Ok I really enjoyed this! Family drama, huge secrets, murder, unpredictable twists and turns, Jealousy, full-blown crazy with a little bit of love sprinkled in. A perfect storm for a fast-paced mystery-thriller.
Audio was great.

WOW this one was crazy! Could you imagine being trapped in a hotel on the coast of Maine during a major hurricane and being stranded with family that you don't like and all have secrets? Then to survive you have to uncover the truth. Let me tell you those truths were some twists and turns I didn't see coming!!! This was such a crazy ride. There were some slow moments for me but I feel like that happens with most thrillers. But once things start picking up, you are on a ride. There are a lot of characters and I did listen to this book so sometimes I got confused but they were well written. I felt like you got to know them well. Saskia Maarleveld was the narrator of this book and I thought she did a wonderful job telling this story. Her voice made was smooth and I enjoyed listening to her throughout this book. I would definitely recommend this audiobook. If you want some family drama, then this is the book for you!


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this ARC for my honest opinion.

Decent thriller/suspense liked the setting of the novel and liked the idea behind it. Narration was done well and the book flowed nicely. I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed One Big Happy Family, set in an old inn. Charlie is the maid, barely making enough money to support her ailing grandmother.
Three sisters, each with their own agendas, inherit the inn. During their stay, one of the sisters' husbands drops dead. Foul play is suspected, and a large storm is approaching outside as well as inside. Let the games begin. I loved Charlie with her big heart and wry humor. The narration was superb.

2.5⭐️ rounded up

The Precipice is ann old, eclectic hotel on the coast of Maine. All of the guests have canceled their reservations due an incoming hurricane, but the three Bishop sisters, their families, and their lawyer arrive to read the will of their father. Things go from bad to worse and Charlie, the hotel’s ’chamber maid, quickly realizes she is in over her head.

I loved the setting and love a good ‘locked door’ thriller. Charley was a fun character, and I was rooting for her in spite of her flaws and sticky fingers.

This turned into more of a family drama than a thriller. Some parts were suspenseful but there was mostly a lot of strife between the sisters. I also normally enjoy backstories but the part of the book about the sister’s growing up was a little too long for me.

I really enjoyed the narrator and how she brought Charley to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Charley lives at the Precipice Hotel in Maine and she’s totally getting ripped of to support her grandmother who has dementia and lives in a care home. The hotel staff is a supportive band of misfits and they’re hunkering down for a storm at the same time the family of the deceased hotel owner will be arriving to read the will. And this random girl running from her boyfriend needs a place to stay.
Can you see the writing on the wall? Cause I could.
This book was eye-rolling obvious, I couldn’t even get into the kindle version at all (once I switched to audio it was easier to listen to, but still so obvious). The twists were predictable and the main character was a naive idiot. This “rich” family is horrible and makes lots of gross decisions.
I dunno, I didn’t even think the end end (like the final page) was satisfying at all. I just wanted to scream at everyone.
Atmospherically, though, the huge backdrop was excellent and the storm very moody and scary. I really liked Jamie Day’s first book (The Block Party), but One Big Happy Family really disappointed me.

so, I'm not sure exactly what to think of this book. I could not figure out if it was a mystery/thriller or a comedy. I listened to the book so maybe reading it would change the experience and I would be able to tell how the author wanted the reader to understand the book. The plot was winding and had an "and then..." and another "and then...." and it just kept going. on and on ..."and then this happened" and then that happened (or for those readers who have read kiddie lit--When you give a mouse a cookie...) I will say that the book kept my interest -- I could not wait to hear what is next. The author employed a variety of characters, none of them came off as faultless. This book may not be literary reading, but it was certainly entertaining.

Book Review - One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld


Chambermaid Charley Kelley is juggling enough in her life and can barely keep her head above water trying to take care of her nana’s growing financial needs living in an adult living facility for dementia patients. Although working at the Precipice Hotel for owner George Bishop is not always easy, she is guaranteed a place to live and a steady pay, provided she can continue to dodge his uncomfortable advances. When George passes unexpectedly, his daughters Vicki, Faith, and Iris plan to return back to the home they grew up with their families for the reading of the will. As Charley begins making preparations for the sisters’ arrival, she discovers a stowaway hiding away in one of the rooms and the woman begs her for help in seeking refuge as she struggles to free herself from an abusive relationship. Charley takes pity on the poor woman and vows to help her, hiding her away in one of the smaller, unoccupied rooms of the Precipice Hotel. Soon after that, the Bishop sisters arrive, and that combined with a looming hurricane seems to set everything in motion and things seem to be imploding all around them.

As Charley stands back and silently observes the Bishop family dynamic, she becomes more and more intrigued and more and more alarmed. Each family member seems to have their own insecurities as well as their own secrets. Vicki and her husband, Todd, both pretentious and demanding always seem to be at odds with one another, yet their son, Quinn, seems to be more reflective and down to earth. Model Faith and her wife, Hope, appear to be happy and living their best spiritual lives while raising their son, Oliver, a withdrawn boy who seems to speak only in rhymes. Rounding out this eclectic family is Iris, the third sister, who struggled with drugs and alcohol, eventually landing herself in jail.

Throughout this book, secrets and conflict seem to be lurking at every turn and no one seems to be safe. When another unexpected death occurs and weird poetic messages begin to appear, the family is forced to confront the secrets of their past. The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, does a beautiful job giving voice to each character as they struggle to either find or hide the truth. There were times in which I felt like the story lagged a bit with the amount of details, but there were several twists within the storyline that I definitely did not see coming!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Jamie Day, and Macmillan Audio for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to a thriller that promised a gripping tale with its intriguing settings, well-developed characters, and a plot full of suspense. The author skillfully painted vivid environments that drew me into the story right from the beginning, describing each scene in such detail that I could almost picture myself there. The characters were equally captivating, each with their own distinct personalities and backgrounds that added depth to the overall narrative.

Despite these strengths, I found myself struggling to fully engage with the plot. While there were moments of suspense, they often felt predictable and didn't quite deliver the thrilling twists and turns I had hoped for. I kept waiting for the story to take unexpected directions or explore deeper motivations, but it stayed on a more predictable path.

The ending was particularly disappointing. After investing time in following the characters' journeys and anticipating a satisfying resolution, I felt let down by how quickly everything wrapped up. It seemed rushed and left several loose ends unresolved, which left me feeling dissatisfied with the conclusion.

In conclusion, while the thriller had its strong points with its detailed settings and well-developed characters, the storyline itself lacked the gripping suspense and depth I was expecting. The predictable plot twists and hurried ending detracted from what could have been a more immersive and thrilling experience.

This book did not really do it for me. The story did not draw me in. I disliked all the characters. It was not believable. It just felt very blah and flat and I struggled to pick it up.

Overall I enjoyed the book and the story as a whole, but there were times I felt like things had changed so quickly I wasn’t sure who was doing what and who was betraying who. It sorted out in the end, but I wasn’t surprised by the reveal.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Absolutely loved this book. Fast paced and full of twists. I blew through it in just three days! Entertaining, well-written and full of surprises. I was guessing until the very end. My favorite book in a while! Highly recommend. I believe Jamie Day has one other book, which I definitely plan to check out.

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld is one of my favorites and she did a wonderful job on this one.

4.4 rounded down to 4.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. A well written, fast paced murder mystery. This one kept me guessing right til the end.

The Precipice is a family-owned hotel, where the Bishop sisters ( Iris, Vicki, and Faith) gather to claim their inheritance after their father's death. As a hurricane approaches and secrets unfold, murder ensues, putting the hotel's future and the life of its young chambermaid, Charley Kelley, at risk.

This is a well-developed novel that takes you deeper than traditional thrillers do. I loved how each character was developed so carefully via dialogue as well as through flashbacks.

This is one book that I wished I would have read instead of listened to as I think some of my confusion throughout would have been solved if I was reading and seeing the words/character names. This is a 'me' problem as the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, did a fantastic job.

That being said, I still recommend this book for those who enjoy a good thriller but are looking for something more developed and complex than Freida McFadden.

Thank you to Jamie Day, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this advanced audio copy.

I didn’t really care for this. The characters were unlikable and the plot predictable and bogged down by backstory. The main character would say something like, I think she will say the sky is blue. And then the aforementioned character would say, the sky is blue. The end annoyed me and I think the main villain was blamed for a very stupid reason and the connection to the death was a stretch. Also, Oliver’s character and the narration of his character drove me nuts. He sounded like he was five, not a teenager.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "One Big Happy Family" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audiobook. Overall somewhat interesting story. The book was a bit slow and I don't mind that if I am listening to the book. I like that it was set in Maine. The characters got a sort of confusing at times.

I was a huge fan of The Block Party, so I was very excited to have the chance to listen to Jamie Day’s newest summer thriller! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of One Big Happy Family in exchange for my honest review!

SYNOPSIS: The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel, on the coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters, come to claim what each of them believe to be rightfully hers. With a dangerous hurricane looming, and each of the Bishop sisters harboring dangerous secrets, there’s murder in the air- and not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out.

Charley Kelly, the smart and resilient maid, is desperate to make enough money to support herself, as well as her grandmother, who is living in a care home with dementia. But Charley has some secrets of her own that could spell disaster upon the arrival of the Bishop sisters…

MY REVIEW: I am a fan of a locked-door mystery, so the plot instantly drew me in. I also love an atmospheric thriller/mystery, and with a coastal hotel setting and looming hurricane… stick a fork in me.

The book is divided into four parts, with the action and plot unfolding in parts three and four. I enjoyed parts one and two for the sake of getting to know the characters and trying to put together the pieces Day left along the way. love a slow burn, I feel like the grit was absent and it felt long and drawn out rather than exciting… I definitely was able to guess some of the plot twists, but the ones I could not were not shocking.

I did love how Day captured the realistic and toxic dynamic among the Bishop sisters and how they each treated Charley as they arrived at the Precipice. The tension could be cut with a knife, which was another thing I loved about this book! As much as my heartstrings were pulled while listening to the epilogue, respectfully, nobody would have that ‘perfect’ of an ending, despite all of the drama that unfolded just days prior.

I give this book a 3.5/5 stars!

dysfunctional family, plot twists, hotel heiresses, mystery, murder, looming hurricane, dangerous secrets, betrayal, slow burn, suspense

I was super excited about this book after having read the author's debut novel "The Block Party" and having loved it. I was expecting big things from this one too and was a little disappointed. While I did really enjoy it for the most part, it just felt a bit disjointed. There was a lot going on and some of it felt a bit unnecessary and just "busy". I will say that the story definitely kept my attention and was engaging. The ending wasn't super surprising - but it did wrap everything up nicely.

Overall this was an enjoyable listen. The narration was great and there were lots of characters to both love and hate. While in my opinion it wasn't as good as the authors last book, it definitely was worth the listen.

I didn't realize that I had already read the electronic reader version of this book when I received the audiobook from Negalley in return for an honest review. Interestingly, I enjoyed the audiobook version of the book in spite of the fact that i already knew the story. The reader did a superb job of showcasing the characters that had been so skillfully drawn by the author. Those characters, so interesting and fully fleshed out, came to life in the excellent oral interpretation done by the reader. Other strengths of the book include the specific and precise vocabulary, which facilitated understanding and avoided confusion.

Very long, drawn out storyline, could have been half as long. Too many characters, could be confusing at times.