The Plus One ended up being much more than I was expecting! I loved all of the zigging and zagging that the plot took.

I hadn't read a book by S.C. Lalli before, but the blurb sounded good. Plus, I love White Lotus so the comparison made me pick this one up. I thought it was pretty well written. I enjoyed the story. It wasn't the most amazing mystery I've read, but I think it was decent. I'd read another book from this author.

Thank You Partner Bibliolifestyle and William Morrow for this book in exchange of my honest review of The Plus One by S.C Lalli.
The Plus One is about a wedding murder mystery that will have you turning pages and keep you guessing until the very end. This takes place during a lavish Indian wedding which is happening at a luxury resort in Mexico. The author was new to me and I can not wait to read another book from this author. It was written so well and I loved all of the twist and turns. Every character in this was interesting and I especially liked Shay. Overall, this was another amazing wedding thriller mystery that I highly enjoyed. I would recommend this one to any reader who loves mystery or thriller books. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this great read in exchange of my honest review of The Plus One by S.C Lalli.

💍📖 Review of The Plus One by S.C. Lalli 📖💍

Murder at a wedding? High society drama in Cabo? The Plus One by S.C. Lalli brings all the intrigue, secrets, and suspense you’d want from a story where a luxe destination wedding turns deadly. Shay Kapoor, an outsider dating the groom’s best friend, finds herself caught in a whirlwind of wealth, family secrets, and twisted motives when Radhika and Raj, the bride and groom, are found shot dead just before their big day. As tensions rise, Shay realizes she might be the only one who can piece together what really happened—but with her own secrets, she’s got a lot to lose, too.

This book gives White Lotus vibes with its lavish setting, and The Guest List twist with all the skeletons these characters have hidden in their closets. While I loved the setting and the intense family dynamics, the mystery itself didn’t completely blow me away. I’d say it’s a fun ride with plenty of tension but don’t go in expecting a shock-a-minute thriller. Still, Lalli did a great job creating a complex social web, and I was invested enough to see how all these tangled lives would unravel!

If you’re in the mood for a high-society mystery full of scandal and drama, The Plus One might just be your next beach read! 🏖️🔍

💭 Question for You: If you could crash any fictional wedding, which one would you pick…and why? 🎉💐

This book was written so good! I loved meeting all the new characters and the twists and mystery in each chapter of the book. Definitely recommend on reading!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to an e-copy of the ARC for this book.
3.5 stars. This book bored me out of my mind for the first twenty pages but after that let me tell you -- it kept me on the edge of my seat. I read the whole thing in one sitting instead of working on my midterms because I wanted to solve this twisty, complicated puzzle. Everyone was shady and there was so much going on that I could hardly keep up. This would be a great airplane or vacation read because it just keeps you absolutely hooked. My only issues were really with the characters -- I appreciated what the author was trying to do by making everyone certain shades of morally gray, but honestly... I don't think she entirely nailed it. The main character's conflict with her best friend, Lexie, just felt super weird and honestly like... kind of on Lexie? So that made me mad. And without spoiling it, the reveal at the end kind of fell a little bit flat for me. Just based on what was happening I could easily predict who the killer ended up being, and honestly the ending just didn't quite tie up everything the way I would have wanted it to (cough cough drug cartel). That would be fine if the author meant it to be an ambiguous ending, but I could clearly tell the intention was to wrap everything up neatly with a little bow. Also, there were just so many times that I wanted to scream at Shay in this book because she was being incredibly stupid. Like just actually moronic. However, I still really enjoyed this read. I loved reading about the different aspects of a Hindu wedding and sinking into the atmosphere of the setting. I will definitely check out this author's books in the future.

The glimmer of luxury and all the niceties of opulence that make a person feel safe - all that is flipped on its head as the tension ramps up, the twists keep you guessing, and the connections between the characters make you wonder at each interaction. Suspicion coincides with the veneer of society slowly being pulled away like a house/mansion of cards.

A locked door mystery of an Indian bride and groom at their wedding venue. White Lotus has brought a bunch of similar books out! Unusual premise (two murders), lots of great cultural experiences, in a beautiful resort.

Shay Kapoor met Caleb on the night of his best friend Raj Joshi’s engagement party. As a graduate student she did not fit in with his friends, who were all from wealthy families. Raj’s fiancee Radhika made it clear that she did it belong, but as Caleb’s girlfriend she was invited to the wedding. The joining of two of India’s wealthiest families was a week long lavish affair at a luxury resort in Cabo. When Shay arrives she discovers evidence of Caleb’s infidelity. Before she decides whether to confront him, a scream breaks the silence. Daniela, the wedding coordinator, found the bodies of Raj and Radha, both shot through the head. While the wedding guests are all asked to leave, the immediate family members and Caleb are asked to stay as a part of the investigation. Caleb also asks Shay to stay and offer him her support. He is unaware that Shay is actually a reporter investigating the Joshi family. Raj had been making frequent trips to Mexico on family business. The police believe that a cartel may have been involved in the murder, but Shay has noticed the tension among the family members. Raj and Radhi’s guest villa was locked and there were a limited number of people who had access, including Caleb, Radhi’s sister Zara, Raj’s adopted brother Sean and Daniela. As Shay investigates the group her focus on a suspect changes as she discovers that each had a possible motive. With its’ luxurious setting and a list of suspects who are all hiding secrets, S.C. Lalli keeps you turning the pages as these secrets are revealed, leading to a deadly showdown. This is a fast paced story that is sure to please mystery lovers. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for providing this book.

Radhika Singh, a popular influencer, and Raj Joshi, the heir to a massive hotel chain, are all set to be married at a lavishly planned wedding at a luxury resort in Cabo. Other influencers and power-brokers have been invited to celebrate the joining of these two powerful families. Shay Kapoor does not feel like she belongs among this elite group. As the girlfriend of Raj's best friend, she is the plus one dragged into the chaos of the wedding. But when Shay arrives on the morning of the wedding the guests find out that Radhika and Raj have both died from gunshot wounds to the head. As most guests are turned away Shay is stuck with the close family as the family and police try to solve the murders. The police think it was a gang hit, but Shay's initial investigation points to someone closer to the victims. With the clock ticking before she is kicked out of Cabo, Shay has to solve the murders and escape with her life.

S.C. Lalli has constructed a fun murder mystery with great suspects a unique narrator and a gorgeous setting. There are some good twists even towards the beginning of the book that make the reader question everything that we are shown and it all builds to a satisfying and exciting conclusion. Flashbacks to prior the wedding were a great way to peel back different layers of the characters. The book was a sharp examination into how wealth and power can protect and cover up bad actors and the challenges in trying to fight this system. This was an enjoyable thriller and I am looking forward to Lalli's next book.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for a copy of The Plus One in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this was 100 times better than I expected and I did expect good things. The twists and conspiracies! I also love to hate the rich, so thanks for that. Oh I love the chance to learn more about Indian culture and family relationships.
Beautiful. Love the ending!

The wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi is quickly becoming the event of the season. There will be no expenses spared as the two families unite at an upscale private resort in Cabos. With a whole week of R&R on the agenda with special surprises along the way, those invited are more than eager to attend. When Shay gets invited as the plus one of the best man, Raj’s best friend, Caleb, she’s over the moon, of course she will be attending. On the morning the festivities are to begin, a grisly discovery is made, Raj and Radhika are found murdered in their villa. Fingers are pointed, but the suspects are few. Shay has more than one reason to be at the wedding and she’s being extra careful to cover her bases. Soon she’s diving in feet first to try to figure out just who wanted the bride and groom dead. Was it the Joshi family, that had less than stellar business dealings? Was it the cartel? Or was it something much more sinister? When Shay’s cover is blown, she’s told to leave the island, but as she gets closer to the truth, there’s much more at stake. Will she be able to uncover the truth before it’s too late for her? This was a fast paced whodunnit thriller with a narrator that wasn’t as reliable as she could have been 🙂 Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. there was too much for me to be paying attention to in this. i thought i would have liked it more with the white lotus comparison but did not. the author kept wanting you to think the cartel was involved when it clearly never was. the main character was also unreliable and very unlikeable.

The Plus One is a ho-hum murder mystery that bills itself as a mix of The White Lotus and The Guest List. Although there are deaths in an exotic location, the story unfolds as more of a corporate thriller than a suspense novel. The characters are clearly each written to be gorgeous and enigmatic in their own way, but there was no substance to their personalities or to the plot overall.
I would recommend this as a good summer beach read: there’s not a lot of substance here but it’s a breezy page turner, nonetheless. A special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

This was to be the wedding of the century! Guests travel far and wide to this wedding extravaganza that is to last days! Until tragedy strikes! The guest list was hand selected and the history of the guests relationships is soon revealed making "The Plus One" unputdownable.. The book was riveting from beginning to end with no limit to the suspect list. I promise this will not be that last book I read by S.C Lalli !

The book was good, but it took me forever to get into. The details were really good also, I just feel like there were too many and not enough action for the book. The ending was good and I would have liked to have seen more of the action through out the entire book.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the Advanced Reader's copy of this publication.
I love a good wedding mystery drama. This has it all. I really enjoyed this novel. Please give this a read and don't skip a page. Enjoy!

OH goodness this one was thrilling and dramatic and super interesting. thanks so much foor the ARC and i really enjoyed this one

I am always down to try a wedding thriller! The setting was perfect, especially with Shay cast as the outsider, and I enjoyed the excerpts from the wedding schedule that explained the various aspects of a lavish Indian wedding.

Right from the start, the bride and groom are found dead, killed execution-style, before the wedding festivities can begin. I liked the way we discovered who Shay was as the story progressed, but I didn't understand why the flashbacks were third-person POV while the present-day scenes were first-person. I thought there was going to be more of a twist about Shay's identity.

This is a reasonably interesting thriller about rich people behaving badly, but I wasn't shocked by the ending. I liked how it turned out and enjoyed reading it, but it didn't do anything new or unique.

DNF at 45% because I was bored. The rich characters had no depth and even the MC who had all these alleged secrets was very dull and one dimensional. All the twists so far were just not enough to hold my attention.