I absolutely love a locked room mystery and this did not disappoint! This had red herrings, plot twists, and plenty of suspense. So good!

I loved this one! It payed a clear homage to one of my all time favorite books; And Then There Were None. And THERE WAS NO AFFAIRS OR CHEATING! Don't get me wrong... there were certain parts that had me chanting: 'Please don't be cheating." Loved how the different parts of the book were designated by tropes. And how one of the MC's was half Asian? YES!

Read If You Like:
- Locked-room mysteries
- Thrillers set on isolated islands
- Stories featuring writers as protagonists
- Narratives with meta-commentary on genre tropes
- Twisty, suspenseful plots

An exclusive thriller writer’s retreat on a private island promises a week of inspiration, competition, and immersive mystery games. Hosted by the elusive J. R. Alastor and organized by rising literary star Mila del Angél, the retreat gathers some of the most brilliant minds in the genre. But when one of the authors is found dead, what began as a playful, trope-filled game turns into a real-life murder mystery. As a storm cuts off the island from the mainland and the body count rises, Mila must navigate a deadly puzzle where everyone has secrets, and no one is safe.

This novel is a sharp, self-aware take on the classic locked-room mystery, filled with nods to genre conventions while delivering fresh twists. With dark humor, atmospheric tension, and a fast-paced plot, it keeps readers guessing until the very end. A must-read for those who love intricate whodunits with a modern edge.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Bantam for an ARC of this book!

Several bestselling writers are invited by the anonymous author, J. R. Alastor, to a writing retreat set in a manor off the coast of Maine. When some of the authors start to go missing, and J. R. Alastor begins to force them to play his games or confess their secret sins, it is every writer for themself as they try to figure out who Alastor is, who’s keeping secrets, and why are people dying in ways that were written in their books? And what is up with the event coordinator who is apparently running the show?

At first, I couldn’t get into the story and may have missed some key details, but once it picked up, and it did pretty quickly, I was HOOKED! I love how the book weaves in trope after trope, as if making fun of them, yet they are pulled off so well. The twists were never ending and I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next. I loved the ending and genuinely had a good time with this one.

Some plot points and character arcs didn’t quite make sense to me, but I can chalk that up to me not tuning in from the beginning to really get to know the characters, so that’s on me. This book made me wish I had written something like this first and now I feel this novel will spawn more of its kind in the future!

I enjoyed this book which I received from NetGalley. It kept me guessing throughout. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters because I know better than to do that in an «and then there were none » situation. Also they were all unsympathetic tbh. The plot was so intricate and the puzzle more complicated than you’d typically find in the trope.

I do find the ending and motives unconvincing. Especially the choice of who was invited and why. And were Alastor’s motives for setting up the whole thing in this specific way. Anyway, it was a good « no thoughts, head empty » read

Rating: 4.3⭐️
Narration: First person past tense, multiple POV
Thank you to Random House, Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for the eARC!

What a fun, wild ride this was. If you combine Knives Out Glass Onion, Clue and And Then There Were None, you would get something like this. So if you’re a fan of one or more of those, this might be the book for you!
This is a book I will be recommending to any friend who enjoys a mystery.

In You Are Fatally Invited, a reclusive author invites 6 mystery/thriller authors over to his private island for a sort of writer’s retreat, which quickly turns deadly. Throughout the week there are games set up by their host and event coordinator that will reveal their long hidden secrets.

This was such a well crafted, complex and smart story. The way the story was told also added to making this feel like a puzzle you should solve along with the characters. It doesn’t hold your hand but still leaves bread crumbs (and red herrings) along the way that you can definitely solve it on your own. I loved that the book made you work for it and made you really think through the details. I was totally ready to pull out note cards and yarn but I did instead keep notes on my phone trying to play around with the Clue game they were playing and trying to keep track of each character and their past.

This feels like a love story to the mystery genre, even with the new section pages including mystery trope definitions. But it also has something new to add. It feels fresh and exciting, it’s difficult to put down, and especially once the Clue game came out I was absolutely hooked, reading this even walking from room to room.

Other details: Perfectly atmospheric setting, good range of characters from I hope they die to I hope they get together, perfect ramp up of stakes, eerie details further adding to the vibes.

I had really high hopes for this one, but unfortunately, it fell quite short of those.

On paper, this had everything I love in a mystery: locked door setting, a complicated group of characters, a delicious Who Dunnit full of twists and turns, But The further along into the story I got, the more of a struggle it was to motivate myself to continue going.

With a cast of character this large, it's not easy task to make each of them unique and interesting. I felt like while they all had their own personalities, I never particularly cared for any of them and in some cases was even rooting for their demises to come along at a more expedited pace.

I told myself I was going to see the book through because I wanted to know what the final twist was and find out who Alastair was, but by the time that reveal came I was already mentally checked out and thinking about what Amy next read would be.

Six thriller writers are invited to an exclusive writing retreat hosted by a famous author whose true identity is unknown. Mila, the event coordinator, runs the show. However, when one of the authors turns up dead, Mila realizes she is in over her head and her own plan for revenge starts to go awry.

This book had me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing from the first murder. I enjoyed the way the author incorporated each thriller trope and multiple antagonists. The isolated setting of the island and multiple view points added to the mystery and suspense. This was a great debut novel and look forward to more books from Ande Pliego! Thank you Bantam and NetGalley for this arc!

I was excited to dive into this one and was into it for maybe the first few chapters but then it just dragged on and on and had wayyyy too many characters and POVs and I simply did not CARE.

The concept is fun - six thriller authors are invited to an island retreat but then one is found murdered. And then another. And then…you get the idea. While there was intrigue there was also a whole lot of nothing and a whole lot of unlikeable characters and just too many tropes. It definitely fell flat for me, maybe 1.5 or 2 (generous) stars. Go ahead and skip this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

You Are Fatally Invited was an insane, twisty turning novel that made me question everything. From the beginning, as in from when I read the blurb of the book, I knew that I wanted to read this book simply because it was the game of Clue come to life. I absolutely love a locked door mystery, and the writers retreat being on an exclusive island set the tone for this book. With multiple POV’s and a character acting as a narrator that you can’t really trust, this story unwound slowly and sneakily in a way that made you really wonder how to each of these characters know each other and what the hell did they do to deserve to be murdered.

I really loved how each chapter told just enough information to get you to the next one and never enough to figure out who the real murderer was. There’s a scene where they have to play a game of clue and honestly when that board game came out, I was kicking and screaming with excitement because how freaking fun.

I thought that every character had a great backstory and great depths. They’re not perfect by any means and most of them deserve what they got in this book, but there’s a redemption arc that was really nice to see. I really enjoyed just how intertwined these characters were and how intricate the plot was. There were so many times I would read something that made me go oh my God as I read.

I can’t wait to see what this author does next, and I definitely will be reading all of their books.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego is a thriller about a writer's retreat where people start dying one by one. Very similar to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, but slightly more unhinged. This was a fun read, and I had absolutely no idea where it was going. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good locked room mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

You Are Fatally Invited is a great read for those who love psychological thrillers and mysteries. Its a fast-paced, engaging story with a good conclusion. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a suspenseful, thought-provoking novel.

This book blew me away. Perfect for fans of Clue. Super twisty. Kept me guessing throughout the book. The ending was a complete surprise. Run do not walk to read this book.

Mila hosts a writing retreat at J. R. Alastor's manor in Maine. The attendees are fellow mystery authors. Mila and the host plan an interesting week, based on the secrets each author is hiding, including the humongous chip on Mila's shoulder toward one of the authors. Ms. Pliego artfully crafts the foibles of each character into the plot, which becomes interesting as one of the authors is found dead.

If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, Peter Swanson, and mysteries, this is the book for you.

"You are Fatally Invited" by Ande Pliego was such a page-turner. With an eclectic cast of characters all with sordid secrets and a "Clue" like game afoot, readers will be thoroughly entertained. Throw in being trapped on an island and creative murders, and you've got yourself the kind of story that makes you want to ignore responsibilities (sorry to my laundry).

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for gifting me this ARC. It was such a fun read and I can't wait for the next book from Ande Pliego.

This is a great story for those who enjoy locked-room mysteries. Be prepared though, you'll need your thinking cap for the second half of the book.

YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED is a fun, at times gory, tale which paid homage to Agatha Christie and the whodunit genre.

There's also a book-within-a-book setting with crime novelists trapped in a house for a week.

I was totally on board until the last 25 percent of the book. It became too confusing for me and I feel like the plot sort of fell apart.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an e-copy of YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED to review.

I rate YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED three out of five stars.

WOW! This was one twisty, fast paced mystery. I enjoyed this and was also terrified half the time. For sure look up content warnings if you are a bit of a whimp like me.

Thank you Netgalley, author and Random House Ballentine Publications for the ARC in exchange for honest review.

Mila del Angel is thrilled when she’s hired to coordinate an exclusive mystery retreat at the private island estate of the enigmatic J.R. Alastor—an anonymous, world-famous thriller author whose identity has never been revealed. She carefully curates the guest list, selecting six bestselling thriller writers to attend. But for Mila, this retreat is personal—one of them is someone she has unfinished business with.

The week is set to be a dream event, complete with elaborate mystery games, riddles, and immersive challenges. But when one of the authors turns up dead, the fun ends abruptly. With no way to contact the outside world and bodies beginning to drop, the remaining guests realize they are trapped—and the killer is among them.
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A locked-room mystery where the suspects are all thriller authors? That’s a premise I couldn’t resist. The first half is a slow burn, laying a web of secrets, rivalries, and hidden agendas beneath the surface. Every character has something to hide, and the tension simmers just beneath the glitz of the retreat.

Then—the first body drops. And all bets are off.

From that moment on, the pace is relentless. Twists come fast and brutal, paranoia runs high, and the line between fiction and reality blurs. The reveals? Shocking. I had my theories, but I was wrong every time. The elusive host’s identity? Never saw it coming. The game Mila thought she was controlling quickly spirals into something far more sinister.

The ending packs a punch—almost too much to absorb at once. There were moments of confusion, but in the final chapters, the author pulls everything together in a way that left me reeling.

It's a 4/5 🌟 read for me.

If you love locked-room thrillers with an eerie, cinematic feel—think The Writing Retreat meets Clue with a dash of Agatha Christie—then this one belongs on your TBR. But be warned: once the game starts, there’s no way out.

(Actual: 3.75⭐, rounded up) This was such a fun locked-room mystery read! I know I know what I like when it comes to what I read, yet somehow I always find myself blown away in surprise at how much I enjoyed something LOL, idk idk— it's a whole thing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, I love stories that utilize multiple POVs - especially when so many of them are unreliable narrators - and all the Clue-esque game vibes in regard to all the puzzles, secret passageways, and twists hooked me (similar to if I were watching Knives Out or re-reading The Inheritance Games)! And while I didn't necessarily connect strongly with any one character, I did find them all compelling and likeable (or dislikeable) enough to keep reading. The ending did fall just the tiniest bit short of my expectations though, because I felt like we were really gaining momentum throughout the novel and leading up to a BANG.... only for it to kinda fizzle out into something mediocre? Not bad though! Just.... okay. So, while imperfect in that aspect, I do still believe the journey getting to that endpoint was 100% worth it and think this a solid debut from Pliego!

Perfect thriller with great twists and turns. I feel like I was clinching my seat the entire time and I loved it.