This book will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time you are reading! If you're looking for a book that has twists,and suspense this is the book for you!

Nineteen year old Charley is a prestigious hotel’s maid whose owner’s family has just come to stay for the will reading. After the reading, the very unhappy Bishop sisters discover the body of one of their husband’s whom also inherited a big portion and had control of one sister’s inheritance. Oh, and alas, a big storm has come in, stranding them without a way out or any cell service.


So many suspects and many reasons to want him dead. Will Charley and her stowaway figure out who the murderer is? If the random messages are correct, someone will be next, but who?

My thoughts:
While the story kept my attention, it wasn’t very exciting. It’s a good plot, but I think it could have been done better. I did like the TWISTS but the ending really came out of nowhere. I still recommend to readers who like Megan Miranda.

A "locked room" mystery with lots of suspects and motives!
Charley Kelley is live-in chambermaid at a family-owned boutique hotel on the coast of Maine. After the owner and patriarch of the family passes away, his three daughters and their families, as well as the family lawyer, arrive for the reading of the will. A hurricane is also set to arrive that weekend, but the visitors will wreck more havoc than the storm when the will turns out to be full of unpleasant surprises, one guest ends up dead, long-held secrets are revealed, and Charley herself ends up in danger. While Charley herself is pretty down to earth, other characters liven up the plot with their quirkiness and quicksilver personalities. The plot is action-packed, and with so many selfish and morally questionable characters, there are plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing not only "whodunnit", but also what will happen next!

One Big Happy Family they are not! Love a book set on the beautiful Maine coast loaded with family drama. Good domestic drama with all the tenseness and twists you can imagine!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

When the eccentric owner of The Precipice hotel dies, his three daughters – Vicki, Faith, and Iris – and their families come home to the hotel for the reading of the will. Hotel maid Charley Kelley worries about what this will mean for her. Will they close the hotel where she depends on her paycheck (and pilfering from guests) to support her grandmother? Or do they have things to hide too? This weekend, all the family secrets will come out.

This is a solid locked-room suspense novel. The atmosphere is excellent, between the rocky Maine coast and a hurricane about to make landfall. The cast of characters is large enough to have a good number of plausible suspects between family members, the attorney, hotel employees, and a mysterious guest. I would recommend this one to someone who is newer to locked room mysteries; as a seasoned thriller lover, I found the twists to be predictable and sometimes implausible.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Definitely no sophomore slump here. I enjoyed the heck out of Jamie Day’s second book: One Big Happy Family. While they are radically different stories, I couldn't help but get a ‘Knives Out’ vibe from this one. After all, both stories deal with wildly dysfunctional families.

Nineteen year old Charlie lives at and works at The Precipice, a family owned hotel in Maine, doing her best to support herself and afford the care her grandmother requires. Recently the owner of the hotel, George Bishop, passed away and now with Hurricane Larry bearing down on Maine his three daughters are coming home for the reading of the will, each eager to get their piece of the family fortune. And as is mentioned within the book…’this family puts the fun in dysfunctional’, lol. And when a murder occurs and Hurricane Larry hits, trapping everyone at the hotel, the story really kicks into high gear. Jamie Day is a wonderful new voice and a reason for lovers of domestic thrillers to be excited. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of One Big Happy Family.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2ATAKQN2LFMMX/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

The Bishop sisters - Iris, Vicki, and Faith - returned to their father's hotel in Maine for his funeral. Unfortunately, it's also the weekend that a hurricane is descending on the area. Unable to leave or reach anyone, the stakes become higher when a body is found. Who is the murderer and what is behind it?

This locked room mystery did not work well for me. None of the characters were likeable but more than that, it was a great deal of issues this family was dealing with that seemed unrealistic. Everyone had secrets - and big ones at that - and individually, they weren't unreasonable. But all together, it was too much.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available July 16, 2024

I love a family drama / will reading situation and this book delivered! This is full of old grudges, secrets, toxic family dynamics, and a whole lot of chaos - all in the middle of a hurricane!

This was fast-paced and well written. I really liked that we didn’t get multiple povs the entire time. Most of the book is from Charlie’s pov but each sister get their own in flashbacks which I did enjoy.

I definitely recommend giving this a read especially if you enjoyed The Block Party by the same author and even if you didn't I still say give this a shot!

The plot was original for sure, and the writing very engaging. Especially the dialogue from the main character, Charley, the maid at the hotel Precipice, an icon in the community with many collectible items acquired by the recently deceased owner. Charley has no one in her life except her Nana, in a home with dementia. She lives in a closet where she works at the hotel. Charley’s wages have barely kept her afloat and in the home she needs for her nana’s care, and they are raising the rent at the home again. She’s in dire straights.

As the sisters and their attorney arrive for the reading of the will left by their father, the original owner of the property, Charley introduces us to each one of the family members in this dysfunctional family. Dysfunctional barely covers it. So much is going on here, they all have secrets, including the attorney, and with a raging hurricane going on outside they are all stuck here in this hotel together. What transpires is a maze you would never guess.

At times the bickering and and hateful actions of the characters got to me and I found myself skimming past some scenarios, but all in all stayed engaged and loved the ending and the epilogue. Best wishes to the author for a successful release day. Pick up a copy, available today. 7.16.24

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the e-arc to read and offer my honest opinion of this work.

After George Bishop passes, his three daughters return to the family owned Precipice Hotel for the reading of their father's will. Charley Kelley, a nineteen year old chambermaid, wonders what will happen with her job which she needs to support her grandmother. She is also hiding a young woman from an abusive boyfriend. What will happen when the sisters discover the young woman's presence. An impending hurricane isolates all at the hotel as one of the sister's husband is murdered and family secrets are revealed. Will help arrive before someone else dies?
#OneBigHappyFamilyBook #JamieAuthor #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me.
The dialogue felt forced, the pacing felt off, and it was just messy?
I was here for the dysfunctional family, the setting and the storm, but it couldn't make up for what felt jumbled to me.

The setting and premise for this book intrigued me...a house/hotel in coastal New England with a multi-layered cast of characters...a mystery all unfolding in one location. Well, it's not just a whodunnit in the present but a gradual unfolding of past secrets and sins culminating in a wild ride of family drama (not to mention those outsiders dragged in to the plot).
It got a little fantastical for my taste at times, but a fun read for the summer.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

Last year I loved Jamie Day’s debut novel, The Block Party. Domestic suspense mixed with a chaotic web of neighborhood unrest. This summer she’s back with One Big Happy Family taking us to the coast of Maine. Charley is a young maid who has lived and worked at a family owned hotel for two years. When the family patriarch dies his three daughters arrive for the reading of the will. A deadly hurricane looms, ominously mirroring the dangerous secrets that each sister keeps.
I loved the locked room premise, the setting, the mood. It gave me knives out vibes for the big cast that all have something to hide, and gain. Sadly, the book fell a bit flat for me. I will absolutely be looking forward to what Day writes next, and applaud her for going in a different direction from her debut novel.
I received a review copy from the publisher, St Martin’s Press.

More isn’t always better. In my case, after a certain number of plot twists and reveals I get bored and my brain says “Get on with it.” This isn’t true for many readers and the intricate plot will remain enjoyable for them. My other problem was not connecting with any of the characters although I’m not sure why. The book has a very slow start, but does start moving in the second part and builds from there. If you delighted in The Block Party be aware that this book has a different tone.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars
368 pages
Out today 07/16/24

Thank you @netgalley & @stmartinspress for the eARC for this new thriller!

Jamie Day’s second book One Big Happy Family is a mysterious summer thriller set at the Precipice hotel in Maine, a famous family owned hotel who recently lost the owner. Since the passing of their father, the 3 Bishop sisters Vicki, Faith, and Iris come to visit to meet with the lawyer & figure out who’s going to be in charge. Little did they know there is murder in the air & some of their deepest, darkest secrets are going to come out-whether they like it or not.

What a wild ride! It took me a little bit to get into due to the number of characters in this book. So many twists that I did not see coming happen during this book & made me want more! The idea of the characters being stranded at the hotel during a storm is just something that always draws me in!

Read if you like:
✨locked room thrillers
✨family drama
✨characters stranded together

#earc #netgalley #jamieday #thriller

I loved this book! I don’t know why but I was hesitant to start it. I was so pleasantly surprised and hooked on the story. I enjoy locked door thrillers especially during a disaster, like a hurricane in this book. It was so much fun! Kept me guessing what was really going on! It wasn’t a full 5 stars from me though, because the culprit was predictable and felt bad for them, didn’t like what happened at the end. Overall though I recommend it! I posted a Bookstagram review on this one on pub day, and it is linked down below.

I began reading this book just as a hurricane was bearing down on the Texas coast. How fitting since the book is set along the coast of Maine, with a hurricane on the way. The owner of the Precipice has just died and his three daughters are on their way to the hotel for the reading of the will.

The main character, Charley, works as a maid at the hotel. Living in a small room off the kitchen, Charley is trying to make enough to support her grandmother who lived in a senior home.

The deceased owner, George Bishop, was not a nice man. He cheated on his wife, tried to seduce all the maids and wasn’t supportive of his daughters, with the exception of one.

This is your classic locked room trope. No one can leave due to the storm and the tree that has fallen over the driveway leading out to the road. The only people in the hotel are the family and their spouses, an attorney and Charley.

When the husband of one of the daughters is found poisoned, the tension throughout the house escalates until all the secrets begin to emerge from years past.

I enjoyed this locked room mystery and the setting was just perfect.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review and recommend this to readers who love a good mystery.

Thank you Netgalley, Jamie Day and St. Martin's Press for the ebook! I absolutely loved the setting (coastal Maine antique motel) with an impending hurricane on the way! So much to unpack in this book and it was delivered perfectly.

What a messed up family! Everyone in this book has secrets and seems capable of being the "bad guy." The Precipice Hotel is almost another character, being full of themed rooms and all of the patriarch's collections of objects.
Most of the book is from Charley the maid's POV, but there is a section that delves into the sisters' history. Lots of twists and conniving and plotting. The book was interesting and well written.

This is an extremely riveting thriller with a pace that never lets up. It's chock full of exciting twists and turns that you never see coming. Throughout most of the book, the title is rather ironic because these people seem like anything but one big happy family. However, the ending is surprisingly touching.