Wow! What an intense family. Loved the concept of this book. Perfect Maine setting. Creepy guests and family members. Seemingly innocent (tho she does steal from time to time) protagonist. Supporting cast who many be integral to the plot or just background fodder. Then there's the hurricane. Tons of good things, but I unfortunately think the plot unwound itself and too many opportunities were missed to make this from a good book to a fantastic one. I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but it had moments where it was excessive and then some that were too vague or left unused in the best way possible. From a character perspective, some of the most multi-dimensional I've seen in a while. Wish it tied more things together across the board, but certainly kept me guessing for most of the time. The true culprit is mostly obvious but there were lots of paths it took before getting there.

I really enjoyed Jamie Day's first book The Block Party, so I was excite to get to read this book. This book seemed a bit slow to me. I was intrigued within the prologue but found myself having to force myself to keep going. I really enjoyed the conclusion of the hurricane and the events within The Precipice. The ending was great too. I just found the back story to be a bit long.

I loved Charley and Rodrigo. The Bishop sisters were quite the trio. However I think that their childhood forced them to be the completely messed up women that they become. George Bishop their father was a lying, cheating, predator. The girls had secrets from when they learned of his infidelity and how they tried to stop it. And in keeping secrets continued to gain more and more secrets. These secrets turn out to be the downfall of the Bishop sisters.

This book was entertaining and has some interesting plots twists, I just had difficulty staying interested. I did finish and am glad that I did. I think that The Block Party was better.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I feel like I have read this story before. It was still a decent plot and I enjoyed the characters, but I feel like I knew exactly what was going on the whole time. I will say I enjoyed it better than the author's first book, The Block Party. I skipped to the end to see what happened in that book. This one I was at least able to read the whole thing.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Mid way through it did get a bit predictable and I figured out part of the twist, however the ending was still surprising. This is the 2nd book by this author and it did not disappoint.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC

Review posted on StoryGraph

I thought I had this book figured out several times and I was completely wrong every time. Just when things seem to make sense, wham! another twist and secret are revealed. While the story is told through multiple views, we hear mostly from Charley, the maid who lives in the hotel. When the owner passes away, his 3 daughters come for the reading of the will during a massive hurricane. Each has their own agenda, and their own secrets. As the storm rages, tempers also flair. . and people start dying. Can Charley figure out who she can trust and who she should fear before it's too late?

After reading Jamie Day’s book The.Block Party I knew she wouldn’t disappoint with this book! She starts this thriller setting the scene and tone for the entire book and brings you on a roller coaster ride through a hurricane and a totally dysfunctional family that will murder for what they think they derserve! Thanks for the advanced read!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Charley is a 19 year old live in maid at The Precipe Hotel who is used to taking care of herself and fending off her creepy boss. She prides herself on being able to clean up any mess (and cleaning out a few wallets along tbe way...). However, when her boss dies and his daughters arrive at the hotel for the reading of his will on the eve of a major hurricane, she may not be prepared for the mess that is about to come...

This book started off really strong. I liked the set-up and was drawn to the character of Charley and her grit. However, some of the other characters, like the daughters, were a little over the top.

When I hit the halfway point in the book, the story started to drag. Once all the characters were trapped in the hotel during the storm the story became a little repetitive. Luckily, the pace picked up towards the end (although I thought that the epilogue tied things up a little too neatly).

I thought the twist was OK too, but a little predictable.

What a great title for this book! They are so not a big happy family!

The characters are definitely quirky; most of them are very easy to dislike immensely. The story moved along quickly with lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.

If you like dysfunctional family drama with a mystery then this is the book for you. The main character, Charley, is a 19 year old woman working at a old inn on the cliffs of Maine. After the owner dies his family arrives for the reading of the will along with an impending Hurricane named Larry. Of course there are lots of scary moments both with the inn, the weather and the family.
I could see this book becoming a movie in the vein of Knives Out! Glad i was able to read it thru NetGalley and thanks to author and publisher.

One Big Happy Family
By Jamie Day

I was immersed in this book from the first chapter. The character development of the maid Charley was so perfect and I was rooting for her through the whole story. I really enjoyed the flashback to the story of the sisters and it really made me understand their motivation.
The suspense in this book had me guessing until the ending. I have already downloaded Jamie Day's previous book and I'm looking forward to reading it as well.


Thank you so much to netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Jamie Day for an ARC of this book that I got the pleasure of reading. Publication date: July 16th, 2024. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to write this review.

Jamie Day knows how to create a creepy and suspenseful vibe. The hotel setting and characters with their secrets make for a gripping read. It feels like you're stuck in the hotel during a hurricane, just like the characters.

The story is told from different perspectives, which keeps you hooked. There's plenty of action, mystery, and even a murder or two to keep you guessing. While the ending felt rushed, it doesn't ruin the story. Overall, it's a thrilling read that fans of the genre will enjoy.

I loved Day's first book, and this one is just as good. I can't wait to see what they write next.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day was such a great murder mystery. This book really felt like I was watching a movie or that I was part of a murder mystery dinner. I really enjoyed the twist at the end and the "who done it" type style of reading.

A hurricane is headed to the shores of Jonesport, Maine bringing the Bishop family together at their family's hotel, The Precipice, to read the will of their late father.
Unknowingly, the live-in maid, Charley, will be drawn into the family's web of lies and deception. Betrayal, murder, and devulging of family secrets are all in store as The Precipice endures another storm raging inside its walls.

I have been provided with a review copy of this title from NetGalley for an impartial review. I just really enjoyed this story and I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

I enjoyed Jamie Day's debut novel so I was looking forward to her new release.

This book had some of my favorite elements that make a story great for me. It takes place on coastal Maine (love stories that depict ocean settings), involves a major storm, murder, and family secrets.

The main character is Charley, a nineteen year old chamber maid among many other colorful characters including a stow away guest.
The story begins slowly but picks up speed and kept me on edge wanting to read "just one more page".
I look forward to the next Jamie Day book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy

Here's the setup: Charley is the struggling maid at the precipice hotel, where the proprietor has just passed away. His three daughters (and their families) return for the reading of the will during the biggest storm of the season. Rounding out the cast of characters are the lawyer called on for the reading of the will and a woman seeking refuge from her abusive boyfriend. In this locked door mystery, two end up dead and we must figure out what happens. At times predictable and others twisty, this book has way too many plot lines. It was an enjoyable read, although repetitive at times. The author does a nice job of tying up all the loose ends.

This was such an irritating read. The characters were one dimensional, unlikeable and unbelievable, the plot was predictable, verging on ridiculous, veering between boring and laughable.

There were so many inconsistences and outright 'huh?!' moments. Just hours after his father is found murdered at his Mom's deceased fathers hotel, Quinn has a make-out session with the maid, Charley, our narrator. His mother, (one of the nutty sisters there to find out what their inheritance is), veers between sobbing sadly about her husband's demise and being furious that Charley hasn't cleared away the dinner dishes. The police, after coming to take away the body, leave them all there without bringing any of them in for questioning, or even putting up crime scene tape. With a damaging hurricane coming, they just bid the family ta-ta, wish them good luck and take off. There is another murder, of course, after the police leave. Then one sister gets out her gun and threatens, well, everyone. Then a girl Charley met once and invited to stay at the hotel (hidden away, of course), gets the gun away from the nutty sister and holds it on, well, everyone. Then they have dinner again. Then they all sit by the fire, drinking, in the alcove. Which, by the authors description, is a large room with sofas and a fireplace. Then they hold a tarot card reading, cause evidently one son has psychic abilities. Then we have several flashbacks of the three sisters younger days. Then creepy poems threatening the sisters start showing up. And we find out that this all took place over a 24 hour period.

I also didn't like the juvenile writing style. We have Charley, who is 19, sounding like she is 30. Then we have the sisters, who are in their 40's, talking like they are 19. I did get quite a chuckle out of some of the phrasing and vocabulary. But not enough to make me like this novel.

One Big Happy Family is a twisty ride you won't want to get off. Set on the coast of Maine this hotel is filled with antique and estate sale finds, comfy beds, beautiful views, and dark secrets. Mr.Bishop the hotel's owner has passed and his daughters will need to come for the reading of the will. Chambermaid Charley Kelley lives on property and has overseen the hotel since we was sixteen and the passing of Mr.Bishop won't cause her to shed any tears. He was creepy and put his hands places they didn't belong. The only downside to having Mr.Bishop gone is that his daughters will be in charge and they might not honor the deal Charley has for living on site and earning a paycheck. She needs every cent she makes to pay for the care home her Granny is in.
Well things start to change immediately when the sisters arrive...plans to redecorate,renovate, re-staff, and cover up past crimes. As Charley suspects her livelihood will be threatened and even her life. Everyone has something to hide including Charley who is keeping a stowaway hidden in one of the rooms. Greed can turn people against each other and cause families to collapse. Can they get past the secrets at the hotel and be "One Big Happy Family" again?

Thank you NetGalley and publisher St. Martin's Press for the early Kindle edition of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Ah... where to start. I have enjoyed Jamie Day's work in the past and had high hopes for One Big Happy Family. I will start with the positives.

Charley was my absolute favorite character and I absolutely loved her journey, rooting for her, and how she developed throughout the novel to become very strong and independent. I also enjoyed this novel's tension and mystery, it was clear Day put a lot of thought into how the plot would build and she did not leave any character unscathed by the end.

I struggled a bit with the three sisters, but enjoyed their unreliability and antics for the most part. The way their stories were weaved together was phenomenal, the twists truly did not stop til the end.

My biggest gripe is the ARC/eBook's formatting. This is something I have never come across with a NetGalley copy, but I had to really mess with the settings on my Kindle to read this comfortably,. Something about the spacing was off and it was difficult for me to get used to it. I do feel like it took away from my ability to enjoy the story.

I would recommend this to fans of Lisa Jewell and Riley Sager. It took me a bit longer than usual to read, but overall I enjoyed it and sincerely appreciate the chance to read it.

This reviewer enjoyed reading Jamie Day's novel The Block Party and looked forward to reviewing One Big Happy Family. The story is set in a grand but decaying Maine hotel on the coast. The hotel owner has died, and his family arrives for a reading of the will while a hurricane looms.

Setting is particularly important in this novel, since atmosphere is key to the plot. The protagonist is the hotel maid. The dysfunctional family of heirs are characters as offbeat as the cast of Knives Out or an Agatha Christie novel. The Wills and Trusts attorney appears corrupt. There's a murder, of course, of someone unlikable. The hurricane strikes and a tarot card reading in the semi-darkness follows. The book is well-written, and the pacing inside the decrepit hotel is just right. One Big Happy Family is like a big bowl of mystery stories stirred with an invisible spoon, forming a new story that will delight readers of cozy mysteries and whodunnits.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing an advance copy of this book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*