All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon is a solid mystery with plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. If you're looking for a dramatic read, this one is for you.

Becca’s husband convinces her to go to a mansion hotel for a 1920s murder mystery weekend as a rather elaborate bribe following his affair. At first, Becca enjoys herself with the over-the-top acting and clue solving but then the actress playing a maid goes missing and real life murder takes over for the play acting one. Sprinkled throughout the text are the handouts for the puzzle solving weekend as the characters try to solve the real mystery too. Clever story provides fun for the readers of this adult debut from the author.

I’m sure this book has an audience but unfortunately I’m not it. The mystery within the mystery had promise but it all felt a bit basic and drawn out. The underlying mystery was obvious and easy to figure out and the first mystery couldn’t hold my attention.

In All Dressed Up, Becca and Blake go to an old mansion to participate in a murder mystery weekend that is ruined by a real murder. Becca is still smarting from Blake's betrayal of their marriage vows, but Blake is doing his best to make up for his mistake and show her he loves her. He signs them up for this period re-enactment weekend, but doesn't tell Becca it is a murder mystery party until it is too late and she's seen the "dead body" and over-reacted.

Also staying at the mansion are Blake's friend Phil and his wife Heather, and two other couples they don't know - Gabby and Drew and Josh and Jessica. All have a part to play in the murder mystery, and while the official murder mystery dialogue is stilted and dramatic, what happens after one of the staff disappears is anything but predictable.

Becca spends the next 48 hours trying to find the missing staff member, overhearing strange conversations and seeing people where they shouldn't be, and trying to forgive her husband and find a way forward to save their marriage.

All Dressed Up is a little more scary than a typical cozy mystery, but it's not as suspenseful as many current thrillers are. It is fun to read, hard to put down, and the solution isn't easy to guess.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this great book.

Love the premise of this book- people arrive at an old mansion to take part in a murder mystery weekend complete with costumes, backstories, the whole shebang. My issue with this book was that the author chose to have them moving in and out of the scripted murder mystery into a real life murder mystery and it was just too much to keep up with. Their names kept changing between their real names and character's names, the protagonist kept worrying about her real life marriage. Overall, I could have done without all of the real life stuff- I'm here for the theatrics.

In an attempt to atone for his affair, Becca's husband Blake books them a stay at a fancy hotel doing a 1920s themed weekend. He neglects to mention that it's a murder mystery party. Her attempts to get into the swing of things are thwarted when one of the cast members vanishes and no one else shares her mounting worries that it's more than mere flakiness. Unable to disentangle legitimately suspicious behavior from poor acting and bona fide clues from red herrings, Becca spirals. Could use about half as much time bogged down in Becca's marital misery the better to focus on the dual mystery.

I received an advance readers copy of All Dressed Up from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I wish I could give this book 3 1/2 stars it was enjoyable and easy to read, but now that I’ve completed it, it feels kind of insubstantial and forgettable.

Becca and Blake head to a murder mystery weekend to try to put their relationship back together after Blake’s affair. But shortly after they arrive, one of the actresses go missing and Becca starts to get the feeling that there’s more than one mystery at the manor this weekend.

As the game rolls out, none and more clues surface. But what do they mean, and are they just part of the story or is there something more sinister at play?

I liked a lot about this book - I love a good mystery and multiple suspects. The book dragged a bit with the repetition but I would read another by this author. Thanks Netgalley for the Arc.

I love murder mystery trips so I couldn’t wait to start this book. I was really confused with what was the reality versus the whodunit mystery. Becca and her husband Blake head to the mountains to escape their marital problems and enjoy a murder mystery. Blake did this as a surprise to Becca because she loves reading Murder mystery and also he needed Becca to forgive his indiscretion.
Becca had a hard time trusting Blake and this weekend did not help for the most part. Every time she saw him with a girl her blood boiled which is understandable.
This book was hard to keep the characters straight in my mind but the mystery part was good.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book took a different route that I had anticipated. I enjoyed the old fashion who-done-it Murder mystery style, but in current day. I would recommend this, it’s an enjoyable easy read.

Slow paced at the start, I’m glad I stuck with one because I enjoyed the story a lot! If you’re a fan of ‘locked room’ mysteries, this double layered mystery should go straight to your to read list.

Blake has whisked Becca away for a surprise theme weekend at a fancy estate in an attempt to salvage their marriage. As a surprise it is VERY successful. As a relationship rescuer? That remains to be seen. Warning her it was going to be murder mystery weekend *before* she stumbled over a “dead” body might have been a good idea…
Becca decides to lean into it though - after all, she does enjoy a good mystery program - until some real mysterious happenings start to pile up. Semi overheard conversations, people behaving oddly, and a missing staff member have (almost) everyone wondering what’s part of the act and what’s real.

Pinning down who is guilty of what is hard when nearly every character seems to be hiding something, but all secrets come out in the end!

Thanks to NetGalley and RandomHouse/Ballantine for the ARC

Rebecca (Becca) and Blake's marriage is in trouble. They've been seeing a therapist to help them get back on track. Blake decides to surprise Becca with a Roaring Twenties weekend getaway. He fails to mention there is also a murder mystery to solve. But as the weekend progresses Becca thinks there is more going on than just one mystery. I enjoyed All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon, and following Becca's clues. I want to thank NetGally and Bantam Books for an early copy to review.

All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon was fun, light romp of a “who dunnit” complete with jilted lovers, arguing couples, and Great Gatsby-esque cosplay. The novel starts with Becca and Blake trying to rescue their broken marriage by participating in a murder/mystery weekend- something Becca has always wanted to attend. The estate they are staying at is gorgeous, the other couples have fully committed to the 1920s theme, and the drinks are flowing and strong. What could possibly go wrong? When the famed speakeasy songstress “Ida” is found ‘murdered’ the weekend truly begins. But, the actress who plays Ida fails to show up to work the next day. And things do not seem quite as they appear at first glance. Becca decides to channel her frustration with Blake into discovering what is REALLY going on, but the further she goes, the more danger it seems they all might be in. Gagnon has done an excellent job of balancing the mystery and comedy that makes this type of farce work. Though she does spend a lot of time exploring the betrayal by Blake and Becca’s emotional response to it. It permeates the book, but I think adds to the events that follow. Becca can’t trust her own reactions because she is still dealing with her marriage. I could see how some would see this as a drag on the ‘fun’ of the book, but I thought it added an extra layer of interest. The characters Gagnon creates are enjoyable and are just what you might expect at one of these murder/mystery weekends- the couple who are “in it to win it”, the couple who are fully immersed in the “fantasy”, and the couple who seem mismatched from the start. Is this Agatha Christie level mystery? No. But is it a fun read that WILL present some twists and turns along with laughs? Absolutely. Thank you to @NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC.

A DNF for me.

Becca and Blake are headed to a mystery weekend in the Catskills but I don’t know if they made it because I gave up before they got there. Becca was so miserable and I didn’t see that she was going to get any better. I love a locked room mystery and a cozy bit I need to have characters that I can tolerate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an early release in exchange for an honest opinion.

3.5/5⭐️

This was a fun romp with a bit of a Christie vibe.

Becca and Blake are taking a weekend trip away in the aftermath of the discovery of his affair. He books them in a remote hotel/mansion/estate for a 1920s murder mystery weekend (think Great Gatsby feel).

There are three other couples and a skeleton staff, and while the mistress of the house is “murdered”, Becca begins to think there’s something else going on behind the facade…possibly a real crime. But what’s real and what’s scripted?!

While this was funny and a bit twisty and turny, unfortunately I didn’t particularly connect with any of the characters. Becca and Blake could be annoying at times, and the whole affair thing somehow didn’t fit/sit well for me. And while the storyline was going along well, the final denouement felt too left field and jarring. The end found Becca making an about-turn that to me was inexplicable and left me going “what??!”. So I found some aspects fun and humorous, some not so great.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Bantam for providing the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

A period themed murder mystery weekend, where there seems to be an actual missing person as well makes for a compelling situation to be certain! With the mystery game and also the personal games going on between couples and acquaintances with their troubled marriages, suspicious behavior and original relationships this plot carried you through to the bitter end.
I found this novel went off on tangents at times and some events were hard to follow yet in all it was entertaining.

This was a murder mystery within a murder mystery.
Becca and her husband attend a murder mystery weekend.
It sounds like a fun weekend event to do together and it just might help resolve some of their conflict.
The real mystery was good, kinda surprised me who the killer was. I did think it was a little hard to keep track who was who since everyone had two names.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

2.5 STARS

Murder mystery themed weekend at a remote gothic mansion? Sign me up (to read it that is)!

BUT wait, I didn't know I was going to have to be in Becca's head for so long. She is an emotional wreck. She doesn't trust her hubby Blake, since his betrayal. She can't get over it and suspects he is cheating again.

A fabulous premise, an intriguing setting and format with "in and out of character" segments, the rules, and red herrings by the dozen. I wish the author hadn't bogged it down with all the side drama.

After the halfway point, I lost interest and became even more frustrated with Becca and her marriage woes. Spare me the angst. I'm here for the mystery and I ultimately lost interest in that too. Who cares? I didn't. This one had potential, but lost focus.

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC of this book!

I thought the premise of this book was brilliant--an actual murder at a murder mystery weekend! However, the main character was a little much to deal with. She was so in her own head, and while I do think she had a right to feel the way she felt, it was annoying to me that I had to keep hearing about it. I just don't think her weird reaction to her husband's infidelity was necessary to the story. I did not really relate to where her mind went while dealing with the mystery (like, she hated this one couple from the instant she met them, and I could never understand why, or discern them from the other couple that she was ok with), but thought the mystery itself was very well thought out and set forth. It would have been great had there been a map of the house and grounds. The other characters were adequately described, except for the two couples that weren't the main character's acquaintances), and I was genuinely surprised when the murder was resolved

All Dressed Up wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t at all what I was anticipating. I expected a murder-mystery type of thriller, but it ended up being the story of a couple who is simply playing a murder mystery party game while trying to repair the emotional damage in their relationship after infidelity.

And, having just hosted a 1920s-themed murder mystery dinner last week, I can reliably say that it was significantly more fun to actually participate in a game like this than it was to simply read about one. It was confusing to try to remember which characters were which in the story, and also who they were playing as part of the game.

I also got the sense on every page that Becca, our female MC and first-person narrator, really just should not be in her marriage anymore. Neither she nor her husband, Blake, have demonstrated any evidence of commitment to one another or any real ability to move beyond the infidelity in their past. With all the angst between them, I probably would have rather read a story about how they cut their losses and went their separate ways. Because reading about their marriage as-is was honestly just painful.

In the last 10% of the book, you do get a little bit of a true thriller vibe, but it comes in out of nowhere and really doesn’t fit with the tone of the rest of the book. It made the ending feel a little disjointed, even though this component was what I had expected / hoped-for. It just needed to happen consistently, in little drips throughout the whole book, and not be turned on in a rush like a firehose at the very end.

I’m not really sure who the target audience is for this book—readers of cozy mysteries might find the ending a little too much, and readers of taut, propulsive thrillers might find the rest of the book to be not-quite-enough. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

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A huge thank you to Jilly Gagnon, Ballantine/Bantam, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!