I enjoyed Jamie’s first book, The Block Party, and was excited to get the opportunity to read her second novel, One Big Happy Family. I enjoyed the catty remarks and bitterness between the sisters, but the unexpected guest who hides in the hotel was an obvious weakness in the plot. The main character, Charley, comes off as quite the airhead for allowing this stranger, Bree, to stay in the hotel. Bree’s story is weak, which drags down the sharp points of the other characters. I still have faith in the author and I hope to read her next release.
Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is July 16, 2024.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day was a fantastic whodunit reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Great plot points and twisty character ARCS and development.

This was an entertaining locked-door thriller that had a lot of twists and turns. The story started off strong with a lot of build-up. About halfway through, some of the twists became a little predictable, and I didn't find that the romance really fit in all that well. The ending was full or surprises, and I like how everything was wrapped up. Overall, it was a fun read!

Like so many other thrillers, this one has a premise that sounds like a page-turner. Authors know that many mystery readers love a locked-room setting, a force of nature keeping people from escaping, and a murderer on the loose. This book attempted to fit that model, with a dose of dysfunctional family thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, the characters were so unlikeable, and the pacing so slow, that I lost interest long before the end.

This theme of big old house and terrible storm arriving has been used many times. I almost passed on this book because I didn't think anyone could come up with anything new. I enjoyed the story but it didn't add anything different to this theme. 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.

One Big Happy Family....hmmmmm. maybe not! This is a perfect summertime book, but can really be read at any time during the year.
I also love that this book is available on Kindle Unlimited.

4 1/2 stars

One Big Happy Family is a study of family dynamics under duress. After George Bishop, owner of the Precipice Hotel, an eclectic and gimcrack filled hotel in Maine, dies, his three daughters arrive for the reading of the will. The sisters are accompanied by their families, and it isn’t long until things begin going south..

Charley, the chambermaid at the hotel, finds herself in the middle of things. With a hurricane approaching, she and the family are locked in. Communication is cut off, and when people start to die, Charley feels responsible for figuring out who’s behind things. She knows that she wants to live long enough to see her grandmother, who’s living in assisted care, again.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing was excellent, the world the author created inside that hotel was remarkable, and the twists and turns were mostly unexpected. The book is filled with a lot of surprises. This is a story about a dysfunctional family, sibling rivalry, and a young woman trying her hardest to do all the right things.

I’d call this book a modern gothic mystery. It’s highly atmospheric with the storm pressing in, the darkened rooms, and the isolation. For those with sensitivities, this book touches on parental death, sexual predators, child abuse, and foster care.

This book started off a bit slowly for my taste, but quickly took off and didn’t look back. There are a variety of characters, mostly rather stereotypical, but still interesting. Despite that, they still added an interesting touch to the happenings going on between the pages.

I recommend this book.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

This book is a locked room mystery set in the current day. It kept my attention but was also a little bonkers.

This one started out rough for me. I considered throwing in the towel a few times but I stuck it out. At 25% into the book there was still a whole lot of nothing going on. So to say that this is a slow burn thriller is an understatement. I will say that the second half of the book was better than the first half but I don’t like it when it takes that long for a book to sink its hooks into me. You spend a huge part of the first half “Getting to know” the cast of characters. Although this is great, since there are so many characters, it doesn’t really fit in a thriller. It takes too long to get to the action. I also didn’t like that most of the backstories were told during part 2 instead of just being blended into the current day story. It was too big of a break in the current story and left me feeling a little off kilter. I think that flashbacks of the past or even dual timeline from chapter to chapter would have worked better.

The story is told in first person but from the perspective of Charley, a 19 year old maid at the Precipice hotel on the coast of Maine. Charley is young and broke and trying to work to pay for dementia care for the grandmother who raised her. Charley's despicable boss, George, dies unexpectedly sending his 3 daughters to the Precipice in the wake of a hurricane for the reading of the will. The daughters are your typical rich, spoiled and greedy heirs of a fortune. They aren’t nice and they can’t be trusted. Throw into the mix a stranger who has asked for Charley’s help in hiding her from her abusive boyfriend and you get all kinds of crazy.

The third and fourth parts were where the story picks up and takes on the old-school game of Clue vibe. The story is full of lies, deceit, and dramatic family secrets. They are willing to do just about anything to keep their secrets hidden. This is an incredibly toxic family, which should make it fun, but they are so incredibly unlikeable that it makes it hard to enjoy. I don’t want to say that the characters are well written because they are. They are complicated and have very distinct personalities but they are such jerks to each other and everyone around them that you end up disliking most of them. I did really like the sarcasm of the title. These people are anything but a big, happy family. They practically hate each other but they are so passive-aggressive in their hate that it is a little annoying at times.

In the end, I didn’t love it or hate it. It hit middle of the road for me which is why I gave it 3 stars.

When the owner of a large hotel passes, his three daughters, along with their families, gather at the hotel to go over his will.
With the hotel deserted due to a storm rolling in, there are limited suspects, when someone is murdered.

This was a twisty, creepy book that kept me guessing.
Right when I thought I figured something out, the book shot in a different direction.

One Big Happy Family is a great family drama. I did the audio and physical book and it was excellently done. Each family member was suspicious, and I love questioning which family member is responsible!

I started reading this a while ago and put it down. WAIT! Let me explain! I’m a mood reader and I wasn’t in the mood to read on my Kindle I put this book down for a bit. I finished it while on the flight to Barbados and I’m kind of mad at myself I didn’t finish it earlier. It's a fast-paced thriller with people who end up d3ad. You know that’s one of my favorite genres and/or tropes.
I could not believe who Bree was at the end of the story. Charley got a happy ending too.
I enjoyed this book. It was a perfect read-on-the-plane kind of book.

Talk about family drama! I am such a sucker for a twisted story about a super wealthy family with an onslaught of secrets. There was so much going on in this story, but somehow it was easy to follow along and not get lost in the sauce.

One Big Happy Family" by Jamie Day offers a lighthearted take on the challenges and joys of modern family life. The story is filled with relatable moments and quirky characters that many readers will find endearing. Day's writing is accessible and infused with humor, though at times it can feel somewhat formulaic and predictable. While the narrative touches on important themes of acceptance and togetherness, it occasionally lacks depth, leaving some plot points feeling underexplored. Overall, this book provides an enjoyable, if not groundbreaking, read, making it a solid three stars for its charm and warmth.

If you like thriller mysteries this is one you will want to grab and check out.
Time jumps and the dual point of views will keep you guessing on the whodunit! I can honestly say I was totally wrong.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After enjoying Jamie Day's The Block Party I knew I had to read this one. And I am happy I did! When 3 sisters and their families come together after the death of their father there will always be drama about who gets what... but then add in lots of secrets, a potential murder in their past and a storm that forces to keep everyone together without a way to escape..... oh yeah, the young woman working at a maid at the hotel is also secretly allowing a stranger to stay there after she escaped from her abusive boyfriend...

Lots of drama and lots of people that aren't telling the whole truth... a must read!

I didn’t love this book as much as the first one. The first book really grabbed my attention and had me guessing the whole time. While this book did that at certain parts, I thought it was boring for the others.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day

A hotel sits alone off the coast of Maine. The Precipice, a family legacy, which was being run by the father of Iris, Vicki and Faith and with help from the Chambermaid, Charley. The Bishop sister's get the call that their father has passed. They all head up to Maine to claim what is rightful theirs, so they think. Charley who has worked there day in and day out, thinks she deserves a piece too. But Charley is harboring some secrets, literally. A possible murder, the falling out and everybody's secrets comes tumbling down in this locked room mystery! 4 STARS - recommend

Special thanks to NetGalley, the author Jamie Day and St. Martin's Press for advanced copy for honest review.

I wanted to like this book more, but it just felt too convoluted. There wasn't much of a mystery and the characters, aside from Charley, are just not that interesting. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC #sponsored

The main plot revolves around Charley the maid, the heiress’s and a the family hotel, who gather there to have their late father’s will read. After the hearing, the family members started arguing about who manipulated their father and the will. A murder occurs, creepy messages are left, and it’s every person for themselves whilst a hurricane is blowing.