Charley is our main character. Her life has been shaped from her past living with a drug addicted mother and learning life lessons from her grandma who helped raise her. When she was only 17, she was offered a job she couldn’t refuse working as a maid in a hotel where she worked for a low wage, but also room and board.

George, the hotel owner, passed away and Charley wonders if she’ll be given the same work offer when his three daughters, Victoria, Iris, and Faith take over or if the hotel will even remain open. Worse yet, she recently started harboring a guest for free trying to escape an abusive relationship and fears the sisters won’t have the same grace.

There is a past / present component to develop the Bishop sister characters and understand context for their harsh relationships with each other when the will for their father as read and as they navigate their reunion.

In the background- a terrible hurricane is coming, so the hotel is bare besides Charley, the sisters and their families, and the stowaway. Death soon finds itself to the hotel with more continued if past secrets of the family are not revealed.

This book had a little bit of everything- secret adoptions, car accidents, accidental deaths, purposeful deaths, secret baby out of wedlock, whew !!

I would say this was fast paced and did hold my attention. It was almost too much packed into one book, but the twists did keep it interesting and kept me guessing.

Thanks NetGalley for access to the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea what to expect with this book but I couldn't put it down. The locked room mystery is so good in a big hotel on the Maine Coast. There is also a hurricane coming, and a crazy family arriving at the hotel to settle the will of their father that just died. The family members all bring their own secrets and drama and I like how it unfolded. Charley is the maid that lives at the hotel and she of course gets sucked into the family drama. I highly recommend this book! A great thriller/mystery read! Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an early copy of this book and great narration on the audiobook, look for it in July 2024.

As soon as I saw Jamie Day had her second book coming out I knew I had to read it. I loved her debut "Block Party". One Big Happy Family unfortunately did not have the same vibe.
The struggle buggle began early, I was not "hooked" in the first few chapters. Mysteries and thrillers need to suck you in so that you mind is consumed with curiosity/intrigue. However I was bogged down by detail, a main character that was incredibly vague and a cast of characters I could care less about. Day did not develop the three sisters enough initially for me to distinguish between them. Once the plot finally started to pick up momentum Day cast us back to 20 years or so to shine light onto the sisters background. The past time line dragged , I could not keep my attention let alone my interest.
She then tried to throw in a romance, which failed miserably in my opinion. There was no chemistry and the only descriptions we got of Quinn was pure "eye candy" descriptions.
The final blow I will give was: Jamie Day have you met Captain Obvious? Because the I immediately identified what was going on. That particular character's presence was so las vegas apparent even the 3 blind mice could see the "twist" coming. That character was just stuck into the story and felt like the big elephant in the room. Sorry, not good writing.

I would be remiss if I did not comment on the absolute ridiculous ending and Oliver's "secrets" , at that point you can imagine the amount of eye rolling that was happening I would make any teen girl proud.

I will give Jamie Day another chance because like I said her debut was quite good so I know she can produce good work. We will just chalk this one up to her Sophmore Slump.

Thank you net galley for allowing me to read and review "One Big Happy Family" in exchange for my honest opinions and thoughts.

Calling all fans of suspense with a summery twist! The setting - a legendary family hotel on the Maine coast with a hurricane brewing - is atmospheric and primed for secrets to be unearthed. The Bishop sisters, each with their own agenda, return to claim their inheritance, throwing the life of the resourceful young chambermaid, Charley, into jeopardy. With hidden guests, pilfering fingers, and murder in the air, this book promises "razor-sharp wit, heart, thrills, and twists." I loved The Block Party so this was a no-brainer for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I loved the printed version of this book and the audiobook is even better. A bad storm, eccentric motel, three sisters a maid and a mysterious visitor. Perfect mix for a domestic and psychological thriller with great atmosphere. Secrets revealed and surprises await!
Great narration as well.

3.5 stars rounded up. This is a locked door murder mystery, with a lot of family drama. I enjoyed the narrator, they were easy to listen to and kept me focused on the story. I found a good portion of the story and twists to be predictable but that didn't affect my enjoyment. There were still some twists I didn't see coming. I did find this to be a bit slow compared to what I prefer from a thriller/mystery and it also felt longer than needed. I also felt like there were a lot of characters, although having mostly Charley's POV helped with that. I just had trouble remembering which sister was which with the audio, with the physical book this wasn't a problem since I could reference back.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the spooky stormy setting in the creepy hotel, the point of view of the maid was kind of fun. It was pretty predictable though and honestly I would recommend Daisy Darker for a similar locked door vibe and same isolate house and family reunion/family secrets. I still enjoyed it, it just wasn’t the best book of the sort I have read.

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Jamie Day, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley.

The narrator of this audiobook is Saskia Maarleveld. Ms. Maarleveld does a very good keeping the story flowing. Also the narrator uses minute changes in tone and inflection to differentiate between guests at the hotel.

The main character guiding us through this story is Charley Kelly, a 19 yr old maid at The Precipice hotel. Charley has had a tough childhood and as a result was mostly raised by her grandmother. Her mother is dead, she never met her father, has no siblings and it's just her grandma with dementia. Charley is working as a maid at the hotel to keep her grandmother cared for in an elder care facility. This creates a desperation that has lead her to act outside of her moral values.

In the midst of trying to make her financial situation feasible, the owner of the hotel, Mr. Bishop, has died and Charley is worried about if she'll be able to keep her job. Due to inclement weather, the week Mr. Bishop's daughters, Vicki, Iris & Faith, attend the reading of the will is otherwise empty at the hotel. Well except for Bree, a woman trying to escape her abusive spouse that Charley is hiding in the empty rooms at the hotel. With the sisters comes: 1 husband, Todd, 1 wife, Hope, the estate attorney, Ms. Black, and 2 sons, Quinn & Oliver. This functions as a lockred room mystery.

The sisters are fairly awful, in that unique cluelessly oppresive manner that is adopted by the wealthy in relation to everyone not wealthy. They also have secrets of their own as the result of a rather unconventional childhood. Of course, everything is coming to head at the hotel during the reading of the will.

So when one of the family members turns up murdered followed by an ominous note threatening more dead bodies, it's a race to figure out who did it and why before anyone else is harmed.

The basic premise of the story is sound. I was interested in the beginning but it takes so long for the story to go anywhere. As it finally starts to build momentum the pace is interrupted with the sisters own story, which doesn't add to the overall narrative. Frankly, the information could've been shared in conversation or by having 1 of the sisters have a few pov chapters. Somehow the final story is less than the sum of its parts. It just felt like it went on for too long and the final reveal felt both obvious and ridiculous. I liked this author's debut novel so I'll definitely read another book by them.

Thank you to Jamie Day, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I thought Jamie Day's debut was just-okay, but I always give debut authors 3 reads before I decide whether or not I want to continue reading them. I loved this book way more than the debut and you can really tell her writing improved.

This was such a fun thriller that was perfect for the colder weather. i had a cup of hot cocoa and read it underneath a lot of blankets. Truly the perfect experience. I was hooked from the start and there were so many twists and turns (only a handful of which I saw coming).

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for the book #OneBigHappyFamily by #JamieDay. I found this roller coaster ride of a book just fantastic. Charley is a 19 year old who is working and living in a big hotel to help support her grandmother who is in an Alzheimer’s home. When her boss passes away and his family shows up for the reading of the will, things quickly get out of control. Secrets come out, some people are murdered and the twist ending is spectacular.

Story: 4⭐️
Narration: 5⭐️
Overall: 4.25⭐️

I did a tandem audio/ebook read of this book, and what a ride it was.

Starting with the narration performance part of the review, Saskia Maarleveld was fantastic. She had a very concise and natural cadence to her delivery. I was consistently impressed with the subtle yet distinct tone and pitch she shifted between to differentiate the multiple female characters she needed to portray. She also had a pleasant delivery on the male characters that didn’t make her sound like she was trying too hard to be overtly masculine with her tone. Her transitions between characters were smooth and offered easy clarity. She did a great job bringing the story to life.

The twists and turns this book took were abundant. There were a lot of surprises that I didn’t see coming, and I was really impressed with the build up to everything. It kept me riveted and anxious for what was going to be revealed next. Some of the twists were somewhat predictable, but still enjoyable parts of the overall plot regardless. Essentially, the entire family was infected with various demons and was entirely dysfunctional. It made for an entertaining mess that needed to be cleaned up. Some of the motivations and end games behind some the actions maybe didn’t quite seem worth the effort to me though. There was A LOT going on in this family and outside of it, almost too much at times, but overall Jamie Day executed the delivery of it all really well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the ALC/eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun, locked door mystery that unfolds at an upscale hotel in Maine!

Premise: After their father dies, the Bishop sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—head to the Precipice, an upscale hotel the family owns in Maine. All three hope to inherit, but not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out.

There’s a hurricane looming and a bunch of secrets in play. Top it off with Charley, a thieving chambermaid, and a woman on the run who’s hiding in one of the guest rooms, and it’s anyone’s guess who’ll come out on top.

I enjoyed the flashing back between the modern day and the sisters’ shared past, as well as the trickling out of information. The pace of the murders was great, and the characters well realized. I didn’t like anyone (or hate anyone) quite enough for a 5, but it’s a definitely a very solid 4 that I’ll enthusiastically recommend to mystery fans.

I listened to the audio version and the performance was really enjoyable - varied, high stakes when appropriate, and full of character for all the distinct characters.

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great thriller. It was perfect for a summer listen. I highly enjoyed it and definitely recommend picking it up on publication day.

One big Happy Family by Jamie Day

I wanted to love this book s bad but this book wasn't for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook One Big Happy family. The cover is fun and invites you in to the mystery. It had an Agatha Christie’s flare from “And then there were none”. Locked room mystery three sisters back in their childhood home after father’s death for the reading of the will. Convoluted at times but over all 3.5⭐️.

I was thrilled to be given advanced access to the audio of One Big Happy Family. The cover is what drew me in initially, but once I read the description, I knew I wanted to read this book.
Dive into the intriguing world of the Bishop sisters. Their father passes away and they meet back at his hotel for the reading of the will. The will has left everyone less than thrilled. Things take a dark turn when a family member is found dead under mysterious circumstances.
If you enjoy domestic thrillers with complex characters and suspenseful storylines, this book is a must-read for you. You will be guessing until the very end.

Publication date is July 16th

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook!

This one was a WILD and CRAZY family drama/thriller that I read start to finish in a day! If you read Jamie Day's debut book THE BLOCK PARTY and enjoyed it, you'll definitely enjoy this one! They followed a very similar pattern and both had some INSANE endings. The last roughly 10% of both of her books were off-the-wall crazy and my favorite part of both of the books.

I knew from the cover alone that this family wouldn't be NORMAL, but I didn't expect them to be as INSANE as they were. The book begins with 3 sisters meeting up at their family hotel after the passing of their father. All of the sisters are crazy (what more could we want?) and full of secrets and the drama is REAL!

Some of the plot was definitely unbelievable and over the top, but I was thoroughly entertained, so it didn't bother me!

The audiobook was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and as always, she did an excellent job!

This will be available for purchase on July 16th!

3.5 stars rounded up for GR

🎧Song Pairing: Father of Mine - Everclear

💭What I thought would happen:

Drama. With big families comes thirsty drama😈

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Do you like family drama? Like not a little I’m talking backstabbing, hateful shiiiiit. Then this is the book for you 😂

I really enjoyed Block Party! So fun and the ending was wild so I expected the same. But was a bit of a flop. Like a flaccid little peen 🍤

Read if:
🤦🏼‍♀️You have sisters
😈Wish ill on your BIL/SIL
⛈️Love hurricanes
💜Have worked for hateful people

While the narrator was fine and kept me engaged, she sounded like she had a cold or something. I just couldn’t stop hearing her stuffiness in her voice.

Can a family as dysfunctional as the Bishop’s truly be happy? They might think so. Wonderfully woven together, Jamie Day has given us another page turning thriller. This took me one day to get through because I just couldn’t get enough.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Lock the door and prepare for a creepy, sinister mystery that will leave you wondering if anyone should get to remain at the end of this wild affair!

Charley, the m.c., is 19 and a maid at an eclectic, family run hotel in Maine. Though she is young, it's very easy to forget that. She has weathered some storms (yep. Intended!), and she continues to struggle. In addition to losing her mother, Charley is also financially responsible for herself and for her grandmother, who lives in a nearby facility. This - on her salary and with her limited support system - is all particularly challenging.

Though readers get to know Charley early on, the arrival of her now deceased boss's children and grandchildren - along with a surprise guest - completely upends her world. The three children, sisters, are all arriving with both kinds of baggage, and they are prepared to spill every drop of tea while a storm traps them in their family's most unusual asset. People start dying, secrets get revealed, and the past becomes present.

I was excited to read this one because I really enjoyed Day's _The Block Party_. While I also liked this one overall, the pacing was much slower for me. I listened to the audio and at times found myself tuning out and having to back track a bit, which was not an experience I had with the previous book. This is a good beach read as it's entertaining enough but does not require the focus that this genre often does.