I feel like books like these work best if the main character is unreliable and unlikable, and this excels at that. I didn't care for Shay, didn't understand her reasonings and decisions, and found her firm moral stances on certain things and not so firm morals on others to be confusing. I also felt like Lalli attempted to cover a lot of ground with the social commentary, and while this wasn't at all annoying or misplaced, I would have preferred reading about them from a more likable main character. But that's what's fun about thrillers—you never have to like a single character in a book!

The Plus One is compared to The White Lotus, but I also found similarities between this and "You're Invited" by Amanda Jayatissa, another South Asian thriller author. This novel handles the "what happened to the lovely couple" intrigue part extremely well, and I enjoyed peeling back the layers of the relationship between (and to) Raj and Radhi. However, it was very obvious to me from the beginning who was guilty and what their motivation was. This was not completely a bad thing because Lalli clearly has fun squeezing every part of the story out little by little, and that is enjoyable in a thriller, but the sudden slowing down of the pacing was jarring.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

3 ⭐️s

🚨 Pub Date: 8/13/24

A book that unfolds ans has all the twists and turns. Definitely recommend it. Everyone lies and nothing is really what it seems... And that is this book exactly. Sometimes we sellout a little as a means to an end... Yep this book has that too.

I enjoyed this book overall, got involved right away and I appreciate that the author was trying to tackle some very complicated ethical issues. It worked as a story fairly well, but had to suspend belief a number of times, that the main character would be attempting to both solve these murders and take on the cartel. She was presented as a bit too naive both for the ethical issues and the high level of danger. This took me out of the story sometimes but again, overall it was a decent read. Liked her first book better

I liked the idea of the book but I didn’t buy Shay as a reporter. In the flashbacks we learn that she actually knew quite a bit about the people involved and how they felt about each other but in her internal thoughts in the current “wedding” sections it was like she didn’t know anything about anyone or how they felt about each other. Surely a reporter would be aware and remember things? There were also parts where the present time and past seemed to contradict themselves. In the flashbacks, we find out that Shay minored in economics but in the present time she can’t follow a simple conversation about shareholders and corporate structure.

I really enjoyed this one! It felt like this story had so many components that it made it seem like a long book
- in the best way - even though it was a pretty quick read (like you're really getting your moneys worth, if that makes any sense). I actually really liked that the suspects are narrowed down for you pretty early on so you know who to pay attention to, but I still guessed wrong so it's not like it made it predictable. The only thing I didn't really like about this book was some of the characters, but it felt like they were purposefully unlikable (unless that's really how rich people are - I wouldn't know lol). Definitely recommend checking this one out!

This was my first book by this author and while I thought the ending was a bit predictable, I did enjoy this book. This book follows the wedding of a heir to a hotel empire and a popular influencer in Cabo. Both characters are South Asian, which I found refreshing and relatable since I am also from an Indian background.

The plot of the story flows really well and keeps the reader constantly engaged. I finished this book within 24 hours because I just needed to know if my prediction was correct lol.

Overall, it was a quick, easy, thriller that was overall enjoyable.


Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc

This was such a fun book!! The setting was great. The characters were all great, and hateable (in the best ways, of course). It was like a locked beach setting - kind of. It was super fun trying to figure out who did and what would happen in the end. I was totally off and not right at all but this book really makes you go through all the emotions. I loved the family drama and the murder mystery of it all. I read this in one day, it had me hooked from the beginning! I will definitely be reading more of this author as their books comes out!

This review has been posted on my Goodreads and instagram

ARC Review- 3 Stars
Publishing Date- Aug 13,2024

What To Expect-
🌞Unreliable Narrator
🌞Luxurious Resort Vibes
🌞Drug Cartels
🌞Dual Timelines

My Thoughts-
A classic whodunnit thriller. This was a quick and easy read. I really enjoyed the juicy gossip. The murder mystery occurred at a luxurious resort in Cabo. The writing flows smoothly, transitioning between present scenes and past flashbacks. I didn’t guess who the killer was though I wasn’t surprised. Everyone was a suspect in my eyes. I think this book would have benefitted with multiple POV’s.

Overall- I would recommend this book to anyone that likes domestic thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks.
The wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi, a weeklong affair at a luxury resort in Cabos, isn’t just going to be the event of the season—it will also mark the union of two highly influential and wealthy Indian-American families. No expense will be spared for what Radhika and Raj have coined “R&R,” a week of rest, relaxation, and celebrating their love.
This book was so good I stayed up past my bedtime to finish it,

I’m not certain what I was expecting here – probably your standard mystery where it’s ‘Let’s go to a resort’ followed by, “Oops! Someone is dead and one of YOU killed them!”

And, really, it is that. But it’s also clever and compelling. I loved the Crazy Rich Indians feel to it mixed with morally ambiguous characters and what was simply a good mystery.

Almost all the characters are a bit ‘bent’ in one way or another, but they’re still extremely readable. I even liked our plucky MC – and plucky usually makes me want to gag.

This was a thoroughly entertaining read and I enjoyed every bit of it!

• ARC via Publisher

Thank you NetGalley! This is not your typical wedding thriller. There were a few twists that I did not see coming. I enjoyed reading this book, especially with the diversity of the characters.

BOOK REVIEW

The Plus One
By S.C. Lalli

Thank you S.C. Lalli and NetGallery for this ACR in exchanged for me honest review.

Plot was told to me as The Guest List meets White Lotus, which I think is a fair assessment. The book is an easy read with strong character development. The story felt a bit rushed towards the end but overall made for a nice weekend read. I don't like to add spoilers into my reviews because I like readers to be just as shocked as I was. It has a nice wrap (and shocking ending with big reveals) but some of the beginning and middle plots felt long. Some character development that lacked reasoning.

S.C. Lalli knows how to write a story because it was very well written and thoughtful, just maybe not as gripping as I like to have in a novel. I am a thriller junky and like to be entertained in the mystery the entire time.

The Plus One is out Aug 13th, 2024! Grab your copy!

Thank you NetGallery for the ARC!

This book was so good!! It was gripping and well written. A quick read with a fun mix of thrilling suspense and brain power. Many characters held a sense of “are they good guys or bad guys?!” and it played out until the end. Our main character had lots of development as well which is always nice to see.

I would recommend this one!

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

Thank you for this opportunity to read the advance copy! I was excited for the premise. The luxurious resort vibe was very intriguing to me. I liked the story and last 25% of the book was thrilling but unfortunately I didn’t like any of the characters. I kind of got bored in he middle but I wanted to know what happened to the murdered couple so I kept going.

Lavish wedding with plot twist. Just as you think you understand one plot line another twist to a character happens, keeping you on your toes. Really enjoyed the story behind Shay's motivation, her history, important real life themes that deserve to be highlighted. Enjoyable book, enjoyed all the characters.

There were three times within the story that I audibly gasped! To me, this is the sign of a good storyteller. The only reason it's not a 5 star read for me is that there were times where I couldn't understand the relevance of a character or detail and it was never resolved. The imagery and plot as well as flashbacks however seemed overall well-done and kept me on the edge of my seat. I will absolutely read this author again.

Thanks very much to the publisher for the invite to read and review this book in through NetGalley.

I'm a little conflicted about my feelings towards this book. The cover immediately caught my eye and premise was was simple and great: the day before their lavish Indian wedding at an exclusive Mexican resort, Raj and Radhika are found dead. Unlikely guest Shay is determined to get to the truth behind their murders, but she's hiding plenty of secrets of her own. And those secrets might make her the killer's next target.

Honestly? This was ultimately a mixed bag for me. I was more than willing to put aside the absolute unbelievability of the plot itself (isn't Shay in her early 20s? She's going to single handedly take down the Mexican Cartel?) and the overall unlikability of the characters (holy red flags on all the males and Shay's over the top moral superiority and her "I will change the world" naivety was so off putting), because the last quarter of the book was a heart-in-your-throat twisty thrill ride. Unfortunately, what largely preceded it was...a bit boring. I really enjoyed Raj and Radhi's wedding descriptions--it did sound like they had something truly magical planned. But once they're killed off--and it's very early on and very abrupt, it doesn't leave much room for excitement or tension. Until about the 75% mark, things get repetitive (I don't think I could take another reference to "Brown Hulk Hogan") and I skipped large chunks just trying to find out who was ultimately behind the murders and why.

So while I'm bumping up my final score on account of a really great finish, I normally don't have the patience to push through to get that far.

My freshly painted manicure has been destroyed . I managed to subconsciously bite my nails down to the beds . My breath was held, and my insides were shattered .

I loved loved loved this book.

Sometimes, when I see “read now” on netgalley I fear it’s an “oops” and I have to instantly download the book before anyone figures out their mistake .

This one worked out in my favor .

The Plus One

This is a fast paced, under 400 page, suspenseful domestic thriller. The secrets and deceit were just down right awful (in the best way possible) . My jaw was permanently hanging out on the floor. I just could not get enough of this book. It was as if I became addicted to swiping the page .

The ending is not only twisted but juicy .

Just pre-order the book before I spoil everything for you . Here is a little teaser below 👇

White Lotus meets The Guest List in international bestselling author S. C. Lalli’s next thrilling novel, where two business moguls were set to be married in the biggest event of the year—until they’re both found murdered the day before the wedding—and a social outsider must unravel the mystery before her own hidden agenda is revealed.

The wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi, a weeklong affair at a luxury resort in Cabo, isn’t just going to be the event of the season—it will also mark the union of two highly influential and wealthy Indian-American families. No expense will be spared for what Radhika and Raj have coined “R&R,” a week of rest, relaxation, and celebrating their love.

Shaylee “Shay” Kapoor is just an outsider, but she just so happens to be dating Raj’s best friend, Caleb Prescott III, and is sucked into this world of wealth and excess. But on the morning the wedding festivities are supposed to begin, the resort’s wedding coordinator Daniela makes a frightening discovery: Raj and Radhika are dead, gunshots to the head.

Chaos descends on the hotel as the guests are turned away or sent home. Shay stays by Caleb’s side as the investigation starts to unfold, family and close friends grieve, and accusations run wild. The police believe the murders are a drug cartel hit.

But even if it was a cartel hit, even if the murderer somehow got past the resort’s security, the hotel room doors have state-of-the-art locks. There was no way for the murderer to slip into the room without a key. And only the sister of the bride, Zara; the best men, Caleb and Sean; and the wedding coordinator, Daniela, have keys.

Shay may be an outsider—and she definitely has secrets of her own—but she may be the only person with enough perspective to untangle everyone’s lies, and discover why anyone would want the bride and groom dead. . .

loved the setting. loved the whole investigation of guests to figure out who the suspect really is.

The murderer was not who you maybe thought it was. Twisty and suspenseful