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A review by bmyurs
One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book.
In this sophomore novel by Jamie Day, a set of sisters (and a few random staff) are trapped in their father's hotel during a hurricane as they sort out who will take the inheritance. Is it dark? yes, both literally and metaphorically. Is it twisty? yes, some of the twists I suspected and others really threw me off. Did it fully capture my attention? Eh. Was I riveted to keep moving onto the next chapter? Not really.
The characters are all varieties of awful- and not in a "gosh I want to see them get their comeuppance" but they fell flat for me- I didn't really care what happened to any of them. Not as good as Day's first novel, which I liked much better. This plot also all happens over the course of a single weekend, and has a bit of a whodunnit vibe, which I think put me off. Overall 2.75 stars.
In this sophomore novel by Jamie Day, a set of sisters (and a few random staff) are trapped in their father's hotel during a hurricane as they sort out who will take the inheritance. Is it dark? yes, both literally and metaphorically. Is it twisty? yes, some of the twists I suspected and others really threw me off. Did it fully capture my attention? Eh. Was I riveted to keep moving onto the next chapter? Not really.
The characters are all varieties of awful- and not in a "gosh I want to see them get their comeuppance" but they fell flat for me- I didn't really care what happened to any of them. Not as good as Day's first novel, which I liked much better. This plot also all happens over the course of a single weekend, and has a bit of a whodunnit vibe, which I think put me off. Overall 2.75 stars.