This is a suspenseful, atmospheric read set on the coast of Maine. A family reunites after the death of their father. Differing personalities and the aftermath of past events cause tension and descension. I loved the setting and stormy atmosphere. Lots of twists cap this off making an enjoyable read.

Not an easy read - it felt choppy and never found its rhythm.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Just barely 18 Charlie works and lives in a hotel in remote Maine. She got this job when she was 16 when her grandmother was put in a home, and had to pay for it herself, her mother died she Charlie is all she has. When the own of the hotel dies and his 3 daughters come to get what they claim they are entitled to right before a hurricane hits. No where to go a young women shows up asking to hide out from her abuse I’ve ex boyfriend Charlie agrees to help her. When one of the women’s husband ends up dead and you find out the secret to all these women who is telling the truth who’s a murder and who is innocent.

This book was so horrible I’m sorry I read it but I wish I didn’t. There is child abuse, abuse, drugs, alcohol, narcissism and throw in immigration issues. It’s wow research should have gone in to this book a bit more because this was unrealistic.

Everyone always thinks your one big happy family but are you really? This is a must read filled with twists and turns and things you would never think of.

I loved this story and right up to the end I was on the edge of my seat! This was my kind of book with characters that you love to hate and none stop action. There was so much going on and I loved every second of it. If you like a twisty thriller, this one is for you.
Many thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
The Precipice is a family owned hotel on the coast of Maine. When the patriarch of the family dies and his three daughters come for the reading of the will they get more than they bargained. Dangerous secrets, and a murderer is amidst them. There were so many twists throughout the book and at times I had a hard time keeping track of the sisters, but it was a good tale of who dunnit. I think this book would be extremely popular with fans of Freida McFadden. Thank you NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this.

I was hoping this would be a lot more suspenseful than it ended up being. It seemed to drag on, be improbable and none of the characters were particularly likeable. I would give it 2.5 stars but rounded up to 3.

This book had so many of my favorite things going for it. Spooky, eccentric location? Check. Decades old mystery? Yep. Revenge? Murder most foul? You better believe it!

I will say that I suspected who the villain was about halfway through, but it was an adventure to get there! And even though I suspected the who, I had the why wrong, and there was just so many more layers and red herrings to it, I definitely did not feel like it was a standard, generic plot. I was up until 1:30am trying to read “just one more chapter”.

This book was GREAT.

I received an ARC, but my opinions are all mine.

It ended up being a pretty predictable ending but the story itself was entertaining.  There were a few red herrings tossed around which made for a fun thriller.

There were so many twists! Most of the book is set in the present. A few chapters flashback to the Bishop sisters as teens, but that's where we learn their biggest secrets.

The Precipice is a family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the father having recently passed, the Bishop sisters Iris, Vicki, and Faith are descending on the hotel for the reading of the will. The air is charged with threatening energy because a hurricane is headed straight their way, not to mention each sister is harboring dangerous secrets.

Each sister is expecting to inherit what is rightfully hers and smart, resilient, nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelly is stuck with the dysfunctional group.

Their arrival could spell trouble for Charley. Will they close the hotel? Fire Charley? Discover her little secret? Or worse, that she's hiding a woman on the run?

Thanks so much to the author and SMP for this ARC to review.

Family drama? Check!
Isolated location? Check!
Inability to leave because of bad weather? Check!

So many things I love it a thriller!

Jamie Day is back at it with another drama filled, easy to binge thrill ride! I listened to this one on audio and it was the perfect companion to my work commute. I was entertained from start to finish as I tried to guess the secrets each character is clearly hiding. There’s tension for days as secrets come to light and I was 100% there for the drama!

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced read for the beach or poolside this summer, this is definitely one I would recommend!

A fierce hurricane looming over an historic hotel, while the scandalous Bishop sisters meet to hear the reading of their father's will, what can go wrong? With Charley, the maid and company there to take care of the guests, just about everything. One Big Happy Family is fun and almost farceical. The sisters, full of damaging secrets and unpredictable violence, are in a crazy dance to protect their hidden lies and betrayals. Charley and her sidekicks know the secrets need to be revealed. I had read the author's previous novel and really enjoyed it. This is different, but a fast read that's intriguing and suspenseful. The characters are nicely created and not always what they seem. I enjoyed the setting and the hurricane with a character of its own. This is a good read during a lazy summer day or maybe during the next storm. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of One Big Happy Family. It was part locked-room murder mystery and part family drama, with a tiny bit of romance mixed in. I loved the setting of an old, eclectic hotel on the coast of Maine during a terrible storm.

Broken into four parts, the book read fairly quickly with a great cast of characters and a lot of twists, turns and family secrets revealed throughout. While I felt some of it was a bit far-fetched I still enjoyed it. The only part I really didn't like was toward the end when it felt like I was reading the narrative of a very long action scene in a movie. (I tend to get bored and distracted when these get drawn out too long.)

The ending held several surprises that I didn't see coming. Overall it was a good read. Nothing exceptionally memorable, but a fun read.

The Bishop sisters have come to claim The Precipice, their family owned hotel, but a huge storm is on the horizon. Each sister wants what they think is theirs but will all their hidden secrets get in the way. Charley has been working at the hotel and is worried that she might just lose her job. She has her own secrets and doesn't want them to be found out. Follow along and see just what and whose secrets come to light. Will everyone who.has checked in actually check out or will murder make its way into the hotel?

3 stars.

Charley, a young chambermaid, works at The Precipice, a family-owned motel in the coast of Maine, wanted by the three sisters who are set to inherit it. All three sisters are dangerous in their own way and Charley, desperate to provide for her grandmother , is caught in the middle. This book fell a bit short for me - while the premise was intriguing, and the sisters harboring secrets, I expected more excitement and yet it seemed like this book was entirely too long. Somewhat predictable, Charley and her efforts were not enough to get me entirely hooked.

Right away, I was hooked. I love a good "stuck in a house with a killer and have no contact to the outside world" vibe. It's a common psychological thriller trope but one I always enjoy.

One Big Happy Family takes place at The Precipice Hotel on the coast of Maine. An estranged family gathers together after the passing of their father. Gathered in the hotel are three rival sisters, a few other family members a guest hiding in the hotel from an abusive boyfriend and the maid, Charley. What could possibly go wrong when a storm blows in and no one can leave? Apparently...a lot.

There is a whole lot happening in a short time frame of this book. When the will is read, there are a lot of unhappy people and by the next morning, one of them is dead. Was it a heart attack or were they killed?

The story is fast paced and engaging. It held my attention fully. I thought the book had great character development for the main players. I had my own theories what was happening but really, it doesn't matter to me if they are right or wrong. I just want to read how this all plays out and wraps up.

This ending wasn't quite what I had in mind. While some was expected, some was just too over the top. Some things I chuckled at. Regardless, a quick read I flew through, entertaining and yeah, I would recommend it for sure!

I was excited for this book. I read The Block Party by this author and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I felt like this one missed the mark for me.

The book is split up into 4 parts. Part one was pretty tame and a little dull, but things got intense in part two and I was loving the story. Then part three went back to dull, and that really made the reading experience difficult. Part four has a good twist, but there was still something missing to make the story better.

I feel that the book should’ve focused a lot more on the Bishop sisters and less on Charley. As far as thriller MCs go, she wasn’t impressive. She was just sort of…there. I loved the nitty gritty of the Bishop sisters and would’ve loved a whole book from their POVs.

There was also a romance between Charley and Quinn that I found to be unnecessary and cheesy. The way Charley immediately fixated on him made me feel like she was 14 instead of an adult. I can be pretty tough about romances in thrillers though. In my opinion, it’s hard to make it work.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy!

One Big Happy Family was an entertaining one-room/one-house thriller. It was a slow burn, but with an impending hurricane and suspicious deaths, I was definitely turning pages quickly. Upon finishing, I don’t know that this thriller will stick with me because it felt similar to others I’ve read, but I’m interested in checking out Jamie Day’s backlist. Thanks for sharing the early copy with me!

I spent a lot of time trying to immerse myself in the world of this book. I expected family intrigue. And there was some. It was interrupted by a lot of ridiculousness. Gee, I think there is somewhere here killing people. But look how cute that guy is! Is my uniform making me look like a maid?
The main character worried about a lot of ridiculous things, which was weird when you consider the real problems she had to worry about. The three sisters at the center of it all had some backstory told but not enough to have gotten themselves into the position they are all in now. I found them all to be unlikeable and boring.

One Big Happy Family follows Charley, a 19 year old, who is running a hotel on the Maine Coast. Hurricane Larry is coming to town as well as the hotel's owner's three daughters to read the will of their father. However, things are not as they seem and with the whole family in town and there are a lot of skeletons in everyone's closet and they chose this weekend to come out.

I love a locked door mystery and give me all the family drama!

Thank you Jamie Day, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.