Thank you to #netgalley #JamieDay and #Macmillan Audio for the ARC of #onebighappyfamily.

I was not a fan of this book in the beginning because it was so dark. The characters all seemed fairly miserable, fake, and secretive, and I didn't feel I had anyone to pull for in the story. As I got further into the story, the mystery pulled me in and I had to keep listening to find out how the drama would unfold and be resolved. As the book progressed, layers were peeled away from each character, revealing more about them as well as how and why they arrived at this moment, gathered at The Precipice Hotel where one person had died and others soon will. Although I thought I had things figured out a few times, the story redeemed itself by multiple good twists and I'm glad I hung in there.

For fans of CLUE, board game or movie, this will be very good. That similarity is the reason why u enjoyed this so much. Most of the characters are tolerable at best, and all just so happen to have a reason to commit a murder. Written in a way to constantly keep you on your toes, the author does a fantastic job at giving you all of the details while also keep you guessing. I had an idea of who the murderer was fairly early on once the action really began but was not 100% sure until just about the very end; I kept changing my suspect list and taking mental notes on what was going on. I really enjoyed this one and believe that others will too.

There’s death in the air as the family of a deceased hotel owner convenes for the reading of his will at their family-owned boutique hotel in Coastal Maine. A hurricane poised to hit the area mirrors the tensions running high inside the hotel; each person present seems to harbor their own agenda; and when the first murder victim is discovered, everyone is left wondering who’s responsible and who will be next.

As a storm rages outside, those at the hotel have to decide whether they will band together or fight each other.

Well, these folks are not in fact one big happy family. With the turbulent weather and the roads washed out, this novel is set up to feel like a locked room mystery. At one point in the novel, I thought we were going to have an And Then There Were None situation on our hands.

It took me a little bit to get into the story, but once I reached the flashback portion, I was hooked.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel, but I wasn’t entirely sold on the ending.

Saskia Maarleveld’s narration is one of the main reasons I picked up this audiobook. She’s a favorite narrator of a couple of my friends, and after listening to this audiobook, I can see why. Her narration kept me hooked; she voices the multiple characters consistently; and her narration is well-paced.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up. One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day was a captivating murder mystery. One of the best things about this book was its setting. It took place at a family owned boutique hotel that was situated on Maine’s beautiful coast. Jamie Day’s vivid descriptions made it easy for me to image the picturesque landscape. Couple that with an impending hurricane, the arrival of the dead owner’s three daughters ready to learn the contents of their father’s will, secrets galore and a hidden woman that was trying to avoid her abusive boyfriend and you have all the elements for an atmospheric Agatha Christie type mystery. I listened to the audiobook of One Big Happy Family that was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, one of my favorite narrators.

George Bishop had owned The Precipice Hotel for decades before he died. In the early years of his ownership, he lived at The Precipice Hotel with his wife and three daughters. George Bishop had earned a reputation as a lady’s man. He had become involved in several affairs over his lifetime but the one that hurt his family the most was when he became infatuated with one of the maids in the hotel. George Bishop flaunted the affair right under his wife’s and daughters’ eyes. Since his death, the hotel had been operating under the watchful eye of the manager. The Bishop sisters were scheduled to arrive at The Precipice Hotel momentarily for the reading of their father’s Will despite an impending hurricane.

A hotel like The Precipice Hotel needed good maids to ensure that the guests were comfortable and that their rooms were cleaned to perfection. Charley had worked at The Precipice Hotel since she was fifteen years old. Now, at nineteen, Charley was still working at The Precipice Hotel as a maid and living there too. Her living quarters was situated in an abandoned closet, big enough to fit a bed for her. Charley’s grandmother, now suffering from dementia, was living in a senior care home. Her grandmother depended on Charley for her financial assistance. Charley’s salary as a maid was far from adequate to meet the needs of her grandmother’s care. As a result of her meager salary, Charley was forced to steal from the guests of the hotel to supplement her salary. Charley was not proud of these acts but it had become a necessity. Her grandmother was the most important person in Charley’s life.

Just before the Bishop sisters were due to arrive at The Precipice Hotel, a young woman appeared at the hotel desperate for help. She claimed that her ex-boyfriend was trying to harm her. The stranger pleaded with Charley to let her hide in the hotel so that her violent boyfriend could not find her. Charley was skeptical at first but how could she possibly deny this stranger protection. After all, there were plenty of rooms in the hotel. The Bishop sisters never had to know that Charley had let the stranger stay in one of the rooms of the hotel free of charge. As long as the stranger remained in the room Charley put her in, the Bishop Sisters would be none the wiser.

The Bishop sisters arrived, one by one, accompanied by their significant others, spouses and children. Charley found herself surrounded by this dysfunctional family while Hurricane Larry began to churn up the sea and produced high gale winds. The attorney that was responsible for reading George Bishop’s Will arrived as well. The stipulations laid out in the Will were not what the Bishop sisters had expected. Accusations were made and tempers flared! Then the unimaginable started to happen. The discovery of dead bodies and strange messages started to appear in rhyme on mirrors in the hotel. No
one was above suspicion. Was there a killer among those that were present at the hotel?

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day was about long kept secrets, lies, deceptions, family dynamics and dysfunction, devotion and a touch of romance. I really enjoyed Charley’s character. Stuck in a job beneath her capabilities, I admired her for prioritizing her Grandmother’s care before her own ambitions. She was loyal, resourceful, caring and just the right amount of quirky. Some of the parts that occurred after the deaths were a bit predictable and OTT. I was glad that Charley found romance. She deserved it. Over all, I enjoyed One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day and recommend it.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I’m such a fan of books like this where it’s a battle of the crazies and this one is crazy for sure. This psychological thriller has a good twist and I feel like it was perfectly ended.

Jamie Day‘s 2023 release The Block Party was a twisty and fun ride so I was excited to get my hands on her latest thriller, but sadly I didn't love it like I thought I would. One Big Happy Family in quick, rapid-fire thoughts.

-I didn’t connect with the main protagonist at all
-character development was lacking, and it was hard to distinguish between the three sisters
-when a rhyme showed up on a mirror, I felt like I had read a similar plot in another book
-the second part drew me out of the present-day action, then aspects felt repetitive
-I felt disconnected from the story as I constantly tried to piece out who was who
-the outcome was too easy to predict from early on
-one sub-plot didn't jive with the rest of the story
-the audiobook narrator sounded nasally and far too old for a believable nineteen-year-old

One Big Happy Family does get points for making me gasp at one reveal, but that's about it!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

This was a good book. I enjoyed reading it. This author nails the family dynamic.i think I enjoyed her last novel more but this was worth the read

I loved Jamie Day's The Block Party last year, so I was excited to get my hands on One Big Happy Family this summer! I opted for the audiobook, which was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, who I thought kept a great pace and was very engaging. I love thrillers on audiobook, and this was definitely a good one!

Set against the backdrop of Maine's rugged coastline, this is one family reunion you won't forget. The Precipice, a swanky hotel with more secrets than rooms, becomes ground zero for the Bishop sisters' long-overdue get-together after the passing of their father. But don't expect hugs and catching up over cocktails - these ladies have some serious scores to settle!

Iris, Vicki, and Faith are a force to be reckoned with, each packing enough baggage to fill the Precipice's lobby. Throw in Charley, the chambermaid with her own closet full of skeletons, and you've got a powder keg just waiting to blow.

Oh, and did I mention there's a hurricane on the way? Because of course there is!

This one had a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing, and there's more than one mystery to solve. You'll find yourself rooting for (and side-eyeing) each character in turn, never quite sure who to trust.

One Big Happy Family is the kind of book that'll have you ignoring your actual family to find out what happens next. It's funny, it's tense, and it proves that blood may be thicker than water, but secrets are thicker than both.

This was a fun and fast-paced mystery that hooked me from the beginning with the flash-forward. The setting of workers and owners being locked in together with a possible murderer was intense, and the hurricane and slowly revealed family secrets just added to it. The twists and turns were often not what I expected, and at some point everyone is a suspect, just how it should be! Maybe a little corny at times with the added romantic dramas, but still a good 4-4.5 star read, rounded up for excellent narration. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

An okay family story and who done it rolled into one. Didn’t always keep my interest. Good location.

One of my favorite types of thriller reads is the locked door mystery and I also love a good domestic drama. What drew me to Jamie Day’s new thriller One Big Happy Family is that it is both. It reads like a mashup of a Ruth Ware or Agatha Christie murder mystery and a Liane Moriarty domestic drama.

The story is set at The Precipice, a hotel located on the coast of Maine and owned by the Bishop family. Dad has recently passed away so the Bishop sisters decide to come to the hotel to hear the reading of the will.

Chambermaid Charley Kelly is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Bishop sisters. She desperately needs this job (and the extra money she has been stealing from the hotel’s guests). What will she do if they decide to close the hotel? And even worse, what will they do if they find out Charley has been hiding a woman who is on the run in their hotel?

The reading of the will sets off a dramatic chain of events within the Bishop family where long held secrets and grudges come to light and people end up dead. The scene is made even more chaotic and dangerous by the fact that a dangerous hurricane is bearing down on them, thus forcing them to stay at the hotel together even though they are at each other’s throats.

I found the mystery aspect of the story compelling but I did guess a few of the twists along the way. What really kept me entertained though was all of the drama within the Bishop family Talk about toxic people!

I highly recommend the audiobook because Saskia Maarleveld does a wonderful job bringing this toxic family to life as well as capturing all of the suspense and atmosphere of the story.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is a gripping thriller set at The Precipice, a family-owned hotel on Maine's rocky coast. After their father's death, sisters Iris, Vicki, and Faith return to claim their inheritance, each harboring dangerous secrets. As a hurricane looms, tensions escalate, and murder hangs in the air.

The novel is a masterful blend of suspense and family drama. The Bishop sisters' complex dynamics drive the plot, while Charley Kelley, the resilient chambermaid, adds depth and intrigue. Vivid descriptions of the storm-battered hotel enhance the atmospheric tension.

Jamie Day's sharp writing and well-timed twists keep readers hooked. With its memorable characters and twisty plot, One Big Happy Family is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers and suspenseful family sagas.

I love a good audiobook in the car. Lots of driving and lots of time. This one kept me so engaged, waiting for the next twist I didn’t want to reach my destination. I just wanted to keep listening!

This book was so weird. I didn’t like any of the sisters, and some how everyone was related? But no one knew they were related? And there were a lot of killers, but no one really cared that there were killers? And then let’s throw a love story in there, just for kicks. Even though they really don’t know each other. Just a strange and hard to believe book.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is a juicy family drama, full of secrets. This was an easy listen & I loved the narrator. This was so good, I’m planning to read it. Check this one out!

Thank you NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for an ARC copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

In “One Big Happy Family,” the reader is swept into a web of family drama and dark secrets that surpass even the twists of Jamie Day’s previous novel, “Block Party.” Set against the backdrop of the rugged Maine coastline, the story revolves around The Precipice, a storied family-owned hotel that becomes a crux of tension and suspense.
One Big Happy Family” is a twist-filled tale that explores the dark side of family loyalty and the lengths to which people will go to claim what they believe is rightfully theirs. It’s a must-read for fans of thrillers and anyone who enjoys a story that keeps you guessing.

I enjoyed this audio. The narrator was good and kept my interest though I wasn't really enjoying the premise of the story.
A group of siblings who inherit a hotel and are stranded together during a hurricane. Sounds better than it is in my opinion. I had a hard time liking most of the characters.
The back stories were great though still not for me.

Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC.

I have mixed feelings after finishing this book. The premise sounded so promising! A bunch of wealthy family members locked in together at an old hotel during a hurricane on the coast of Maine. But sadly, the pacing was really off for me. Part one started out so slow, that I started to lose interest almost immediately. Part two covered some back story for the family, but again it just felt like filler. The action picks up in parts three and four, which was good, but by then I just wanted the story to be over. I never felt a connection to any of the characters, which I think was an issue for me. I did however, really enjoy the setting of the old hotel on the rocky coast of Maine! The perfect location for a creepy locked in murder mystery.

Sadly, this book just didn’t work for me. The slow burn really killed the story for me. If slow burn mysteries are your thing, then I’d give this one a chance.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this free copy of One Big Happy Family. This whodunit thriller is the perfect stormy weather read! So much family drama with so many secrets. After their father passes away, the Bishop sisters and their families reunite for an interesting and intense will reading at their family hotel while a hurricane is looming. People start dying, more and more secrets come out, and the ending definitely surprised me!

I really enjoyed Day’s debut novel The Block Party so I knew I had to add One Big Happy Family to my TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy and to Saskia Maarleveld for the amazing narration!

Short Synopsis:
The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—have come for the weekend to claim it. But with a 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.

Thoughts:

I haven’t read a thriller in a few weeks so I was all for the change of pace and really enjoyed this one.

I love books about sisters because as the oldest of three girls I know how dramatic sister dynamics can be. The Bishop sisters did not disappoint!

There is a lot of backstory in this thriller but I didn’t mind it. I enjoyed getting to know each Bishop sister which made for more complex characters.

There is a lot going on with this thriller and I didn’t predict the ending until more than halfway through which is always a win.

Overall, I would recommend One Big Happy Family as a quick, enjoyable summer read.