Started out strong with lots of twists and turns. Really liked the flashback format as well. That being said, once I hit the halfway mark, it felt like the book could have wrapped up. It went through a lull between the 50-75% mark but ramped back up and had a great twist at the end.

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!! The police think its drug cartel, but Shay not so sure the police have it right!!
This book was definitely an interesting read! The culture was different it had light suspense, intrigue, action, murder, drug cartels, mystery, a great who done it and some crazy twists and turns! I would recommend reading this book as it was worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

White Lotus meets The Guest List is a spot on description of The Plus One.

Shaylee is dating Caleb, the Best Man. This scores her an invitation as the Plus One to the ultra high profile wedding of Rhadi & Raj, the members of two ultra wealthy & successful families. The lengthy, no expense spared, celebration comes to a screeching halt when the Bride & Groom are found murdered in the Groom’s villa. When it appears the suspects range from the drug cartel to Caleb, Zara- the Bride’s older sister, Sean- the Groom’s cousin or Daniella- the wedding coordinator, Shay, who has been secretly harboring a vendetta against the groom’s father pivots to find out who is responsible for the murders.

This was the type of thriller that sucks you in from page one. This had all of the elements for a hit- the luxurious Cabos location, the wealthy trust fund boyfriend, the high profile influencer bride, the wealthy party boy groom, two devious & powerful families and a double murder. I loved every second of this book. Just when all signs pointed towards one person something else was exposed that threw me completely.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Books & S. C. Lalli for the opportunity to read The Plus One ahead of its August 13th release. This is sure to be a hit this summer!

Super thrilling and decadent, The Plus One truly is" White Lotus meets The Guest List," as it is promoted!

Shaylee is the plus one at a very, VERY exclusive wedding - the merger of the children of billionaire empires. Her boyfriend is great but they just started dating and she is not sure she passes muster in the goings on of this multi-day event. When Radhika and Raj, the betrothed end up dead, all hell breaks lose and Shay has only herself to count on. Is this a mob hit? Drug Cartels? Or something closer and much more sinister?

Join Shay at the scrumptious Blush resort as she tries to make sense of the rules of wealthy engagement, solve the murder and stay alive! Each chapter begins with the invite information for the theme of each wedding celebration day, setting the stage for a perfect get-away novel for armchair detectives. I so wish I could attend!
#williammorrow #sclalli #theplusone

This thriller stood out with its departure from the common middle-class white people drama of the genre with a largely South Asian main cast (including the MC) and a setting catering to the ultra-ultra-rich. It gave me what I wanted from a good murder mystery, which is a fast-paced plot with some decent characters and a satisfying resolution, but I struggled somewhat with the main character, who frankly felt kind of pitiful with her lack of real friends and weird blind spots about the people in her life. Kind of a bold move on her part to want to be a journalist when she is cripplingly unobservant and also seems to have no idea how journalism works when it comes to blithely passing along information.

It also felt like the author/this novel was trying to make some kind of point here about how nobody can POSSIBLY dedicate themselves in a real way to trying to make the world a better place, and that people can't actually have genuine meaningful principles. That all of us would secretly do anything to get ahead, and if we hold ourselves and others to a better standard well that's just because we're jealous of people who'll step on anyone to succeed and we're just mad we didn't get the opportunity to do so ourselves. Aside from the fact that I, um, disagree, it all came off as very author mouthpiece-y and defensive. This would have been a solid four star but I gotta dock one because the conservatism jumped out here and soured me a bit on the whole experience.

My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC.

#ThePlusOne #NetGalley
The wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi unfolds at this opulent resort. As the offspring of two business moguls, no expenses were spared for this extravagant event. Caleb Prescott III, the groom's best man, is dating Shay, thus earning her an invitation to this lavish weeklong affair. The plot thickens when the bride and groom are found shot in their bed in a locked room at the beginning of the wedding festivities.
While the police suspect a drug cartel hit, the hotel's stringent security measures suggest the possibility of an inside job. With access to the room in question limited to the bride's sister Zara, the best men Caleb and Sean, and the wedding coordinator Daniela, suspicion falls heavily upon them. Shay launches into an investigation, quickly realizing she's in over her head with a murderer on the loose and everyone's safety at risk.
I loved every character especially of Shay. She's like an onion. The more you peel the more you cry to see that she' has more layers than you can ever imagine. Everything about this book is well crafted if you leave the political angle. I don't like politics.
It's a whodunnit and u must go for it.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you William Morrow and S.C. Allí for the opportunity to read this ARC**

A bride and groom shot dead at their destination wedding in Mexico. Caleb, Shawn, and Zara the only ones with access to the bride and groom are quickly looked at as the suspects. Shay takes it upon herself to do some digging into the murder. Shay is dating Caleb and needs to know if he’s a murderer. It was a fast paced read that checked all the boxes.

This was my first read by S.C. Lalli and I can say that I will now be on the look out for more from our author. This was such a great murder mystery and I am beginning to realize just how much I love murder mysteries—trying to guess who did it, what happened and see if I can figure it out before the books end. *spoiler—I didn’t figure it out by the end of our book 🤣.

We have a bride and groom shot dead and now the investigation in on to figure out WHO DID IT. So many twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat and invested through to the end. This will be perfect for the summer vacation…perhaps a vacation to Cabo, Mexico….Put this one on your TBR!

I was soooo enthralled with this book. I loved the way that S.C. Lalli tied the Indian culture and wedding traditions into the story line. I really liked how the narrative flowed, even if the main character had some unsavory attributes.

Overall a quick and easy read, with a twist that I was not expecting!

Come join a super exclusive wedding at a luxury resort in Los Cabos. This week long affair will unite two influential and wealthy Indian-American families. Before they can marry the couple is found murdered and “the plus one” outsider with her own secrets is trying to solve the crime.

This was a fun murder mystery taking place at a luxury resort in Mexico. The evidence kept you guessing who was guilty. The twists were well played! I didn’t see the ending coming.

I liked how the author did flashbacks in time to round out the characters and their interpersonal relationships. I also enjoyed the wedding itinerary to break up the days!

This was the perfect book to read on a recent vacation - murder meets a tropical resort in Mexico! Fast-paced and wasn’t quite sure who the culprit was until the end.

Loved this! This is my first book from this author and it was awesome! Starts off exciting then keeps my interest throughout with lots of twists and turns. You think you know who did it but then everything changes. I will definitely be following this author!

This was a pretty quick and easy read, but it never had me completely hooked or on the edge of my seat. It was just kind of a basic mystery with a basic narrator; I wanted to keep reading to find out the ending, but I wasn't super excited to pick it up and keep reading.

I think this book would have benefitted from Shay having a little bit more of a backstory in the beginning. The story starts off with the engaged couple getting murdered, so you're kind of thrown into that without really getting to learn much about who is telling the story. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I knew/liked Shay more.

This was a great read from start to finish! The pacing of the story was perfect, and I loved the interstitials spread throughout. It was hard for me to put down, as evidenced by my finishing it at 3:30 in the morning!

You’re invited to a beautiful destination wedding with all the glitz, glam and luxury money can buy....

We follow Shay the somewhat reluctant plus one to the best man of a wedding happening at a luxury resort in Los Cabos Mexico. Arriving a couple days after the wedding party and their families her reunion with her boyfriend is cut short.... by the murder of the bride and groom. They are found murdered in their bed and the investigation quickly identifies 3 persons of interest. The best friend, the cousin and the sister aka Caleb, Sean and Zara. Only they had the ability to access the villa where the murders took place. Shay, feeling guilty for a few secrets she’s keeping from Caleb feels like she can’t just abandon him in his time of need. Despite everybody telling her that she should probably go home she sticks around. One of these three people are a killer but how could the people who loved them most be at fault for their deaths?

Driven to find the truth and knowing that everybody is keeping secrets and even lying Shay does some investigating. She needs to know if she’s been sleeping with a killer? Could this be something to do with one of the two families prominent businesses? Is it personal? Who could possibly want to kill the happy couple on the eve of their big day?

The investigation takes some twists and turns but Shay is determined to get to the truth. And the truth is that everybody is hiding something and the secrets revealed are only adding up to half the truth...

I really like this book I spent my whole day reading it because I really wanted to know what happened. I didn’t guess who the killer was though I wasn’t surprised by how their murder plot went awry. The last reveal at the end I guessed early on so I wasn’t surprised. Glad Shay decided to get her life together in the end and that she wasn’t as too stupid to live as I thought she might be when she didn’t go home the million times that people told her to go home. This was definitely a good read.

Y’all know I’m a thriller girlie who is turning into a romance girlie, but my love for the “whodunnit” will always be at the top. I received this arc from NetGalley and hopped right into it. Woman author? Thriller? Indian wedding? Billionaires? Influencers? Cabo? Count me in!

The extravagant Cabo wedding of Raj Joshi and Radhika Singh was going to scream luxury and love. Radhika is an influencer from a family of boss women and Raj is the son and heir to one of India’s wealthiest and powerful men.

Shaylee Kapoor doesn’t fit in but she’s involved only because she’s dating the best man Caleb Prescott III. When Shay makes it to Cabo the day the festivities, the bride and groom are discovered murdered!

Was it a cartel hit? Was it someone in the company that wanted that top spot? Was it someone close to the couple? While guests are scrambling trying to figure out “whodunnit”, everyone is suspicious of everyone. Who is hiding a secret? Shay has secrets of her own but will she be able to unravel the truth and catch a killer?

The book had me guessing throughout who did it plus the Bollywood glamour, high life, influencing and boss women in charge made this a book I enjoyed. The tie in with political and global issues was the only thing that didn’t make me love it but the twists, turns and lies made it worth it!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, William Morrow, and S.C Lalli for the early ready!

I was super impressed with this book. It was a little slow at first but once the story started to progress a bit it was so hard to put down. I was on the edge of my seat and so stressed out. Murder mystery? At a wedding? Fantastic writing and ideas.

Alright folks, buckle up because I just finished diving into the world of the uber-rich and influential nfamilies in "The Plus One."

First off, let me tell you, this book is like a rollercoaster ride through a maze of secrets, lies, and scandal. Imagine being whisked away to a luxurious resort in Cabo for the wedding of the century, only to wake up to the shocking news that the bride and groom are dead. Yep, you read that right. Dead.

Our protagonist, Shay, may seem like your average outsider, but let me tell you, she's got more layers than an onion. Dating the best friend of the groom, she's thrust into this whirlwind of wealth and chaos, and boy does she handle it like a champ.

As the investigation kicks off, Shay's right there in the thick of it, trying to make sense of it all. And let me tell you, it's not just the police pointing fingers. The guests start pointing them too, and suddenly everyone's a suspect.

But here's where it gets juicy: the murders seem like they could be some cartel hit, but hold on a sec, the plot thickens. The hotel room doors are locked up tighter than Fort Knox, and only a handful of people have the keys. So how the heck did the killer get in?

With twists and turns at every corner, "R&R" keeps you guessing until the very end. Who done it? Why? And most importantly, will Shay crack the case wide open?

Overall, if you're into gripping murder mysteries with a side of opulence, this book's for you. Just be prepared to stay up way past your bedtime, because once you start, you won't be able to put it down. Trust me on that one. Five stars from me!

"The Plus One" by S.C. Lalli is a twisty thriller set at a luxury resort in Cabo, Mexico. Told from the first-person perspective, it follows Shaylee “Shay” Kapoor, a South Asian woman with her own agenda.

The wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi unfolds at this opulent resort. As the offspring of two business moguls, no expenses were spared for this extravagant event. Caleb Prescott III, the groom's best man, is dating Shay, thus earning her an invitation to this lavish weeklong affair. The plot thickens when the bride and groom are found shot in their bed in a locked room at the beginning of the wedding festivities.

While the police suspect a drug cartel hit, the hotel's stringent security measures suggest the possibility of an inside job. With access to the room in question limited to the bride's sister Zara, the best men Caleb and Sean, and the wedding coordinator Daniela, suspicion falls heavily upon them. Shay launches into an investigation, quickly realizing she's in over her head with a murderer on the loose and everyone's safety at risk.

Overall, I enjoyed the tale, although I found Shay's character unlikable. Her hypocrisy and occasional condescension, along with her radical tendencies, didn't resonate with me. In fact, I found most of the characters unlikable; while the author adeptly fleshes them out, they lack the charm to make them endearing. They possess a believable depth but lack the qualities that would make me genuinely care about them. Their moral compasses are skewed, exacerbated by their indulgence in alcohol and drugs. I didn't like their entitled approach and their treatment of less fortunate people. Wealthy they might be, but they're not the sort of people I'd want to associate with. However, I appreciated the interactions between the characters, the exploration of cultural nuances, and the vivid setting.

The narrative flows smoothly, transitioning between present scenes and past flashbacks. While these flashbacks provide valuable backstories for the main characters, I found them somewhat dry. The pacing is sometimes quite fast but at times, it dragged. Overall, the story maintains a swift momentum, carrying the reader along effortlessly. I was pleasantly surprised by the twists, which kept me engaged until the final pages. Therefore, I rate the book 4 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy smart thrillers featuring a strong female lead and flawed characters, this book is worth your time.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

I had so much fun reading this. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.