Had a lovely day off today it was dull and raining so perfect for a day of reading. This book was a great choice. I don't normally like horror and ghost stories but it sounded intriguing and I am pleased I picked it up. Cath is a likeable character I also liked Nathan and jules. The author draws you in straight away with the retelling of an old ghost story about the monastery where the group are going to be staying. A great idea adding modern day social media to an old story. Reminds me of A modern day Blair witch type of story. It would make a great film 😃. Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

I loved the story and plot twists. The characters were interesting. It was eerie and suspenseful. The setting was perfect for a great ghost story.
Hidden away in the Carpathian mountains is a newly renovated monastery, with a terrible history. The owners are hosting an event for fans to get to know their favorite bloggers but right away strange things occur. As suspicion falls on each guest, they must decide if it's worth it to stay or just give up and go home.

I have read quite a few books from this author and enjoyed them all but sadly this one wasn't for me. I couldn't get into the story line, didn't like the characters and I didn't finish it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Ending Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book is incredible. Tense, mysterious, and a modern day ghost story. I found it impossible to put down and enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Thank you NetGalley/Author and publisher for this great advance ARC.
This review is my own.

This was a great horror novel. The premise of this story was very well written.
This was a really great read.
The author really knows how to hold my attention and that's a big plus for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of You Are Invited.

I was excited when my request was approved because the premise had it all; the Carpathian mountains, an isolated and haunted castle with a mysterious story behind it, a bunch of strangers....what could go wrong?

First, the character development wasn't bad, but it was hard to suspend disbelief that anyone would want to see a bunch of Influencers work, eat and go about their day.

I've read quite a few novels with social media as a central theme and plot device and You Are Invited uses this popular device quite well. I just found it hard to believe anyone would watch a bunch of these people 24/7. And pay for the privilege of it.

Second, I enjoyed the scary story behind the castle, but the random, strange occurrences that Cath and her roomies faced was nothing new and nothing I haven't read before.

As some reviewers noted, there wasn't enough horror. Scares. Blood pooling out of a elevator. You know, stuff like that.

You Are Invited was really about Cath's struggle with mental illness, her low self esteem and her growing strength and endurance in overcoming an abusive childhood with an unfit mother.

I didn't want to hear about Cath's bad childhood and mommy issues. I just wanted to curl up with a scary book and get the daylights scared out of me.

I wasn't scared one bit, but the writing wasn't bad so I might check out the author's next book.

What a fantastic read! I loved the inventive ways of portraying a haunting/possession/vampire attack?! with modern technology! There were several moments I got full chills! It was a super fun read and I’ve already been chatting it up to everyone I’ve seen this weekend! Thank you!

First of all, the book is a great example of a thriller. The plot was well executed, and there was great use of imagery. ⁣⁣
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The MC Cath is a lonely girl trying to survive amongst new faces - Irene,  Dan,  Nathan and Jules.  I always thought there was something odd going on at The Event.  All the personalities seemed weird and were definitely hiding something. But I certainly didn't expect it to be Irene. ⁣⁣
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The book gives a wonderful insight into Bulgaria and its beautiful scenery. The Monastery, looking like a safe haven became a nightmare for all the attendees of The Event. I didn't like how none of them left as soon as the apparition was seen in the camera. But i guess it was because of the money that they all stayed. And when they decided to leave, it was too late.  ⁣⁣
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The pacing in the book was steady, there was lots of confusion and drama throughout. Towards the end, it became really creepy and scary. I don't still understand what evil apparition it was that made Nathan become crazy. I understand that Cath's medication was messed up with, making her distraught. ⁣⁣
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It was sad that some of the characters had to die, but I loved how Cath finished writing her book and finally got rid of the voice in her head. ⁣⁣
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This book comes out on 16 Sept,  so grab your review copy now! I recommend this book to Thriller and Mystery lovers 💛⁣⁣

As someone who loves horror stories involving modern technology, I absolutely loved the premise behind this novel. Furthermore, as someone who uses Patreon and other social media platforms, this book had a lot of personal appeal. I loved the beginning, which painted a very atmospheric scene despite the ultramodern premise. However, as the story progressed, I felt that the narrative lost its way as the story became more about the interpersonal drama than the possible haunting. This horror thriller read more like a thriller when I wanted more of the horror. So I was left a bit underwhelmed by the end.

Still, I enjoyed this enough that I would recommend it to readers who enjoy contemporary horror that incorporates social media and modern technology into the genre.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

Does a building become malevolent because of the terrible crimes committed there? Or was tthe malevolence there to begin with? Does the energy remain? Or do we project our fears onto that building through rumours and curses?

Gothic meets Modern when past and present collide in this chilling tale.
Set in the remote Carpathian Mountains of Romania, five social media celebrities will be streaming everything about their stay in partially renovated monastery, Sfântul Mihail. For four weeks, they will be isolated from society while chatting with paying viewers and increasing their online stardom.
But Sfântul Mihail has a very dark history. Many years ago, thirteen nuns were slaughtered in the night after inviting in a mysterious stranger. Legend says they were drained of blood and still haunt the corridors of the monastery as ghosts...or something far worse. When the influencers and the viewers catch sight of dark shadows, they begin to wonder if the legends are true.

I'm a sucker for a ghost story, even better if it's set in a decrepit old building. Add in a dash of vampire lore and I'm living my best life while reading this story!
There's so much to love in this atmospheric tale. It's told through the perspective of one of the influencers, Cath, and she is such a great and endearing character. She suffers from schizophrenia and loses her medicine shortly after arriving. As she ingratiates herself into the history of Sfântul Mihail and the story of one of the nuns, her paranoia starts to slowly takeover. Are the shadows in the corners real or part of her hallucinations? She can't trust herself and, with tensions rising with the other influencers, she's not sure if she can trust them either.

I loved everything about this book! It's one of those story that I didn't want to end. I could have crawled inside this book and lived. This is the first book I've read by Sarah A. Denzil, and I'm looking forward to reading many more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well written and thoroughly engaging thriller. Kept me fully enthralled and entertained, waiting for more. Loved the way the storyline swayed but always stayed on track.
Cracking book, would definitely recommend and buy,

absolutely fab read, i havent been able to put this one down.
i was attracted by the cover but this one has completely gripped me from the very beginning and been impossible to put down.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. You Are Invited by Sarah A Denzil tells the story of six social media influencers who have been invited to take part in The Event. The Event is a monetized four week long experience taking place at an old monastery in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. The monastery is rumored to be haunted/ cursed because of a tragedy that occurred there many years ago. The monastery has been partially renovated by the Loup Corporation for The Event and will be converted into and Airbnb after The Event concludes. There are sponsors who are advertising their products as well as tiered paid subscribers/ patrons who can make requests of the participants in exchange for "donations." There are cameras throughout the monastery excluding the participants' bedroom/ bathroom and there will be live streaming throughout the day and night. It sounds similar to the reality show Big Brother , but the participants are free to still communicate with the outside world and are encouraged to interact with the subscribers. Unfortunately, things begin to go wrong for the guests rather quickly. Things begin to go missing and tensions flare up between the housemates. Is the monastery haunted or is there someone who is deliberately sabotaging The Event for higher ratings and a bigger payout?

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The story flowed nicely. I liked the concept of The Event and could almost picture something like this happening in the real world. The characters were not very likable and were all pretty self centered, but they were participating to try to make as much money as possible and not to make friends. I wanted the story to be creepy/ scary, but it was not. There was also the trope of having a character who is mentally ill who cannot tell if their mental illness is making them see things a certain way or if those events are actually happening. This has been done so many times in books and in movies.

Cath, a self-publishing fantasy author, is chosen among thousands to join four other "influencers" in a remote former monastery in the Carpathians in Romania for something called "the Event". For four weeks, the five social media celebrities will be streaming everything about their stay in Sfântul Mihail, chatting with paying viewers and increasing their online stardom. But there is a legend about the monastery: it is said to be cursed and soon it seems as if this might not be just a legend at all...

What I really enjoyed about "You Are Invited" is the setting: late autumn in Romania, deep woods, the remote Carpathians... Can it get more atmospheric than that? I don't think so.
But I somehow struggled with the story. To me the whole idea of "the Event" seems a little far-fetched. Who would be willing to pay a lot of money to watch more or less famous influencers for four weeks basically doing nothing?! But well, aside from that I liked the atmosphere throughout the first half of the book: the feeling that something might not be right, that there might be something or someone who doesn't mean well, that not everybody might be who they say they are.
But as the story progressed, it lost some of its appeal, as it became more and more repetitive and predictable. The ending felt really rushed and didn't make a whole lot of sense to me at all.

My ranting aside, I flew through the book and I did enjoy it. So despite its flaws, it's still an enjoyable, partially spooky read, albeit not very memorable.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eBook!

It couldn’t be more timely- a novel dealing with the dark side of internet fame and the phenomena of the influencer. Building a brand is a full time occupation these days, but here the gilded world of content creation becomes dark and sinister.

‘You Are Invited’ packs a lot in. There’s little doubt here that plot development is important to Sarah A. Denzil, and it certainly shows. There is almost a palpable anxiety in relation to holding the reader’s attention, but this isn’t helped by prose that often feels clunky and overstated. The influence of Bram Stoker looms large, but ‘You Are Invited’ lacks the lightness of touch found in Stoker’s works and the plotting is nowhere near as convincing.

It’s a thriller far more than it is a ghost story, but one which misses the mark and sadly ultimately feels inelegant and unsatisfying.

Five social media influencers are invited to a monetized event held at a secluded Transylvanian monastery, rumored to be cursed after the chilling and unsolved massacre of the nuns years ago.

A'ight, if that isn't the perfect recipe for a ghost story, I don't know what is. It's thoroughly atmospheric, eerie, spooky, and creepy. It's like one of those movies where there are subtle hints that something wrong is about to happen but the characters carry on just the same, putting you at the edge of your seat throughout. The protagonist here got very clear hints too but she had her reasons to ignore all the warnings.
At times though I felt like it was a bit dragged and the characters weren't so much in their game as one'd hope them to be given they were 'social media' gurus and were being aired to the world in real time.

But all in all it was quite a ride, what I really appreciate about this story is that you can perceive it any way you want, as a straight up ghost story, or just chance, fate, and inexplicable wonders of the human mind, if you prefer.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the review copy.

Okay, guys, this book was GOOD! The writing, the atmosphere, something else about it just kept me turning page after page and I literally couldn’t stop until I finished.

<b>”The wolves are at the door...”</b>

One thing I love about reading is that no two readers read the same book. There’s a lot in this book that could be misconstrued or viewed differently from one person to the next.

The mind is a tricky thing. It sees things that aren’t there. Hears things that we can’t see.

This long abandoned monastery in the creepy Carpathian Mountains with legends of vampires and wolves, and nuns and ghosts hanging dreadfully in the misty air.

The setting and plot of this book is probably one of my favorites I’ve read in a while. The ending is a little less anticlimactic than the first 90% but I didn’t even care because the rest of the book captivated me so.

Mental illness, death, ghosts, money, fame. It’s all here and it’s all real. Or it seems to be anyway. There’s a fine line between the reality and the truth and the characters walk it so well!

Now all I want to do is read the rest of this authors work!

*Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the early ARC edition of this book. Review to be posted on the blog closer to release day.

This.book.is.amazing!

You Are Invited features 5 influencers who were invited to The Event in an old and thought to be haunted monestary where they would talk to their viewers and take part in tasks and challenges to receive donations. However all is not what it seems when Cath’s schizophrenia medication goes missing and the story begins to take its turn.

Sarah Denzil (author) absolutely nailed this as a ghost story and I cannot speak highly enough of this book.

It intrigued me straight from the first page and I couldent put it down! It has a lovely writing style which flows and is so easy to read. Along with this, the characters and settings were described beautifully and in-depth.

Due to its nature, and clever writing, it was a chilling read from the start to the end, throughout which I had no sense of what was coming in the slightest! The writing style is unique, with commentary from viewers of “The Event” which too freaked me out (particuarly lupo). The atmosphere was eerie & there were some really chilling moment.

All in all this book is a unique thriller/ghost story with an excellent plot and writing style. I will definately be purchasing a physical copy once published.

Sarah A. Denzil is one of my favourite authors. Her writing is always tight and gripping, with no words wasted. You Are Invited is a creepy, chilling novel that also looks at the lives of influencers, and how we all construct careful personalities to share on social media.

I thought the use of Cath's mental illness was cleverly done, making the point that sometimes we are not the problem. That others can influence us in drastic ways.

A well-written, thrilling novel to keep you up at night.

So picture this. Rachel Hollis, Jenna Kutcher, PewDiePie, and I dunno, Richard Simmons( I don't do fitness) are all invited to live a supposedly haunted monastery. Ok sounds good!

Sadly, was let down right off the bat. I am somewhat of a social media person. Not an influencer, because I'll be honest...they sometimes piss me off. The real world is not perfect and people that earn money for doing mundane things that would've gone unnoticed twenty years ago kinda ticks me off. Sorry rant over. Needless to say I was already in pessimist mode when hearing all about the invited guests, especially Irene. However, I was eager to see if this would scare me and make me change my mind.

It didn't happen. A lot was so predictable (Irene's backstory I called right away) and there was so much going on that it didn't feel like a ghost story about nuns...more like Twilight meets The Real World. Wolves, vampires, mental illness....just too much going on and I don't like when mental illness is almost used as a bad thing. Thank you to Netgalley for the arc. I sadly didn't like this one that much and would much rather recommend Silent Child