Complex family dynamics are my favorite. Add in some mystery and a thriller and I am all in: this is the trifecta! Throw in some bad, spooky weather... and I'm curling right up on my couch under a blanket and devouring this in a single sitting. Although I did NOT devour it in a single sitting it was still absolutely fantastic. I loved it. I loved the characters. And I can't wait to read more by Jamie. This was a fantastic read.

This novel by Jamie Day will thrill fans of mystery and those interested in complex family dynamics! The book sweeps readers off to the coast of Maine and plunges them into the saga of three sisters who must navigate a dangerous environment in the middle of a storm! This is the perfect summer beach read! I enjoyed it!

4.5 star rating!

This book definitely took me for a ride! Chapter 1 gave me "The Shining" vibes and they continued until the very end. The twists and turns of the book was intense. At times the book was a bit slow, kind of around the middle, but the end made up for it all. I laughed, I cried, I felt angry. I felt relatable to practically all the characters: the hard working Charley, to the Bishops sister's hatred and love of family, to even the lost Bree.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

One Bug Happy Family by Jamie Day is a must read!!! It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time reading! Read this in one sitting!

Ooooooo...I love a great locked room (or in this case locked hotel) mystery where the ominous weather is its own character. There are so many people not to like in this story and they all pretty much have the potential to be the bad dude(s) of the story. Oh, I figured out most of what was going on pretty easily, but that's because I read lots of thrillers/mysteries and I can now pinpoint why a character has been included. It was definitely fun to see it all play out anyway.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author. Unfortunately this is a DNF for me. Part of it was the plot and characters while the other part was how the ebook came. Very messy with odd chapters headings and random markings throughout. It did not appeal for a smooth well read.

Wow! So, so good! I officially love the author Jamie Day. I cannot wait for the next book! Such a good read.

When I started reading this book, I thought it was going to be a quirky read about a family owned coastal hotel and what happens when the father dies. What I actual got was a fast paced mystery told in several view points, that kept me guessing the whole time.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC. #Netgalley #Onebighappyfamily
Pub. Date: July 16, 2024

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for One Big Happy Family
Auther: Jamie Day
Release date: July 16, 2024

This book tells the story of Charley, who is a maid at an out of the way hotel. The hotel owner has died and his daughters, the bishop sisters, are coming in for the will reading. Right before they get there a girl Charley meets in town, Bree, asks for Charley to hide her from her abusive boyfriend. With a hurricane barring down on them, creepy poems, and a dead body discovered in the hallway: who is guilty? Who has sins to confess? Who is going to make it until morning? And who else is going to die?

With a diverse cast of characters, a quick moving plot, and multiple twists, Jamie Day has weaved a web that will keep you entangle until the very last page.

While I did guess one of the pretty big twists pretty early on, there were plenty of other twists that I didn’t guess until they were happening. This story had me guessing and changing my mind as the chapters flew by. This is definitely going to be a top read for this summer!

#Netgalley #EveryBookIsANewAdventure #Mystery #Thriller #MysteryThriller #LockedRoomThriller #WhoDunnit #GirlsWhoRead #Bibliophile

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY was a rich, atmospheric novel set on the Maine coastline - and Jamie Day does an amazing job integrating the setting and weather into the suspenseful, quick-moving plot. The multiple characters were easy to follow and the timeline jumps made sense and added to the layered intricacies of the story. Really enjoyed this one and looking forward to whatever Jamie Day writes next!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY.

A very solid 3.75 stars for this suspenseful whodunit. This book did a very good job of creating suspense at every turn. We follow Charley, a young maid at an eclectic hotel in Maine, owned by George Bishop before his death. She is trying to take care of her Nana and herself, and is hardly scraping by. The Bishop sisters arrive at the hotel, in the wake of their father's death for an impromptu family reunion, to discover their inheritance. Charley is immediately thrown in the middle of their dysfunctional relationships, and must deal with the consequences of being locked in the hotel, during a hurricane, with the Bishop Family. There are so many moments within this story, where you truly are on the edge of your seat, anticipating who is next in normal "whodunit" fashion. The author does a great job of developing the personalities of each character in this story, allowing the reader to really flesh out their feelings towards each. The interesting format of this story also informs the reader of important events from the characters' pasts before our main character, Charley learns of them, which left me wondering how and when all would be revealed. The plot of the story and the resolution were also very satisfying and I applaud the author for giving the characters I resonated with the most some very poetic endings. This story was also chock full of emotional moments! Between Charley's interactions with members of the Bishops, her Nana, and others, you really know her heart by the end of the story. I did not expect to read of so much tragedy along with the suspense, but I think it had merit and made for a well rounded story. I could not give this book five stars for a couple frivolous reasons. First, the twist at about the 75% mark was a bit predictable. Maybe if I had never read a thriller or mystery before, I would have been unable to deduce it, but I have read numerous and the twist was one I had seen before. The twist was telegraphed a bit throughout the story and I ended up just trying to read quickly to get to the twist and confirm what I already had guessed, so some of the mystery was lost on me. Secondly, I found the introductions of the Bishops to be not as concise as I think it needed to be, so for a while I kept misplacing the names of the other family members and forgetting how each was related to another specifically. I loved the inclusion of Rodrigo's character and Quinn's character, and overall found this to be a fun, thrilling read. As a former Maine resident, it was also a very good depiction of the environment and culture of the area in my opinion. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone needing a thriller that delivers what it says it will.

Jamie Day's One Big Happy Family earns only 2 stars from me. I adored Day's first novel, The Block Party; however, One Big Happy Family did not live up to my expectations (although it, like The Block Party, has a gorgeous cover!!).

One Big Happy Family just dragged and dragged, and not in a good, slow-burn way. Main Character Charley is stuck in an old hotel with the three sisters who have inherited it, and there is a hurricane bearing down on them, preventing anyone from leaving. Others stuck at the hotel include some of the sisters' immediate family, the family lawyer, and a woman trying to escape her abusive boyfriend. Someone dies, everyone panicks, and people start turning on each other. The clever reader might have their suspicions about what is actually going on. This book is a bit of a twist on the locked-room mystery trope, but I can't explain why without giving away spoilers.

I will say that there are some nice connections made between the past and the present, tying characters together in unexpected ways. There are a couple of very likable characters, including Charley's Nana, who is in a care home and is part of a very touching scene after the hurricane passes.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest review.

I cannot believe this was my first time reading a Jamie Day book! I love locked room mysteries mixed with characters who have secrets. Best combination! The setting of the hotel itself and all the characters really made me want to just jump in there with them. I cannot wait to read more from Jamie Day. This book was spot on for me! Thank you Jamie Day, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this digital copy.

This book focuses on Charly, a young girl working at the Precipice Hotel in Maine. She's working at the hotel trying to make ends meet so she can pay for her grandma's nursing care, when her employer passes away. His three daughters, Iris, Vicki and Faith are coming to the hotel on the verge of a Hurricane to hear the reading of the will, when chaos ensues.

This book did a really great job of luring you in to the main character. I was rooting for Charley from the start. The three sisters had so much going on that I couldn't stop reading to see what was going to happen next. Sucked me in from the start and had me hooked til the end!

This one was full of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages. I loved the backstory on the characters. The books tied everything together very well at the end. Highly recommend.

One Big Happy Family is full of big ole’ family secrets & drama! This story takes place at the family’s hotel where they gather to read their father’s will & must brace themselves for a hurricane. Rich family, crazy amounts of drama & very well written characters kept me hooked to the end! A great summer thriller~

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

The Bishop sisters lose their father to a sudden heart attack. The family lawyer is going to read the will so they all agree to stay at their family hotel on the ocean front. Of course a hurricane is forecasted but that does stop them from heading to this cliff side inn.

This families full of secrets and drama. They are mega rich and mega crazy. I enjoyed the first half of this book quite a bit. The character building was excellent. There was plenty of interesting plotting. I did think that the second half slowed down a little and was too long and drawn out. All in all I did enjoy this one. I will be picking up her other book.

The characters were well developed, each with such a different story. Author kept the mystery fairly well hidden. Being a New Englander at heart, I enjoyed the location references. Would read this author again.

This was my first Jamie Day book and it did not disappoint. The owner of a hotel has passed and the daughters are coming to town for the reading of the will. There is a hurricane coming and everyone is hunkered down at the hotel when bad things start happening. The twists in the book kept me turning the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Off to read another Jamie Day book!

I did not expect to like this one a lot but I did! The story and the plot was well written and I loved the twists and turns! It was fun, dark and mysterious! Highly recommend this book!
Thank you so much for the arc! ☺️