What a fun story! The twists turns and crazy family antics was just hmmm shall we say - somewhat crazy normal - such a page turner and kept my curiosity on going. Thanks to Net Galley for the advance read #NetGalley #JamieDay #KeepItInTheFamily

I’m not going to lie - going into this book I thought it was a beach read. I read the description a while back and the chairs and scenery in the cover did not change my thoughts. However it is a closed door thriller! There were a few times that I thought I knew the way it would end, but I was wrong. An old hotel, a few employees, a lawyer and the mourning family of a recently deceased hotel owner are all together for the reading of the will as a hurricane hits the coast of Maine. Old secrets are revealed and true personalities are exposed.
I enjoyed the story but there were a few scenes that seemed a bit long and drawn out. Overall a worthwhile read if you’re a fan of thrillers and Alice Feeney (Daisy Darker).
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press.

This is the sophomore book from the author. I picked it up since I really enjoyed the first book, Block Party. This story is told from a nineteen year old’s viewpoint.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I did, Block Party. I figured out very early who the killer was just had to figure out why. There were plenty of twists and turns.

The epilogue was the best part of the book. I won’t give it away. I felt Charley was pushed to make bad decisions and Mr. George Bishop was a cheap sleaze bag.

The book dragged in places and was probably a little too long. I had no remorse when Vicki’s husband was killed.

Netgalley gave me an advanced copy and I am not required to leave a positive review. I give the book 3.5 stars.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

A family-owned hotel in Maine is in the path of a major hurricane. Meanwhile, all the family members have gathered there to hear the will of their father read. Who will inherit the hotel? Meanwhile, the young maid is having her own conflicts, as she has regularly been stealing from the guests on the sly. Will she be fired? What about the desk clerk she works with?

The Bishop sisters are each troubled in their own ways. There is a lot of bad blood between them. Added into the mix is a mysterious woman who asks the maid to hide her in the hotel since her abusive boyfriend is looking for her. All these people are stuck inside the hotel and may be trapped there for days due to the bad weather that is hitting the coast. The cook has left for the weekend, citing the bad weather, so they are basically on their own, except for the lawyer who is there to read the will.

Then, a murder happens.

This is a great locked room mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat. The characters all have good and bad traits to them. Each has motive, but which one did it?

I loved how the author drew the story out and gave us more and more detail as it went along. The back stories are interesting and the characters just real enough to be believable. I enjoyed it.

I love "locked in" murder mysteries where there's one (or more) murders and everyone is locked in tight in whatever space they're all occupying at the moment. This is one of those, as Hurricane Larry bears down at a family hotel in Jonesport Maine. Three sisters have come back home to deal with the death of their father and also his estate. All three wants what is rightfully theirs but first they have to survive the hurricane and each other. Most of the characters in this book are despicable which makes it even more suspenseful. Who's the killer? Who's dying next? Great storytelling and great plot! Highly recommend.

The Bishop sisters, Iris, Vicki and Faith have come to the coast of Maine because their father has passed away and they need to claim their inheritance, the Precipice, a family-owned hotel. With a hurricane coming and secrets of the sisters, there is murder in the air and everyone checking in the Precipice won't be checking out. Precipice's 19 year old chambermaid, Charley Kelley is in the mix and in desperate straits. The arrival of the Bishop sisters could change things. Will they close the hotel? Fire her? Discover her habit of pilfering from the guests? Or using a guest room to hide a woman on the run. This is a long, drawn-out story that could have been shorter. It kind of got twisted and turned around a bit too much. It had potential to be a great story but got a bit convoluted. If you like twisted, convoluted stories, then you will love this book. But I personally didn't like it too much!

3-3.5 stars
Mystery thriller set in Maine. Owner of a historic family hotel dies and his daughters come for the reading of the will and to take over running the hotel. The main character, Charley, is a maid who is working there to pay for her grandmother's care.

The setting was good and atmospheric. Big storm coming. The plot had some surprises and suspense. However, I disliked practically every character. Even the ones who maybe had good intentions made some pretty questionable (and sometimes implausible) choices.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

This is a well-written, entertaining, murder mystery novel. It is fast paced and has wit, a touch of humor, a diverse group of interesting characters, suspense, intrigue, family drama, secrets, a beautiful, vividly described setting, twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Jamie Day for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this fantastic novel. This is my honest opinion.

"One Big Happy Family" by Jaime Day is a heartwarming and uplifting novel that celebrates the bonds of family and the power of love and forgiveness. The story follows the Johnson family as they navigate the ups and downs of life, facing challenges and obstacles that threaten to tear them apart.

Jaime Day's storytelling is engaging and relatable, drawing readers in with well-developed characters and a compelling plot. The themes of family dynamics, forgiveness, and second chances are beautifully woven throughout the narrative, making for a touching and emotional read.

Overall, "One Big Happy Family" is a feel-good novel that will resonate with readers who enjoy stories about family, love, and the enduring power of relationships. Jaime Day has crafted a heartwarming tale that reminds us of the importance of cherishing the moments we have with our loved ones.

This was an 'edge of my seat' thrill ride. I loved it. While the isolation murder mystery premise has been done immeasurable times, it's always tons of fun to get a new back story, new characters and a new setting.

The depth of the story and characters kept this one moving. Let's face it, we all have a bit of dysfunction in our families and this lets us all believe that there is a family with a little more crazy than ours. Great ending. Great story, highly recommend!

Wow this was one evil family.

Three sisters come back home to the bed and breakfast they own with their families so be there for the reading of their dad's will. The lawyer is there, the maid who works at the inn, the stowaway they are hiding and the cook and keeper who decide to leave for the weekend.

There's a death. there's a storm. there's no internet. No one is leaving. Another death. Ominous messages.

A locked-door mystery that comes with twists. Even though I guessed some of them, I still enjoyed this nonstop action packed story.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

When you hear the term “one big happy family,” nine times out of ten you know it’s anything but! And the Bishop family is no exception. Brought together after their father’s death, the Bishop sister father to hear the reading of his will at their family hotel. Never mind that there’s a major hurricane coming straight at them - literally AND figuratively! Get ready for a wild ride with lots of drama and surprises.

I just don't think I'm a big Jamie Day fan. I didn't like The Block Party that much, and didn't love this one either.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy! This is my second opportunity to read an advanced copy from Jamie Day and this novel, One Big Happy Family, did not disappoint.

This story follows Charley, a 19 year old who is the maid at the legendary Precipice Hotel. She lives in a small room and was hired by George Bishop, Owner of The Precipice Hotel, who recently passed. His three daughters, Vicki, Iris and Faith along with their children and significant others, George Bishop's attorney come to the Hotel to settle his estate amidst an impending hurricane. Everyone has dark secrets they want to keep in the past. Just prior to the family's arrival, a young woman, Bree, shows up running from an abusive relationship and looking for a place to lay low. Charley decides to help Bree and hide. When the family arrives, they are worse than expected, and the storm hits, trapping everyone from leaving and "murder is in the air".

I enjoyed the locked in, who dunnit theme and the story really keeps you guessing.

Death and inheritance have a tendency to bring out the worst in people. The Bishop family is no exception to this. Set in an old hotel on the Maine coast, we meet the sisters, the young chambermaid and a looming hurricane. Each with their secrets, motivations and quirks.

Day has well developed and unique characters, each adding to the mystery.

This thriller is a good summer read on a stormy day.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As one who wasn't fond of Jamie Day's debut THE BLOCK PARTY, I started this one with some trepidation. I instantly liked the voice of the main character Charley, albeit I'm a sucker for first person narration. She's trying to support her grandmother in an assisted living facility by working as a maid in a small luxury hotel named Precipice. A bit morally gray, Charley's fine with pocketing some cash she finds in guest rooms.

Charley's informed that her grandmother's care will be going up $100 per month at the same time Hurricane Larry is looming. Under some not-very-well-explained circumstances, she meets Bree in line at a coffee shop, and Bree needs a place to live for a while to recover from a domestic abuse relationship. They concoct a plot that Bree will pay Charley $1,200 to stay in vacant rooms.

At the same time the storm is looming to create a perfect locked room setting, the hotel owner's will is going to be read with his three daughters Vicki, Faith, and Iris; Vicki's husband Todd and son Quinn; Faith's wife Hope and son Oliver who speaks in rhyme. None of the family is particularly likeable. A murder occurs. The book started to lose momentum for me soon after. I think part of that was due to the second part of the book changing narration to being backstory on the three sisters.

PROs:
- Great coastal Maine locked room setting during a storm
- If you like a thriller with no one that's likeable, it can be fun.

CONs:
- It doesn't make a lot of sense to get in a scheme with someone you've known 5 minutes. Charley doesn't seem that trusting with others, so a bit out of character.
- I'm wondering if the Part 2 (the backstories on the three sisters) reveal happened too early. It seemed to take some of the propulsion out of the novel for me.
- You could see where one of the early plot lines was going if you've ever read a thriller.
- This novel felt SO LONG! It only has 4,500 Kindle locations (per my Kindle app), but it felt like it really has twice as many.

Unfortunately, this is the second Jamie Day novel that hasn't worked for me, so I will be taking this author off my list.

“One Big Happy Family” by Jamie Day is very aptly named … if sarcasm floats your boat. This book is about the Bishop family - from father, George who owns a hotel, his daughters (Faith, Iris, and Victoria) who are set to inherit the hotel after George’s death, their relations (Todd, Oliver, Quinn, and Hope), and those working at the hotel (Charley, Olga, and Rodrigo). I have to say, this book is a bit of a mess and wasn’t quite as gripping as Ms. Day’s first book. I kept finding myself thinking “this would make such an interesting TV movie” because there are elements that would’ve been better visually opposed to on the page. In general, I liked this book - but I didn’t love it. There is one section that is basically a “section of backstory flashback” and then another section that attempts to do that as well - I would’ve preferred those sections to not stop the story dead in its tracks. The romance part - eh, felt more like a high school thing than a “new adult” one and it also felt very tacked on. Did I figure out who did it - overarching, yeah, kinda, though I didn’t get all the details quite correct. Did I trust anyone - surprisingly, yes - Rodrigo, who was a minor character but he seemed more grounded than nearly anyone else in this book. A few things were off, for me, about this book (like the POV suddenly switches from Charley to another character; Oliver speaking in rhyme then not when it fit the storyline, and yes Maine gets occasional hurricanes, but why not a really big storm instead?) but I can say that for the most part, this book did hold my attention (looking at you long flashback sections - you were the exception) mainly because I kept waiting for the next crazy thing to happen - and they kept coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I've read by Day and I really enjoyed it. In what is essentially a locked room murder mystery, Charley is a young maid at Precipice, working and living in a tiny room at a hotel at the edge of a cliff in Maine. She is all on her own at nineteen, parentless, struggling, and doing what she has to do to earn extra money to pay for her grandmother's care home. Her nana is all she has left and has dementia. On top of that, her boss is constantly making unwanted advances to her.

When her boss suddenly dies, Charley learns that his three daughters, the Bishop sisters, will be coming to the Precipice with their father's lawyer for the reading of the will to see who the new owner's will be. Charley is on edge because she needs this job so she doesn't end up homeless and so her nana can stay at her care home. But, the secrets that the sisters all bring, along with an interloper that Charley sympathizes with and lets her hideout in the hotel, mean that not only do tensions rise as a literal hurricane approaches, but a murderer is in their midst and no one is safe.

I guessed a few parts of this mystery, but was also surprised multiple times. This was a great read that I highly recommend!

I binged this in almost one sitting (on a long haul flight), which tells you I enjoyed it, but at the same time, I’m wracking my brain to remember specific details from the book and coming up pretty much empty (this could be a result of the sleep deprivation that came with that long haul flight, but I also suspect it’s the nature of this type of “brain candy” book). I love a good locked room thriller, and One Big Happy Family perfectly scratches that itch with the Precipice Hotel being completely isolated during a hurricane. I didn’t have the WHOLE story figured out from the beginning, but I was able to pull many of the threads together before we got to the big reveal– I sure do love it when that happens!! Plus, just look at this cover-- GORGEOUS! All in all, One Big Happy Family didn’t feel totally original or mind blowing to me, but I’d still recommend it, and I’ll definitely be picking up other books by this author!

If you’re a fan of thrillers with families behaving badly– like Daisy Darker– or written from the perspective of “the help” (eww. what a loaded phrase)– like The Maid or Turn of the Key– you’ll probably enjoy this one!