Loved the dynamics of the characters in this book! So many twists and underlying “wait what?!” Moments! I loved the “who did it?” Thoughts throughout too…all the characters had a motive at some point during the book.

I was a bit shocked that the big secret about the car accident wasn’t actually their mom instead of Christine. I was just thinking that was the big, big reveal but maybe I missed the little details of how the mom died. Maybe I’ve just read too many thrillers to think there is always one big twist!

This was a very exciting story with an ending that ties up all the loose ends but certainly not as you would expect while reading the book. There are many plot twists until you feel like your head is spinning - in a good way. I stayed up late to finish the last several chapters because I just had to know how it all turned out. I will definitely look for more books by this author.

This was a good story with unlikeable characters. It’s set in coastal Maine with an impending hurricane. It has a lot of family drama but not many of the elements of a typical thriller. We have sisters with a lot of secrets coming to claim their inheritance and Charlie the chambermaid hiding a guest. In the end someone will end up dead.

Ominous locked room thriller. Hotel overlooking the ocean on the Maine coast, Hurricane coming. Creepy setting, check. Hotel owner dies, family coming for a reading of the will. Motive, check. Hurricane traps everyone in the hotel, and people start dying like flies. There is a murderer inside with no where to hide. (Oliver coming out in my review 😉) this was an Agatha Christie style whodunnit, with a twist.

This is my second book by this author and I have enjoyed both. Very entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley, st Martin’s press, and the author for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Charley, a hotel maid, gets stuck with the Bishop sisters during a hurricane while they attend their dad's will reading. The sisters have complicated problems, dating back to their childhood. The story unfolds in the hotel, revealing secrets and building suspense. The storm outside matches the emotional turmoil inside, making it a gripping tale of family secrets and questionable alliances. The characters are so-so, but I enjoyed the writing style of Jamie Day.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Day, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this arc!

This is my second book from Jamie Day and while I liked The Block Party more, this was a good read! I don't LOVE the story line of being trapped somewhere in a storm and then one by one, bad things happen to people, but this had enough twists and turns to make me enjoy it. The cast of characters were all very, very interesting and had their own quirks and qualities. It has a great setting and is a perfect summer read (or winter read!)

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced read copy of this book in exchange for a review!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Another great thriller my Jamie Day. I was excited for this one because I loved The Block Party. I couldn't put this one down. The twists kept you guessing on what was going to happen next. The ending did feel a bit rushed compared to the rest of the book but the character development was good and it was very well written.

This book started out and gave some creepy vibes, but I think it read more of a family drama than a twisty thriller.
The owner of the legendary Precipice Hotel in Maine dies and suddenly the drama begins.
Charley who has cleaned the hotel for years unhappily to pay for her Mother’s housing has no idea the storm that is about to hit. With the death of the hotel owner his three daughters, Iris, Vicki, and Faith, show up with their families like vultures. Suddenly Charley is on edge because she has no idea if the sisters will fire her, close the hotel, or find out her secrets. Then a massive hurricane hits is looming and everyone appears untrustworthy…. Especially after one of the sisters husbands ends up murdered.
I found this overall to be predictable, not extremely creative, and the characters were pretty unlikable. This book was just ok to me .

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, and St. Martins press for an ARC!!

A sophomore novel by Jamie Day, "One Big Happy Family" is another suspense-filled read and I couldn't quit reading it. Great book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I was super excited to read this book and finished it in two night. The atmosphere was amazing. An old eccentric hotel in the middle of a storm. A somewhat locked room mystery.
The quirky Bishop sisters and their family and their secrets that never seem to end.
I really wanted to put this one at 3.5 stars and had to round up to 4. This was really due to the kind of bizarre ending. I didn’t expect all of the characters to almost change and suddenly be so giving. It was almost abrupt and not well thought out like the rest of the book was.

A great thriller that pulled me in from the very beginning! I didn't predict any of the twists and they just kept coming! I love family drama and secrets .Some of the secrets are shared with the reader early on or are hinted at or are not particularly surprising given what we know of the characters. However, there are some pretty surprising secrets; the most dramatic secret is one I never saw coming (nor did most of the characters in the story). I definitely recommend this book! The perfect summer read!

This author does a good job of keeping you guessing the plot twist/character connections just like in The Block Party. My only complaint is how quickly ends are tied up at the end. Endings don’t always have to be happy for everyone. I think a cliff hanger ending would have been fitting with the plot of the book. The characters were well developed and easy to keep straight for the reader. I will look for more titles by this author in the future.

One Big Happy Family is definitely suspenseful with a capital "S"! With a fast moving plot that unfolds surprise after surprise, you will find yourself unable to tear away from the book. Put everything on hold-you will be glued to One Big Happy Family until you reach the final chapter! Thank you to NetGalley.

One Big Happy Family is a tense story about what how family secrets can be deadly. When the owner of the Precipice, a family owned hotel, dies suddenly his three daughters come home to hear the will reading. Charley, the woman who cleans the rooms at the hotel, is worried that they will fire her and she won't be able to take care of her grandmother anymore. However, as the book progresses, she realizes that Bishop sisters are hiding secrets about the past that they will do anything to hide. The story takes place during a hurricane, which traps the characters in the hotel and adds to the intensity of the situation. Jamie Day does a good job with a twist near the end which makes the climax more exciting. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Aside from a few formatting issues in the Kindle version, this was a nearly flawless book, editorially speaking. I had not read a book by this author before, but I will seek others by her. The plot was multifaceted; the characters were interesting and fully fleshed out; and the vocabulary was specific and precise. The latter facilitated understanding and avoided confusion for the reader.

A hurricane, a dysfunctional family arriving for a will reading and a young hotel maid stuck with them. Add in a hidden "guest" and let the secrets and lies start to unfold. Excellent book to curl up with and stay up reading until 3 a.m. The flashbacks added important information. Totally surprised by who did it. I loved Oliver and his rhymes. It will be a great book club selection. Thank you NetGalley, Jamie Day, and St. Martin's for this ARC.

This was a suspenseful read, though I can’t say the title “One Big Happy Family” was anything close to accurate. Then again, what type thriller/ mystery would this be if that were the case?? Our protagonist is the young & all seeing maid of the Precipice Hotel, Charley. And, boy, does she see some crazy $h!+!! This is a cliffhanger of a book, but one with a wonderful ending….(the last few books I’ve read have ended so ambiguously & unfulfilling, though their plot was💯. Still annoying). Take a trip to stormy Maine & immerse yourself in anything but a big, happy family….it’s immensely entertaining & what would be interesting about a happy family, after all??🤔

Jamie Day's Block Party was one of my favorite thrillers of 2023. I was so excited when I saw she had another book coming out for 2024. Unfortunately, One Big Happy Family did not work for me. I think there are two main reasons why. The first is the singular POV from the main character Charley. She's 19 in the book, so reading from her POV annoyed me and seemed immature. Part II had multi POVs on the family's history which worked better for me. I think the book would've kept my attention more if the entire think was written in multi POV.

The second was that almost none if the characters were likeable. We spend the majority of the book trying to figure out who killed Todd (who cares? Not even the characters in the book liked him) and who's framing Vicki. It was so hard to stay focused when I didn't care about the mystery. If the character who was killed was likeable, it would've kept me more invested.

Charley lives and works at the Precipice Hotel. The owner has died and his family is arriving for the reading of the will. There is also a severe storm approaching. The three sisters of the owners have secrets they are trying to desperately to keep hidden. As the storm grows worse people start dying. Are the sisters responsible? What are their secrets?

This book gets off to a slow start but then gets going. Everyone has something to hide. The book has many twists and turns that will surprise the reader. The book includes murder, sibling rivalry, secrets and more. It is a great read.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #JamieDay, and #StMartinsPress.
#OneBigHappyFamily