Jamie Day’s One Big Happy Family is a thrilling, darkly comedic suspense novel that weaves together family drama, murder, and a touch of forbidden secrets—all set against the atmospheric backdrop of a legendary family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. The novel takes place over the course of one fateful weekend, as three estranged sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—reunite at the Precipice Hotel following the death of their father, each hoping to claim their inheritance. But a looming hurricane and the tangled web of family secrets threaten to tear them apart, with deadly consequences.

The tension rises quickly as it becomes clear that not everyone is going to walk away from the weekend unscathed. Each of the Bishop sisters is carrying dangerous secrets of her own, and their emotional baggage begins to collide with the precarious lives of the hotel staff, especially Charley Kelley, the 19-year-old chambermaid with a troubled past. Charley’s world grows more complicated as she navigates the threats from the Bishop sisters, her own moral dilemmas, and her connection to a mysterious woman hiding at the hotel.

Day crafts a fast-paced, gripping narrative full of unexpected twists and razor-sharp wit. The complexity of the characters—especially Charley, who is both wise beyond her years and deeply vulnerable—adds emotional depth to the story. As the hurricane intensifies, so does the drama, with dark secrets and betrayals bubbling to the surface, leading to an explosive and satisfying conclusion.

One Big Happy Family is a perfect blend of suspense, family intrigue, and humor. Day’s ability to mix thrills with sharp character insights makes this book a highly enjoyable read. The setting, the stakes, and the well-developed characters create a story that is as suspenseful as it is entertaining. Fans of gripping family dramas and twisted thrillers will find this novel both thrilling and hard to put down.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* i actually read this book during a hurricane lmao, added a lot to i think, overall creepy book and good read!

This is my first book by Jamie Day and it is definitely a popcorn book for me. The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. When the owner, a lecherous man, dies, the Bishop sisters, Iris, Vicki, and Faith have come home to listen to the reading of the will and sort out what to do with the hotel. The problem is there is also a hurricane bearing down on the area, so is it safe? Each sister has secrets, but also wants what they think is their due. They arrive with their partners and offspring. When they arrive they meet nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley: smart, resilient, older than her years, and in desperate straits. Charley also has secrets. To support her grandma, who is living in care with dementia, she steals from their guests, and she is hiding a young woman on the run from her abusive husband. With the hurricane approaching, a dysfunctional family, a lawyer and a hidden guest, what could possibly go wrong?

One Big Happy Family is a thriller/suspense story that starts off believably, but then goes over the top. I definitely had to suspend belief while reading this one. I loved Charley. She is one of the kindest characters doing whatever she can to support her grandmother and to help others. The 2 boys, Oliver and Quinn are interesting. Quinn and Charley become friends but as secrets are revealed, his life is totally upended. Oliver is an odd duck. He speaks only in rhyme and seems a bit dark. He also learns secrets about himself. I didn't like the sisters at all. They were all very selfish and self-centered. They were demanding and not very nice to each other, or the staff. This book is full of melodrama, secrets, lies, some humor and suspense. The ending was heartbreaking and didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story, but it does bring closure to Charley's issues. Did I enjoy this story? Yes. Was it one I will remember a few weeks from now? Probably not. If you enjoy reading or listening to a book that just takes you for a ride and has you wondering what could possibly happen next, then I recommend you pick this one up.

The Precipice is a hotel on the rocky coast of Maine and when the own dies, Faith, Iris, and Vicki and their families arrive for the reading of the will of their father, the owner. All this along with the incoming hurricane. Also in residence is Charley, the chambermaid who is fearful of losing her job which she needs to keep her grandmother in her assisted living home. She secrets in a boarder, Bree, and hides her not wanting the sisters to find her and kick them both out. When there is a murder the storm is barrelling down on them and the police cannot get to them. Make sure you read/listen all the way to the end and the epilogue as it help clear up some of those many secrets. So many twists and turns that kept this one intriguing.

OMG THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY! Jamie Day does it again with this family of misfits and terrible humans! I did not see all the twists coming and I love that.

This was a twisted family thriller. I was initially intrigued but I quickly lost interest in it. The setting was perfect but the dynamics of the family didn't keep my gripped.

The narrator did the best to keep the listener gripped, but the storyline did not help.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced reading and listening copies of this book.

Jamie Day’s One Big Happy Family delivers a gripping tale of secrets, suspense, and family drama set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of Maine’s rocky coast. The story centers on The Precipice, a legendary family-owned hotel, as the Bishop sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—reunite after the death of their father to decide its fate. However, as a hurricane brews outside, it’s the storm of lies, betrayals, and hidden agendas that truly takes center stage.

Day does an excellent job of giving each of the Bishop sisters distinct personalities. Iris, the pragmatic eldest, Vicki, the fiery middle child, and Faith, the enigmatic youngest, all come with secrets that could unravel their family’s legacy—and their relationships. The addition of Charley Kelley, the resilient young chambermaid with her own precarious situation, adds another layer of tension. Charley’s story intertwines with the sisters in unexpected and thrilling ways, especially as her hidden actions threaten to upend the already volatile weekend.

The atmosphere is another highlight. Day paints The Precipice as a character in its own right—majestic yet eerie, full of history and shadows. Combined with the looming hurricane, the setting becomes the perfect stage for murder and mayhem.

The audiobook is a standout, thanks to the incredible narration by Saskia Maarleveld. Her ability to bring each character to life with distinct and believable voices is remarkable, making the tangled emotions and suspense feel even more vivid. Whether capturing Iris’s sharp pragmatism, Vicki’s fiery passion, or Charley’s quiet resilience, Maarleveld delivers a masterful performance that elevates the story to new heights.

While some twists were predictable, the journey was nonetheless engaging. With its layered characters, rich setting, and suspenseful pacing, One Big Happy Family is a captivating read (or listen) for fans of domestic thrillers with a touch of mystery.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and St Martin’s Press for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review

I thought this domestic thriller started off really strong but quickly fell off the rails a bit when the conflict started. I thought it was all just a bit far fetched and dramatic but didn't quite all make sense. I did enjoy that this was broken up into multiple parts to really develop the characters and their motives but overall thought the first part fell a bit flat and that the other parts couldn't quite save it. The characters were odd and not very relatable which I think hurt the story a bit as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a twisty family thriller! The coastal Maine setting with a hurricane was the perfect setting. I love how Day wove all the pieces together, especially what the Bishop sisters did in their youth, I didn't see that twist coming at all! The lies this family wove were quiet extensive. If you like a familiar thriller definitely check this one out!

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is an exhilarating, suspense-filled read that delivers exactly what fans of locked-room mysteries and family drama crave. Set in a remote Maine hotel with a hurricane looming, this book is a perfect blend of thrills, dark family secrets, and well-developed characters that kept me hooked from start to finish.

The story centers around the Bishop sisters—Vicki, Iris, and Faith—who return to the family hotel, the Precipice, after the death of their father. Each sister is vying for what she believes is rightfully hers, and the tensions between them escalate quickly, making for an incredibly engaging read. Vicki, in particular, stands out as the most unpredictable and ruthless of the three, while Faith and Iris bring their own unique layers of dysfunction to the story. The family dynamics reminded me of Succession—toxic, manipulative, and full of dark, hilarious moments that kept me guessing who would do what next.

Enter Charley Kelley, the 19-year-old chambermaid with a tough exterior and a heart of gold. Charley’s struggles to keep her job and support her grandmother add a poignant layer to the book. She’s forced into a web of lies and danger when she agrees to hide Bree, a woman on the run from an abusive boyfriend. Charley quickly finds herself caught between the scheming Bishop sisters and the dark secrets of the Precipice Hotel. I loved Charley’s character—she was the light in a very dark, chaotic world, and I found myself rooting for her survival.

The atmosphere of the novel is perfect for a summer suspense thriller—isolated, stormy, and filled with characters whose motives are hard to decipher. The mystery at the heart of the story, involving a murder and a tangled web of family secrets, is deliciously suspenseful. As the storm rages outside and the electricity fails, the tension inside the hotel builds to a fever pitch, with each sister harboring secrets and sins that tie them all to the crime.

The pace of the story is tight, and the twists kept me guessing. The book’s eerie setting and clever structure make it hard to put down, and Day does an excellent job of keeping the suspense high until the final pages. While the plot does lean on some familiar tropes, the characters are strong enough and the writing compelling enough to keep it fresh and engaging.

The only reason I didn’t give this book a full five stars is that I felt a few aspects of the plot were a bit predictable, and some of the side characters, like Quinn and Oliver, could have been developed more deeply. However, these are minor critiques in an otherwise thrilling read.

Overall,One Big Happy Family is a fantastic whodunnit with a Christiean vibe that’s sure to satisfy anyone who loves family drama, suspense, and twisted secrets. Jamie Day has crafted a compelling story with memorable characters.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day was a fantastic whodunit reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Great plot points and twisty character ARCS and development.

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY is a domestic thriller that takes place in a famous family-owned hotel sitting high on a cliff in Maine. With a hurricane brewing in the Atlantic, the three troubled Bishop sisters return to the hotel to claim their inheritance after their father's death.

This book definitely follows the standard vibe of a murder mystery book. It's a stormy night in Maine at a resort in the off season aka no one can leave and no one is coming to help. This book had some really good twists and turns with an interesting reveal at the end.

While this book was a normal length for a murder mystery I felt that the book kind of dragged at points. Also felt that the time hops were oddly placed, and the point of views kept changing and I got lost in the story a few times trying to figure out who was talking.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration by Saskia Maarleveld was just ok. Not sure if it was the writing or the narration that caused my confusion on whose point of view was whose.

This story revolves around the (potential) new heiresses of Precipice Hotel: a legendary hotel located on the rocky coast of Maine. The three Bishop sisters gather at their family resort to hear the will of their late father, George Bishop, who has just passed away. When the will doesn't exactly include what they thought it would, and a hurricane traps them in with the workers... what will happen?

Surely not a murder... right?

A fun, fast paced thriller set on the rocky coast of Maine- the setting alone sold me. This author did a fantastic job of sucking me in to this story from the beginning and introducing characters I didn't know I would care about! I was along for the ride, and boy did I enjoy it.

The audiobook was very good, and helped me to really picture this whole setting!!

What to expect:
- an immersive setting
- a locked room mystery
- a dysfunctional family
- long-held secrets
- a creepy child
- riddles

Thank you to Macmillan Audio 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’m also not sure I loved the narration. I’ve listened to a ton of books narrated by Saskia and I think overall she is a fantastic narrator but something about this one didn’t mesh well for me.

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 enjoyed the back stories and how they intertwined in this book. I also thought the setting and the twist were fun. Overall, it was good but felt more like a drama than a thriller. I was hoping for more thriller and suspense. Would still recommend!

The narrator on this one was great but even a great narrator can't salvage a mediocre book.

The characters were okay in the beginning, but continually got worse over the duration of the book.
The sisters and the husband with so many secrets between them are there for the reading of the will. These characters obviously have baggage but I didn't realize what an absolute disaster that would be.
The stranger that is staying there under radar and for free and the friends/coworkers. The attorney, and of course Charley and the other employees.

By part two, I knew who had done it and why and was just trying to finish it. The characters by this point were wholly unenjoyable and all at each others throats. The secrets were so over the top and wild that I had a hard time believing it and everyone thought they were right.

Aside from the annoying characters, the plot was decent and the reasoning for them all being there was pretty good.

This was a book I couldn’t put down. I needed to keep listening to know what happened. The twists and turns this book throws at you are absolutely perfect.

There were a lot of twists and turns in this one!

I was on board for the young female protagonist who’s fighting for her job and her nana. I think where some things derailed for me personally was the amount of twists - or supposed ones. At some points I would stop and think…what is going on here?

Lots of lies, a stormy setting (which I love), and family history made this interesting but I may have liked it better had it been more straight forward and the ending more believable.

A well-narrated audiobook though!

I’d recommend to dans of Lucy Foley and those who don’t mind suspending belief. This just didn’t hit well for me but might be a big hit for you!

My rating: 2.8*

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

While the premise of the story was interesting, I had a hard time listening to the audio book because the narrator has a very nasal voice, which distracted me from the story. however, the story itself was pretty good and kept me on my toes. I loved the twists the story took, even if some of them were predictable, they did not detract from the story for me. The book could have done with ~100 less pages as sometimes it seemed a little redundant and the beginning was a bit slow to me, which is why I gave it 3.5 stars. I’m not going to rate the book on the narrator but I will be avoiding this narrator in the future. All in all, I enjoyed the book, especially the second half when the storm traps them and things start picking up and I will definitely be recommending this book.