My Thoughts

The name of the book is actually not what attracted me to this read.

Indeed from my own experiences in life am well aware there is rarely such a thing as one big happy family .

What we do have is a family filled with secrets, both shared and others that are kept closely guarded.

During the course of this intense story secrets from the past impact the present as a Hurricane named Larry traps Iris, Vicki, Faith, Charley and others within what turns out to be quite an intense reading experience.

While I didn’t totally love it, I couldn’t stop reading once I started the book.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I had never read a novel by Jamie Day before... but, I love mystery and thriller novels so when this became available to me, I jumped on the opportunity to read it!

The story was broken into four parts, which I enjoyed as the chapters were short and easy to read. However, I think that the story started to drag on halfway through the novel... the characters backstories made it too long for me. It kind of lost it's "thriller" title. The plot, at the beginning, hooked me-- but, there were many times that the story didn't hook me and thinks seemed unanswered.

Overall, I will definitely be reading more Day novels...

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Jamie Day for allowing me to review this twisty thriller. This is the second book I have read by this author and I can’t wait to read more in the future. I love the twists and turns and family drama! It is so entertaining! This is a great summer read! Thank you again for allowing me to review this book.

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY ⭐️⭐️

I wanted to love this one so badly - but it was just mid for me. It does NOT help that I’ve been in a reading slump for a month buttt this one fell short for me as the ending was too predictable and the book was too long.

The main character, Charley was the maid at the family owned hotel - she had her hands full juggling the hotel, family secrets, and a murder. And puts up with a LOT of drama throughout the novel.

I do love a family drama thriller but this one was heavy on the family secrets really. I just couldn’t fully get behind this one.

📆Thank you @netgalley for this ARC - One Big Happy Family comes out July 16th!

READ IF YOU ENJOY: Agatha Christie’s Books or 📚The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

📚2024 Book 23/52

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Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.
The Precipice Hotel in Maine is the setting for this locked room mystery. A hurricane is bearing down on the Bishop family as they gather for the reading of George Bishop’s will. The ownership of the hotel hangs in balance as Charley, the maid, and Bree, a woman that Charley is providing shelter , watch the chaotic Bishop sisters bicker over the will.
Death and dysfunction prevail over the twisty secrets that are unveiled. The characters were a little over the top at times.
Alice Feeney and Ruth Ware readers will enjoy this murder mystery

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is a must read! Following the Bishop family and Charley through a hurricane while they are all trapped together at The Precipice Hotel. There are so many twists and turns while serious secrets come to light! This book kept me guessing and I wasn't disappointed in the least!

One Big Happy Family?

This locked-door mystery is anything but family-friendly! The Bishop sisters are a whirlwind of secrets and drama, each with their own scandalous baggage. ️

Throw in a hurricane, a suspicious death, and a cast of characters with more to hide than a magician’s hat and you've got a recipe for nonstop twists!

This book will keep you guessing until the very end, but be warned - the chaos can get a little overwhelming at times. ‍

Overall, a fun escape for mystery lovers who enjoy a good dose of family dysfunction but it lost its steam towards the end.

The Precipice is filled with history, bad memories, and distrust. For Everyone weathering Hurricane Larry! This book is filled with the past and present, angst, anger and regret.

The book is split into four sections, the first section was hard for me to follow. There are a lot of characters and they are mostly female. For awhile I was confused on who was related to whom and how they fit into the equation. Honestly, it took me awhile to get through the first section but once I did it was so worth it and I could not put it down.

There were many points in the book where I thought I had it ALL figured out, only to change my mind and suspect someone else. There were many unexpected twists and I never suspected one of the plot twists. It was brilliant and it kept me on my toes! What I liked even more is that the excitement continued throughout the book, with results being revealed part way through the book and at the end of the book. It made the book super exciting and interesting. So exciting that I finished it at 3 am....

This book was especially awesome because I have two sisters....hoping we never have this much conflict and drama!

The setting in this book created such a tense vibe. I couldn’t put this book down and as I raced through, I tried to figure out what was going to happen but I was completely wrong. This was a great popcorn thriller.

One Big Happy Family. But are they really? There seem to be an awful lot of secrets being kept. This book had all the thrills and more!

I loved the setting of The Precipice in this novel, as it was perfect for the suspense about to take place. The story was an excellent blend of secrets, family drama, and unexpected connections. Great beach read!
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Family secrets and deceit are always a recipe for a fun time. Kept me on edge from the start. So many unexpected twists and turns. Highly recommend this cozy mystery!

This book got me out of my reading slump - it was a quick read, and I didn’t want to put it down. The last 1/3 of the book was so action packed I ended up reading the rest in one sitting, even though I told myself I needed to stop and go to bed, the chapter cliffhangers kept me so interested in the story. Overall, I liked this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this book. It kept me on my toes the entire time! I want a sequel to find out what happens after the ending though. I wasn’t ready to be done with the characters!

MEH!~ Thank you St. Martin’s Press for this digital ARC. This book Just didn't do it for me. This was the first book I read by this author, and I was just not impressed. I did see a lot of rave reviews about Day's The Block party. So, I am willing to give this author a chance again.

Probably the strongest part of this book was the setting. The author did a good job incorporating the isolated setting and providing descriptions that created a solid atmosphere. The book was divided into four sections, with one of the sections solely dedicated to backstories of the sisters. I don’t think this was the best choice – while it helped to show why the sisters didn’t get along and what possible motivations they could have had for being awful, it drastically slowed down the primary plot.

The biggest part of what didn’t work for me with this one is the characters. Charley was the only one that felt somewhat realistic and developed. The remaining characters were cartoonish and painfully OTT, which was unfortunate as they were a big focus of the book. I honestly rarely guess where books are going, but to me, the solution of this one was painfully obvious. I didn’t know all the ins-and-outs of the motivation right away, but they were easy to guess as the book went along. And thankfully, due to the villain’s monologue the end, anything that may not have been perfectly clear was reiterated in a long, drawn-out explanation.

This one just wasn’t for me, though if you like slow murder mysteries in isolated settings you might enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this work, which will be published July 16. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The twists and turns in this story keep you turning pages. It's amazing how convoluted families can get and how secrets have tendency to come out.

“One Big Happy Family” by Jamie Day
A Stormy Weekend
This is probably a great read for the right reader. Alas, I was not the right reader at least not when I read it. Thus the 3-star okay read rating. There are a lot of interesting past events playing roles in this current stormy weekend. They should have held my interest but I kept finding myself doing long blinks and suddenly realizing my eyes were closed. Have fun finding out who did what when, where and how. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.

The Drama!!!
This read was as chaotic as it could possibly get, the family drama was rampant throughout! Seriously love the title because it’s so ironic since there was no happiness anywhere near this family. There was a ton of characters and none of them could be liked or trusted.
Loved the setting, there’s just something about a hotel in Maine placed nicely at the edge of a cliff with a deadly storm approaching that just gets me in the mood.
The whodunnit was predictable. Caught many of the twists early on and I didn’t care much for the romance that I knew was going to happen but I was there for the drama and it delivered plenty of that.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC, opinion is my own.

I love a good locked room thriller, and this one hit the spot. Fast paced, thrilling, and multiple characters trapped in a hotel in a major storm, wrapped together, create this magnificent story. Three sisters are hiding secrets as they return to their family’s hotel, but their secrets bring those around them danger instead of questions.