"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.

"One Big Happy Family" is a suspenseful tale set against the backdrop of a family-owned hotel in Maine. The mix of family dynamics, secrets, and the impending storm adds intrigue to the storyline.

Charley Kelley, our heroine, is the chambermaid at The Precipice Hotel, and she lives there too. She's struggling to keep her grandmother, who suffers from dementia in an assisted living facility, and has put up with a lot of indignities at the hands of the now deceased former owner of the hotel. She gets more than she bargained for when his daughters, the Bishop sisters, show up to claim what's rightfully theirs now that their father has passed. It's a hard to put down twisted ride, and I enjoyed every minute. Thank you, St. Martin's Press for the privilege of reading this book. I will definitely be looking for other books by Jamie Day!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

The Precipice is a small hotel family run business full of lots of secrets. When the father suddenly dies, the daughters arrive to read his will and determine the next steps of his assets. This brings fear to a long term employee, Charley who is a maid that lives on the property and needs this work to help keep her family afloat. The novel is broken into different parts and points of view where we quickly uncover that each character has a hidden past.

Well the Bishop family certainly puts the "fun" in dysfunction!
An entertaining ride filled with lots of twists & turns.
The plot & characters keep you guessing the whole way through.
Definitely enjoyed more than the author's last.

With thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC!

I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review. This is a wild closed room mystery and it had more twists and turns than a roller coaster but what a ride. It got a little too much in the middle but this author pulled it out with ease in the end. I thought her writing was excellent and there were no loose ends. Something I abhor in thrillers. I couldn’t put it down. Anything I pick up now after finishing it will seem tame. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. #netgalley