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

Slow start but loved the ending. Would recommend to others. Loved the small twists. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book.

ARC review.
One Big Happy Family
This is my honest to goodness review on this book, despite being an ARC reviewer. 🩵
This book was a lot. 😂 A lot going on. I was confused for over half the book. It was really good though! I enjoyed it. I had a feeling of the twist, but it was twistier than I was expecting. I also have a soft spot in my heart for Oliver. 🩵
It's definitely a book I would recommend.

I couldn’t finish this one. I really loved the MC but found all the other characters so over the top and cartoonish that I couldn’t keep reading; even though I wanted to see if things worked out for the MC.

Prepare for a thrilling ride at the infamous Precipice Hotel, a setting with a scandalous past. The action kicks off with a high-stakes situation as a massive storm approaches the Maine coast, and the late owner's three daughters, their families, and the lawyer come together to hear the will.

“One Big Happy Family” is a rollercoaster of a read! It's a bit over-the-top and outrageous but undeniably entertaining if you know what to expect.

Tensions escalate as long-concealed secrets are unveiled, particularly concerning the notorious Bishop sisters. While the family members may not all be likable, Charley, the enigmatic housekeeper, and Rodrigo, the mysterious front desk manager, steal the spotlight with their relatable nature.

I opted for the audiobook and was blown away by the narrator's incredible performance.

Big thanks to the author, St. Martins Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARCs provided through NetGalley. All thoughts are entirely my own.

#OneBigHappyFamily #jamieday #SMPinfluencers #stmartinspress #MacAudio2024 #MacmillanInfluencerProgram #macmillanaudio #MacmillanPublishers #netgalley #jamieday

This is a first Jamie Day book for me. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. It started of fine. We were getting to know the MC Charlie and how her day to day life was, amongst a hurricane that was referred to frequently. We met the next characters and I did not like any of them. I became annoyed listening to Oliver speak in rhymes. If he had been a main character I would've had to DNF this one.
This thriller was also more about family drama. We were lots of back story for the family members. About halfway, I grew bored. There was just too much of the drama and not enough thrill. I was surprised by the ending and the epilogue was good. Overall though it was just a not bad but not great feel for me.
I had originally received the digital book ARC and had started reading it. I couldn't get captured by the story so I waited for the audio. I also received the audio ARC so this review is for both. The audio was easier for me to listen to but the narrator was difficult to listen to at first due to a nasal sound.

Thanks to Netgalley, St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One Big Happy Family
By: Jamie Day
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Pub Date: July 16, 2024

This is another new author for me. This was a fun read that reminded me of the game clue. The family dynamics in this one is so toxic. You know it’s all going to go horribly wrong. Three sisters who all have secrets from the other.
Charley is the maid at The Precipice hotel. A family owned place run by George Bishop. George has unexpectedly passed which brings his three daughters and their families to the hotel for the funeral and reading of the will. To add more chaos to the situation there is a hurricane bearing down on the coast of Maine. But before long the bodies are going to start dropping and no one has any idea what’s going on. Will Charley get things worked out before everyone dies? The narration was perfect. Saskia did an excellent job!
Thanks to Macmillan Audio, Jamie Day and NetGalley for this galley.

This book was a big roller coaster. It had a lot going on. From the stowaway guest to the family drama. I enjoyed the family drama! It was a fine book, not my favorite but I’m glad I read it

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the gifted ALC!

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
This locked door mystery gave me total Clue vibes and had me wondering whether Colonel Mustard really did it in the library with the candlestick. Full of secrets and lies, family drama and a hurricane to add to the suspense, I was hooked from the beginning. The story started out strong but after the halfway point, it became somewhat predictable and I pretty much had it figured out. There were a few minor twists that I wasn't expecting, but overall it was your typical locked door mystery with a little too much predictability for my taste.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸
The audiobook was great! Saskia Maarleveld narrated the story and I loved her in The God of Endings so I was excited to listen to another book narrated by her. She did not disappoint. I listened at 1.5x speed but bumped it up to 2x once I was losing interest. Everything was clear and easy to understand. I definitely recommend the audiobook over reading this one!

I love the cover art of this book!

Hurricane Larry is heading towards the Maine coast. Family owned hotel and the father has just died and that brings the 3 adult daughters home with their families. Add in a few hotel workers and 1 guest who is hiding out from someone and you have a full house of chaos and mystery as people start to die. I wasn’t expecting the ending twist and I enjoyed this one. 4 stars.

The Book and the Narrator both were amazing!
I was hooked from the very beginning, this is some serious family drama that will make your head spin for days.
There was so very many twists, affairs, who's who and what happened in the past to make you feel crazy.
It's so worth a read or listen, it's not anything like I expected. It was even better than I would have thought.
If you enjoy family drama, murder, who dun it's with some suspense and fun get this asap!

With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters--Iris, Vicki, and Faith--have come for the weekend to claim what they think is rightfully theirs. But with a hurricane looming and each of the Bishop sisters keeping dangerous secrets, things will get even more complicated.

I read this author’s first book and didn’t love it but I wanted to give it another chance. Honestly, I think I am just not the right reader for her work. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, MacMillan Audio and the author for the ARC/ALC.

This book is very slow moving, the characters are dreadful, and the drama/twists were too over the top. The narrator did a great job though so I did listen to the whole book instead of DNFing.

19 year old Charley is barely making end meet; she has to pay for her grandmother's medical care and she lives and works as a maid at the Precipice, an old family hotel. Ownership is now passing to the three Bishop daughters since their father has died and Charley's future at the hotel is questionable. The sisters have gather to hear the will while a hurricane is approaching. At the same time, Charley is hiding someone she just met in a room who needs to escape her abusive boyfriend and the three Bishop sisters have secrets of their own; now that they are all locked together in the hotel with no escaping, secrets may not stay hidden for long, and not everyone may make it out by the time the storm abates.

This was a fun quick respite from work and stress; I half listened and half read it and flew through it in a day. If you're looking for a popcorn mystery/thriller this is a good one - the twists and turns are there, they're not going to blow your socks off (and some are a bit predictable) but it is a pleasant escape. I was engrossed and invested the whole time and for that I would recommend, it's a great throw in your beach bag and keep you busy for a day; or listen to it while doing errands and it will definitely make a long drive, laundry or dishes more fun.

3.75

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC to review

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

2.5 ⭐️ for this book.

Charley is a chambermaid at The Precipice Hotel in Maine. When the owner passes away, his three daughters and their families come to claim what they believe is rightfully theirs. Not everyone who stays at The Precipice will leave...

I had high hopes for this book. Part 1 was okay; I lost interest about halfway through. Part 2 started into the history of the sisters and murders started happening. Overall, I felt like the book dragged on, with unnecessary chapters/scenes and details I didn't need to know. It felt a little predictable (looking at you, Bree) and I wasn't overly impressed with the ending. I didn't understand, however, why the Bishop sisters needed to pay for Charley's grandmother's nursing home bills if Medicaid was covering it all, as the author stated in a previous chapter. Make it make sense, Jamie.

I'll give Jamie Day another try but this one just wasn't it for me.

This is a fun family thriller. We get to know the Bishop family very closely as they come to claim their Father’s family-owned hotel off the coast of Maine when he passes. When they gather to hear their Father’s will… they are all surprised to hear his final wishes. The maid, who lives at the hotel and depends on it to live, is also part of the saga.
Three ⭐️’s because it didn’t pull me in as much as I would have hoped. I still would recommend it to others as a perfect summertime thriller for fans of Sally Hepworth or David Ellis.