It was such a ride! I loved the coastal Maine bed and breakfast, hurricane approaching, and dysfunctional family vibe. It was facepaced and kept me reading(listening) long into the night. A whodunit that did not disappoint! The audiobook version was fantastic. I loved the narrator and thought she brought the story to life. This was a must-read for sure and I can't wait to read more from Jamie Day!

**3.5-stars rounded up**

One Big Happy Family is an entertaining Summer Thriller set in a small town, Jonesport, on the rocky coast of Maine. I adore that setting, so was sold on this one by that fact alone.

This novel is an inheritance story of sorts, with murder to boot. We're transported to The Precipice, a family-owned hotel, in Jonesport. The elder, George Bishop, has recently passed and his daughters, Iris, Vicki and Faith, are arriving for a weekend to hear his Will and claim what is now theirs. The three sisters bring with them a whole host of dangerous secrets, heavy baggage and more. Tensions are running high. It's not exactly a lovey-dovey family reunion.

Also in the mix, are a few employees of The Precipice, including 19-year old chambermaid, Charley, who desperately needs to hold on to her job.
This is the kind of book so full of drama that once you start, it's hard to stop. I found it to be incredibly fun with the toxic family relationships that I love to watch play out.

I was gnoshing my popcorn the whole way through!

The setting was fantastic, made better by the fact that a hurricane stranded the characters at The Precipice. I love inclement weather stories and I feel like Day absolutely nailed that vibe here. I actually listened to this audio while I was on vacation in Maine, so that's a bit fortuitous. In a way, that made it extra fun, but in another way, I actually think I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn't had vacation brain at the time.

I did find the narration by Saskia Maarleveld to be a perfect fit for the story. She def succeeded in bringing it to life. I highly recommend that format should it be available to you.

Overall, I was really impressed with this. I found it to be gripping, entertaining, fast-paced and dramatic. The setting and set-up were both fantastic. My only small gripe would be that I sometimes found it hard to distinguish between the sisters. With this being said, that could be 100% attributable to the aforementioned vacation brain. It's hard to tell. Either way, I am looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.
I think a lot of Readers are going to love this one!

This was a fun read with tons of family drama. I loved seeing the story unfold and find new motivations behind the various character’s actions. The ending was strong and I loved how everything was wrapped up.

Thanks, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, for the ebook and audiobook review copies via NetGalley. #macaudio2024

Three estranged sisters arrive at their family’s hotel on the Maine coast. True, there’s a hurricane bearing down on them, but their father just died, and they are desperate to hear the reading of his will. What turns into a locked-room mystery is told mainly (pun not intended, but hah) from the point of view of a 19-year-old naive chambermaid, Charley, who has a few secrets of her own.

I started this mystery-thriller as an audiobook, but it was such a slow build it couldn’t hold my interest (though the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, is still one of my favorites). Luckily, I was able to pivot to the e-book for the remainder. I’m glad I did because once it got going, Oo-De-Lally! It was the murder mystery version of a food fight. Accusations, secrets, insults, bullets, knives…everything flew around this hurricane-isolated hotel. It was NUTS in the best possible way…for a while. Then it bogged down again with a backstory/reveal. Overall, this was entertaining.

My only pet peeve involves my northern Maine pride. The author refers to Jonestown (where the hotel is situated) as “Northern Maine,” and I must cry foul. If you can see the ocean, you’re in Southern or Coastal Maine. If you can see Canada, you’re in Northern Maine.

Thank you #netgalley and #MacmillanAudio for giving me the chance to listen to this #ALC in return for my honest review!

This book is a must-read! Wonderful twists and turns and "oh mys"! I honestly couldn't stop listening to it. The characters were those of you who hate them or love them. The wow factor was substantial and it had the ending I was hoping for!

A good thriller about rich families and all their issues. I liked the setting and how the weather played into it. Great character development. A good listen as well since I had the audiobook version.

I greatly enjoyed Jamie Day’s The Block Party & had a feeling I’d love his latest suspense novel, One Big Happy Family. I was right! It’s an exciting thriller! Privileged characters are so tangled up, have loads of problems, and skeletons in their closets. The twists hit as the conclusion neared. Add in a Hurricane and it’s a recipe for intensity!

Saskia Maarleveld brings Day’s words to life in spectacular fashion in the audiobook.

Thank you, Jamie Day, Macmillan Audio, St. Martins Press, & netgalley for my early copy & audiobook! All opinions are my own.

2.5 stars
I was excited to get a copy of this author's latest book as I loved her first one. This one, however, just couldn't hold my attention. As I listened to the audio, I kept waiting to engage in rhe plot. I waited and waited and waited... but it lacked an entry point into the story for me. Nothing snagged me or stood out. It was just words and descriptions and noneventful situations. The plot also stalled even more as the three sisters were being introduced. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to stay invested or care.

There are some other higher reviews, so I would suggest also checking those out. I need something to grab me - interesting characters, a suspenseful situation, big emotions or something else - which this plot didn't have.

The audio performance was good. The narrator had a dynamic delivery. It just wasn't enough to keep me invested fully.

Thanks Netgalley for an ARC and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I could not get into this book. The characters didn’t resonate with me and I just couldn’t finish it.

Thank you for the arc for my honest review.

I was impressed with the way this story came together in the end but I also wasn't entirely sold on the believability of the story. So many secrets, and soo many easy fixes to situations. It was slightly predictable and at times, the way the story unfolded felt more like fitting pieces into a formula versus unique story writing. I was entertained and enjoyed listening to the audiobook. I would definitely try another Jamie Day book. The narrator was okay although at times she was a little more nasal-y and sounded sick.

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day is an unusual novel. The novel starts out with some background and then pops right into the present day. The novel goes back and forth in time to highlight different memories of the sisters or of the present occupants. The premise is an old inn in Maine on the cliffs looking out to the sea. The owner has died and asked that the will be read while his children are at the inn. There is a hurricane coming up the coast and is going to hit the inn in a number of hours. However the wind has already done damage and trapped them all at the property with so many large trees blocking the road. To top it off, in a fit of rage, one of the sisters ripped the modem from the wall and shot it so it would no longer function.

The Bishop sisters, Iris, Vicki, and Faith, arrive at the inn with their children and the lawyer who is going to read the will. Meanwhile the cook has taken off as has the front end manager leaving Charley (the maid) as the last worker. On top of that Charley has hidden Bree (an abused girlfriend) at the inn.

Everyone at the inn has hidden secrets and information that they should share. There are betrayals, more betrayals and even some surprises that no one expects. There is a hidden painting worth millions. On top of that there are weapons brandished at a whim, kitchen knives, and lots of alcohol. As the storm rises as does all the tempers and stories, until various people have been killed or tried to be killed or actually were the killers when help eventually arrives. It is a mess that you can not put down!

I have read and liked this author before, but I could not get into this one even though I gave it several tries.

This was a fast paced book that really keeps you on your toes. Wondering what the next big event will be, and there are a lot of them! It paints the scene with the descriptive detailed plot and setting. It feels as if you’re actually there with the characters. There’s nothing like reading about a dysfunctional family, this book takes you into the thick of the family drama! It’s twisty and a fun read! Loved the thrill of it.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I got almost to 50% of the audiobook before it started picking up and the thrill aspect was introduced in the book. The author provided great back stories for each of the characters to help know who each person was as the book continued. I did struggle with how fast some of the storyline progressed in the last half of the book and trying to follow along with the plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc audiobook!
Wow! I read another book by Jamie Day and loved it, so was so excited to see this! The same here! I wasn’t sure what to expect, so many different things happening that I never had a solid idea of “who did it”. I finished this very quickly, in a day - and was sucked in the whole time! Very fast paced and so many surprises. I loved it! 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was one of those thrillers that I didn't feel any real emotions towards it. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't super mind blowing, unique either. It was entertaining to listen to and a little over the time. It passed the time. Felt a little long after a bit. I figured out some of the big twists but some I didn't see coming. Overall, it was enjoyable enough to listen to!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for access to this audiobook for review purposes.

For me thrillers are better when I listen to them! There is something about the genre that lends itself to being a good audiobook experience. The remained true for One Big Happy Family- the narrator was very engaging and had me hooked early on in setting the creepy vibe of an isolated beachfront hotel on the eve of an incoming hurricane.
Sadly, the story itself did not live up to the expectations set in the first part. Despite the delivery, there is a marked shift in the point of view in part two that is supposed to flashback to help us understand the motivations of the characters and increase the tension in the present. This didn't work well though, as it moved the attention from the locked room to past events, so there was no big reveal when things came out in the present. It felt repetitive and by the time all the characters understand what is happening, the reader has known for a while. For me this undermined the suspense and made an interesting concept a fairly boring experience.

I liked this one more than I thought I would. The cast of characters/locked room setting, etc. I thought there were parts that were not believable, but with some mysteries there needs to be a time when you set aside your disbelief. Overall, kept me interested!

Listen, I am going to be for real with you. I am straight up not having a good time. This book has way too many characters, who are virtually indistinguishable from one another. These people are full of self inflated importance, and why should I care about them? The main character is somewhat sympathetic, but I just found her to be excruciatingly annoying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Saskia Maarleveld was a great narrator as always, but this book just was not for me.

In One Big Happy Family, the heirs to the owner of a hotel have all returned to the hotel during a massive storm to read their father’s/grandfather’s will and chaos ensues. Secrets, lies, and deceptions all come to light when the family is back together. It was bonkers. So twisted, so intense and also so bananas. It went a bit off the rails towards the end after so much build up and I did some gasping and scoffing when it veered off in a crazy (and a bit of an absurd) direction. But overall, once I suspended reality, it was a fun rollercoaster.