One Big Happy Family by Jamie Waters
Mystery, suspense thriller.
The Precipice is a family owned hotel on the Rocky coast of Maine. With their father dying, the Bishop sisters have returned to the hotel for the reading of the will. They each want their piece of the estate regardless of the secrets that should have kept them away.
Charley Kelley just wants to keep her chambermaid job. She doesn’t care who the new owner is. Her concern is making enough money to pay for her Grandmother’s care and if that means letting someone stay at the hotel and paying her to keep quiet, why not? She’s not hurting anyone.
Family arrives, the lawyer reads the will and suddenly someone is dead. No one can leave because the Hurricane is getting close. Can you trust the person sitting next to you? Can you feel safe sleeping in a hotel where the secrets outnumber the guests?

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook copy narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. A wonderful performance. I’ve followed this narrator for years. Voices are distinct and clear with emotions and tension leaving you breathless. I was comfortable with the speed at 1.4 for the best theater.

I like reading along with an audiobook. In this particular story, the printed format was helpful to keep the sisters straight with each of their backstories as the mysteries and twists got deeper.
An edge of your seat read. Definitely read the epilogue. A bit more righteous closure.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

I would definitely pick this one up on audio! Three estranged sisters reunite at the family hotel after the passing of their father all while a massive hurricane is approaching. I enjoyed the ominous sense of the impending storm that helped build tension, the family dynamics of three sisters, and a narrator that I wanted to root for, even if she was a bit naive for my taste. To say chaos ensues would be an understatement, but I am always willing to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the ride. I can count on Jamie Day for a fun domestic thriller and this one fit the bill!

Loved it!
I read "Block Party' by this author and only gave it 3⭐, but this one knocked it out of the park. I was never not captivated by all the goings on and it helped that the protagonist was someone you wanted to see succeed.
Great audio, couldn't have asked for better narration

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

I had a hard time getting into this audio book. I was pretty bored until about halfway though, but kept pushing through it. Once the action picked up I really enjoyed it, and kept listening to hear who did it. But towards the end it just got to be too much. There was so much going on that it was just so far fetched. So much could have been left out of the last quarter of the book and I would have liked it so much more.

This is definitely a listen-to-book. The narrator was terrific and lent that sense of tension and urgency needed for the ultimate effect of the story.
The plot centers on 3 sisters who regroup in their father's fashionable hotel in Maine upon his death to figure out what comes next. To compound matters, Hurricane Larry, has touched down, bringing with it fury and lots of other conflicting emotions. There are also other characters contributing to the mayhem.
The story was fast-paced, gripping and a nail-biter. Fun!

This book had so much potential with the whole plot of a storm is coming but it fell very short for me. I think maybe it would have been better to stick to alternating timelines rather than writing part 1, 2, etc. Did not see the end coming but this definitely could have been executed better.

One Big Happy Family is the latest domestic thriller from Jamie Day. The Precipice is a not-so-nice, family owned resort on the coast of Maine. When the father passes away, his three estranged daughters move back to take over the inn. There is contention, jealousy, deceit and trouble brewing, along with a hurricane! It’s a dangerous combination and not one everyone will survive.

This story featured unlikeable characters, a fairly clueless but kind protagonist, countless arguments and family drama, and predictable, traumatic events, and it’s all a bit over-the-top. That said, there is a clear sense of foreboding and an eerie atmospheric setting that you will feel on each page. There is a lot that takes place in a short period of time and the tension is palpable. There are twists, turns, shocking revelations and fewer characters at the end of the story, than the number we started this sordid tale with.

Saskia Maarleveld narrated this story, and as always, she does an excellent job. She truly brings the story to life making it more vivid and absolutely tension-packed.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook. The story of three sisters who return to The Precipice, a mansion owned by their wealthy father who has just passed away, for the reading of his will. A hurricane hits and they are forced to stay longer than they would have liked. This murder mystery has twists and turns, and of course, a lot of family drama. Don’t be fooled by the
The narrator was great and kept the story moving. I feel like parts would have been a bit slow if I were reading it myself.
All in all, it was a good read.

A decently entertaining locked-room mystery, but with more of a family drama vibe. The pace was a little slower than I would have liked, and I had a hard time identifying with any of the characters. There were lots of lies and secrets to uncover and plenty of twists and turns along the way. The narrator of the audio version did a good job of keeping my attention.

4 BIG, happy stars to this locked room mystery! The Precipice is the perfect setting to keep readers on the edge of their seats wondering just who is doing what. While there was some predictability, the twists were plentiful. Anyone who likes a thriller/suspense story should add this to their list.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of this book.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day - I enjoyed this book but it was just a typica thriller for me. It was interesting, engaging and held my interest but nothing earth shattering. There were a few twists that I did not see coming but I also did guess a few as well. I am happy I read the book, just not one of my favorite thrillers this year.

I finished this, so I definitely didn't hate it. But I also remembered how I felt about Block Party, which was-- Jamie Day is a good writer who really needs a better editor. Too many characters, too many eras, too many people to follow and too few to really care about. I did like this book better than her debut, I enjoyed the setting and the stress of the environment and really cared for our protagonist. But had I been reading, rather than listening, I probably would not have finished the book in any timely manner.

Talk about a crazy family! I could not believe all the secrets that they kept. This was such a good book. There were so many twists that I did not see coming. What a great book! I listen to the audiobook and I really enjoyed it.

I was so excited to read this one when I saw it was a hurricane-based locked room thriller. But really this felt like more of a drama, and the slow pace was difficult for me. I wanted to love it more than I did. I paired the print with the audio, but it still just wasn’t my favorite read, I’m sorry to say.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a great listen. I read and listened to this one. It really kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who murdered who. This was a pretty fast paced book. The narrator did a great job. I was able to listen to it at 2x the speed easily. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this one.

Will post review on Instagram on 7/8/24
Audio Book Review
One Big Happy Family
By Jamie Day
Pub Day: July 15, 2024
Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This book gets you right from the beginning with the story of Charley’s upbringing. Charley is so smart, and has survived a lot. Her mom has passed, she never met her dad, and the only family she has is her grandmother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Charley is always in survival mode and is nervous about what will happen with her job once she meets the new owners of the hotel she works at. The sharp turn from being worried about her job to trying to figure out how people are going missing keeps you wondering who’s to blame. The story is unpredictable and you will want only good things for Charley.
There was never a dull moment in this summer time thriller set in Maine. If you like a strong FMC with an unpredictable story you need to read this one!

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this one. It had a slow start and it didn’t grab my attention.

I thought the audiobook was good though and it kept my attention.

The book itself just wasn’t for me.

I hope others love it.

Predictable family drama set in an almost deserted hotel during a hurricane.

Charley Kelley, age 19, works as the only maid at the Precipice, a hotel in Maine, set at the edge of a cliff. The old man owner dies, and his 3 daughters, Vicki, Iris, and Faith come to hear the reading of the will. The weekend turns dangerous as all the guests depart, Hurricane Larry bears down on them, and secrets the Bishop sisters are keeping might just be the deadliest of all.

I had a difficult time buying into this story and the whole plot was so unsurprising that I find it hard to believe that any reader could say there are any unexpected twists. Each chapter brought more anticipated revelations and it all played out to a conclusion that you can see a mile coming. The characters were mostly unlikeable and even though we are supposed to like Charley, I really didn't find her believable either. Halfway through it, I just wanted to be done with the book. Overall, this didn't deliver the promised suspense or thrills.

I listened to the audiobook while following along in the e-book (both provided by the publishers) but that combination didn't bring me the expected enjoyment as it usually does. The narrator's voice was OK, however there was little differentiation in tone or cadence to allow the listener to be able to identify which character was speaking. This type of novel with so many different people would have benefited from a larger speaking cast.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an enjoyable read. The character well developed and I enjoyed the fact that the author told each character’s story from their perspective as the story progressed. I felt as though there were some great twists in the story, although some were somewhat predictable. However, that did not take away from the enjoyment of the book!

For fans of “The Sanatorium” and lots of family drama!

Lots of characters/names to keep straight at first. Smaller characters were tied back in toward the end of the story for more relevance. Not super predictable, which was good!

Overall I enjoyed it - a good summer read! Would be fun for a bookclub to discuss too