Starts off with all the hints of drama to suck you right in to the story!

But… it slowed down about one third of the way in, and I wasn’t invested or interested in the characters at that stage.

I also wasn’t a fan of the judgmental tone of the narrator with regularly sprinkled in comments about racism, micro-aggressions, and prejudices.

It started to pick up in pace and intensity in the last quarter of the book, and finished strong with an ending I enjoyed!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨ARC Review✨

3.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Plus One
Pub Date: August 13, 2024


The Plus One is a compelling mix of mystery and drama, set against the backdrop of luxurious destination wedding in Los Cabo’s…that takes a deadly turn. While the premise is promising—a high-profile wedding between two wealthy families disrupted by a double murder—the execution of the story, while enjoyable, falls just short of greatness.

The story follows Shay Kapoor who finds herself swept into the lavish world of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi’s extravagant wedding. As the girlfriend of Raj’s best friend, Caleb, Shay is just a guest until the bride and groom are found dead, or is she? The plot thickens as family secrets unravel, accusations fly, and Shay takes it upon herself to piece together the puzzle of this seemingly impossible crime.

Overall, The Plus One is a solid whodunit set in a glamorous, high-stakes world. Fans of mystery and light thrillers will likely enjoy it, but it may leave some readers hoping for more twists or character complexity.

Thank you to NetGalley, S.C. Lalli and William Morrow for the ARC!

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Overall I enjoyed the book and it certainly starts off with a bang. The reader is drawn into the world of the uber rich that live on a whole different stratosphere than the rest of the world. I was disgusted by the way these people treat others and the sense of entitlement is mind boggling even though I know these types of people and families exist in real life. Shay is invited to the wedding because her boyfriend is the groom’s best friend. From the moment the first chapter ends the reader is thrown into the lives of two wealthy and highly influtential Indian-American families. The depths they will go to protect their power and money knows no bounds. Shay is not only a plus one but also has an agenda of her own. As the investigation into the murders unfolds it’s clear the suspect can only be a handful of people that have access to the murdered couples villa. Although there could only be a few people who have committed the heinous crime the book keeps you guessing until the very end and I did not see the final twist coming! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I don't know why so many wedding thrillers keep popping up lately, but this one is definitely putting on any TBR. It is entertaining, with plenty of family drama with turns that keep coming and so many stones to uncover. Shay is attending the wedding of her new(ish) boyfriend's best friend, and so is relatively unknown to many people at the wedding. This is on purpose, as she has her own reasons for attending the wedding besides just being there for her boyfriend. But then the bride and groom are found dead in their room early in the morning, and everyone's secrets start coming out.

Unlike many books in the genre, it is single POV. Shay has her own secrets, but we find these out early on and become most invested in trying to figure out everyone else. There are enough characters to provide the maximum amount of red herrings without getting lost trying to keep everyone straight. The characters are varied, with their own background stories and reasons for their actions.

The book was well written and engaging. I actually downloaded one of the author's earlier books a while ago and never read it. I think this will inspire me to do so.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review.

Immediately hooks you in and the unreliable narrator/two timelines keep you guessing the whole time. Beautiful writing, interesting premise and all the gorgeous details made me feel like I was on vacation! Thanks for the ARC Netgalley!

Sometimes I have trouble getting hooked on a book. For some reason, I felt this was going to be one of those books, but I cracked it open and found myself 10% in without even realizing it. Success! Sometimes the cartel link felt a bit... cheesy?... forced?... I'm not sure, but still it fit. The characters all had plenty of personality and the discovery of these traits happened little by little rather than the author just straight telling us about them, which I adored.

In the end, I hadn't quite seen "that" coming. Everything wrapped up nicely and all my questions were answered without an abrupt ending. I find myself quite pleased with this book and highly recommend it!

3.5 stars

This book had an amazing premise, but it fell flat for me. With the murders happening at the very beginning of the story and the rest of the plot being the investigation and certain parts told in flashbacks, I felt like the tension that I love in these kinds of mysteries was missing.

It was a struggle to get through at times, but I did like the reveal at the end and the little epilogue. I love it when villains get comeuppance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a classic whodunnit thriller set at a destination wedding in Los Vabos, Mexico. The bride and groom are murdered the night before their nuptials but who is responsible? This story is filled with lots of drama and possible theories about the couple’s untimely death. The twists, turns and narration were enough to keep me guessing well into the story. Definitely enjoyed this story more than I anticipated.

Book was good very detailed but it took me forever to finish it :( the plot I did not see coming and I was more intrigued towards the end of the book with everything that was going down between the main characters

Many thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc!

So you put wedding and thriller together and I'm sold. The concept of this book sound so interesting, on the eve of their wedding the happy couple are killed. Our main character is just a 'plus one' that is determined to find out who did it. I hate to admit it, but this book really kind of just fell off for me. It started so strong. and then just got boring for me.

Let me start by saying that I'm a HUGE fan of thrillers set on tropical resorts. As soon as i saw the cover and read the synopsis, I HAD to have it.

Shay got herself invited to the wedding of the year. Money, influence, power - all traits of everyone involved in and invited to the wedding. But what about murder? When the bride and groom are found murdered prior to the ceremony, all hell breaks loose and Shay is caught right in the middle.

This was a fun, wild ride. Shay kept putting herself in dangerous situations and somehow managing to get her butt right back out. I would definitely recommend this as your next "devour a book in one sitting" type of read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Paradise was definitely lost in Cabo, leading to an unforgettable page-turner.

Imagine being invited to the most lavish wedding at a luxurious resort, knowing you don’t belong, and hiding your true reasons for being there. That’s the situation for Shaylee "Shay" Kapoor. She attends the wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi, the event of the season, as the plus-one of Raj’s best friend, Caleb Prescott III. But things take a dark turn when the couple is found dead just as the week-long festivities are about to start. Chaos erupts, and everyone becomes a suspect, with police and the National Guard suspecting cartel involvement. As an outsider with secrets, Shay might be the only one able to unravel the truth.

This gripping thriller starts strong and only gets better, with distinct, well-developed characters and plenty of twists along the way. A stellar read!

Thanks to NetGalley, S.C. Lalli, and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A handsome suitor met on a chance occasion. A beautiful wedding at an all inclusive resort. And then. A mystery. Thriller. And unsuspecting occurrences with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Very rich people behaving very badly. The story follows a fancy destination wedding and your traditional whodunnit plot. Everyone is a suspect. This is a slow burn. If slow burns aren’t your jam, maybe this isn’t for you. Still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to S.C. Lalli, William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity.
3.5 ⭐️

Shay seemingly has hit the jackpot as a plus-one to a luxury, all expenses paid wedding in Mexico! Immediately the wedding is thrown off track when the bride and groom wind up murdered just as Shay shows up. And it turns out, none of the close family and friends (or their dates) are as they seem.

***

I'm torn on this one for sure! First, I feel like the luxury of the resort and wedding were used to sell this book. However, the actual wedding events never even take off! The murder happens BOOM right away and you do not get to experience any of the culture. And quite frankly, I wish we got to explore the resort and the wedding (including our victims more). How can we care about the murder of two people we only see being assholes in flashbacks??

The book itself also just drags a bit *because* the murder happens right away. There is no build up and a lot of random speculation. The flashbacks don't do a lot to advance the plot and really just make me want to punch all of the characters (more on that later).

The breadcrumbs leading to the actual murderer are well received and you have a few motives to pick apart throughout the whole novel. I think it was actually a good mystery.

Finally, all of the characters are just awful. I didn't like anyone except maybe Daniella. They are all pretty awful, but at least Shay gets a dressing down too!!

All in all, I cannot really recommend this novel. However, I am definitely open to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Fun, quick read. Great for fans of White Lotus. I wish it was a bit more of a mystery the reader could figure out on their own, as most of the clues and key information weren't shared until the very end.

This book had a great premise to reel in any thriller reader. Unfortunately the story didn't draw me in the way that most thrillers do. I think that likely this was due to the fact that I found the main character to be completely unlikeable and unrelatable. Locked door mysteries can be a lot of fun but too much time was spent on the cartel theory. I wasn't into it and wanted them to move onto the next idea.

Overall it was fine but nothing that I would recommend or want to read again.

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.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows the hottest wedding of the season but it ends terribly with a double murder.

This book sounded right up my alley but unfortunately it just fell flat. I didn't find the mystery intriguing and the characters annoyed me so much. I just didn't care about who the killer was or what happened to anyone.

I hope others love this one.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of The Plus One by S.C. Lalli- 3/5 stars

This was a classic whodunit book that takes place at a luxurious resort for a wedding that unfortunately never takes place... due to the involvement of drug cartels.

The unreliable narrator, Shay, takes us through this whodunit through her eyes and also her motives.

This was a quick read!