1. The novel opens with the narrator, Charley, hiding in the Precipice Hotel amidst an impending hurricane. The first chapter closes with an ominous question: “Which sister is coming to kill me?” How did this set the tone for your reading of the novel?

2. The events in the current timeline of ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY all take place over three days. How did that short timeline affect your reading of the novel? Did it enhance the suspense?

3. How did only having Charley’s point of view affect your reading experience? Which of the other characters’ points of view do you wish you could have had? Explain.

4. What did you learn from the cast of characters at the Precipice Hotel? Is there a moral to this novel? Explain.

5. This novel explores the theme of the power of the truth. Almost every character in this novel withheld the truth in some way. Do you think lying and withholding the truth are the same? Is one more moral than the other? Are there situations in which this is okay?

6. Did you have any initial suspicions about who the murderer was or who was leaving the ominous messages? How did you come to those conclusions?

7. Why do you think Charley agreed to help Bree in the first place? Was it simply just wanting to help someone in need, or do you think there is more to it?

8. In the epilogue, Charley says, “Clothes don’t make a person. Actions do.” The novel explores the idea of image versus reality. What can we learn about our world from the difference between the image that each sister portrays versus the problems they’re facing internally?

9. Did you enjoy the flashbacks into the past? How did the added context on the sisters influence your reading of the novel? Did they enhance your reading experience?

10. Were you surprised by the ending? Why or why not?