Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy! This was a great popcorn thriller. I really enjoyed it and thought it was perfect for summer.

📚BOOK REVIEW📚

📱🎧 "One Big Happy Family" by Jamie Day

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
published July 16, 2024

A locked room mystery at the Precipice Hotel, a family- owned, legendary, eclectic hotel located on the rocky coast of Maine.

When the late George Bishop has died, the 3 daughters gather to hear the reading of the will. Iris, Vicki, and Faith all want to claim what’s rightfully theirs, while a hurricane is coming in. The hotel has a 19-year-old live in chambermaid named Charley, who is whip smart, and very resilient. She is taking care of her aging grandmother who is in an old folks home.
Enter Bree, a young girl in a desperate situation running from her ex and Charley decides to help and hide her in one of the empty hotel rooms. The Bishop sisters are all so different. The oldest Vicki, bad-tempered and sharp, married to Todd, who is greedy, and ruthless. The middle sister, Iris is an ex-convict, ex-drug addict, but finally trying to get her life together. And Faith, the baby of the family and a former model, who married Hope a calming spiritualist. Vicki’s beautiful son Quinn, steals Charley’s heart at first sight, and then young Oliver: the son of Faith & Hope, a smart, rhyming autistic boy.

But things suddenly change when a murder occurs and everyone’s secrets come out.


Many thanks to @NetGalley and @St. Martin’s Press


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i will read basically any book set in maine, and this one is no exception. i found this book a fast, compelling read, but ultimately don't think it will stick with me. 3.5 stars

This was a solid thriller read for me. I loved the Maine setting and this book has a very cast of characters. The hotel was almost a character itself. I enjoyed following the characters and trying to figure out the mystery!

This was a quick, action filled thriller!
I actually liked all the characters, except George, obviously.
This book had me at the edge of my seat! Tbh, I found it was really predictable, but I was eager to learn each characters motivation for what they did.
Each character had a different story, and most of them had a difficult past. It was interesting to see where and how their stories intertwined.
I also liked that part of the story took place during a hurricane, which made it even more thrilling.
I would definitely recommend this!

Charlie (a young woman, chamber-maid), a hotel, a family arriving with secrets and greed -- they arrived, after all, with the thought that they would each receive a significant inheritance from their recently deceased father.
A locked-room, storm-approaching domestic mystery -- this caught my attention as it reminded me of Clue (the movie).

However, I had a difficult time connecting with this one. I did a combo of audio and kindle. The audio was really difficult to enjoy - extremely monotone. While I'm reviewing the Kindle version, I thought that was equally important as she had a monotone voice.

The storyline was just different enough to not be the same-same as other locked-room mysteries. The writing worked, the flow felt jumpy. Kind of like Charlie's relationship with a family member -- just didn't make sense.

Overall, I'd recommend it to my followers who enjoy this trope.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for review

This book was interesting. The main characters are 3 sisters with very distinct personalities and differences.l but they all want their inheritance from their fathers passing but get stuck in the hotel during a storm where everyone’s a suspect for murder.

I really loved "The Block Party", but this book was just not as good. I really liked the overall plot, and I think this book has really good bones, but there were parts I did not enjoy.

*SPOILERS BELOW*

First, the introduction of Bree felt very forced. Maybe that was the point, and the author wants you to suspect her, but you would think that the author would want the opposite. If she was believable, the twist would be even more unexpected.

Some of the dialogue was SO cringy.

The romance between Quinn and Charley was unnecessary and not very believable. Who would be focused on romance when your family is being murdered? Especially since they had almost no interactions throughout the story.

There were some things that I liked about, though. I liked Charley, most of the time, and I loved Rodrigo. I liked the storm as a separate character, forcing all of our characters together. I just think this had the potential to be a 5 star read, but for me, it was only 3 stars.

3.5 out of 5. A group of people is trapped in an isolated hotel during a hurricane when people start turning up dead. Guests are pushed to reveal past secrets to save more lives.
This was an enjoyable book. Though I felt that the pacing was a little slow and some parts were drawn out there was enough suspense to keep me intrigued. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending this book in exchange for review. All opinions are my own.

One Big Happy Family was a great read by Jamie Day. The Precipice is a family-owned hotel on the coast of Maine. The Bishop Sisters; Iris, Vicki, and Faith; have come for the weekend to claim the hotel after their father’s passing. There’s a hurricane looming and the sisters all are harboring dangerous secrets. Unfortunately, not everyone will be leaving the hotel with murder in the air. Add the nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley in the mix. I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more by the author.

If you are looking for a locked-room thriller with lots of fun twists and turns and some witty banter among characters, ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY is for you.

What it’s about…the story follows the three Bishop sisters as they return to the hotel their family has long owned on the coast of Maine following the death of their father. The sisters grew up at the hotel and have returned for the reading of his will. Meanwhile, the hotel's young chambermaid, Charley, anxiously prepares for their visit. It seems every character has an agenda and a secret to hide. When guests begin turning up dead and threatening messages arrive, no one is safe. The impending hurricane makes it impossible for anyone to escape and sets the scene for a very entertaining mystery.

There are many threads in this story, and although I felt part one was a bit slow, I really enjoyed part 2, where the sister's backstory comes in, and parts 3 and 4, where things definitely get moving. This book came out earlier this summer, but I think it is a really fun fall read due to the setting on the stormy Maine coast.

What a trip this was! So many twists and the characters are all unreliable…you’ll never see the end. I really enjoyed this thriller and its pacing. I wasn’t the biggest fan of what felt like a forced love connection, but it didn’t take away at all from the main plot in my opinion.

This book is about three sisters coming together at their family’s hotel after their father’s death, with the main character being the hotel maid. The story explores their complicated relationships and hidden secrets. While the premise had promise, the book felt a bit scattered. Most of the characters were so unlikable that I found it tough to connect.

There were some interesting moments, but overall, it didn’t quite come together in a way that kept me fully engaged. If you’re into family dramas with lots of tension and unresolved issues, it could be worth a read, but it wasn’t my favorite.

Would recommend for fans of…
⛱️ Not A Happy Family
⛱️ Good Bad Girl
⛱️ Home Is Where the Bodies Are

One Big Happy Family is a domestic mystery following three sisters out to claim their inheritance on one stormy weekend. What they don’t know is that one of the maids, a young woman named Charley who is hiding many secrets of her own in the hotel.

This was a pretty solid book! It’s one of those titles that’s perfect for any reader who wants thrills without chills. It’s twisty and suspenseful but never quite crosses into ‘scary’ territory. I really enjoyed how the story was structured, particularly how Charley served as the main protagonist. Getting her POV upfront really helped to set the stakes of the story and established the emotional arc.

My one issue with the book it’s that it felt a bit predictable. There were a lot of elements that felt very familiar, and while that’s not a bad thing, avid readers of the genre may feel like there’s not much original material in this one.

One Big Happy Family is out now. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.*

Charley is working at a legendary hotel on the coast of Maine with a crotchety and handsy boss who has recently died. She thinks she had it made with room and board included with the job and isn't sure how things will work out with the boss's daughters who will inherit the hotel - will she keep her job or be out on her bum? This is the weekend that the will will be read and Charley is nervous about changes that may or may not be coming her way. Add to the mix a hurricane that is heading straight toward the hotel and it sets up a great story for a locked room mystery.

The descriptions of the characters and how the stories were laid out was fantastic! Some things I was able to guess, but other things were out of left field to me. The 3 daughters were so different in their lives and personalities as were their partners and the children. It kept Charley on her toes to be able to take it all in and keep everything tidy throughout the weekend.

I feel like there were things that were added in that were secondary to the main story at the hotel, but there was also reason for Charley's thoughts to be split between there and the assisted living house where her grandmother was. But the grandmother story line was a lot more secondary to me and somewhat of a distraction.

Very enjoyable book with very despicable characters! A great read!

Thank you for the ARC!
This book was great ! Love this author and all her other books as well !
This story was very interesting and easy to follow. Definitely recommend !

A hurricane is headed towards Maine, but it's not stopping any of the events planned at The Precipse, a family owned Inn located (as you might guess) on a steep hill along the coast. George, the owner, has died and his three daughters are coming to the inn for his funeral and the reading of his will.
The book is filled with almost all unlikable characters, with the one exception for me being Charley, a young local woman who works as the Inn's maid (and even she had a few unlikable characteristics). I always love a Maine setting and Ms. Day did do a good job of portraying a small coastal town. There were a couple elements that didn't make sense, although I know it was needed for the plot (ie the rationale for letting Bree stay during the storm). It also seemed that the story moved very slowly.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read One Big Happy Family in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading Block Party by Jamie Day previous and was so excited to get my hands on this next novel. This is the story of three sisters who following their father's death, travel to their family-own hotel on the coast of Maine. to hear the reading of their father's will. Each sister wants their stake of of what they believe is theirs, as well as the young chambermaid who works at the hotel. Everyone has secrets that are slowly coming out and it's unsure if everyone who came to hotel before the big storm isn't going to make it out alive. This was a very slow read the first 50% of the book, but it definitely picked up. All the characters are pretty unlikeable (by design) but I enjoyed how awful there were. If you're into toxic family dynamics (think Succession) and secrets galore. 3.5/5 stars from me.

This was some screwy arsed book, and I was here for it!
I had initially seen this on Netgalley and decided that it definitely wasn't for me, then I received an invite from the publisher and decided to read it. My thinking was that the publisher often knows what I like, and sometimes "not often" they know better than me! True dat! I ignored it initially because it was family drama. I'm not usually a fan of that genre, but every once in a while...I just stinking loved this damn book!
I loved Charley, the housekeeper and hated everyone else.
This really was one truly despicable family! But, as the story unfolds I realized that as messed up as my "un" blended family was, it couldn't hold a candle to this family.
I'll confess that I had fun reading this story. The ending though was kinda a soft landing. I did still appreciate it, but did find it to be a bit unrealistic. So for that I'm taking a star.
This is a book I'd recommend. Just because I had such a good time!

After not being a huge fan of her last novel (The Block Party), I am glad I gave the author a second chance! I loved a locked room mystery. The story centers around a young maid and three sisters who are new owners of the hotel after their father passed. Each member has their own drama and secrets. It was more of family drama than suspense but was a quick read that I couldn't put down.