The description had me hook, line and sinker! I absolutely love the setting in Maine. I was really excited to read, One Big Happy Family was just ok for me. I like the Jamie Day’s writing style, but nothing about this book really stood out to me. I may give Block Party a try though.
3 Stars

The Bishop sisters are on their way to the Precipice Hotel for the reading of their father’s Will with a hurricane fast approaching. Charley, the young maid who has been living at the Hotel for the past two years is busy getting the Hotel cleaned for the sister’s arrival when she hears a knock on the door. Outside stands a young woman begging to be let in so she can hide from an abusive ex-boyfriend who is hunting her down. Charley relents and hides the girl in the Hotel where the sisters are unlikely to find her. But little does she know there is murder in the air and it maybe that Charley is next.

Jamie Day takes readers on a thrilling journey into the intricate web of secrets and strained relationships with the Bishop Sisters, the heirs of Precipice Hotel. Set against the backdrop of a rocky coast in Maine, the story unfolds during the onset of a major hurricane. From the beginning, the sisters' relationships are portrayed as tense and complex, setting the stage for explosive family dynamics. Slowly the characters' hidden depths and a treasure trove of secrets are revealed. The cast of characters expands to include a few hotel employees, an attorney, two eccentric spouses, two nephews, and a mysterious woman on the run who is hiding in the hotel. With the reading of the father's will new surprises are unveiled pitting one sister against the other, and then overnight, a murder occurs, thrusting the guests into a tense and unpredictable "who dun it" scenario as blame shifts from one character to another. At this moment the hurricane lands cutting the hotel and inhabitants off from the rest of the world.

One of the novel's standout features is the author's ability to vividly paint the hotel atmosphere and convey the impact of the hurricane. The reader is immersed in the eerie and suspenseful ambiance, feeling as though they are present at the scene. This truly added to a palpable sense of tension and danger which added to the reading experience. The plot is rich with twists, turns, and surprising revelations, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the final chapters.

This book just fell flat for me. I simply didn’t care about any of the characters or what happened to any of them. I think the writing was okay and the plot had a lot of potential, it just went on a bit too long and didn’t keep me interested.

I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

"One Big Happy Family" by Jamie Day is an intriguing mystery set in the atmospheric Precipice Hotel. The plot revolves around the Bishop sisters, who reunite under grim circumstances: the reading of their father's will following his unexpected demise. Trapped by a hurricane, the sisters, alongside a few relatives, the teenage maid Charley, stowaway Bree, and lawyer Brenda Black, find themselves in a precarious situation when a death occurs. The story escalates with the appearance of cryptic, rhyming messages predicting further tragedies unless hidden secrets are revealed.

Day is known for her complex character, and this novel is no exception. Initially, the multitude of characters can be overwhelming, making it a challenge to grasp each one's identity and role. However, as the narrative progresses, these distinct personalities start to intertwine seamlessly, drawing the reader into the heart of the mystery. The subplot involving how Bree ends up at the hotel does feel somewhat farfetched to me. Despite this, the portrayal of each character harboring deep, personal secrets adds a compelling layer to the story, keeping the reader guessing until the very end.

Overall, "One Big Happy Family" is a testament to Day's ability to craft a suspenseful story with a rich tapestry of characters, each contributing to a larger, mesmerizing mystery.

Three sisters reunite at their recently deceased father's hotel for the reading of his will. There is a hurricane coming and they will be trapped inside with the 19 year old maid, Charley, and her stow away guest, Bree.

Told in a deliberately Agatha Christie tone, the plot is less thriller and more family drama. I am in the minority here with not loving how the story unfolds. This read like a pre-edited manuscript : things needed to be cleaned up with much of the dialogue (cringy), the rambling, unnecessary parts removed (pages and pages of rambling) and a less soft and sweet ending (we can take it). The potential for a great book is there, it just needed a heavier hand with the editing.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed The Block Party very much though and would definitely try her next novel.

After the death of Precipice Hotel’s owner, his three daughters meet to discuss his final will and testament. Through a series of events, secrets unravel, and there’s more to the story than a happy, rich family.

There’s ironically a storm in the midst of this family event. Charley, the chambermaid of Precipice Hotel, unfortunately gets stuck in the madness and is there to bear witness to it all. Alongside her friend and coworker Rodrigo, Charley must face the Bishop sisters and the rest of their family. What she’s also worried about is the fact that she’s hiding a secret of her own, that being a battered woman named Bree.

Escaping her abusive ex-boyfriend, Bree finds safety in Precipice Hotel. She quickly becomes friends with Charley, though Rodrigo seems weary. As she hides, Charley is faced with the challenge to distract the Bishop sisters from finding an unwanted guest in their father’s hotel.

I hate to rate this so poorly, especially because I was blessed to receive this book as an ARC. However, I feel like none of the characters were likable which made for a really tedious read. The Bishop sisters were just bratty for their age. Granted, I know they’re rich and entitled. But it was just so unpleasant to read about all of them. Charley and Rodrigo were probably my saving grace.

Not only is this book very reminiscent of Alice Feeney’s “Daisy Darker”, but I feel like it was just not as thrilling as I was hoping it to be. I think I just couldn’t get past the fact that this book was so identical to “Daisy Darker”. It was definitely more a family drama that just so happened to involve murder and crime.

I really loved “The Block Party” so I was hoping that this book would follow suit. It just felt so strenuous to get through as I felt the plot was rather slow until the last 20% of the book. There was a whole bunch of “who done it” and guessing.

I especially disliked when the book switched from first-person to third-person during the Bree scene towards the end. It left me very confused when it switched back to first-person. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that switched perspectives such as this.

Overall, I’m very grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for allowing me another ARC from Jamie Day. However, this book just wasn’t for me.

I’m in the minority with this one, but unfortunately I gave up on One Big Happy Family at the halfway point. The sisters’ backstory wasn’t making me care about them and I felt that the book was getting to be very predictable (which of course I could be very wrong about, since I did not finish it). Another big problem for me was the hurricane itself … I mean yes, it is possible for a hurricane to hit Maine, but it’s so unlikely that it just added to my problems with the book.

Locked-room books are all the rage these days, so that alone will make this book popular. This is one of those books that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go. Although I did see the killer coming from relatively early, I didn't see the plot going in the direction it went to get to that end. And I also didn't see a couple of the smaller plot twists coming, either.... This was a fun, twisty novel focused primarily on how three sisters lived their loves after a tragedy they caused, and it was interesting to see how that caused the sisters to all become so different from each other. This is definitely going to be good for a road trip or a beach weekend- juicy, fun, twisty and full of drama. Can't beat that combination!

I loved 'The Block Party' so I was super excited for this one. This book was a bit hard for me to get into but once I did it was super fast-paced and I couldn't put it down! I loved the multiple perspectives and overall it was a really entertaining mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

A hurricane is looming over the coast of Maine, yet the Bishop sisters have arrived at their families coastal hotel to claim their inheritance after their father's passing. However, family secrets are discovered and not everyone who's at the hotel may make it out alive.

This was my first book by Jamie Day so I didn't know what to expect but loved this eerie, suspenseful murder mystery.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loved Block party and I loved this book. Jamie day is turning into a must buy author. IF you like mysteries read this book

Really enjoyed this book! I loved the Maine setting. The character development was very well done, and the back stories were appropriately placed in the story line. Would definitely recommend, and would read more from this author.

Charley is a maid at The Precipice, a large home/hotel in a remote part of Maine. Charley struggles because her mother died and she is tasked with paying for her beloved grandmother's care in a home. As a major storm approaches, the Bishop sisters: Faith, Iris, and Vicki as well as Faith's spouse and Vicki's spouse, descent on their childhood home to hear the reading of their father's will. The storm hits the hotel directly and the mysteries ensue! There are murders! Because the sisters are not particularly close and the will pits them against one another the reader is engaged throughout to learn what happened. This is a plot-driven, engaging story.

I had been hearing a lot about this book and I was curious to see what it was all going to be. I was surprised that I enjoyed it more than her last title. I think the characters were better developed and I was invested in the outcome. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love Jamie Day's previous book but this one was not as good in my opinion. The plot was nothing new and the characters were not likeable even the one that you were supposed to like. Also, the ending fell extremely flat. It was too predictable.

I love a book where you keep jumping in your mind who you think the killer is. If you also like to work the puzzle, you have met the right book for you. This book was engaging and I enjoyed how it made me consider everyone a suspect!! It was so good!! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book!

I want to start off by saying that I was super happy to get my hands on the advanced copy of this book, considering I LOVED the author’s debut “The Block Party”. While I gave “The Block Party” five glowing stars, this book didn’t quite make the cut for me.

This story centers around Charley, who works at The Precipice Hotel. Charley is young, broke, and trying to pay for her grandmother’s care at an assisted living home. The owner of The Precipice Hotel, George Bishop, passes away- which involves his three daughters coming to town for the funeral. The arrival of the Bishop sisters- Vicki, Faith, and Iris bring a whole set of thrills and complications to the hotel. As the author stated in the book, “these sisters definitely put the fun in dysfunctional!” I just wish that I would have had more fun when I was reading about them…

This story was broken down into Four Parts. While the chapters were nice and short (that’s always an added bonus), I unfortunately felt that this book was too long. It started off with a bang for me, but about halfway through I felt the story started to drag on. I also predicted what was going to happen and how this story would end pretty early on. Another thing that took away from my enjoyment was all the backstories on each of the characters- now normally I enjoy that, but for a thriller it just made for a super long book.

I had super high hopes and expectations going into this book, especially since I loved the author’s debut novel so much. But as you can see, this was a middle of the road read for me. Will I read more from this author? You betcha!! I just felt that this book was going in a few too many directions.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. Publication date: July 16, 2024.
Genre~ General Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

Entertaining and kept me turning the pages.
Lots of interesting characters and lives mixed into one big (certainly NOT HAPPY) family.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is a riveting suspense novel set at the legendary Precipice hotel on the Maine coast. As the Bishop sisters navigate their father's recent passing while waiting on impending hurricane Larry, dangerous secrets surface, creating an atmosphere of murder and intrigue. This book is full of suspense, keeping readers on edge, while making this a thrilling read full of hidden agendas and family drama.