Thank you to St. Martin's for an advance listener copy of One Big Happy Family.

When the patriarch of the Bishop family passes, daughters Iris, Vicki, and Faith, meet at the family’s coastal Maine hotel for the weekend to claim what they all believe is rightfully theirs. When they arrive, a 19 year old ‘chambermaid’ named Charley makes her presence known. As a favorite of their father, she poses a threat to the sisters and their inheritance.

While the sisters each have their own secrets, so does Charley - in the form of a woman on the run hiding in a guest room harboring her own dark past. As a hurricane approaches, it’s hard to tell which is the bigger threat - the weather or the people trapped in the hotel together.

First and foremost, I want to give Jamie Day props for having two books with very similar covers that are also very different. I can only hope that in future books she continues to find ways to play with the “empty scene with chairs” vibe. It might be small and silly, but I appreciate it and think it’s something fun!

I think this book had a lot that intrigued me: the cover (as stated), the secluded location, the strained sister relationship, the storm, and the mysterious younger girl who is a stranger to the daughters. Unfortunately it didn’t quite come together for me. I never fully got invested in the sisters which left the story severely lacking for me. I wish I could explain why, but I can’t and so that fault may lie with me. I was super intrigued by Charley and enjoying her portion, but again when I was dragged into the sisters portions I’d find my attention waning.

Maybe it read more as a ‘contemporary mystery’ than a thriller and that’s what did it? I tend to struggle with books like that (think Apples Never Fall). I feel like I’d enjoy this much more as a movie than I did a book.

I will absolutely read Jamie Day again, The Block Party was just too much fun for me to give up on her. And like I said - it’s not that this was bad, per se, I just don’t think it was my kind of thriller.

I am a sucker for any novel that takes place somewhere in which the cast of characters are trapped. I always find that it adds to the suspense and gives you this claustrophobic feeling that just pushed you forward in the story. This book definitely has that in spades, and at times I almost couldn't breathe, wondering what was going to happen next.

The story is divided into 4 parts, with short chapters that made it easy to ready. However, I felt like this book dragged on. There were so many elements that I just felt maybe didn't need to be there, and maybe had it not been so long I would have found it more enjoyable.

I did very much enjoy the characters' backstories, which helped to shape the story and I found really interesting. And the twist at the end was decent, however a little out of control.

This was a decent read, especially for this time of year.

I was so excited to get the opportunity to read this. It was a fun read - some suspense and family drama. Throw in a storm and a deadline, and it makes for a fun whodunit. It was a quick read and kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read One Big Happy Family.

Thank you for an early copy of this in exchange for an honest review. I love anything set in New England and at a hotel! Hotels have so much history and a lot energy in them from all the people who come to stay there,so they always seem kind of haunted and atmospheric!
I loved the premise of this book and she didn’t disappoint. I loved Charley as a MC!
I can’t wait to read the other books by Jamie Day!

Jamie Day, author of the wonderful thriller The Block Party has another juicy, can't put down, dysfunctional family murder mystery. Filled with shocking surprises and secrets and a few dead bodies, it also includes a lovable protagonist whom everyone will root for because she is so deserving.

Charley works as a maid at the Precipice, a larger-than-life hotel in Maine. Her mother dead, her nana in a home for dementia which money wise is draining her dry, Charley has resorted to not so legal activities at the hotel to make ends meet.

Now, the owner of the resort, George Bishop has died, and his family are all invading her sanctuary to sort the will out. Charley is very nervous. She can't afford to be let go or for them to find out her secrets. Also, as the family travels to the Precipice, they are informed there is a hurricane approaching and with all the guests having to be cancelled, she must now be there alone, with her friend and manager Rodrigo. To say she is nervous is an understatement.

But, when the cast of characters make their grand, and I mean grand entrances, well Charley is a mess. Hopefully these high society snobs won't figure out what she has been doing.

The big family include: Iris, an ex-con, Vicki, married to Todd (who is kind of creepy), their young son Oliver who only speaks in rhymes, Faith who is married to Hope (you can't make this up!) but Jamie Day did! and Quinn, the very, very handsome college age son of Vicki. Also arriving is the attorney. Because don't all rich people travel with their attorney?

The chaos really begins when the will is read, and all the sisters realize they have been left barely anything and Todd who is a nobody seems to be left the bulk of everything! Needless to say, the sisters are in shock as is Charley.

Unfortunately for Todd, he dies that night, of what the police believe was a heart attack. Until the next morning, a discovery will not only change that idea, but pin sister against sister, greed against blackmail, and past secrets which seem to keep coming up and shocking everybody. All the while, this hurricane is in full force and nobody is able to leave, except through murder as it looks like another person bit the icy cold.

As the sisters turn on each other, Charley becomes the voice of reason, Oliver gives them creepy clues in rhymes and Quinn is stunned by the revelations of his mother and aunts. Needless to say, everyone is blaming everyone.

The big question for this big family is who is doing the killing? With so many reasons to dislike each other, it becomes hard to figure out who had the better motive. One Big Happy Family is one tumultuous murdering mystery. The story is very funny, yes even with murders happening, but also moving as more of their pasts are exposed, but don't let any of that fool you...this story is deliriously deadly!

Thank you #St.Martin'sPress #JamieDay #OneBigHappyFamily for the advanced copy.

This one was a good page turner, but definitely felt a little fantastical at times! The Bishop sisters are an interesting bunch, and the twists and turns in this one made me keep reading so I could find out what happened.
I did think it was a little predictable at times and the romance felt a little haphazardly thrown in, but overall it was a fun read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and the cast of characters. I did have a hard time differentiating all the sisters at times because they all were unlikable characters. I enjoyed the ending of this book and how everything played out in the end for Charlie.

A quick paced book that really sucks you in. While the family is a whole hot mess, the housekeeper is a redeeming character here.

I love the shut in vibes.

One Big Happy Family completely drew me in! I read the entire book in 24 hours. It's the story of a dysfunctional group of sisters coming together after the sudden death of their father to go over the will in the middle of a hurricane. One death and then another one happens and everyone has a motive which makes everyone a suspect. In the beginning I thought it was going to be a retelling of And Then There Were None however it turned out to only have similarities but not a complete retelling. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Jamie Day. Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my review.

I loved Jamie’s Day's debut novel, “The Block Party”. That book was an easy 5 stars for me, so I couldn’t wait to start “One Big Happy Family”. The novel opens with Charley, the maid at the Precipice Hotel. The owner recently died, so his third daughters are arriving at the hotel for his will reading all while a hurricane is on its way. Someone ends up dead, and everyone appears to have a secret.

This book is perfect if you are looking for a thriller/mystery where everyone has secrets, and the book goes into their backstories. The ending was really good and not rushed at all. The novel is broken up into short chapters and filled with twists and turns. The first half started off really strong. By the halfway point, I started to lose my interest. I think mostly it is due to reading other books where people are trapped in a remote location, someone dies, etc. While this wasn’t my favorite book, I will definitely read the next book Jamie Day hopefully publishes!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Jamie Day, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

In One Big Happy Family, The Precipice - a family owned hotel, sets the scene in what should be a thrilling story as the owner’s passing brings his three daughters, the Bishop sisters, together to claim their inheritance. With a hurricane coming and a murder to solve, it sounds like it should be an exciting and intriguing read. However, the characters, mainly the sisters, are uninteresting and overly dramatic. The story is narrated by Charlie, a young hotel maid worried about losing her job, and while her perspective and story is somewhat interesting and relatable, it doesn’t really pull you in. The twist in the middle of the story was more shocking and interesting than the overall twist at the end of the book. I had high hopes but was left disappointed.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Day, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, this book was mind boggling. So many points of view when talking about childhood at times I had to stop and think about who was talking, remembering. While I did get tired of hearing so many memories Iguess it was needed to tell this story. They are very few likable characters except for the main character Charlie,, her gramma and Rodrigo.
The hotel owners grown children that come to the hotel to have the will read as a hurricane is coming ashore we not nice people and very entitled. The hateful things they said and did to Charlie and each other were shocking. I found my mouth dropping multiples times and was glad they got some of what they deserved. The mystery of the story was not who I expected it to be , until it dawned on me. A very good book with twists and turns to make it fly by and keep you entertained.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Interesting concept...but I didn't enjoy this. The characters didn't feel real. The dialogue didn't feel real, and even the dreaded hurricane played a smaller role than I hoped. I ended up skimming the book to find out what happened. If you can suspend belief and like locked room mysteries, then you might like this.

This book was really great! I love maid books, and this one kept me on the edge of my seat at all times. My mind was going a completely different way for the beginning but the ending was great!!! I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone!

When the three Bishop sisters are trapped in what they all thought would be their own hotel, The Precipice all hell breaks loose. Although the weather had different plans than they did, it will either push them closer together or tear them further apart.

This book definitely has everything a thriller needs. From the power going out to a murderer on the loose with a huge hotel thrown in the mix, this book definitely gets 5 out of 5 stars from me.

Family drama. Off season Hotel. Estranged Family. Loyal staff. And a who-done-it murder mystery. If any one of these points gets your inner Nancy Drew reaching for a flashlight dnd looking for a hidden staircase then this is a book that will delight you as much as it did me. Charley was a wonderful character and although I was not a fan of her petty left from the hotel guests, she was written in such a way that I understood her as a character. This was important because it reset my inner moral compass so that, when she stands in opposition to the The Family it makes their actions and behaviors look so much worse. As you can guess this was a book that had all the fun of Knives Out with quirky family members that will make anyone look at their next family event and say Well I lest its not going to be a Bishop Family Event!

If you looking for a truly escapist read with a solid mystery, and characters that will make you shake your head, than you have a good quick fun read right here.

A hotel that has been in the family for years is up for grabs after the patriarch dies, leaving the family and some workers scrambling for what they all think is theirs. Mix in a hurricane this is a recipe for disaster….and a good book!
Thank you #stmartinspress and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

One Big Happy Family is a heartwarming yet somewhat conventional story about the joys and challenges of blending families. The novel explores themes of love, family dynamics, and finding common ground amidst differences, but it follows a fairly predictable path. While the message of unity is touching, the plot lacks any major twists or unexpected developments.

The characters are likable and relatable, but some feel a bit one-dimensional, with their struggles resolved a little too neatly. The family interactions provide plenty of tender moments, but at times, the dialogue and situations can feel overly sentimental or clichéd.

For readers looking for an uplifting, feel-good story with a focus on family, One Big Happy Family delivers an easy, pleasant read. However, it doesn’t break new ground or offer much in the way of complexity, making it a nice, if somewhat forgettable, choice for those seeking a light, comforting novel.

A very interesting, locked room, mystery!

I felt like this one was a bit slow paced in the first half, but then it picked up a lot in the second half. I really enjoyed the flashback portions of the story, but still found it a bit hard at times to remember who was who (this one has lots of characters). Overall though it was interesting and kept me wanting to know more. I listened to this one on audio and I flew through it. I wasn't a huge fan of how chaotic the ending was, but overall it was still a good read!

Locked room mysteries are my favorite, and this one didn’t disappoint! The setting was fun and the characters were entertaining. It was well paced and an overall enjoyable read.