I had really high hopes for this one, but it unfortunately fell a little flat for me. I felt like there was so much going on and a lot of events were predictable. I will absolutely read what comes next from Jamie Day, I just didn’t LOVE this one.

One Big Happy Family is the quintessential family secret locked room thriller. While it wasn't my favorite in terms of characters and storytelling, it was a page turner. I wanted to see if everyone got their just desserts and if anyone was redeemed after all their secrets were shared. This would make a great beach read especially with the setting in remote Maine!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

One Big Happy Family is one big dysfunctional happy with a touch of crazy.

I love both.

I am also a fan of closed door mysteries and One Big Happy Family certainly adds to that to the twisted plot.

This book has it all: crazy family, dead bodies, stormy atmosphere to add to the tension and so many suspects that you will be guessing to the end.

The Bishop family has gathered for the reading of their Dad's Will .

Also present is Charley the down and out chamber maid who accepts cash from Bree to hide out in the hotel.

Jamie Day has done a great job of presenting twists and turns, red herrings and an ending that will surprise you.

Great read to pick up and get lost in.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a roller coaster of a read.

What a fun setting and cover! This was a thrilling mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat! Thanks to Netgalley for the early #gifted copy! I definitely recommend!

Charley Kelly is a maid at the Precipice Hotal where the owner has just died. His daughters are staying at the hotel for the will reading. With a hurricane looming and the will reading having unexpected results, tensions are building - violenlty so. Will everyone make it through the storm.

This book should have been the perfect storm, (see what I did there? LOL) it had an old hotel on a cliff, a hurricane bearing down and guests keeping terrible secrets but it was a bot of a letdown. The story couldn't hold my attention for large swatches of time and I found myself scrolling social media and had to make myself finish. I wasn't a fan of the main character as she seemed dramatic and whiny. While I didn't guess the ending, the ending also didn't surprise me.

This book had a lot of promise that I feel like didn't quite hit the mark. I enjoyed it but it wasn't one I couldn't put down and pick back up later. I think the author has a lot of promise though and will still read more from them in the future.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
Release Date: 7/16/24
Format: ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️✨

Read this book if you like:
-A whodunnit bottle episode
-Old mansions
-Unlikable characters
-Family drama

I really wanted this book to work more than it did, unfortunately. At the beginning, I was getting Knives Out vibes which is always a plus, but then it just felt slow and clunky to me. The story was almost as messy as the dysfunctional family it revolved around, and that is saying something!

I do think this might read better in audio format, but overall I would not be quick to recommend.

This was a really good read with lots of twists and turns. This is a very fast paced murder mystery that take place in a family owned hotel. It covers it all humor, suspense, family drama and some laughs. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

After reading the Block Party, I was so excited for this one! But, it fell a bit short for me. I DNFd it half way thru, because of the kid who rhymes. It was just so ridiculous I couldn’t even take the story serious. It had great premise and I loved the sisters backstory, but I think there were just too many characters that it made it hard to keep up. I will read her other books whenever she releases them, this one just wasn’t for me, unfortunately.

I liked it! This is my second Jamie Day mystery, and both are fun, engaging reads, filled with vivid, dynamic characters. There's enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Loved the Maine setting, and the impending hurricane outside matched the chaos inside. Much thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this eARC. 3.5/5 stars.

Three sisters and their families gather at the hotel their family has owned for years for their father's funeral. Complicating matters is the hurricane coming that is predicted to be the worst the state of Maine has seen in years. What else these family members bring with them are lies, cheating, swindlers, affairs and thievery. Once one of the family members is murdered and the storm stops anyone leaving or coming to their aid, it is up to the hotel help to save themselves and the innocent family members, if their are any. Before the storm passes and help can arrive too many secrets are reveled and more lives may be lost.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the copy of One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. This book started out great and I loved Charley and her huge heart. I totally lost interest when we went back to the past to learn more about the characters because it felt clunky and then the important events were recounted again later. If you love a stormy locked room cozy thriller, this might be the perfect book for you! For me the writing didn’t keep me engaged, even with all of the reveals.

One Big Happy Family with loads of secrets. The Bishop sisters will do anything to keep the secrets safe. Follow the family turn on each other to get to the truth. Fun read with loads of twists and turns right to the end.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy.

They say every family has their secrets. I know mine does but nothing compared to this family! I kind of felt like I was participating in a mystery dinner theater while reading this - anyone could be the victim and any one could be the bad guy. There were lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. It seemed like it took a long time to read it and sometimes felt like I was never going to get to the end which had me question whether or not I really liked it, but yes, I did like it. I liked the story, I liked the characters (well, some of them), I liked the "oh gosh" moments, I liked the surprises along the way so yes, I did like it even thought it seemed to be a bit of a slow burn. It was slow but it wasn't slow (if that makes any sense?).

Overall I'm a little torn between a 3 and 4 so I'm going with 3.5 rounded to 4 because it is good!

The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters–Iris, Vicki, and Faith–have come for the weekend to claim it. But with a 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.

Each sister wants what is rightfully hers, and in the mix is the Precipe’s nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley: smart, resilient, older than her years, and in desperate straits.

The arrival of the Bishop sisters could spell disaster for Charley. Will they close the hotel? Fire her? Discover her habit of pilfering from guests? Or even worse, learn that she’s using a guest room to hide a woman on the run.

With razor-sharp wit, heart, thrills, and twists, Jamie Day’s ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY delivers a unique brand of summertime suspense.



My Thoughts:

I was immediately caught up in One Happy Family, especially as we meet the characters owning and residing at the Precipice Hotel.

What more wil happen to those residing there when a big storm sweeps in? Each character, including those owning the hotel, will struggle against the storm, while also learning the outcome of the Bishop will?

Charley, the maid, is a primary character who is facing a drastic change in her life as the new owners take over. Bree, a recent friend of Charley’s, moves into the hotel secretly to escape her own situation.

As the Bishop sisters begin to show their own secrets and issues, we soon realize that so much more is at stake. Who will survive the events as the storm lashes the hotel?

A brilliant story with unexpected conclusions. 5 stars.

***

The Precipice Hotel is the scene of a locked room mystery when the Bishop sisters come to claim their inheritance just as Hurricane Larry has the hotel in its sights.

Chambermaid Charley Kelley has worked at the hotel since she was seventeen and left school in order to earn money to keep her grandmother who suffers from dementia in her nursing home. She was willing to put up with a handsy boss if that was what it took. But she doesn't know what changes will happen now that the sisters are in charge.

Each sister has her own secrets. Vickie is the oldest. She comes with her husband Todd and is later joined by her son Quinn. Next comes her sister Faith and her wife Hope and their son Oliver. Finally comes Iris. They are quickly followed by Brenda Black, the attorney who is set to read the Will.

Charley has taken in a new acquaintance with a sob story: abusive boyfriend and a need to hide out until she can get out of town. Bree offers Charley enough money to pay for her grandmother's care for a while which is the main reason she agrees to let her stay in the hotel.

When Todd is murdered, almost all of the new residents have a reason to want him dead. And then Brenda Black disappears and is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. By this time the storm has hit, suspicions are raised, and secrets are starting to come out.

This was an incredibly twisty story. Todd's relationships with all three sisters certainly give all of them reason to want him dead. And his influence on George Bishop which led to a very unfair Last Will didn't endear him to any of the Bishop sisters.

Mostly told by Charley, the story also includes flashbacks to some of the secrets the Bishop sisters are keeping. Charley is an interesting character with a hard life. I liked her and was wishing her well as the story went on.

This was an interesting story. I did feel that the ending was a little too rosy considering the personalities of the sisters.

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress #partner for the gifted eARc!

Weeeeee! What a fun locked room summer thriller! An intense storm is headed straight for this family owned hotel which has recently been bequeathed to the sisters after their father passed away. Each sister races to claim what they feel is rightfully theirs. They are shocked to learn there was a recent change to the will and they want to know who is trying to pull the rug out from underneath them. 👀 Each sister woke up and had their coo-coo-for cocopuffs in the morning which bleeds through in their personalities! (YES! They are all crazy!) These sisters are dubious, evil, ruthless and relentless! Sign me up for the crazy train! 🤣What else can one ask in a summer thriller?! Oh yes…that’s right…a murder. 😳 Once that happens, these sisters try and hide their dark past because lord knows they have some deeds from their past they don’t want people knowing. 🤯

This was such a fun setting packed full of crazy characters, long hidden secrets, majorly toxic family relationships and straight up mayhem! It is an easily bingeable book and how amazing is that cover?! Honestly I have loved both of her covers they give the ultimate summer thrillers 🥰 Get yer popcorn ready, sit back and watch the cat fight begin!

This book was a surprise, as I was expecting a neighborhood thriller like the author’s debut. What I got Was a locked-room thriller that, while it kept me reading, was like many other locked-door psychological thrillers I have read (like Daisy Darker and The Death of Mrs. Westaway). The character development was good, but the plot was a bit unimaginative. I did enjoy the book, so I have rounded my 3 1/2 star rating to 4. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars! A family trapped in a hotel during a storm, lots of secrets, murder - this makes for a good summer thriller. I thought the atmosphere and location definitely helped add to the story but it felt a bit too long overall. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review - pub day is 7/16/24!

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is a riveting summer suspense novel set in the legendary Precipice Hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. As the Bishop sisters gather to claim their inheritance after their father's death, tensions escalate amidst a looming hurricane and a murder mystery. The story revolves around Charley, the young chambermaid, who finds herself caught in the crossfire of the sisters' dangerous secrets. With razor-sharp wit and heart-pounding suspense, Day weaves a tale of betrayal, deceit, and family drama that will keep readers guessing until the very end. With its compelling characters and Christiean vibes, One Big Happy Family is a must-read for fans of summer mysteries.