charley. The plot reminds me of other books I have read in the past. I can't say there was anything spectacular or original about it. I liked the shorter chapters. The scenery was spot on and the hotel itself sounds like a place I would like to explore. I will definitely try other works by Day but this one misses the mark for me. Special thanks to NetGalley, Jamie Day, St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 2 stars for me.

The story had my wheels turning. An enjoyable and refreshing who done it. Just when it hints at predictable the author throws a curve.

One Big Happy Family was not what the book was about! They were anything but happy! Lots of lies drama and deceit. Sisters who thought they were better than the others.
For all of the drama throughout the book, the ending left me kind of blah. Everything was wrapped up nice and neat and it felt off.
Love the cover of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Jamie Day for the advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

I’m so conflicted about this book. It had good bones, there was some potential but…in the end, I’m stuck at around 2 stars, and that’s being generous. It started out fine, but as time went on, it rolled downhill at an increasing speed until I simply didn’t care anymore.

Every character was annoying. None of them really had much personality and what they did have was almost cartoonish. This came across as a remedial retelling of Clue or And Then There Were None, but with phrases like “until she went all ninja on me” and “I puffed up my chest going all gangsta.” What in the actual editing heck? One of those lines was supposedly spoken by a 50-something white woman from generational wealth, so perhaps our author didn’t put enough thought into the nuances of the many, many characters. And there was simply SO much standing around talking and arguing, very little tension or drama, and by the time it was getting somewhere, I was reading as fast as I could in order to be done. I truly did not care who did what and why.

It takes a lot of bravery to write a book and put your work out there for people to critique, and I appreciate the time and effort it takes to do so. This one just wasn’t for me, and I don’t think I’d come back to this author.

Plot was fairly interesting but the writing just wasn't there for me. The dialogue felt unnatural and the narrative was often overly descriptive or cheesy. One character, "Attorney Black", was inconsistently referred to as Black, Attorney Black, and her full name. It felt unnatural to call her Attorney Black and she's mentioned so many times that it really bothered me. Overall I think this has potential if the writing was cleaned up.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day, published by St. Martin's Press
I really enjoyed reading this novel, the plot and the characters were great! I loved the main character Charley and her determination, and her love for her grandmother. The characters were well described and entered the novel in a timely manner, so the reader can remember who is who. I liked how the author went back in time part way through the novel to give us some background on the characters.
Charley works as a maid at the Precipice Hotel, the owner of the hotel has just died, his family is coming for the reading or the will and Charley just hopes she can continue working in order to support her grandmother who lives at the seniors home nearby
This novel had so many twists I almost got lost, but seriously was a great book. I've read books by Jamie Day before and totally recommend as a good read!

I’m a big fan of locked room mysteries and the evil incarnation family members theme seen in the Succession series. Thankfully, this book is an amazing combination of these two themes, piquing my interest and hooking me from the beginning. It pushed me hard to decide which Bishop sister is worse than the others! My vote is still for Vicki as the craziest and most unpredictable one! Of course, the maid Charley, who might be an angel when compared with Millie the maid and less eccentric than Molly the maid (my other favorite book characters), might be the kindest-hearted character in the book, mostly kept in the dark about the real evils lurking nearby.

The main plot revolves around the new heiresses of Precipice Hotel: a legendary family hotel located on the rocky coast of Maine, the three Bishop Sisters who gather at the family resort to hear the will of their late father George Bishop.

Enter Charley, the chambermaid of the hotel, only 19, living in a closet in the hotel turned into a rent-free room, trapped in her job to pay for her nana’s care house. It vacuums the entire funds she’s made and forces her into pickpocketing from wealthy guests. Now she’s more desperate after the care house made a raise for her grandmother’s accommodation. When a young girl named Bree needs help in exchange for cash that can give her financial relief, Charley accepts to hide her in one of the empty hotel rooms. The poor girl is hiding from her abusive boyfriend, and she has no position to say no to her, even though this secret may threaten her job.

Enter the Bishop sisters: Vicki - vicious, bad-tempered, the elder sister, founder of a jewelry store chain, married to charismatic Todd in her 50s, greedy, money-oriented, ruthless - a match made in heaven for her (or the women he’s cheating on her with). Iris - ex-convict, troubled, ex-drug addict, middle sister, in the new religious awakening. Finally, Faith - model, stylish, addicted to the spotlight and to being admired, married to eccentric Hope who is a vegetarian cook, spiritualist, Zen person.

Vicki’s gorgeous son Quinn, who also steals Charley’s heart at first sight, and young Oliver: the son of Faith & Hope, must be on the spectrum, likes to rhyme, acting like an oracle who knows the future are the other attendants of the hotel.

After the hearing, the family members start arguing because one of them might have manipulated George to change his will. Iris and Faith are not happy with the outcome. Brenda Black, the ex-shady prosecutor, new lawyer also acting suspicious, might be involved in a scheming that the sisters wouldn’t like.

But things suddenly change when a murder occurs. All the sisters are bound with sins and dirty secrets related to the crime. A murderer is among them, leaving creepy messages about their doom. None of them can escape from the hotel as Hurricane Larry is out their door, blocking each escape way. As you can imagine, the electric circuit does not work well, just like cell phone reception. They cannot call for help, and they cannot take their eyes off each other. One of them is losing control, and he or she never intends to stop until the secrets come out, and the truth is revealed. Poor Charley has to find a way to survive, but how can she achieve this when the Bishop sisters are cooking up plans to shut her up?

Overall, this was a delicious, heart-throbbing whodunnit with Christiean vibes! I couldn’t resist it! I honestly recommend it! It’s even better than Block Party, which I also enjoyed!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this addictive book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. This was my first read of Jamie Day. A family gathers to hear the reading for their father's will during a approaching hurricane. Everyone has secrets and someone must die. Great read.

The Precipice is a family-owned hotel on the coast of Maine. After the death of their father, sisters Iris, Vicki, and Faith have come to the hotel for the weekend to claim their share. Each share a deep secret from their childhood as well as deeper secrets that not everyone knows. Charley Kelley is the nineteen year old chambermaid who lives at the hotel in exchange for working there. The return of the sisters to the hotel can pose a dangerous threat to Charley. Charley also has her own secret as she is also using a guest room to harbor a woman who is on the run.

This book is full of secrets and family drama. The looming hurricane adds and additional layer to the locked room mystery. There were so many twists which were so satisfying. I was glued to the pages. I loved the setting and all of the characters with their secrets. Just when I thought all secrets were revealed, more came out. A highly enjoyable thriller!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of One Big Happy Family. This was a good thriller/mystery read. There were some enjoyable twists and turns in this novel. I don’t always love the secluded hotel/location trope but this one was done well. Sometimes the characters were a little overdone/over the top but overall it was a good page turner and kept me engaged.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4 for this review.

#netgalley #onebighappyfamily #stmartinspress #jamieday

"One Big Happy Family" was very hard for me to get into in the beginning, but once I did I couldn't put down! This is the first book I've read by this author, but I will be reading more!

I love the characters and the family dynamics. Also, the fact there were several twists and turns. Just when I guessed the ending, I would get it wrong!

I recommend this book to everyone that likes a twist and turn novel.

I received the complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Trapped in a hotel on the coast of Maine during a major hurricane, each of the guests are hiding secrets and the only way to survive is to uncover the truth. What follows is an intense thriller with lots of twists and action!

This book was told from multiple points of view which helped keep me glued to the pages. The author did an excellent job keeping the reader on their toes. Lots of action, mystery, and even murder.

I felt the ending was rushed but it didn't completely detract from the story. If you like a stormy night thriller, this is a book for you!

This book was a bit slow paced except for the last quarter of the book. Some suspenseful moments, deception, a person bent on revenge with a few twists you won't see coming. A touch of romance. The Bishops are a screwed up family, with many secrets and have by intention or accidentally ruined peoples lives that they have encountered during the years. A philandering father has changed and shaped his daughters lives with some dire consequences which they find has left them guilt ridden. Trapped in their family hotel during a hurricane, will their secrets be revealed? Who will survive the night?

Received an ARC and this is my voluntary honest review.

I really enjoyed this book but it kept me up at night. Between wanting to finish and some creepy dreams, it mat not be the book for you. If that's what you like, the twists are amazing and who did it surprised me

One Big Happy Family didn’t work for me. It’s a book that mostly follows Charley, a maid at a hotel. I didn’t care about anyone (and all of them so insanely physically beautiful), and the twists were easy to guess. The family dynamics were disgusting to me, and the ending was extremely unsatisfying. I also don’t think everyone deserves a redemption arc in books like this.

The idea this author had is such a good one, but I wish it had been a novella. Nothing good happens until around 79 percent into the book. I was bored for so much of the time.

I will say I would try this author again. The writing wasn’t awful, though each character being so beautiful got old. I also couldn’t empathize with anyone. But I have hope that this author will write more books that I’ll enjoy one day.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

Nice though fairly standard thriller. The vibes were nice overall though I would say this one wasn’t a huge stand out . Thanks for the arc

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read your novel. I greatly enjoyed reading Charley’s story and the story of the sisters. It at times was hard to stay entrenched in the story and I found myself pulling out, but in the end I was surprised by the twists and think everything wrapped up nicely.

Received an ARC via NetGalley. Fun read! Suspense and action. Wish the book included a picture of the rowboat painting.