A hurricane in a small resort town in Maine threatens to pummel the historic Precipice hotel and a feuding family into submission in One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. Charley, a down-on-her-luck housemaid for the hotel, gets trapped there as the family claims the hotel with their own ideas about how to run it after their father, the patriarch, passes away. A mysterious guest and the estate lawyer appear to put another wrench into the works. What secrets will be revealed and who will outlast the threats of both a powerful storm and an even more dominating force, a family with scores to settle? This book will tell all.

All the elements, including the weather, come together to bring a potboiler of a thriller to life. You start out with an introduction to Charley, a teenager who relies on her work as a housemaid for a resort hotel to pay for her grandmother's nursing home. Her parents didn't have the wherewithal to take care of her due to her mother's drug addiction and her father's absenteeism. In fact, she doesn't even know who he is. She's worried about what she will do if the three Bishop sisters take the hotel over.

Meanwhile, all three Bishop sisters who have been mostly estranged, return to the hotel where they grew up to rehash their childhoods and discuss secrets between them that were never meant to be said. They're all out for themselves and have their own personal secrets and agendas when they arrive at the hotel. The back story receives some attention in a few chapters.

I love the idea of a locked-room type of story as I've heard this book called. The characters cannot possibly leave the hotel because of the enormous storm headed their way that could decimate the hotel and any individuals in its path. In fact, you wonder why they seem determined to stay, but all will be revealed as you page through the book. While the book does not feel claustrophobic to the reader, you can imagine how it feels to Charley. Most of the book is narrated in first-person by her with a few chapters devoted to other characters. During the book, some characters go missing, and you may come upon a dead body or two. It's not a place where Charley wants to be.

While I enjoyed the book, it felt a little clunky when the other narrators take over to explain some of the plotlines and backgrounds that Charley would not have access to. You needed to know that information, but it's not a smooth transition. I liked the writing and story enough that I excused it.

There were some thrilling twists I didn't see coming. One twist came to me before it was revealed, but I really wanted to see how it was handled. Others were surprising. Once you reach the action-packed climax of the story, it seems too far-fetched with silly surprises coming out of the woodwork, but again, I was along for the ride. The ending wraps things up a little too nicely and seemed trite at times. At that point, it slowed down a little too much, but I understood what Day was trying to do. I have to say that I definitely enjoyed taking this trip and will be there again for the author's next book.

This was an excellent fast and twisty read filled with suspense, edge of your seat moments, and a crazy good twist that you don’t see coming. I absolutely love when an author can keep me guessing and doesn’t make things too obvious and this was one of those stories for me.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is not exactly happy. Sisters Iris, Vicki, and Faith are gathering after the death of their father at their family-owned hotel called the Precipice.

They each have their own secrets, schemes, wants, and desires. Also in the mix is Charley, a chambermaid at the hotel.

Not long after everyone gathers a hurricane hits, murder happens, and a nice bit of suspenseful storytelling unfolds in entertaining ways.

I've been thinking about this book a lot since I finished reading it. The setting was amazing. A huge inn on the top of a steep hill overlooking the ocean on the coast of Maine. Each room was decorated with antiques and other items along with wallpaper to pull together each room's theme. Also, a blustery Northeaster that traps them all in the inn.

The characters were well developed with lots of backstory told in flashbacks and related to the recently deceased owner of the inn and/or each other. Even the staff of the inn were well-developed characters who had lives that impacted their working environment in one way or another. Closely held secrets coming out to add tension, confusion, and emotional responses that aren't necessarily at expected intensity.

The plotting was tight and there were enough red herrings and twists and turns to keep the action moving and the identity of the killer hidden until nearly the end of the book.

So, what was my problem? I didn't like any of the characters. Honestly, while I had some sympathy for one or two, I really didn't care who did the crime as the victim was nasty enough to make me not care whether justice was served or not. Each character had good and bad characteristics. On the whole, they all made bad decisions and did things that varied from minor infractions to lesser sins, or truly criminal acts.

So, if plot, quirky characters, interesting setting, and well written prose can overcome reading about one of the most dysfunctional groups of people I've met in a book in a long time--give One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day a try.

I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. I gave it a 3.5 star rating. I came from a big family myself so I enjoyed that dynamic. It was sla slow build for me until about the halfway mark. Once I reached that point, things picked up. The characters were unhinged. The book gave off creepy thriller vibes and that was enjoyable.

I loved the block party so i was super excited to get this ARC!! This was a locked door murder mystery with a LOT of family drama. I will say a lot of the plot twists were predictable in this one, but some of them did surprise me. i also felt like the storyline of this one was much slower than The Block Party. I did enjoy it though & i look forward to more by Jamie.

3.9 ⭐️ ✨Read my Poetic Synopsis✨

More motives and suspects than you can count on two hands!

🎢 PACE: Slow and Steady
🎠 THEME: Cozy Locked Room Mystery
✌🏼 VIBE: Knives Out / Clue. Ear to the door, you are going to need the entire kettle for all the tea that is about to spill.
📍SETTING: Coast of Maine
🕵🏻‍♀️ SOLVABILITY: Mostly solvable
👑 CHARACTERS: Dynamic family, love to hate them

Nice steady paced mystery with Clue/Knives Out vibes. Who dunnit, locked in a house under the eye of a brutal storm until the mystery is solved, every time someone leaves the room stuff happens. Layers of family secrets must be revealed, or they must suffer the consequences. With more motives, suspects and outfit changes than a you can count on 2 hands.

I enjoyed all of the dynamic character flaws, it made it feel more authentic for me. I didn’t really buy into the surprise guest, she felt so vague.

From a solvability standpoint, there were plenty of clues to put the pieces together throughout the story. I had most of it nailed, with the exception of some minor details that don’t play out until the end. The “messages” are a dead give away, which was slightly disappointing but I still enjoyed the intrigue of it all, it made for a cozy mystery.

The not-so-realistic parts are the number of outfit changes in the middle of a crisis, as well as the lack of realistic emotions when people die.

This was an enjoyable read. The hotel was so well described that I could picture it in my mind. I also like the locked room trope with everyone trapped at the hotel during the hurricane, and the contrast between the rich sisters and the poor maid made you feel a lot of sympathy toward Charley. The story seems to drag on a bit too long though and parts felt implausible, especially the wild ending and the aftermath.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was looking for a filler book inbetween more serious reads and found myself hooked immediately with this story.

I’m not going to lie … locked room mysteries usually aren’t my favorite but somehow this one kept me captivated. I will say I figured out the main plot twist about 15% in but there were still twists I never saw coming.

There was the creepy kid element with those weird rhymes and from the moment that happened I felt a little unsure of where it was heading but all the characters and the drama kept me captivated.

This one kinda felt more like a women’s suspense novel with all the family drama. It was ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER. I Imagine watching a soap opera with a side of MURDER. That’s right up my alley and if you are like me then you appreciate this.

At first I didn’t think I would like Charlie but I grew to love her over the course of the book. Her and Ollie were definitely my favorites by the end of the book.

The whole side romance thing I could have done without (me saying I could have done without the romance WHATS HAPPENING TO ME) but it just felt kinda forced.

4 stars

The audiobook is a great listen as well I did enjoy the narrator. Highly recommend this to people who enjoy shows like Devious Maids and enjoy locked room mysteries.

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC, provided through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

"One Big Happy Family" by Jamie Day is a suspenseful novel set at The Precipice, a family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. Following the death of their father, the Bishop sisters—Vicki, Iris, and Faith—gather at the hotel for the reading of his will. As a hurricane approaches, tensions rise, and long-held secrets surface, leading to a gripping narrative filled with twists and turns.

The book has a solid premise, and the setting of The Precipice adds a nice atmospheric touch. While the novel does deliver on suspense, the execution falls a bit flat. The ending, in particular, might leave some readers unsatisfied, as it tries to be shocking but doesn’t quite land. It’s not a bad read, but it doesn’t stand out among other thrillers in the genre.

2.5/5 ⭐

"Unputdownable" is so cliche- but trust me, that is how to best describe One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. WOW, just wow! Also, as a born and bred Mainer, I was thrilled with how Jamie described and shared the location. It was 100% on point with accuracy.

This one wasn’t for me. I struggled to get into it and ended up DNF it.
I don’t know if it was the plot, characters or writing

"One Big Happy Family" didn't strike a chord with me, but I believe it has promise for many readers of this genre. Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Moody and atmospheric, Day paints a vivid picture of the Bishop sisters as they gather for the reading of the will as a storm rages. The pace was too slow for me with some predictable plot points and a too trusting and naive main character. Not my favorite but would read more from this author

Such a crazy story and so good! It started to feel like it was dragging however it wasn't in a way that I didn't want to read it. It was still very important that I find out what was going on

This was a fun and twisty book set against the backdrop of an old hotel. Loved it. Thank you netgalley for this copy!

Thank you Netgalley, Jamie Day and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this

It took me awhile to read this book. It was well written but it kinda bored me. I didn't want to put it on my DNF pile so I pushed through it.

One Big Happy Family is your next twisty turny thriller that will have you begging to know whodunnit!

This book has it all, a family with all the secrets, characters that are all of questionable natures, and a closed room atmosphere in the middle of a huge storm! When people start to drop dead like flies alliances and grudges will be questioned, and sides will be taken. There was so much to enjoy in this one. It is told from multiple timelines and POVs to bring the whole sordid story out. Secrets upon secrets are revealed and nothing is as it seems. I loved how this was paced and the stories within the story, you would almost think it was too much but it wasn't!

The only slightly negative thing in this one was a certain romance that just seemed unnecessary to the story. I would have preferred if it was not even included because it seemed like the only way to have a happily ever after is if you find love, which is not true. This is more of a personal preference than anything though, as I just prefer not to have romance in my thrillers.

Overall, I loved this story and all of the plots. It kept me guessing, which doesn't happen very often. The entire ride was really enjoyable and I think this is a perfect read for anyone that loves thrillers and mysteries. I know I will be recommending this one. Despite Jamie Day being a new to me author, she won me over with this book and I will be reading more of their works.

Wow the dramatics of this family. So many twists and interconnected parts. I didn’t guess most of the twists & I felt like the family drama had so many layers and interwoven pieces. Charley was a lovely character and her story itself was dramatic. And wooooo the Bishop sisters were a wild and dysfunctional bunch. I enjoyed both reading this one and listening!

Author Jamie Day is a good writer and I really like his writing style. The plot is well-constructed and he offers superb descriptions of people and places. This talent is definitely on display in his book One Big Happy Family.

The book starts out a bit slowly while the author lays a lot of groundwork and some backstory. The pace picks up but throughout the book it’s uneven and at times the story lags. So much so that I found myself losing interest. It could have been shorter and more believable.

Although the book is described as a thriller, One Big Happy Family seems to be more of a family drama with a bit of mystery and tension for good measure. As the story approaches the finale, there are several unexpected revelations. But, it seemed as though it was mostly to get the reader’s attention back on track and there was little time to digest this new information before there was even more revealed.

Overall, the book has a great premise and is well-written. But, it seems as though there is some extraneous and extended portions that could have been trimmed in order to produce a tighter, more enjoyable book. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.