This book had some potential but it just didnt hit the mark for me. Most of the reviews on this are spot on, messy plot, annoying characters. I was hoping this would be a great story since I do love mysteries but unfortunately it wasnt the best.

Sorry but this one was a big disappointment for me.
I just didn’t like it. I read a bit over half before finally giving up.

Thank you for this ARC.

A murder mystery weekend that devolves into an actual murder mystery seems a little too on-the-nose, but the author does a great job pulling it off. Every clue was a surprise!

I kept putting reading this book off as I was told by readers that I generally agree with that the plot was a mess and the main character were annoying. I must agree on both counts. The MC spends so much time thinking and stressing about her marriage in a highly repetitive fashion that either mystery fades entirely to the background, and really, I could care less by the end. I was hoping for some clever ending since the obvious to the “real” mystery, as the obvious choice just seemed too cliché but nope, it really was the ending. The side characters felt flat, and some of this could be accounted to the plot device of it being a mystery plot weekend, but even “out of character,” most of them had little to distinguish them. Finally, for the author to spend that much time on the marriage, I, as a reader, need to feel why it matters that they don’t just get a divorce and move on in life and I never cared. I gave it two stars for attempting a clever plot of a murder in a fake murder mystery but otherwise, not enjoyable and a slog to finish.

I was cautious picking up this book after having read so many average reviews, so perhaps it was just that my expectations were low but I truly enjoyed every second of this novel. I absolutely TORE through it and couldn't believe the actual culprit by the end of the book. I did feel like there were some unnecessary aspects that kind of took away from the narrative, but all in all, I thought this book was well-paced and unique while still drawing inspiration from some of the great murder mystery writers of all time, a la Agatha Christie.

I think the only thing that might've made this book better was if we got to read the story from the perspectives of a few characters, somewhat in the vein of Lucy Foley. There was quite a bit of unnecessary crypticism that might have been resolved had we been able to understand the motivations and perspectives of any other character. Overall, however, I loved this book and can't wait to read more by this author!

Really enjoyed the concept of this story. The mystery had me hooked but didn’t really enjoy how the characters were written!

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Murder mystery themed weekend at a remote gothic mansion where there is a real murder, but what is part of the script and what is real? And what is part of the character and what is the role they are playing for the weekend? Do we even trust the narrator?

Date is made up. I feel behind on reviews.

The weekend murder mystery getaway at the manor hotel should have been perfect. But Becca is freshly smarting from her husband Blake's betrayal. She's not sure she can forgive her husband and may not want to. How will she get into the spirit of the game? Plus, all the guests are not who they appear to be, which adds confusion to the weekend. Even weirder, Becca discovers a missing actress and wonders if there is indeed a real murder to solve.
I think I would have liked the story about the murder mystery weekend if the book solely dealt with that. But adding the real murder confused things. I wasn't sure what was play versus what was real.
Also, I didn't care for the profanity or the sexual content. It made the book feel slutty.
Becca's forgiveness of her husband turns quickly, too, thanks mostly to another guest hitting on her. Essentially, she uses her sexual desires and fantasies to get over her husband's affair. That's very unrealistic and not sustainable for the relationship in the long run. I finished the book not rooting for any of the characters to succeed except the murdered actress.

The story takes place on a gorgeous estate, that is set up for an elaborate murder mystery theme, that Blake had arranged for a weekend of spending time with his wife Becca as a way to make up for their marital troubles.

The characters in the story have their own part to play within the game and thank you Jilly Gagnon for a nice list provided for the readers to keep track of the characters. I enjoyed the writing, the red herrings, and the overall style of the story.

Becca and Blake are spending a weekend at a resort that is having a 1920s murder mystery game. Becca and Blake have had some issues and this is his attempt to make up for it. Soon they are drawn into a real life murder mystery when one of the actresses goes missing.
This was a very fast paced read. It takes place over a weekend. I liked the theme of the murder mystery and the clues interwoven into the real mystery of what was going on at the hotel. It almost reminds me of a game of Clue or something similar to that. It took me a while to catch on to who was who because all the characters have their actual name and then the character name they were playing for the weekend. Once you sort that out, it’s a very fun read.
Thank you to the publisher in NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Cool idea, poor execution. We spent a lot of time in our MC head circling thoughts of her idiot husband. I wanted more (and more believable) mystery and less soap opera drama/love story.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

A huge thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A murder mystery that went horrifically wrong. this book gave me the vibes of an Agatha Christie books but less of a cozy mystery and more of a thriller. Overall this was a good book, there was some aspects that fell flat for me in terms of character building but this is a solid read overall!

First still obsessed with the cover. This was such a fun murder mystery. Thank you to Random House for the advanced copy

I've always been intrigued by the idea of a murder mystery dinner, or a weekend. But probably not intrigued enough to actually go on one. And Becca, our heroine in All Dressed Up, probably wouldn't have signed up for it either. Her husband, Blake, has wisked her away for a romantic weekend to make up for the fact that he cheated on her with his young, gorgeous, coworker. Of course, he somehow neglected to tell her that their somewhat dysfunctional friends will be there and it's a murder mystery weekend. Fun, right?

Imagine her surprise, when someone dies on the first night at the cocktail party. And then imagine how pleased she is to find out that it's all fictional and part of the mystery. Regardless, she decides to play along. But just as that happens, a real life mystery begins to unfold, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

I really enjoyed this book. The murder mystery aspect was a lot of fun and drew me in. The characters were richly drawn and believable. And I even felt like I understand the dynamics behind Blake and Becca. My one complaint was that I felt like it was a little bit of a Scooby Doo ending. Just me? I'm curious as to what others thought.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now.

Thank you Random House for my copy of this book. A potential real murder in a murder mystery game had so much potential and unfortunately, i just felt like the payoff never really came through. There were a lot of interesting story lines that, for me, didn't gel together super successfully, and the boo ended up being pretty disappointing.

✰✰✰.75
Jilly Gagnon has concocted an amusingly clever murder mystery, set at a remote hotel with a 1920s theme. It sounded like a hoot so I was eager to read this one. The author definitely kept me entertained and surprised. My only objection was the distraction of so much drama between Becca and Blake. They could have been such a super fun couple that added zest instead of drama! Separately, they were. This fun story had plenty of potential. A little change in the script could reveal new possibilities!

“Welcome to the Crooner Estate
We know your stay will be deadly fun.”

Each guest is provided a dossier and cast as a “player” in the game. I did have a bit of trouble keeping track of all the characters, especially when everyone was using two personas.

A schedule breaks the weekend down into several rounds. Clues and information is collected by the players and shared at the end of each round. In the final round, each guest names their murder suspect. The murderer could be you! How fun!

“One of you is guilty of a murder . . . but who? The only way to find out is to work with your fellow guests (and suspects) to solve the mystery.”

“You’ll need to keep a close eye on your fellow guests if you want to find the killer . . .”

Follow the clues and watch everyone!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Jilly Gagnon for providing this gifted ARC through NetGalley. I’d also like to thank Yewon Son of Random House Publishing for reaching out to introduce me to this book! All opinions are my own.

#AllDressedUp #JillyGagnon #randomhousepublishing #ballantinebooks #bantam #murdermystery #RemoteHotel #1920stheme #netgalley #roleplay #bookstagrammer #lovebooks #bookreviewersofinstagram #lovetoreadbooks #cantstopreading #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecommendations #juliereadzintherockies #bookreels #igbookreels #booksbooksandmorebooks #whodunnit #YewonSon #flappers #gangsters

Jilly Gagnon’s All Dressed Up has a great premise. Husband Blake surprises his lovely wife Becca with a murder mystery weekend to make up for his prior infidelity. There is a “murder mystery” where other characters are supposed to solve whodunnit. Once there Becca begins to suspects that an employee of the hotel has actually been murdered. At this point, the book begins to focuses on her efforts to solve the murder. The book also asks the REAL question: are the people playing beyond their characters. I really did enjoy the premise, but found that the book was frequently difficult to follow as the author did not spend much time on her character development, which unfortunately caused the plot to drag in spots. But, all in all, a good solid murder mystery.

The cover really pulled me in with this one. I thought it was okay but I wasn’t totally sold. Becca was an emotional wreck and I didn’t love her. The concept is strong but the execution needed more flare. I would read her again though!

3.5⭐

Featuring ~ single 1st person POV with game host commentary (? if that's what you'd call it?), infidelity references, murder mystery

Blake has whisked Becca away for a murder mystery themed weekend. He's hoping to get back in her good graces due to feeling guilty for cheating on her. When one of the actresses goes missing Becca gets her amateur sleuthing on and tries to find out what happened to her. I didn't mind this part of the story and how that all played out.

As much as I'd hoped this would be mostly about the game there was really more emphasis on their relationship, so that puts this more on the cozy mystery side. I am more of a thriller reader, so that made my interest wane a bit. Also, there were a lot of names to keep track of since all the characters had a different name for the game, plus all the actors/actresses.

I was able to listen to a final version as well. Narrated by Christine Lakin and David DeSantos for 10 hours and 39 minutes. Christine did a fine job. David had an animated voice that was fun to listen to.

Although this was on the okay side I'd still give this author another shot.

Short synopsis: Becca and Blake travel for a weekend away to a beautiful mansion in the Catskills. When a theatrical murder mystery seems all to real Becca begins to question if the actress is really dead.

My thoughts: Loved the idea of the setting, but there was just too much going on with too many characters. I really struggled to connect with them.

Read if you love:
- Cozy mysteries
- Weekend getaway gone wrong
- 1920 mansions
- Murder mystery