This is a fairly straightforward "locked room" mystery. But instead of Agatha Christie, think Clue the movie.

A couple goes to a secluded hotel for a murder mystery weekend, hoping to repair their relationship. One of the staff goes missing. Is it part of the game? Did she just quit her job with no notice? Or is there something more sinister happening here?

It's fun and pretty simple.

If you like a simple mystery that's occasionally amusing and always entertaining, I definitely recommend this.

Over the course of a murder mystery weekend, guests get plunged into what may be a real-life mystery. Becca is confronted with the pretend & real crimes going on around her, all while trying to come to terms with her crumbling relationship with her husband.

Overall, there were some confusing moments throughout the story, leaving me trying to remember if I was reading about something within the mystery weekend storyline or the questions Becca was trying to answer. I enjoyed guessing at who was the guilty party in both storylines, but found that there were some questions left unanswered at the conclusion of the novel.

An “apology vacation” doesn’t sound very relaxing or romantic but that’s exactly what Blake’s getaway with Becca was about after Blake was caught having an affair. Becca takes part in a theatrical murder mystery but the next morning one of the actresses mysteriously disappears. Becca tries to figure out if the disappearance is something sinister, or if it’s related to the fake murder story. So, the plot was intriguing! However, Becca was annoying as all get out. She whined from the moment she woke in the morning and all throughout the day. She was so annoying I stopped caring about her completely. Despite this, I actually enjoyed the murder mystery. The ending left some details unresolved but, overall, this was a fun read,

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

The premise is really unique, but this one just wasn't for me. The characters were all too unlikeable, and not in a fun way.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader.

This thriller is set in an out of the way hotel that specializes in Murder Mystery weekends. But this weekend, there may have been an actual murder. A pretty good who-done-it if you can ignore the totally unnecessary sexual subplot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #NetGalley

The premise of this book hooked me from the get go! Hoping to repair their marriage after an affair, Blake and Becca embark on a lavish weekend getaway to the countryside. Not only are they staying in a gorgeous manor hotel, but they also happen to be staying during the hotel's murder mystery weekend. Becca knows this is Blake's attempt to apologize even though he's not into interactive theater, but she can't help but be excited as she is a self proclaimed murder mystery junkie. Once the game begins and one of the maids truly disappears, Becca must work to differentiate what is part of the game and what is reality as she races to solve not one murder, but two!

Like I said, this premise was so brilliant and right up my alley! Unfortunately, its execution left me wanting so much more. I think this book suffered from having too much going on. Having our main character Becca trying to fix her marriage, plus solve the fake murder of the game and the real life disappearance/ murder of the maid was just too much to keep straight. There was so many characters (all with their real names and their game names) that it was hard to keep everyone in their place. I also didn't feel as though we got to know any of the characters, besides our MC, so it was hard to believe she would accuse any of them of either crime because we just simply didn't know anything about them. I was extremely surprised that Becca's husband Blake wasn't a bigger part of the plot. In group scenes he barely spoke, and when it was just he and Becca one on one, we spent a lot of time in her inner monologue. So I wasn't able to form any connection with him.

Because there was so many things going on, I also felt like the actual murder mystery part of both crimes wasn't well done. There was barely any evidence collected, or enough interactions with the suspects to draw any kind of conclusion. Most of the information that Becca gathered was from hushed conversations she just so happened to keep stumbling upon. Most of the evidence that comes to light in the game, are talked about but we never got to see any character actually stumble upon finding that evidence. It just appeared as if they collected of "camera". I also thought it was strange that, the only person who felt like there was an actual murder in real life (in the case of the maid's disappearance) was Becca. She only mentions it to other characters two or three times. She continues to investigate on her own, but never really finds a lot of solid evidence that any foul play has occurred.

I was disappointed that I didn't feel like I was solving the case alongside our MC. That's the main reason I read murder mysteries in the first place. Also, was very disappointed that we only get to know who the killer is in one of the crimes. We never get the killer's identity in the other. The book just ends.

I'd like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Bantam and Net Galley for giving me an advanced copy.

'All Dressed Up' by Jilly Gagnon is convoluted, coarse and negative. It said in the description that the author wrote it during the pandemic shutdown. It is a great reflection of the misery of that time.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

An interesting read, not an absolute favorite, was not an “I can’t put this down” but drawn in enough to finish. I’ll have to read more of this author. Thanks to the publisher and net galley for this ARC opportunity

Becca and Blake travel to an Upstate NY remote hotel for a 1920's-theme Murder Mystery game for a weekend. This weekend getaway is supposed to be an apology to Becca after being caught having an affair, and Becca hopes to enjoy it as she is a big fan of murder mysteries. But when one of the actresses suddenly disappears, Becca begins to wonder if there is something more sinister going on.

I was so excited to receive an arc for All Dressed Up because the synopsis reminded me of Clue, one of my favorite movies. However, I feel like there was too much focus on Becca's drama, and the back-and-forth between the mystery-game and the real murder mystery had me skimming the pages. Becca was just not likeable at all for me, either.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon is a murder mystery hidden within a murder mystery themed getaway weekend. Becca and Blake are on a weekend getaway to a 1920s themed murder mystery game. Becca, a mystery lover, throws herself into the weekend while still smarting from Blake’s infidelity, and gets wrapped up in the mystery, but what is real and what is part of the game?

The premise of this book sounded really interesting and I think this book had good potential, but to me it didn’t exactly live up to it. I couldn’t get passed the fact that every other page, Becca was harping in Blake’s cheating. Without all of that drama getting in the way, I think this could have been a really good book, but Becca’s emotional drama was too much for me. I enjoyed the idea or this book and the ending wasn’t bad, but Becca’s obsession with Blake’s infidelity drove me crazy. Either forgive him or leave him.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Read 20% of the way into this book but kept starting and stopping and ultimately forgot about it. Figured it was better to review as is. It was written well just not my cup of tea.

Becca and Blake have been married (and living in the city) for a number of years. They are going on a weekend getaway, a surprise from Blake, where they will be participating in a “locked room” mystery. They are also dealing with the aftermaths of Blake’s infidelity. A total of eight guests is at the inn along with the performers and staff. The mystery is a murder and one of the actors/staff members has also disappeared. Becca, a prodigious reader of mysteries, starts looking for the missing woman. It is well written and the plot with its many twists and turns is fascinating. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam Books for an ARC for an honest review.

Becca's husband Blake plans a mystery themed weekend at a luxury resort in an effort to patch up their troubled marriage but Becca is too focused on Blake's recent infidelity to enjoy it. Her struggles to forgive Blake impede her ability to enjoy the activities, and then a real mystery of a missing cast member further muddles the clues and activities related to the staged murder. Becca doesn't know which overheard conversations are staged and which relate to the actual mystery.

Clues and red herrings abound, but this book is an odd combination of mystery and women's fiction. Becca dwells incessantly on Blake's infidelity, often obscuring the mystery and pushing it into the background. It does not help that Becca is not a likeable character and her incessant whining and self absorbtion quickly become tedious.

The mystery finally gains the upper hand for the last quarter of the book, but the reader suffers through a lot to get there.

While I love a good murder-mystery, this one didn't completely hit the mark for me. The author did a great job with pacing, but I felt distanced a bit from the main character. I think that detachment kept me from falling in love with the story. I did, however, love many of the other characters.

Overall, this was a fun read if you enjoyed Knives Out.

Readers that are looking to get deep into a murder mystery getaway may find this book to be exciting.

It starts with Becca describing a scenic 4 ½ hour ride into the mountains just north of NYC. Her husband, Blake, messed up with a six-month affair and now he was trying to get his marriage back on track with a “Roaring Twenties” theme party at a gothic castle. He knew she loved mysteries and he figured it would be a good way to bring them back together.

Eight couples along with staff were engaged in this 48-hour event. The reader had to keep track of two sets of names -- the real ones and the players – as well as two sets of backgrounds which for me slowed down the flow. Blake and Rebecca Wilson were to be known as Miss Debbie Taunte and Mister Reid A. Daily.

Becca’s feelings with the marriage overshadowed the fun part of the mystery. She was jealous, she complained and she was annoying while her husband was the good guy trying to patch things up. It was a great idea but a little too late for her as she was still trying to emotionally recover from her bitterness. When Becca asked her husband, “Do you think I’m boring,” I wanted him to say: yes. I didn’t find her to be a likeable character.

While Becca was a part of the theme party, she also suspected the actress playing the housemaid to be murdered which complicated things. There were two parts: the real murder mystery and the one that was staged. While I found it to be somewhat distracting, others may absorb every detail.

My thanks to Bantam Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with the expected release date of September 6, 2022.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, Ms. Gagnon writes very well; her works is engaging and thoughtful and definitely functioned to paint a scene.

However, I have so many mixed feelings about this book.

First of all, the main character, Becca, is a little annoying. She’s so caught up in what everyone else thinks of her that she reads as an annoying pick me girl who is incapable of laughing at herself. Literally the worst type of human is one who takes themselves too seriously (I mean obviously an exaggeration as ya know murderers etc exist, but you catch my drift).

Second, although she writes well and can describe the setting to the finest detail, I sort of wonder how so much of this book got past a first edit. I blazed through the first quarter of the book but couldn’t get through the next 2/3rds at anything other than a snails pace for the life of me. And that was mostly because the nearly page long descriptions of every single room and or outfit or other banal, irrelevant aspect were snore inducing. Maybe in another genre this wouldn’t have been such a miscalculation but a thriller type of vibe is easily killed when you’re describing a breakfast spread for two paragraphs.

Third, maybe because of the extraneous details but maybe also because of how heavily the plot also mixed with the main character’s personal life/drama I kind of feel like the ending left a lot to be desired. It’s almost like she was doing too much by trying a psychological drama aspect with dissecting the affair/aftermath of the affair along with the thriller/murder piece. Done well, it could have added to the suspense/surprise element a good thriller has but here it just felt like neither theme/plot had a chance to fully flesh out.

Ultimately though, this was a good read. I loved the premise of it - murder within a murder mystery was a fun twist. I think there was enough going on that the surprise element was present in the end and that’s always a happy circumstance with the genre.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to preview All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon. Sadly, I don't think the story lived up to the expectations set by the description. I'm always wary of comparisons to Agatha Christie, and I was right to be in this case. There was a promising idea at the center; however, the execution was lacking. I wasn't able to connect to the main character, Rebecca, as she simultaneously grapples with her husband's infidelity and a possible murder. Her motivations were never clear to me, and none of the supporting characters felt like real people. I finished this book feeling that it was too much going on outside of the main plot without enough fleshing out of characters to make this one I could recommend.

I did not enjoy this book and found myself skimming it towards the end just to reach the resolution. I felt there were plot holes, and many times where I found myself very confused about what was going on. The story centers on a couple participating in a weekend getaway with a murder mystery theme. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book.

This book was different! It seemed like two different books sometimes. Maybe because I didn’t connect with MC.

Thank you for eARC in exchange for honest review