This was an interesting premise- A 1920s themed murder mystery weekend, but then someone disappears begging the question, has someone actually been murdered? It was kind of cheesy at times but I think that was the point. A lot of the story unexpectedly revolves around Becca’s marriage and her husband’s infidelity and them trying to overcome it together. So I think I was expecting one thing but gout something completely different, it wasn’t bad, just unexpected. The author’s writing was very descriptive and she wrote a very good mystery, I really enjoyed the ending and how it all wrapped up.

A murder mystery within a murder mystery game was exactly what I needed. I need to find a murder mystery weekend hotel! This would be my dream (as long as there is not a real murder 😆). I love a good pun so I found the game’s character names to be a delight. Becca and Blake’s bickering got to be a bit much at points but I understand why Gagnon included that plot point. Overall, a fun, cozy mystery that kept me interested.

A murder mystery wrapped up in a big old gothic home leaving the guests to determine who committed the murder. There are secret clues, cheesy scripts, costume malfunctions and secret passages. What wasn’t planned was an actual murder mystery. Take two couples that are friendly, a few strangers, and a host of actors in this who-duh-it type of game. Great premise.. it just falls flat and I wasn’t able to “buy in”. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

I liked the mystery and the setting but had a hard time connecting with Becca. I could have done without so much of her drama. Her husband knows how much she loves mysteries and surprised her with a trip to a beautiful hotel in the Catskills for a mystery weekend. Becca found another mystery besides the one they were all roll playing in and can't seem to leave it alone. Her husband won't listen to her and the other will probably think she is crazy if she tells them that she thinks one of the actors was murdered. She will just have to solve it all by herself. Did the girl disappear, or did she leave as everyone would have her believe?

Blake has picked out a surprise weekend for his wife as a way to mend fences. It should be a no-brainer, a murder mystery weekend away at a private home. Except that he doesn't exactly let her know that it's going to be a murder mystery.. just another in a string of things he hasn't told her. And another couple that they know, Heather and Phil, the perfect couple, are there as well, which just heightens Becca's nerves. She just can't seem to hide her anger. Except that the weekend isn't what anyone seems to think it's going to be and there are more surprises on the books and it might end with Becca losing her life.
I really enjoyed most of this book. Getting into Becca's head was really interesting and I thought most of the characters were well-fleshed out (though there was some reliance on stereotypes.) The ending was a bit rocky and didn't quite seem to fit but I did like that there were breadcrumbs throughout the story (and some hits broadly over the head) to help the reader see where the finale was going.

Four stars
This book comes out September 6, 2022
ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

2.5 ⭐'s

It shouldn't have taken me this long to read this book. I mean a weekend away to solve a murder mystery game then a real person goes missing. Right up my alley, usually 🤔, not this book, though.

While the premise was good, it just didn't mesh together for me. First, Becca, the main character, was a wreck. I was stuck so much in her head, I just wanted to scream. Her husband had cheated on her and they were away for the weekend to try and work on their marriage. Of course, why anyone would pick something like that to go to to work on their marriage is beyond me, unless it was to get ideas on how to murder your husband and not getting caught 🤷. I don't know, but it screamed unrealistic to me. She was such a pain in my mind, I really didn't care what happened to her or the other characters.

Then some of the red herring stuff was just cheesy to me. I know their will be red herrings, but come on. Finally, the ending was just unbelievable. I can't talk about that here, because even though I didn't care for the book, you may, and I don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

I did give it 2.5 ⭐'s, because the whodunnit surprised me when it was reviled toward the end of the book. Please, remember, this is just my opinion on the book and others have liked more. Remember everyone reads a different book with the same title.

Publishes September 6, 2022

Thanks Netgalley, and Random House Publishing for this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#Netgalley
#Randonhousepublishing

📚 Happy Reading 🙂📚

If you love the game “Clue,” then you’ll love “All Dressed Up” by Jilly Gagnon! This modern day whodunit takes us to the Catskills region of New York where a group of strangers have converged together for a murder mystery weekend at a remote hotel. While each person takes on a 1920s character as part of the event, they are also harboring personal secrets in addition to those of their character’s that begin to come to light as the story unfolds. In the meantime, one of the hotel staff goes missing, but only one guest seems to notice. Becca then embarks on her own personal investigation to attempt to solve the real mystery before time runs out.

Since I’m a big fan of both the board game & movie “Clue,” I very much enjoyed this book. I thought the quiet evolution of Heather from a housewife & mother into a cold-blooded killer was very well done. I did not expect that outcome at all, though looking back, her marriage was almost too perfect to be true.

My only criticism concerns the potential ménage a trois between Jessica, Becca & Becca’s husband Blake. I felt the kissing scene between the two females was far-fetched & didn’t add anything to the storyline. Gagnon circled back to it again in the final pages as the guests prepared to leave the hotel, which again, I found unnecessary to the plot.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Worth adding to your Fall TBR!

The story was such a great idea and initially it grabbed me. It became very repetitive though. I liked the murder mystery part and the idea of taking place in a 1920s mystery. But every chapter we are reminded that Blake cheated. I would have liked this more if it was less personal drama. The repetition really spoiled the story for me.

This book gave me major Clue vibes, I loved that movie, and I had this feeling this book would be the same. Becca and Blake are out for the weekend, they had struggles in their marriage, which was sad to read. Becca is having a hard time getting over this to the point that it keeps popping up in the book in the book A LOT. I loved how each visitor had to play a part, they were all a character in the mystery, and then everything gets a little too real, and all hell breaks loose. I enjoyed the read, it lagged, and also Becca still holding on to Blakes infidelity, I forgot for a little bit that this book was a mystery novel.

All Dressed Up is a suspenseful, page-turning mystery thriller that I could not put down. A story about a murder mystery-themed weekend at a remote gothic mansion that is full of twists and turns that are sure to make you second guess everything.

DNF at 44%

The promise of a disappearance at a murder mystery getaway weekend is an absolutely fantastic set-up and more than enough of a reason for me to have initially requested this book. Both the blurb and this cover promised an enticing mystery with tons of twists and whodunnits.

The actual contents of the book, however, could not have been further than that promise.

We are introduced to our narrator, whose name I have already forgotten, whose husband is taking her on a trip in order to save their marriage weeks after she caught him cheating on her. We follow her perspective for the majority of the novel, aside from a few interludes that are meant to cause suspense. For me, I found her to be a poor choice through which to view the events of the novel because her concerns about her husband are so constant in her mind that she barely acknowledges the moments that are meant to create suspense. It makes her turn from concerned wife to concerned sleuth when the disappearance actually occurs all the more jarring.

On top of this characterization, the pace of this novel is absolutely glacial. I will grant that the 1920s murder mystery elements are delightful and are absolutely the most interesting part of the book, but I couldn't get over the fact that the actual mystery that we are meant to be following doesn't even start until 40% of the way through the book. Everything leading up to that was just ponderous exposition that, because of the perspective we were viewing it from, barely did anything to intrigue or create much tension. I was honestly so bored by everything that by the time we started getting into the disappearance, I didn't even care about it.

Again, the premise is absolutely fantastic and it is definitely a great setup for a mystery novel. The execution of this, however, was an utter misfire.

Having enjoyed mystery parties before, I was excited to read a mystery set in a hotel for a mystery weekend. We have four couples as guests, two couples of whom it turns out are acquaintances, plus hotel staff, all taking on assigned roles with the usual punning names. Everything goes awry when one of the guests is murdered—for real.

I liked the setup and the idea of an Agatha Christie-like whodunnit. But there is a whole separate thread about the lead character, Becca. Becca’s husband Blake has booked them for this weekend as part of an effort to repair their marriage, which he has jeopardized by having a fling. A lot of the book is taken up with Becca’s personal issues. Unfortunately, she comes across as so angry and whiny that she’s not a particularly sympathetic character and her moaning is so tiresome that it mars the mystery plot.

I received an ARC of All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I feel like this murder mystery is more on the cozy side than any other subgenre of mysteries. And in ways, it almost reads like women's fiction because of some of the topics.

The main elements include:

1. A bit of a Clue game vibe because the characters are away for the weekend to have a murder mystery party.
2. An actual murder, getting solved my an amateur sleuth (the cozy part).
3. It's not very graphic and any adult should be okay with it.
4. Strong themes of infidelity that play through the novel (the women's fiction portion).
5. Excellent misdirection.

I felt like the game personas of each party guest reflected some element of their actual personality. That was a lovely device to deepen the characterization. Sometimes I feel like I can solve the mystery too easily. In this case, there are two mysteries to solve and the author stumped me.

Happy sofa sleuthing to you.

First off, special thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the digital e-copy and audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

All Dressep Up was written in a very interesting plot. It was a unique made-up murder mystery, within an actual murder mystery. Did you get that? You bet, and not just that, we have full cast of Becca and Blake Wilson, Gabby and Drew Schultz, Phil , Heather, the startlet Jessica Philips, Josh who was rounded up with the starlet, Bethany Burgess- the housemaid and Mike the butler, Manny Ruiz who is the footman and most of the staff and yeah.. there were too many characters. I probably missed the others!

Since I was provided with 2 types of copies for review, I listened and read at the same time. Christin Lakin and David deSantos were amazing to listen too. Narration was excellent! I was disappointed a little bit to find minor discrepancies between the ebook file and the audio. I suspect that since these are advance copies for review that the editors will hopefully perfected the edits and catch these errors. I really do hope that’s the case.

Murder mysteries I believe are the easiest to get me hooked in a book. There’s a body and now we need to know who did it? Throw in all the conflicts of the character’s insane, creative and some truthful minds, a twist here and there, an ally somewhere, a little betrayal and spicy affair on the side. Lies, secrets, accusations, resolutions all wrapped in a shining and glittering maddening script and we have our selves a mystery.

We got all that in this book, besides we were All Dressed Up for the parts! What I did not signed up for was to be dragged slow and pushed down on the stairs of whirlwind chaos. I got dizzy and lost focus. I love the beautiful writing- don’t get me wrong. I also like the setting and style. But, somebody was a better fit during the audition because the part was not for me. I wished there was more emphasis on the mystery itself. It started with a bang, but the spark has lost its glitter. I really want to love it more than I did. I believe it is better to listen to it because the narrators are great. Reading can be flat. However, do not take my word because I can be chaotic when reading. You on the other hand will enjoy all the glam that this book can bring and might love this more.

Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, with twists, turns, red herrings and competing agendas. Filled with memorable characters, this book gives readers the chance to solve a mystery within a mystery.

Blake and Becca take a weekend trip to a remote hotel hosting a 1920's murder mystery as part of an attempt to save their marriage. With only four couples attending the mystery, Becca is startled to find Blake's coworkers and perfect couple Heather and Phil at the weekend as well. But as Phil descends into alcoholism, Heather begins to show the cracks in their marriage.

For Becca, the mystery provides a needed distraction from her shifting reality, turning into an obsession. When a young actress who is supposed to play a role in the mystery disappears, Becca suspects something has happened to her, but no one's taking her concerns seriously. Becca has to decide who she can trust and what clues are part of the scripted murder mystery and which point to a more sinister crime.

Part ode to classic murder mysteries, part reflection on middle aged marriages, the compromises required, and the power of forgiveness, this book provides a fresh contribution to the who-dun-it genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book sounded promising, and the synopsis made me want to pick it up, but unfortunately this was a DNF for me.



A murder mystery themed weekend set in a gothic mansion-sign me up!! I was so excited to read this one, but the author seemed to stray from the story and go way too much in depth with side stories full of drama, this bogged the story down and I just couldn't deal with it anymore and gave up about 50% in. The characters were all unlikeable and full of drama, which put me off from enjoying this book. There needed to be more focus on the mystery and less focus on the unnecessary drama (which was BORING!)



This definitely had all the makings of a classic locked room mystery/whodunit-but unfortunately the author went off and through in way too much unnecessary drama that it made me not want to finish it. The story was repetitive and annoying to say the very least. I simply lost interest because of all the unnecessary drama thrown in and less focus on the mystery, otherwise this could have been a really outstanding book.

Started out as a smartly written story of Becca and Blake going on vacation to a murder mystery weekend. They are getting away to have fun and repair their relationship. Once they get to the estate, everyone is assigned a new name and persona. The author does a good job of keeping from confusing us as to who is who. The story starts to languish towards the middle and becomes mostly about Becca’s problems with her husband. Unfortunately, not as entertaining and fun to read as I had hoped. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book.

Solid murder-mystery with elements of relationship drama by Jilly Gagnon. I really enjoyed the setup of the characters and the elements of psychology woven in. There were some parts of the story that didn't flow, and sometimes it was hard to follow who the characters were due to the change in their names.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Jilly Gagnon’s All Dressed Up. All opinions are my own.

Becca’s handsome, charming husband Blake books them a mini vacation at a remote mansion several hours away from their home. The purpose of the weekend getaway is to smooth over the gaping holes in their relationship, now that Becca knows of the affair. The theme of the weekend is the Roaring Twenties, something Blake knows Becca will enjoy. It involves all guests acting the part of an assigned character for the weekend, and as an extra surprise for Becca, a murder mystery.

The mansion is impressive, and the staff are very dedicated to their roles of butler, parlormaid, etc. Before long, Becca, Blake, and the other couples are looking for clues to solve the “murder” of Ida Crooner, until the game becomes a little too real for the participants.

All Dressed Up had a lot of fun elements. The theme, the setting of the mansion in the Catskills, the whole premise of staying in character to solve a murder mystery, were all so promising. Unfortunately what was lacking was the execution. The characters, particularly Becca, were difficult to like. Add in the troubled marriage and Becca’s internal monologue where she is infuriated by every word, action, movement of Blake’s, and it became unpleasant and uncomfortable at times. I also noticed the author losing track of her tenses - a character would be speaking in the past tense, and then would slip to present within the same paragraph. It definitely would benefit from tighter editing.

Overall, I give All Dressed Up three out of five stars.

This story is a fun, fast paced, light mystery. Becca and Blake marriage is in a mess at the moment. She loves him and wants to make it ork, but is still reeling from discovering his ongoing affair with one of his co-workers. Blake does love his wife and wants to work things out as well. He has no idea how to make up for his actions, so he books an escapism weekend for them both to just decompress from their troubles for a couple days. It is a 1920's themed weekend and Blake keeps that it is a Murder mystery weekend portion as a surprise. That was a miscalculation. When the "body" shows up Becca believes she is in the midst of a real murder....until the players' guide for the game is passed around.
From here on in the story I love how the chapters a broken down in groupings for each round of the fictional mystery script. The thing is that the script goes a little off track with the disappearance of one of the staff actors. Becca does not believe that the young woman just decided to "flake" out. Who can Becca confide her suspicions to?
As the player's work to solve the weekend mystery Becca works alone to solve the true crime no one else has seemed to notice.
Even though Blake cheated, I did end up hoping that the couple would work things out together. To find out how everything turns out, you will just have to read for yourself.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House / Ballantine for the opportunity to enjoy this cozy mystery e-ARC.