I was a huge fan of The Block Party, so I was very excited to have the chance to listen to Jamie Day’s newest summer thriller! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of One Big Happy Family in exchange for my honest review!

SYNOPSIS: The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel, on the coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters, come to claim what each of them believe to be rightfully hers. With a dangerous hurricane looming, and each of the Bishop sisters harboring dangerous secrets, there’s murder in the air- and not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out.

Charley Kelly, the smart and resilient maid, is desperate to make enough money to support herself, as well as her grandmother, who is living in a care home with dementia. But Charley has some secrets of her own that could spell disaster upon the arrival of the Bishop sisters…

MY REVIEW: I am a fan of a locked-door mystery, so the plot instantly drew me in. I also love an atmospheric thriller/mystery, and with a coastal hotel setting and looming hurricane… stick a fork in me.

The book is divided into four parts, with the action and plot unfolding in parts three and four. I enjoyed parts one and two for the sake of getting to know the characters and trying to put together the pieces Day left along the way. love a slow burn, I feel like the grit was absent and it felt long and drawn out rather than exciting… I definitely was able to guess some of the plot twists, but the ones I could not were not shocking.

I did love how Day captured the realistic and toxic dynamic among the Bishop sisters and how they each treated Charley as they arrived at the Precipice. The tension could be cut with a knife, which was another thing I loved about this book! As much as my heartstrings were pulled while listening to the epilogue, respectfully, nobody would have that ‘perfect’ of an ending, despite all of the drama that unfolded just days prior.

I give this book a 3.5/5 stars!

dysfunctional family, plot twists, hotel heiresses, mystery, murder, looming hurricane, dangerous secrets, betrayal, slow burn, suspense

I was super excited about this book after having read the author's debut novel "The Block Party" and having loved it. I was expecting big things from this one too and was a little disappointed. While I did really enjoy it for the most part, it just felt a bit disjointed. There was a lot going on and some of it felt a bit unnecessary and just "busy". I will say that the story definitely kept my attention and was engaging. The ending wasn't super surprising - but it did wrap everything up nicely.

Overall this was an enjoyable listen. The narration was great and there were lots of characters to both love and hate. While in my opinion it wasn't as good as the authors last book, it definitely was worth the listen.

I didn't realize that I had already read the electronic reader version of this book when I received the audiobook from Negalley in return for an honest review. Interestingly, I enjoyed the audiobook version of the book in spite of the fact that i already knew the story. The reader did a superb job of showcasing the characters that had been so skillfully drawn by the author. Those characters, so interesting and fully fleshed out, came to life in the excellent oral interpretation done by the reader. Other strengths of the book include the specific and precise vocabulary, which facilitated understanding and avoided confusion.

Very long, drawn out storyline, could have been half as long. Too many characters, could be confusing at times.

Overall a 3.5 star read for me. I will say this is out of my normal romance genre and it may be a bigger hit for thriller readers. I enjoyed the location and the relatable FMC. For the FMC this is a story of basic survival and she had to navigate a rich family’s drama. I think Hurricane Larry was perfect to keep everyone realistically stuck in this hotel together without contact to the outside world. I did guess the big reveal early on in the book, however, these characters have a dozen other reveals I did not anticipate. While I found the FMC’s backstory to be realistic and her character relatable, I could not find any compelling characters or depth with anyone else. I’ll keep this vague to avoid spoilers. I did not like or believe a characters decision regarding an item and lost touch with the book during the events that took place over the item. Narrator was perfect, I really enjoyed the audiobook.

Charley works at a family-owned hotel on the coast of Maine, however the owner has died and now his three daughters have come to claim their inheritance. The reading of the will doesn’t go as planned and everynone has more questions than answers…and now they also have a dead body during a hurricane.

At no point was I concerned about Charley’s safety and I think that took some of the thrill out of the story. Each of the characters had their own drama, which made it interesting. However, I didn’t feel attached to or worried about any of them, they mostly seemed emotionless. Even the romantic interest storyline felt a bit flat. I did enjoy that it was set in Maine (yay home state!) and some of the local details felt very on point. I also liked the dramatic ending (so much drama!).

I enjoyed this as an audio book, the narrator has a great voice for this genre.

*Provided an ALC (advance listening copy) audiobook from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of One Big Happy Family in exchange for my honest review.

I found great pleasure in reading this book; the captivating cover initially drew me in, and the story exceeded my expectations.This book offers an ideal blend of summer suspense, featuring numerous unexpected twists, family dynamics, and hidden secrets. Set against the backdrop of a small Maine town during Hurricane Larry, the narrative centers on three sisters and their chambermaid, delivering a fast-paced story that's ideal for a summer day.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day and narrated by Saskia Maarleveld was a mystery/suspense told from the perspective of Charley Kelley, a chambermaid at The Precipice hotel on the coast of Maine. Charley is a very likeable character, even though she has a tendency to steal from the guests - but it is only to support her grandmother's bills at the nursing home since she has dementia and Charley is responsible for her since there is no other family.

The hotel owner dies and the Bishop sisters and their families come to the hotel for the reading of the Will and to sort out the assets, deal with the hotel and get what is rightfully theirs. They need to decide what to do with hotel, which could mean Charley is out of a job. Meanwhile, Charley met a woman running from a bad relationship and trying to break free. She agrees to allow her to stay for a few days in the hotel to hide out from her boyfriend.

Tensions rise and old hardships are rekindled as the sisters learn what dad had planned for their futures. Will the hotel withstand the coming hurricane? Will the sisters love for each other be enough to save them from themselves? Lots of murder and intrigue will follow as the storm continues to worsen outside the walls of the Precipice.

Saskia did a good job narrating this audiobook. The pace was fluid and she was able to keep me connected to the characters throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Interesting locked room mystery. After reading The Block Party last year, I was excited to see what Day had in store for us next. Putting all the pieces together on this one was quite a trip. Fun, quick read with a hurricane on the way! Love the storm for added suspense. Thank you for chance to review the ALC!
3.5 rounded up

One Big Happy Family was an over-the-top and entertaining thriller. The Bishop family has gathered at the coastal Maine inn they own for the reading of their late patriarch's will. A hurricane is fast approaching, and soon, the family, along with the inn's maid and a mysterious stranger she's hiding, are trapped together. Then, the bodies start to pile up.

It was quite the wild and entertaining ride as this family starts to melt down and reveal their long-buried secrets. Everyone in this was such a character, from the conspiracy-spouting eldest daughter to the creepy grandson who only speaks in rhymes.

Everything is told from the POV of Charlie, the live-in maid, which worked well in an audiobook format. I really enjoyed this one as a nice summertime diversion and recommend it to anyone who likes to escape into other's chaotic drama.

One Big Happy Family promises a lot but in the end it fails to live up to its promise. The story is set at the Precipice, a hotel in rural Maine, during Hurricane Larry and is, in effect, a locked room mystery. Although it has a couple of twists and turns, and the narrator, 19-year-old maid Charley Kelly, is a likable and reliable narrator, the story never really delivers much mystery; parts of the story verge on implausibility. Day does a good job with the setting, although in the end the hurricane's fury and damage are underplayed, but the action waxes and wanes and the thread of romance is much too obvious from the start as is the conclusion. The finger of guilt points to almost everyone at one time or another during the book, but few are credible. Worst of all was the lack of sympathy for the victims. There is more than one murder yet none of the characters waste any time thinking about, let about grieving, for them.

Saskia Maarleveld's narration is excellent and it is because of her work that I did not rate the book lower.

I hope that Day's next novel will reflect improvements in plot and character development.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the sophomore book by Jamie Day, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Charley is the maid at a family-owned inn, The Precipice, doing whatever she can to earn enough money to pay for her grandmother's care. When the owner, George Bishop dies, his family comes to the inn for the reading of the will. Along with all the surprises the will brings, a hurricane is looming.

I was a huge fan of Day's debut, The Block Party, and enjoyed this one as well. I love a locked-room atmospheric mystery, and this one had lots of characters, each keeping secrets. I did feel it was a bit slow at times, but it still kept me intrigued. While Charley didn't always make the best of decisions, I felt for her as she was trying so hard to take care of her beloved Nana. The scenes with the two of them were heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is full of family secrets and dysfunction, enough characters to keep you guessing, and a few twists and turns along the way.

I always love having both the audio and digital versions to enable a full experience and to be able to keep with the story no matter what else I'm doing - thank you for that! The narrator did a great job with all the voices and I had no issues discerning who was who.

I'm so sad to report that this book was not my favorite.⁠
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I loved The Block Party so much so I had high hopes.
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It had the most perfect setup. An old hotel in the middle of a hurricane where family members come together to go over their father's will. The problem is that the word dysfunctional doesn't even scratch the surface for how messed up this family is.⁠ 🫣
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Sounds so good doesn't it? So where did it go wrong...⁠
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Whew. okay... first of all-- even for an empty hotel (due to the storm) there were too many people involved. I could not keep track of the sisters & their kids & how they fit into the family. Then there was the lawyer & the staff & their families.⁠ 🫠
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The book is told from Charlie (the maids) POV & so much time was spent on her life & background that I was bored before the family even arrived.
I hate to keep rambling but it just made me so sad because there was so much potential. For me, it felt like way too many storylines rolled into one. ⁠
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Bummed.⁠ 😫

I love a good locked room mystery and this one is so twisty and fun. The Maine setting adds its own haunting vibe and the house almost seems to have its own personality. I enjoyed the unreliability of the characters and the dual timelines. Oliver was fascinating and possibly my favorite character as I felt I understood him the best. The ending was surprising and I loved the redemption aspect. The audiobook is fantastic and the narration very well done. Loved it!

This was my first audiobook by Jamie Day. I had read her first book, "The Block Party" and to be honest it was better than this one. But this story held it's own for sure!

I enjoyed this quick read. It was fun and fast-moving with some twists and lots of family drama. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the audio ARC.

I had a lot of fun with this one. It had And Then There Were None and Knives Out vibes. I was sucked in immediately and it held my attention all the way to the satisfying ending. This book definitely helped me out of my reading slump.

Every book has a dash of family drama, but when a thriller is more drama than thrills, it leaves you craving something more.

This book had a promising setup: the Bishop sisters return home to hear their father's will, with a murderer on the loose. Sounds thrilling, right? Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.

The drama took center stage, overshadowing the suspense. It left me wanting a lot more excitement. So, it's a 2.5 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen and review this audiobook!

This book was an okay listen. The story is of a hotel in which the owner has recently passed. His 3 daughters and their families arrive, during a hurricane, to listen to the will reading and things do not go as expected. We get small glimpses of the past here and there and the reasons for their father's will decisions comes out. There's also a few murders thrown into the mix and we have no idea who is killing off people in the hotel. I don't think the twist(s) were anything jaw dropping - but others may think so.

The narration was great. I think the story was just confusing at times which is why I rated this lower.

One Big Happy Family
by Jamie Day
3.5/5 ⭐

One Big Happy Family is my second Jamie Day book. In this book, she skillfully weaves an intricate plot around a large cast of characters. The story is set in Maine, at a hotel, during a hurricane. The Bishop sisters arrive to claim their inheritance following their father's recent death. Each sister wants their fair share, but as secrets surface and guests go missing, the question of who will leave with their share of the inheritance becomes a mystery.

One Big Happy Family is a locked-door mystery. I'm usually not a fan of this type of mystery, but this one was different. It had flashbacks and side stories that kept me guessing. The book is divided into four parts, and it starts slowly, but the action picks up in parts 3 and 4. The epilogue tied up everything nicely, but it felt a bit unrealistic. If you're into a slow-burn suspenseful summer read, then this book is for you.

Thank you to @Macmillan.Audio and @netgalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. All my opinions are my own.
Publication Date: July 16, 2024