Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 8/13/24!

To start my review, I will say that I don’t believe that I am the ideal reader for this novel. This book read to me more as a mystery than a thriller. I did struggle at times to get through scenes, as I found myself not relating (or in some cases even liking) the characters. Although the ending was satisfying, I did find the middle third of the book to be slower paced than the rest of the novel. That being said, I do believe that this novel would be a good beach read for someone who gravitates toward reading a traditional mystery than a thriller.

The plus one was an interesting read. Hooked from the start. Two wealthy families being united in marriage. A destination wedding to die for and a drug cartel. When a bride and groom are found dead before their wedding in an exclusive resort everyone becomes a suspect. Shay finds herself as a plus one to the wedding and then trying to discover who murdered the bride and groom.

After the success of Are You Sara?, S.C. Lalli’s second thriller The Plus One gives readers a taste of an extravagant Indian wedding, à la White Lotus. Shay Kapoor is invited as the best man’s plus one to THE wedding of the century: the children of two insanely wealthy Indian families are getting married. However, on the eve of the wedding, the bride and groom are murdered in cold blood, and due to the exclusiveness of the resort, there are only three possible suspects: the bride’s sister, the groom’s cousin, and Shay’s boyfriend.

This is a whodunit in the best way possible: there are red herrings galore, and so, so, many turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. Lalli weaves together intricate layers of intrigue throughout Shay’s investigation, and just when you think all the layers have been peeled back, Lalli reveals another one. In fact, if you’re like me and try to guess the ending by the end of the first chapter, this is the kind of story where you can be both right and wrong about the murderer’s reveal.

The plot keeps you up reading until 3 a.m., but it’s Lalli’s writing style that keeps the pages turning. Shay is an engrossing character–a bit sarcastic, a bit flawed, and 100% relatable. Add that to Lalli’s vivid descriptions of a posh Cabo resort that only caters to the rich and famous–of which Shay is neither–and you’ve got a hell of a good read. I powered through this book in a matter of hours!

When I saw White Lotus meets The Guest List I knew I would be in for a treat! What a ride it was. This was definitely a quick read and I liked the flashbacks and pacing. I did not guess the ending but still felt like something was missing to make it draw dropping. Would recommend if you like domestic thrillers!

3.5 stars rounded up. This had a lot of the elements that I love to see in a thriller - wedding, remote location, sketchy cast of characters. It won't go down as one of my favorite examples of those tropes, but it was still a pretty fun, entertaining book. I'd say it's perfect for a quick vacation read.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

The Plus One by S.C. Lalli is a suspenseful thriller set at a destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas. From the moment Shay Kapoor arrives at the opulent Blush resort in Cabo, something is off. Everyone is acting shady even before the bodies of the bride and groom are discovered—murdered in their villa the night before their wedding. As Shay begins to investigate, there are a number of reasons that Raj and Radhi could have been murdered—ties to the cartel, Radhi’s involvement with her family’s multimillion dollar beauty company, Raj’s family’s sketchy business dealings, or any other personal reasons. Shay knows she’ll be in danger if the family finds out she’s not who she says she is but Shay wants to take down Raj’s father and the whole family after finding out about his shady company business. Can Shay get the evidence she needs to take him down?

Good story, kept me guessing until the end!

I love me a good romance but I’m a mood reader, so I was seeking a bit of a mystery and thriller… and The Plus One by S.C Lalli did the trick!

To be honest, I have never watched The White Lótus or read The Guest List 👀 so I can’t really compare the two, but I really enjoyed how The Plus One brought in a little bit of everything- there was family drama, secrets, politics, social status, the other side of influencing, culture and a touch of romance. Oh and lots of revenge and vengeance!!! Put of all those topics together and add some beach vibes- you get yourself a perfect summer time mystery thriller that will leave you guessing until the last minute.

I also liked how S.C Lalli included past and snippets of what the wedding party would have been in the interludes. That was such a clever way to add to the plot and leave the readers wondering…. At one point I thought the whole thing was a set up and Raj and Rashida would just show up with a big “ta da!!!”

So my mama friends- if you want to take add some thrill to your file, make sure to put The Plus One on your TBR- or just grab yourself a copy which is now available at your favorite bookstores 🫶🏽.

A somewhat predictable murder mystery that dragged on with characters that were hard to relate to and weren’t very likable. Unfortunately this story wasn’t for me, but with a little more structure and depth it could really be something.

The Plus One was an entertaining read. Shay an undercover journalist has snuck her way into the private lives of the elite multi millionaire Joshi family by dating their best friend. She gained an invite as a plus one to the wedding of the year for the rich Raj Joshi and his bride famous influencer Rashi. On the morning of their wedding at Blush resort in Cabo, Raj and Rashi are found murdered. This makes Shays story even larger than she realized and even more dangerous than she expected. Throughout the book Shay is trying to uncover who is behind the murder to expand her career in journalism while also navigating her feelings for her cheating boyfriend. This book is a slow type of thriller. It isn’t too fast paced, and although there is a murder in it, it seems to focus more on capitalism and the drug cartel. Many of the situations the main character finds herself in are a bit convenient to the plot line but overall it was an interesting read.

At a high-class resort in Mexico, two members of Indian-American families are shot and killed days before their marriage. As the girlfriend of a groomsman, Shay is the one person invited who is not wealthy or influential. While the Mexican authorities focus on cartel involvement, Shay suspects someone in one of the two families. Both run powerful corporations, and one may have a criminal connection to the resort that was to host the wedding.
S.C. Lalli does a good job of dropping breadcrumbs and weaving suspicion in the story. The reveal of the killer is well done.
I struggled to maintain an interest in the mystery. The victims don’t get much introduction before their murder and don't draw sympathy. Neither do the suspects. For most of the book, Shay mulls over vague corporate crimes as the motive. The lavish festivities and the expected guests would have ramped up the excitement. Unfortunately, all this is canceled for drier musings about shareholders and money laundering.

This was a quick read. Interesting mystery about a "black hotel". Something I never heard of. It was timely as I had just recently gone to Cabo for the first time. No one is as they seem.

As a murder mystery and satire of the rich, this was fine, but the journalism descriptions here were quite laughable and unrealistic and that very much took me out of it.

Amazing! I was hooked immediately and could not stop reading. I loved the story and the writing. I hope to see and read more by this author.

Shay was never seen as good enough to them, socially below them, not enough money and cruelly ostracized. But she still caught the eye of Caleb and an invitation to a wedding event of the season, a “who’s who” guest list where the author will overly and repeatedly remind she doesn’t belong. But the mystery begins as the soon to be newly weds are found dead and the reader is introduced to dual timelines.

The characters are interesting to say the least; the rich are portrayed cruelly, judgmental and I find it hard to believe the father of the groom is concerned with our MC’s social status when his son is found dead. Be prepared to back burner some common sense thoughts as you read through this one. Even though this is calling as slow paced, it doesn’t feel it at times. You’ll move pretty easily through it as the author understands how to write a good transition.

This book does have a pet peeve of mine- the one where the “internal dialogue” of our MC contradicts how she really feels or is doing. So that narrative was really only written to trick the reader. Breaking the fourth wall so to speak. So in that reference, be prepared to call the twists.

Overall, I’m on the fence of recommending giving the book a chance. It gets more than interesting around page 100, and the MC more root-able around page 200, even though she felt like a walking contradiction. Let’s put trigger warnings please- the blatant racism from the social elite and abusive narcissistic type relationship was very uncomfortable to read. I would round up to 2.5 stars if NetGalley did half stars

Paradise was definitely lost in Cabo and followed it into the unknown. What. A. Page Turner.

What would you do if you were invited to the wealthiest of weddings at the most luxurious resort and you knew you didn't belong? And what if no one knew your real reason for being there? This is exactly what happens Shaylee "Shay" Kapoor. Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi's wedding is going to be THE event of the season and the world is watching. Shay just so happens to be the plus one of Raj's best friend, Caleb Prescott III. On the morning of the start to the week long festivities, the resort's coordinator finds Raj and Radhika dead. Chaos immediately makes its presence known on the resort as everyone ends up a suspect. The police and National Guard show up, believing the murders are tied to the drug cartel. Shay is an outsider but she has secrets of her own. She just might be in the right position to untangle all of the lies.

This book had a great start and kept getting better and better as it progressed. I was completely caught up in the flow as Lalli introduced new developments to the storyline. The characters were completely distinct and well developed. What a stellar thriller!

Special thank you to NetGalley, S.C. Lalli, and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this incredible thriller in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for a copy of The Plus One by S.C. Lalli in return for my honest review of this book. This had all the things I love in a thriller book. Murder mystery, twisted characters, and scandals. I liked it but I did not love it. I did not connect with the characters as much as I had wanted to. It was a bit predictable in my opinion but still an easy read. I felt that the premise of the book was really good it just did not hit for me as much as I thought it would have.

The wedding of the year takes a twisted turn as a murder mystery unfolds when the bride and groom wind up dead the night before their wedding. The setting was amazing as it was a destination wedding. If you like scandalous rich people, a murder investigation, and unreliable characters then this one may be for you. Just because I did not love this one does not mean you won't. It was more adventurous than I thought it would be. I enjoy a twisted psychological thriller rather than an action packed thriller and this one was more action packed than I had anticipated.

📚 PUBLICATION WEEK BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Plus One By S.C. Lalli
Publication Date: August 13, 2024
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

The Plus One is a slow burn thriller with a long list of potential suspects and theories in this destination whodunnit.

The story is told by our female MC, Shaylee (Shay), across multiple timelines before and after a murder of two high-profile characters at a destination wedding. The reader learns pretty quickly that Shay is hiding secrets... But that so is everybody else.

In all honesty, I didn't find many of the characters in this book very lovable. A handful of them were likeable, but it was tough to stay super invested in this one because it was a really slow burn for me. There were definitely parts of the story that were suspense-filled and I enjoyed the whodunnit plotline of the book. But even the question of "whodunnit" got narrowed down kinda quickly, so you knew it was a pretty small pool of possible characters who had either committed the crime or assisted in committing the crime... And I think the limited options were what made the story feel a little slower to me.

That being said, I do think there was some good mystery here and I always enjoy a whodunnit thriller. Lalli's writing style was fun, with the moving timeline of the chapters creating lingering suspense as more pieces of the puzzle were revealed.

If you're a fan of a good whodunnit murder mystery, or if you like destination thrillers, I think you'll really enjoy this book. While the pace is set to slow burn, the book itself is a pretty quick read with some fun unexpected twists. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

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"The Plus One" by S.C. Lalli is a very enjoyable whodunit thriller set at a resort in Cabo, Mexico with many twists and turns throughout the entire book. The story was unexpected and really engaging, I could not put it down.
Overall, great read, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley, The Author, & William Morrow Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The initial promise of an exhilarating weeklong wedding extravaganza set in a luxurious Cabos resort, culminating in a shocking murder mystery, had me eagerly anticipating an enthralling read. However, I must admit that the reality fell short of my expectations.

I found myself struggling to maintain interest in the story and it took me quite a while to finish reading it. . Regrettably, none of the characters were likable or relatable, making it challenging to root for anyone or become invested in their fate.

I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow via NetGalley.in exchange for my honest review.

Shay is the plus-one at a destination wedding in Cabo. She is dating the groom's best friend. Bride and groom are murdered and only a few people have a key to the murder-room. Police suspect a cartel hit. Fortunately, Shay is also a reporter and knows a thing or two about investigations. Shay also has secrets of her own. Who would want to kill a super-rich couple on their wedding day? I loved the location, even more as I am soon to visit it. Shay was a great main character, and I always love a peek into the lives of the ridiculously rich! Definitely a fun summer read, and I look forward to more from this author!

Thank you to #NetGalley, S.C. Lalli and William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks for this AC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review on Amazon, Instagram and other social media and retail sites upon publication day of Aug 13th.