One Big Happy Family was a great book. The characters were well developed and interesting. There were several twists that were not completely surprising, but weaved in to add more dynamic to the plot. It flowed well between past and present timelines, which can sometimes be tricky in books, but was nicely layered here. The pace was decent, more of a slower build but not enough for me to be frustrated. Overall an interesting read!

I loved this author’s book “The Block Party,” so I was excited to read this newest one. It didn’t disappoint! Lots of action, fast-paced, and very unpredictable plot twists. It had everything I look for in a psychological thriller. I can’t wait to recommend closer to pub day. Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

There are lots of twists and turns in this book. It is fast paced and has a variety of characters. The scene is set in old hotel in Maine. The descriptions of setting, view and rooms are well done. I could picture them in my mind. All in all I enjoyed this book even if a bit far-fetched in areas.

The Bishop sisters - Faith, Hope, and Iris - are called back to their family's mansion hotel upon the mysterious death of their father. Long held secrets are revealed as Hurricane Larry moves in, forcing the sisters and their family and guests to ride out the storm...literally and figuratively. Lots of twists and turns keep the reader guessing. Well worth the read!

Wowww this one kept me on my toes the whole way through! I love a good thriller/mystery and this one delivers!

3.5* I was super excited for this book because I read the Block Party last year and loved it!! This book is a stormy hotel whodunit and I felt like I could really visualize this hotel based on the writing. This one is a bit slower with a lot of moving parts and I ultimately preferred the Block Party over this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for a copy of this ebook!


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6179376326

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy of this novel.
The book started off strong with a large, old hotel and a maid who is the narrator. It sort of crumbled for me with the introduction of many characters, I felt the author tried to do too much with each character and none of them had any likable qualities….including the narrator. I find it hard to read a story where you aren’t able to really root for anyone. It was an easy read, but I found myself eager for it to be over.

What’s your definition of “One Big Happy Family” for me it’s not not three sisters holding a horrible secret from their past but also things from each other. As the scene unfolds at the reading of their fathers will and people start dying will these women tell the truth or will they continue to cover up their past in hopes of outliving the storm crashing around them and the murderer threatening to kill them for their secrets?

Seems like a dark and stormy night is always a good time to divulge secrets and commit murder! During the middle of a hurricane is even better. I must say that the Bishop family is certainly one messed up bunch! But it makes for a hard to put down story so I guess I can't complain. Props to Charley for hanging on and doing the right thing during this exciting time of the Bishop sisters arriving to read their late father's will which has it's own secrets to reveal. I won't reveal anymore but I did stay up way past my bedtime because I was hooked. The guilty parties get what they deserve and there are some fun rhyming threats and I had fun, even when I guessed part of the mystery (though one death and confession was surprising and funny).

A fun story and I think the Precipice would be a cool hotel to stay at, just not during hurricane season, or a murder spree. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me have an advance copy of this story to read and review.

The Precipice Hotel is a quirky, secretive beacon overlooking the stormy coast of Maine. Owned by the Bishops, it is the perfect setting for a suspenseful murder mystery by Jamie Day. One Big Happy Family begins with the slow build-up to a full blown hurricane, and the arrival of the Bishop sisters after their father’s death. Each sister believes they have the claim on ownership of the hotel, and all will do anything to ensure they get what they are owed. In the middle of the family drama is the 19 year old maid, Charley. Broken, fierce, and resourceful, Charley desperately needs her job in order to keep her grandmother, the only family she has, in the nursing home that is taking care of her. Charley lives on a knife’s edge of poverty, and the arrival of the Bishop sisters does not bode well for her livelihood.

While the storm begins to build outside, the family tension begins. The only guests at the Precipice are Charley, Iris, Vicki, Faith and their families. And…one extra guest that is hiding away. When Vicki’s husband is found dead, the accusations and secrets start to fly. But who stands to gain the most? And will they all make it out before the murderer strikes again?

Day does a good job of creating enough twists and red herrings to keep you guessing. But, the characters don’t seem to fit together as a family. Of course the point is that the Bishop sisters have demons from their pasts that have torn the family apart, but there doesn’t feel like there is any cohesion. And the twists begin to seem far fetched and unbelievable. Ultimately, the reveal was a bit of a let down for me. You want to have some false leads and quirky characters to throw you off the scent of the killer, but a novel that does nothing BUT throw you off isn’t enjoyable either.

I liked One Big Happy Family but I wouldn’t say it was the most thrilling or shocking of mysteries. It is, however, the perfect summer beach read- thrilling enough and yet not too heavy. You’ll be interested enough to keep guessing, but you can still hit the waves or pool and pick right back up again a few hours later without missing a beat. Random rating 3/5. I recommend, just know that you are not going to be doing any deep sleuthing to solve the mystery. Thanks as always to @NetGalley for the eARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Was super excited to delve into anothet myster thriller novel since I just started getting into them, but sadly this one was way to long and way to predictable.

I kept reading because I thought there had to be a twist coming as I said to myself there was no way I solved it that early. Sadly thete was no twist and the book never got better.

Not for me. DO not recommend.

I was really excited for a good spooky storm-looming-and-everyone-trapped-in-a-creepy-old-hotel murder mystery but honestly I had a very hard time getting into this. I feel like the whole set-up with Charley and her backstory just took far too long, and I did not feel invested in Charley at all from the beginning. She just didn't give me much of a reason to care for her (I know, I know, she had a tragic upbringing, but still, she just didn't do it for me). I also struggled with times in which Charley's narration sounded far more intelligence than her age and education would normally betray. It felt too much like the writers voice rather than the narrators voice. And then it felt implausible when that girl she met fleetingly just showed up looking for a place to hide. I guess I was unwilling to suspend my disbelief. So I abandoned the book midway through.

I was intrigued because I loved the authors previous book, the block party. Great story line and kept me interested

Goodness! This book was just...DRAMA. And as long as the drama has zero to do with me, I am all for it.
Once I picked it up, I found it hard to put down. I enjoyed the flow of the storyline. It gives away enough to give you solid theories in this whodunit, trapped room type of book. I really was not counting on who murdered Todd. I picked up on one characters plot immediately though. I'm guessing, that's intentional but that you're tying to figure out how the character fits in. I did think we'd get thrown a surprise with said character and it was actually kind of nice to not have it happen. I like my predictions failing in these cases. . Just enough predictability to make you feel intelligent, but not enough that it takes away from the book.
A well done story that I enjoyed start to finish.

I just finished reading "One Big Happy Family" by Jamie Day. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin'a Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of a young housemaid who works in a hotel owned by a creepy owner who dies and has his daughters ascend to the hotel for the reading of the will. There is also a possibly dishonest lawyer and a stowaway who is hiding in the hotel because of her abusive boyfriend. How are all these characters related....Well, that is one heck of a story which weaves in and out of the past and present to expose all the secrets the sisters have (and boy are they BIG secrets) and leads to a very explosive ending where all secrets are revealed.

What I liked about this story was the back story of the sisters and how they grew up with a total loser of a father who had many mistresses and didn't really care about his children. I kind of felt sorry for them. The back story set up and explained alot of why there were so many secrets in the family.

What I also liked was how the author managed to keep the mystery secret and tie everything together at the end in an explosive way. I liked that all the sisters were deliciously flawed and all acted terrible to each other. I liked the murder mystery and how it also led to secrets being revealed.

What I didn't like was the flow of the book. I went from being exciting to really wordy and I found myself skipping paragraphs because I didn't see their importance. I also didn't like the Charley was stealing from guests to help pay her grandmothers rent.

Overall, I liked this book. It was filled with interesting characters who had secrets that impacted everyone in the book. The ending which revealed the villain behind everything was brilliant. I felt sorry for the villain because their backstory was incredibly sad but....everyone got what they deserved.

A good choice for anyone who enjoys this genre. Happy Reading!

A captivating mystery that seamlessly blends familial complexities, individual secrets, and the atmospheric tension of a coastal storm. This is a suspenseful page-turner that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last, making it a must-read for fans of gripping thrillers with a richly developed ensemble cast.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and author Jamie Day for the ARC of this book.

I was so excited to read an advanced copy of One Bjg Happy Family as I really enjoyed Jamie’s debut novel, Block Party!

OBHF kind of gave me “Clue” vibes mixed with that Adam Brody movie, “Ready or Not” Eccentric large estate? Check. Obnoxious but intriguing characters? Check. Multiple murders that have you guessing who did it and how?! Check!

“One Big Happy Family” is a multiple murder mystery set in a small hotel on the Maine seacoast and involving what must be one of the more dysfunctional families depicted in today’s fiction. I found the beginning well done. Ultimately, however, the novel became convoluted and melodramatic, straining credulity at almost every turn. At the same time, despite numerous twists and turns, it was predictable. Nevertheless, there is some comedy and wit to it. Readers willing to overlook the novel’s flaws may find parts of it entertaining.

19-year-old Charley Kelley is the maid at the Precipice Hotel, located high on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Jobs are scarce and she desperately needs this one which provides room and board and a small salary that pays for the care of her last surviving family member, her grandmother who suffers from dementia. That’s why, for the past several years, she’s been willing to put up with the lecherous behavior of hotel owner, George Bishop, whom she thoroughly detests. But George has just died. His three daughters and their families are returning for the funeral and the reading of the will which, presumably, will dictate what’s to be done with the hotel and whether Charley will still have a job.

Just before their arrival, Boston bartender, pretty Bree Bradford seeks out Charley at the hotel. The two women met briefly in town just last week. Bree came to Maine with her boyfriend on vacation. But the boyfriend turned abusive and now Bree is on the run. She has no car, money, wallet, or friends or family in Maine. She convinces young, naive, “soft touch” Charley to hide her in the hotel. If anyone discovers her, Charley will be fired.

A hurricane threatens. All the hotel’s guests leave.

The Bishop sisters—Vicki, Faith, and Iris—arrive with their families and the lawyer for the estate. Once, the sisters were close. But a series of events engendered by their father’s infidelities—conducted at the hotel right under their mother’s nose—drove them apart and set them on very different paths. Bitterness and jealousy are rampant, not only amongst the sisters but also among the spouses and offspring accompanying them. Conflict abounds.

The hurricane strikes. Phone and internet service die. The sisters, their families, the lawyer, Charley, and Bree are completely isolated and alone.

And then people begin to die. Who’s doing it? And why?

I thought the novel started well. Charley is a likable narrator and protagonist, someone to root for. The setting of an isolated, eclectically furnished hotel perched high on a bluff is imaginative and interesting. The backstories seem to promise a story with some depth.

But as the novel progresses, its flaws become more and more apparent. While Charley charms in her role as either the narrator or the protagonist, she does not play both parts well simultaneously. As the protagonist, she’s supposed to be a 19-year-old who has spent her entire life in rural Maine. But as the narrator, she comes off as someone with far greater knowledge and sophistication. In other words, Charley-as-narrator and Charley-as-character don’t jibe, which negatively impacts her and the novel’s credibility.

I found almost all the rest of the characters dislikable or tough to feel sympathy for, making it hard to care about what happens to them, thereby robbing the novel of the kind of suspense that keeps readers turning the pages.

The plot may be ambitious, but it is also not very believable. The backstories that seem to hold such promise turn out to be too numerous to keep straight. Many of those backstories, as well as present encounters between characters, struck me as melodramatic and outlandish. And at least one of the big “reveals” was very predictable—which was disappointing.

Still, there are some comic moments. And those who enjoy Agatha Christie mysteries may find something to entertain them here.

All in all, a 2.75-star read rounded up to 3.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Jamie Day, and publisher St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a complimentary ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day was a decent, light read thriller. The setting of the story reminded me of the Shining ,with a family that becomes trapped in a hotel during a severe weather event while trying to solve a crime but also avoid being the next target. There were fun aspects to the title and a few moments that made me laugh out loud. This was a thriller that also had comedy elements to keep it colorful. There are a few cliche phrases and moments that sounds like the story is searching for cheap laughs but it almost adds to fun nature of the book. I didn't begin this title looking for depth, but instead just looking for an entertaining read, and that's what I received.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Jamie Day for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
This story pulled me in from the start! A young woman, hiding from a killer during a hurricane that keeps knocking out the power at the hotel where she works. But which of the guests is the killer? And will she survived the storm? The owner of the hotel has died and his 3 daughters and their families have arrived with the lawyer for the reading of the will followed by the funeral. A hurricane has decided to crash the party so all other reservations for the weekend have canceled. It's a good thing too, or the body count might have been higher!
As the sisters arrive, we are taken back in time to see how they've each ended up at this point in their lives and learn the secret they have kept from everyone else as well as secrets they are keeping from each other. The tension remains high as secrets are revealed while the storm intensifies along with the suspicions. I eventually figured out the who but didn't have the why quite right. All in all a very enjoyable read!