The Plus One was a fantastic thriller! I felt like I was at this fancy resort wedding as well. There were twists and turns and I didn’t predict the ending so all the stars!!!

Shaylee "Shay" Kapoor is invited to the wedding of the year in Mexico for social influencer Radhika Singh and billionaire Raj Joshi. However upon arrival to the hotel all hell breaks loose because the bride and groom are murdered.

Follow Shay in her investigation of who could have done it and the twists and turns, which I loved.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy!

I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow via NetGalley.

This book promised a thrilling weeklong wedding extravaganza set in a luxurious Cabos resort, culminating in a shocking murder mystery. However, I felt the reality fell short of my expectations.

The story centers around the opulent wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi, an event meant to unite two influential Indian-American families. The week, coined "R&R" for rest, relaxation, and celebration, quickly spirals into chaos when the bride and groom are found dead with gunshot wounds to the head.

Enter Shaylee “Shay” Kapoor, an outsider dating Raj’s best friend, Caleb Prescott III. Shay finds herself amidst the unfolding drama, staying by Caleb’s side as the investigation begins. The police suspect a drug cartel hit, but with the resort’s state-of-the-art security, it seems impossible for the murderer to have entered without a key. With only a few people having access to the room, Shay must untangle a web of lies to discover the truth.

Despite the intriguing premise, the book failed to deliver on its promise. The plot, heavily laden with drug references, felt disconnected and poorly paced. I found myself struggling to stay invested in the story, largely due to the lack of compelling characters. Unfortunately, none of the characters were likable or relatable, making it difficult to root for anyone or care about their fate.

Overall, this book was a disappointing read for me. The excitement and suspense promised in the blurb were sorely missing, replaced by a tedious and unengaging narrative. This book didn’t live up to its hype, leaving me feeling underwhelmed and uninterested in the outcome.

Shaylee has just been invited as a "plus one" to THE wedding of the year. Two billionaire families will be throwing an ultra-lavish Indian wedding at an exclusive resort in Mexico. She's only recently started dating Caleb, so she is thrilled to be able to join him for his best friend's wedding. Things take a huge turn when the engaged couple end up dead and Shaylee's boyfriend just may be the killer.
This book took me a really long time to finish. The premise was good and it definitely kept me guessing as to who the killer might be. However, it just seemed to take way too long to finally wrap things up. I wasn't a fan of Shay, or any of the characters for that matter, I feel like we never really got to know them on a deeper level. The story kept jumping around between different scenarios and the ending was just too neatly wrapped up. This was my first book by this author, and while not my favorite, I do look forward to reading more by her.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not gonna lie, at the beginning of this book I was shocked at how quickly things went from 0 to 100 and how it got to investigative for me, BUT then I got so invested in trying to figure out what happened along with our FMC, Shay. It was really like reading through a movie and I enjoyed how you were really Shay’s mind trying to piece everything together to see how it fit and who did it.

There were times I felt like the story was drawn out, but it added to feeling like you were really going day to day in figuring out what was happening. Wasn’t necessarily a quick read, but an intriguing one.

Needless to say all my theories were wrong, I’d make a bad detective😂

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for offering an e-ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

What a page-turner! Imagine hiding your intentions for the sake of attending a lavish wedding, only to get caught up in a more significant event with much more profound consequences! S.C.Lalli had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I especially loved using the wedding program, as it hints that things would only get worse.

The use of class, racism, white privilege, and fractured female friendships was perfect. Not once did I feel like I was being beaten over the head with what S.C. Lalli was trying to convey, which is either way, capitalism will continue to cost us lives, even amongst the ones benefiting from it the most.

Really enjoyed this fast paced who dun it with unlikeable characters. I loved that they dove right into it at the beginning with a double murder at a wedding. I was back and forth the whole book never quite sure of who the murderer was until the final reveal. There were a lot of layers and the added complexity of the narrator not really being who she said she was. Would definitely recommend this as a quick summer read!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay I am absolutely going to reread this via audio when it is out because I need to hear this narrated to me. I was not expecting the big reveals, twists and turns, and I know people will be on the edge of their seats reading this one.

"The Plus One" by Lalli is a drama-filled mystery that will keep you hooked until the end with its classic whodunit elements. The story starts with the sudden deaths of the bride and groom, diving right into the intrigue. While it might take some time to get fully invested, the story wraps up nicely with surprising twists.

So much drama. The classic who-done-it keeps you hooked through suspecting until the end. Took me a while to get invested in this one, but the story wraps up nicely.

rating: 3.75

This is my second read by Lalli and it was VERY DIFFERENT - I’ve read “The Matchmaker’s List” and really enjoyed it. What pulled me in initially was that this was a mystery written by an Indian author and set within an Indian environment.
On the writing, the first chapter sets you up with the different kinds of mysteries, and the immediate notice that the bride and groom have died - I liked that we dove right into the deaths. I do think there should’ve been more suspects included - since it was a close knit group, they are only so many options. Overall, this was a good read but could’ve been shorter.

Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi are set to marry in Cabos, joining two wealthy Indian-American families. But on the wedding day, they're both found dead by gunshot wounds.

Shay, who is dating the groom's best friend, finds herself drawn into the thick of the murders, which are thought to be a hit by drug cartels.

Overall, it was an interesting story, although it did bog down a bit in the middle.

The Plus One tells the story of Shaylee “Shay” Kapoor tagging alone with her boyfriend Caleb to an extravagant wedding of wealthy influencer Radhika and her equally wealthy fiancée Raj at a luxurious resort in Cabo, Mexico. Unfortunately, the bride and groom are found murdered at the start of the lavish celebrations and it appears to be linked to a drug cartel. Shay begins to do some digging and finds herself down a rabbit hole of greed, elitism, racism, and mystery.
Almost every character was unlikeable and unreliable which makes for a wild ride of lies, deception, and just morally bankrupt people!
This was a 4*read and a fun twisty ride! Thank you to William Morrow for the E-Arc and the chance to review it!

A lush resort in Mexico; the wedding between 2 Indian-Americans merging 2 very wealthy families; the murders of the young couple prior to the wedding; and an outsider who would have been the “plus one” at the wedding, all set the up this fast paced story. The outsider/“ plus one”, Shay, delves into the families, their businesses and their interrelationships as she attempts to figure out who killed the young couple. Throw in the possibility of a drug cartel mixed up with the business of the groom’s family and the story becomes even more intriguing. The book easily transitions from past to present several times as Shay attempts to solve the murder mystery. With several twists and turns, the criminal is eventually uncovered after keeping the reader constantly guessing which of several possible characters could have committed the crime. There were a few surprises at the end as the case is solved and the killer was a surprise to me,
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read this ARC.

Shay arrives at what is expected to be the wedding of the century. A social media darling and heir to a beauty empire is set to wed a billionaire businessman in an Indian American multi-day extravaganza. Shay only scored an invite by being the best man’s girlfriend. Then, the night before the ceremony, both bride and groom are found murdered in their hotel room. As law enforcement swarms the scene, Shay believes her outsider status grants her the ability to see beneath the surface to solve the mystery. But, when every guest – including Shay – harbors secrets, will the truth ever be revealed? The luxury locale and juicy plot make this a perfect summer read

This book was okay. I felt like the author did not do a great job at making the characters likable is the big problem in this book. Otherwise, I thought the plot was okay.

Shaylee Kapoor's new boyfriend, Caleb Prescott, invites her as his plus one, to his best friend's wedding. The bride and groom are having a classic Indian wedding at the Blush Resort and Spa in Los Cabos., but the morning before the wedding, both are found dead. The police start to investigate, especially Shay, who is more than willing to stay on at Caleb's request, for she also has secrets and an agenda of her own.
An intriguing suspense mystery set in an exotic location in which only one of a handful of guests can be the murderer.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read "The Plus One".

A destination wedding interrupted by the murder of the bride and groom. Set in Cabo in a locked room/ resort mystery.

My favorites parts were the wedding details and the itinerary messages. This would have been a very glamorous event and made for a nice setting.

The characters had potential too. Influencers and evil corporate billionaires could have made good foils for our main character, a covert journalist and the best man’s plus one. The main problem is the main character is so unlikeable. She’s judgmental, hypocritical, egocentric and her motivation for hating the other characters did not sound reasonable. I found myself rooting for the killer.

Having said that, the mystery part was compelling and figuring out that part kept me interested. I suspected everyone.

I really liked how this started out but then very quickly it becomes a little hard to follow. Multiple story lines pop up and I think if a few of those had not been in the book it'd have been a much easier read. The main character, Shay, is likeable but you kind of lose it with her even halfway through.

This book has a quick pace and does its best to keep you engaged. The main character Shay is very unlikable and unreliable which is distracting and makes it a tough read at times. There are some major plot holes and the ending was enough to drop it down to two stars for me.