3.75 ⭐️ Great summer read! This book was really easy to get into and it picked up pretty quickly. It was full of twists, lies, betrayal and turns that kept me guessing! Some parts did feel a bit drawn out and repetitive but I’d definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC.

I loved this story! I loved the twists and turns, the unreliability of literally everyone, and I loved not being able to predict the murderer. I really enjoyed the setting and the wrap up of this story. What fun

It’s the wedding event of the year and Shay is going with her boyfriend who is also the best man. On an exclusive resort in Mexico, Shay arrives to find that the bride and groom murdered in their suite. As an outsider Shay tries to find out who did it and why.

Really great story, suspenseful and kept me wanting more. Surprised at the ending and it wrapped up well.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC in return for my review!

A beautiful resort in Los Cabos, Mexico should be the perfect destination for the lavish wedding of the year…but it quickly turns into the location of the double murder of the bride Radhika and groom Raj. 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️

Shaylee “Shay” Kapoor, girlfriend of the best man and undercover reporter, is on a mission to uncover the truth about a deadly fire and how the groom’s billionaire father, Mr Joshi, may be involved. Little did Shay know she’d soon be working to uncover who the murderer of the bride and groom is as well; and that the 3 main suspects are to close to home: Caleb, the groom’s best friend & best man,
Zara, sister of the bride or Sean, brother of the groom.

The Plus One wasn’t a thriller in the way where there’s a lot of action but it’s definitely suspense driven, which is nice, but there was a lot going on within the plot. First the corruption of Mr Joshi (Groom’s father) and his involvement in a fire killing multiple people, his company’s possible involvement with the Mexican cartel, and then of course the death and the whodunnit aspect of it.

As you’re reading you’re trying to solve the murder with Shay. The author did a great job of moving the focus from one suspect to another, to where you really believe any of the 3 suspects could have killed the bride and groom. If you read enough suspense/thrillers, or constantly watch ID channel like I do, I think you start developing a sense of figuring things out in books and I’m happy to say, this book kept me guessing until the reveal! There’s a lot happening here which sometimes makes it feel a bit drawn out and you don’t end up loving any specific character (they are all flawed as we humans are). This was my first book by this author and it kept me interested!

**Thank you to NetGalley, Williams Morrow Books and S.C Lalli**

Nothing and nobody is what it seems! That’s my review of this book in a single statement. This story reminded me of a rubberband ball. From start to finish. If you love a thriller that you can’t figure out, this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This definitely had an interesting premise and an unexpected ending. The format was a little odd with some of the back and forth with the wedding, even after it wasn’t happening. I also thought the characters could have been a little more developed, but this was a decent poolside thriller. 3.5/5⭐️rounded up to 4. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!!

Talk about a sad balloon.

The Plus One should have been great. Rich people, a fancy wedding, a wedding party full of liars.... Instead this was a long-drawn out and confusing plot. I hated LITERALLY every single person.

Thanks to netGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book

This took me a bit longer to read than normal. It was a good story, but also a tad slow. I felt like there was a lot going on. Clearly the Joshi family is corrupt. So, I'm not surprised that more than one family member was involved in the crimes. I'm not even surprised that a journalist was inestigating, though she clearly crossed some lines to do so. I was a bit shocked that Zara was the killer, however. I would've pegged Mr. Joshi. The book kept you guessing as to what was going on. The suspense of Shay investigating had me on the edge of my seat that she would be caught a few times!

This was a pretty good thriller, with lots of secrets and twists. I enjoyed the luxury resort setting, as well as the references to Indian culture. My one tiny complaint is that certain words or phrases were used (such as to describe the traditional Indian dress) that I was unfamiliar with, so I couldn’t have a full picture in my head of what was being said. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Plus One is a locked room mystery with plenty of twists. It kept me really engaged, and I didn’t feel like I could guess the resolution because I could see this story going in so many different directions. Almost all of the characters are unbelievably rich, and as morally corrupt as you can imagine. Even the main character, Shay, is hiding things and bending her morals as she spends more time immersed in this environment. I did feel like the characters were a little two-dimensional, but overall I enjoyed that the book kept me guessing about who the murderer was and what their motivations were. I would recommend this book for people looking for a twisty mystery with morally bankrupt characters.

I will post my review on Instagram the week of August 13

This story was a wild ride! It starts off with a bang. We know our main character has something to hide, and two of the characters (the bride and groom) are found murdered.

The story captivated me from the beginning. I love a good thriller, set at a destination, in this case, at a swanky resort in Cabos, Mexico.

But, there was a time when I was going to put it down because it seemed to be going down a path that just felt a bit too easy. But that is what ended up making this book such a wild ride. It took you in so many different directions, with so many plausible suspects. I'm glad I waited to see where it was going.

It's a great story, full of suspense and mystery, and some action.

I enjoyed S.C. Lalli’s first thriller, so I jumped at the chance to read her next one. The Plus One is just as solid as the first one, chock-full of suspense and complex characters. I particularly liked the atmospheric feel of this one, with it set in Cabo San Lucas at a luxurious resort with a seedy reputation. I was also further drawn into the narrative by the constant use of interstitials, capturing the juxtaposition between the plans for the wedding festivities and the current high-stakes murder-mystery.
None of the characters are particularly likable, and I feel like Lalli made that work for her story here. All of them, including Shay herself, are messy and have secrets that reflect badly on them, but they’re also fairly compelling to follow in their mess. Shay also makes for a compelling protagonist, as while she is connected to the others, she’s also more of an outsider to the glitzy world the others occupy, and the distance she has from their world proves to be an asset throughout the book.
The plot has a lot going on, sometimes a little too much, as it got a bit overwhelming at times. But it all translates into a multilayered plot that takes time to unravel, keeping my attention throughout the book. The buildup to the reveal was satisfying and surprising, as well.
This was a solid read, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy thrillers with messy characters.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

This was a wild ride. A locked room murder mystery with tons of twists and turns. Was a fun read even though I hated all the characters hahaha

Thank you NetGalley and and William Morrow for this ARC. When Shay is invited as the Plus One to Cabo for a wedding extraordinaire with her wealthy boyfriend who knew what could go wrong. This page turner will have guessing till the end. The night before the big day between the ultra rich bride and groom tie the knot they are found shot to death in the grooms villa. Only a few people had access to that villa and upfront no one seems to have a motive. Shay is the outsider in all this, the poor girlfriend of Calab; the grooms BFF. Most everyone treats Shay as second class but what is she really trying to hide and now mixed in this murder investigation how is anything going to be the same again? Tho none of the characters are remotely likeable the story does keep you on your toes and in it to the end.

If you want a great thriller and some twisty mystery, here you have it! I have read hundreds and hundreds of thrillers (probably thousands) and really enjoyed this one. Fans of The Club- you'll really love this ride.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Plus One is a quick-paced locked room mystery with an alluring premise - the bride and groom of the most extravagant wedding of the year are found murdered just before the festivities begin. Shay, an outsider, stays determined to unravel the lies and uncover the killer despite her own hidden motives. While the story kept me guessing, I didn't fully connect with Shay's character and found her actions at times unbelievable. The writing felt more like a screenplay than a novel, preventing me from getting a true sense of the characters. However, the interesting plot still made for an entertaining read. Perfect for fans of glamorous destination mysteries.

Murders, mystery, secrets - this one sounds good!

From GR:
White Lotus meets The Guest List in international bestselling author S. C. Lalli’s next thrilling novel, where two business moguls were set to be married in the biggest event of the year—until they’re both found murdered the day before the wedding—and a social outsider must unravel the mystery before her own hidden agenda is revealed.

I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of the ARC. I have rated this book based on the summary.

The Plus One was a 3.5 star book for me. It was quick-paced read with an interesting plot, but I just didn't get that "Wow! That was an amazing book!" feeling. In trying to figure out what was missing for me, I think I would say that I felt like I was reading more of a screenplay than a great novel. I could immediately picture the characters on screen in a compelling movie. The actual writing, however, was perhaps not fully developed enough for me. While I was definitely left guessing who killed Raj and Radhika, I didn't get a true picture of who any of the characters really were. Shay seemed almost unbelievably gullible at times, and many of the questions I had about her character were just sort of conveniently tidied up in the short Epilogue. So in the end, I would break down my rating as a 4 for storyline/plot but a 3 for writing...evening out to a 3.5.

I'm sure patrons will enjoy this, however it didn't keep my interest. Didn't really care about the characters. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.