Shaylee Kapoor is the "plus one" at a lavish Indian wedding taking place at a luxurious resort in Mexico. Shay feels out of place with her boyfriend Caleb's uber-wealthy friends and as soon as she arrives, she figures out Caleb has lied to her. However, she is willing to overlook what Caleb did because Shay is keeping a big secret of her own. Things turn tragic when the bride and groom are found dead in their villa, and it's rumored this could be a drug cartel killing. However, when it looks like the killer could be someone in the couple's inner circle, Shay becomes determined to learn the truth about what really happened.

I was pleasantly surprised that this book was different from the typical destination thriller with "friends behaving badly." The plot has depth and involves corporate intrigue, social justice, and how appearances can be deceiving. Nobody in the book was completely likable, but I was rooting for Shay. I kept changing my mind about who I thought the killer was and I ended up being wrong. The book has some pacing issues, but is an entertaining read. I enjoyed the information about Indian wedding traditions that is included in the story. There is a flash-forward ending that wraps up most things in the plot although a few are purposely left open-ended. I enjoyed the book and would definitely read more by this author.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, William Morrow Books, and Scene of the Crime. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Thank you to S.C. Lalli, William Marrow Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Shaylee "Shay" Kapoor, is a plus one who was invited to an extremely exclusive wedding, hosted at a resort because her boyfriend, Caleb Prescott, is the best friend of the groom. Shortly after Shay arrives to the resort on the day that wedding festivities are supposed to begin, the bride and groom are both found dead in their hotel room, which only three people had access to at the time of the murders, Caleb and Sean (the two best men) and Zara (the bride's sister) and an additional person with an alibi. However, the police believe that the drug cartel is involved in the murders even though there was a limited amount of people that could have entered the room.

A soon as the book starts, the reader is thrown right into the story; there was little to no backstory. The story had a fast pace, with things constantly happening and new information being thrown in, but overall, it wasn't as excting as I usually look for with thriller books and the story did not hook me and make me want to keep reading to find out more. I do think that this book could have potentially benefited from being multi-POV instead of a standard single POV to add more interest in other characters and their thought processes overall during the investigation. I could not relate to any of these characters at all, and they were all generally unlikeable.

Imagine nice summer breezes and luxury villas. Five star restaurants and plenty of drama. The Plus One delivered all of that and more. After all, the amateur detective narrator and unguessable twists were just the start of the fun. Because along with the rich people behaving badly vibe and luxury setting, there were plenty of serious topics on tap that made me think long and hard. Above all, though, this was a sharp satirical look at two truly dysfunctional families. Think The White Lotus with a stronger suspense-driven twist.

From the top, thanks to ever rising tension and some thoroughly unlikeable, morally gray characters, I quickly got pulled into this destination wedding from hell. Filled with suspicious individuals, you better believe that they all got a serious side-eye from me. But the absolute best piece to this whodunnit plot? That would be the final revelation that had me sitting straight up in bed as my jaw hit the floor. I definitely didn’t see it coming, which made me positively giddy.

The only pieces to the puzzle that weren’t an utter slam dunk were the focus on the possible drug cartel angle and the slow burn first half. I can’t go into specifics about the former as it would certainly spoil the plot, but just know that it wasn’t quite perfected in my humble opinion. As for the latter, I could’ve done with a bit more propulsion from the offset of this twisty, twisty plot. Nevertheless, I found it one humdinger of a book despite all of the above.

Now that I’m finished, it’s clear that Ms. Lalli has done it yet again. After inhaling Are You Sara? just last year, I couldn’t wait to dive into her newest thriller. What shocked me even more this time around, though, was her ability to give this book an entirely different feel from her stellar debut. But with yet another smoothly unfurling narrative, both managed to win me over hook, like, and, sinker. All told, I’m duly impressed. Bring on book three, I’m ready and waiting. Rating of 4 stars.

Thank you to S.C. Lalli, William Morrow, and NetGalley for my complimentary digital and physical copies. All opinions are my own.

Twisted is definitely the word that comes to mind with this book, though it’s a twisted due to jealousy and greed. Shay is just a normal girl that happens to be dating the rich and her boyfriend’s very rich best friend was just murdered along with his soon to be wife. By soon to be they are literally on the wedding trip and the bride and groom are dead. Everyone is a suspect and that includes family members and Shay who is not just an ordinary girl.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!
A whodunnit thriller! Quick and Easy read. A mysterious murder happened the night before the wedding. It was very thrilling, engaging and kept you guessing up until the end. There were most parts about midway through the book that could have been removed but quickly picked up towards the end. I believe the book would’ve been more impactful with multiple POVs. Overall a great suggestion for a murder mystery thriller.

thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

really enjoyed this one! read it in one sitting. it's definitely a breezy and fun summer thriller, but it's also got that gut-churning suspense that keeps you reading. like I was so stressed for the protagonist lol. I'm not sure if the flashbacks were needed, but they ended up fleshing out the characters more, so it was fine. I have a couple of other nitpicks, like that time Shay complained about mansplaining when the guy was legitimately telling her about something she didn't know, but nothing ruined the book at all. definitely recommend to take this one to the beach when it comes out in a week or so.

This book was an ARC from NetGalley. This is a murder mystery set against an up coming wedding in a tropical resort. The story was your standard who dun-it, and overall I could not get invested in the story or the characters. It felt like everything was high level, and working through a check list of milestones to hit for the genre. The main characters background, and reason for pursing the story was lacking. The relationship with Lexie was toxic, and didn't add anything to the plot. Thankfully this was a quick read, because I wouldn't have wanted to invest more time to the story. #netgalley #wedding #mystery #thriller #theplusone

The Plus One by SC lolly when the book begins were introduced to Shaylee Kapoor who is just arrived at Blush resort los Cabos she’s the plus one for her boyfriend and best man Caleb Prescott. This is the most lavish event Shaylee has ever attended and probably ever will
Caleb‘s best friend and brother from another mother Roshi is getting married to his influencer girlfriend and both families are Uber rich hence the Lavis celebration but soon after arriving Shaylee and Caleb find out the couple has been found shot execution style in their bed. The Joshies call a family meeting and this is where Shaylee will meet all the family members a.k.a. the suspects. Radke‘s sister Alexa is there along with Rossi‘s cousin Sean his dad and of course Caleb. Shaylee feels out of sorts due to the wealth and command of the room that some there possess I mean she’s just there because she’s Caleb‘s girlfriend right? Unfortunately there’s more than one answer to that question this book is full of intrigue in high levels of tension I knew when she saw the condom in the bathroom and decided not to mention it because in her words she’s done worse to him that this was going to be a good book an OMG was it good. There’s so many different faces to this book in different character development going on it is hard for me to do a review just know one is her current day situation/investigation and the second is the past three months meeting Caleb and dating him. The further into the book it gets the higher it seems the tension grows I thought this was a clever book and although if I really thought about it that would be a couple of negatives but I was too busy being in to the story to write anything down and that is a true mark of a great book when I don’t want to stop reading to take notes and that definitely happen with this book. They have some very devious and duplicitous characters in the book and OMG there’s so much I want to say but like always don’t want to spoil it for anyone this was a great book and one I definitely recommend. #NetGalley, #WilliamMorrow, #SCLali, #ThePlus1,

3.5 stars rounded up
Shay Kapoor just arrived in Cabos San Lucas, Mexico for the biggest wedding of the year. Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi are getting married at a very lush resort. It’s a week long affair, with daily activities. Radhika is a famous influencer, and Raj is the son of a billionaire. Shay was invited by her boyfriend, Caleb, who is the best man. Shortly after Shay arrives, the engaged couple is found murdered in their villa. The only people with keys to the villa, aside from the couple and the wedding planner, are Caleb, Zara, sister of the bride, and Sean, cousin of the groom. Shay decides to stay and investigate on her own who might have murdered the couple. She’s hoping that she won’t find that she’s been sleeping with a murderer. This story pulled me in right away, and I flew through the first half. The pacing slowed slightly after the first half, and the ending seemed a bit flat. Overall, I still really enjoyed this book and will continue reading whatever this author writes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced readers copy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and S.C. Lalli for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Plus One coming out August 13, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoy psychological thrillers. This book suggested it’s a cross between The White Lotus and The Guest List. I’m obsessed with both. I could compare parts of the book, but there were some plot points I didn’t enjoy in the book. I don’t want to give anything away, but it included a trope I really don’t like reading about. I think parts of the book were exciting and contained a lot of action, but I lost a little interest in other parts. The bride and groom shock at the beginning was definitely edge of your seat entertainment. I also really enjoyed the Crazy Rich Indians. It felt like Bollywood. I would check out other books by this author!

This was one of those books that made me want to play hooky to finish 🤣. There were so many questions to be answered after the death of the almost married couple that I couldn’t wait to find out what happened! I felt like it was a little bit repetitive and overwhelming with tiny details I didn’t really need, but really enjoyed the storyline overall.

The Plus One is an excellent book. Shaylee is invited to be “the plus one” to attend a destination wedding with her boyfriend. Caleb and Shaylee are a cute couple and it was cute to see Caleb from Shaylee’s perspective. I really loved Shaylee’s character! I felt like I could relate to her, her inner workings and had envy at her career journey. Periodically we get the deets on what will happen each day or night for the wedding and it sounds absolutely beautiful and sometimes mysterious. Make sure to be suspicious of everyone as you never know who you can trust.

This book started off great and had me hooked immediately. A group of people attend a destination wedding and it appears they’re all hiding something when the bride and groom end up murdered. About halfway through however I felt like it started to kind of drag on and lose my interest. I feel like it could have been a little bit shorter or we could have had more clues as to the murderer vs the main character constantly saying “I’m certain about who it’s NOT… or am I?” Overall a worthwhile read but not anything groundbreaking.

I think this was a solid beach read. It’s nothing groundbreaking but it’s fast paced, melodramatic, and a quick read.

Great way to finish off a summer of great reads!

A posh resort hosts a wedding joining two super rich families and a young reporter manages to get invited as the best mans plus one! What a great weekend - but maybe not!

Well written, fast paced - loved the ending!

Such. A. GREAT. Book!! The perfect book to end your summer with!! I was so captivated by this book! It was wonderful. Loved the setting, the characters were so relatable, and the story was just so good. Highly recommend!

ARC Review-- 4 Stars

Pub Date: August 13 2024

The wedding of the season is set to occur- a fancy, highfalutin affair to be held at a luxury resort in Los Cabos Mexico. Two of the world's most wealthy couples are joining in marriage, Raj Joshi and Radhika Singh, however before they can say I do, they are tragically murdered. This quickly becomes a whodunnit, investigated and told by our narrator and "plus one", Shaylee (Shay) whom must figure out what happened to the bride and groom to be before her real agenda is found out.

This was a fast paced, quick read for me. It has summertime, vacation, and beach vibes. This would be a perfect book to take with you and read at your leisure this summer. I loved the dual timelines, switching between past and present as well as the twists and turns of the mystery into who murdered the happy couple and why.

I would happily recommend this book to anyone who loves a domestic thriller. Such a great time!

✨Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and William Morrow Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. ✨

Wow!!! This one had me hooked - it was a good quick read and so interesting. I was dying to know what happened next. I love this author too!

Fun, breezy summer read! Shay is the plus one to the wedding of the year only to be throw into the middle of a murder mystery when the bride and groom are found dead the day of the wedding. The characters were pretty silly at times and there were definitely some plot holes, but still a fun read. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

What a wonderful who dun it type of read. I was trying to figure things out the whole way through and was surprised at the ending. I have started another book and still find myself thinking of this one which makes it the best type of book.