A great debut! This book starts out fast and furious. There were some twists that I was not expecting. While I'm a bit over the stranded on an island thriller theme, I will not hesitate to read the next book by Pliego. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I was really intrigued by the premise. I enjoy books about authors/books, and love a good locked-room (of a sort) mystery - as well as a dishy revenge tale. Unfortunately, the writing style didn't work for me. There are a lot of over-descriptions and stereotypical characters. Granted, given the type of story, that's not necessarily unexpected or a bad thing, but for me it made flipping pages a bit of a struggle. It felt repetitive and like things I'd read before, and the flowery descriptions (adjectives and adverbs abound, as do metaphors) did not help keep me in the action. I disliked everyone, which didn't help either. This one just wasn't a good fit for me.

This was a superb thriller and one of best books I have read in quite a while. I love the murder in isolated setting trope and this book utilizes it well. The characters are all wonderfully suspicious and the twists just keep coming. The main character is sympathetic but she may be an unreliable narrator. In fact, all the characters seem to be lying. I thought I had it figured out but was completely surprised by the ending, which doesn’t happen to me often. I have definitely found a new favorite author to follow. I highly recommend this thriller!

This one kept me guessing right up until the end. A little bit of horror, a little bit of suspense. The debut novel from Ande Pliego is gripping. Never know what is going to come next.

A group of authors has been invited to a writer’s retreat on a private island. The island is owned by the reclusive author known as JR Alastor. No one really knows who this person is, but Alastor is a successful, published mystery writer. Alastor has invited a specific group of authors to share his private retreat for one week. There will be mystery dinners every night. A lot of games afoot.

Mila is Alastor’s assistant. She has been responsible for rehabbing the entire estate and island to her boss’s specifics. Alastor even insisted on the two staff members - the cook and housekeeper. Mila has been responsible for planning the daily games, but she is also unaware of any secret plans that Alastor has. She’s also never met JR Alastor.

When the ferry arrives with the invitees, Mila is there to greet them. Each person has their own room, with the exception of the one married couple in the group. They are informed about the dinner plans and left to their own devices until then. Come dinnertime, they are treated to game number one. Later that evening, one of the authors goes missing.

The next day that author is found dead in the island’s cemetery. And the plot thickens.

Really amazing novel. It is a bit long, but it needs to be to cover the amount of information with this group. It’s also a bit graphic and horrific, but not unduly. The novel is a horror/mystery novel after all. I loved it. I enjoyed the wild ride. Each new section made me wonder, is it this person? I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

This murder mystery was decent. It relied upon purposefully kept secrets. The problem is that the author showed how clever the author is and did not allow the narrative to flow naturally. But the game was fun while it lasted and made for a good read

Wow, what a ride! This is such an intelligent book, so intricately plotted and with a perfect ending. A stunning debut. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley.

4.5 stars.

I like when stories are told from multiple perspectives, it gives you different ways to explore what happens based on what each character experiences..
In this book, authors gather at a place allegedly for a retreat, but strange things start to happen. And it turns out nobody ever actually met their host in person, so it could be just about anyone.

When reclusive writer J.R. Alastor invites six mystery authors to a private island for a writing retreat, somehow none of them guesses that they are in for a week of hell. Their lack of genre savvy will be their undoing. With the help of event planner Mila, Alastor weaponizes thriller tropes to punish each of them for their sins. There are secret passages, hidden cameras, multiple POVs, and plenty of twists, lies, and corpses. Fully delivers on the promise of the trope-iest thriller to ever trope. A breakneck locked room mystery.

I’m a thriller addict! Naturally, I couldn’t resist diving into one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year (as noted on Goodreads)—a locked-room mystery meets Clue game, paying homage to Christie’s And Then There Were None. While the multiple perspectives and intertwining mysteries can get a bit confusing—sometimes prompting a second read of chapters to piece it all together—I thoroughly enjoyed the concept, the big twists, and the gripping execution that keeps you guessing until the very end. Although identifying the thief was relatively straightforward, some cleverly laid mysteries kept me on my toes.

Here’s a quick recap of the plot: The enigmatic, bestselling thriller author J.R. Alastor—often compared to a J.D. Salinger of the genre—has remained anonymous for years. Now, he’s hired event planner Mila del Angel to organize an exclusive writing retreat at his secluded manor off the coast of Maine, inviting six thriller authors. But Alastor has a hidden agenda: one of the writers stole Mila’s book, derailing her life. When no one believed her claim, she was forced to watch her stolen work soar to fame under the thief’s name. Struggling to make ends meet and care for her mother’s medical bills, Mila has been stuck planning events—until Alastor reaches out, offering her a chance for revenge at the retreat.

The plan seems foolproof. Mila will communicate with Alastor via her smartwatch while hosting the authors: Fletcher; the writing duo Rodrigo (a former lawyer) and Olivia; Violet (the youngest at 21); Ashton; and Cassandra (a 70-something “Black Widow” rumored to have killed her husband). The group is presented with games and trope-fueled riddles, all while Mila secretly orchestrates her own plan for vengeance. But she didn’t anticipate Alastor’s ulterior motives—or the fact that he has his own vendetta against the guests. When one of them dies unexpectedly and the body disappears, Mila realizes the victim wasn’t part of her plan. The group’s dark secrets begin to unravel: among them are a child killer, a serial killer, a poisoner, and more.

Poor Mila quickly finds herself trapped in a house full of criminals with Alastor showing no intention of letting anyone leave until they pay for their sins. But what if Alastor is one of them? Could he also be guilty of one of the heinous crimes? With the writers dying one by one, Mila must figure out how to survive. Who will be the last one standing? And will Mila ever make it off the island alive?

Overall: This is a brilliantly crafted puzzle—complex, smart, and a perfect read for fans of Christie and locked-room mysteries!

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Bantam for sharing this well-written locked-room mystery’s digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This thriller with multiple viewpoints (and multiple murders) kept my interest and a little bit of suspense, but some parts got a bit repetitive. Its an interesting idea--a mysterious, anonymous author invites several other authors to an island for a retreat, all of whom have committed a crime, and they are tortured and killed for not atoning for their sins. Some of the secret reveals were effective, but others felt trite or obvious. Overall I enjoyed the story but didn't find it overly memorable.

Quite a debut novel and will look forward to others. A mystery writer's retreat at a secluded place. What could go wrong? Who is to be believed?
So many twists and turns that I couldn't put it down.

A wonderfully twisty thriller! It has a strong And Then There Were None feel to it but also pays homage to Clue, which is so much fun. The cast of characters all have a life-altering secret that the enigmatic host plans to force them to reveal before the end of the week. They think they've been invited to a writer's retreat but it is actually a revengeful quest for justice. There is a daily 'exercise' the writers have to participate in and try to survive. It doesn't take them long to realize they are in peril and must decide whether to band together or go it alone, because no-one knows who is the killer and who are the victims. Suspicion abounds and loyalties change on a whim. There was a point where it was getting too convoluted for me but overall a very enjoyable read and I half-way figured out who-dun-it.
Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Bantam, for providing me with this ARC!

Thank you Bantam Books for the gifted digital ARC.

I will be brutally honest and say that this is probably only getting 3 stars because there were a couple unique twists at the end. I find the "And Then There Were None" trope/twist to be entirely overdone these days, which is really a bummer because I was very much enjoying this book until the big reveal.

I definitely won't hesitate to read this author again in the future.

You Are Fatally Invited pub date is February 11, 2025.

4 stars

2025 is already shaping up to be a fun year in twisty thrillers, and Pliego is coming through with some good evidence for this case in this new book. The title sends a clear message that you are invited to a memorable event and that this invite will turn fatal...for some!

This is a really fun read centering on a writers' retreat. J.R. Alastor, a reclusive and mysterious writer, has hired Mila, whose perspective is one of several readers get to enjoy, to organize the aforementioned retreat for six known mystery/thriller writers. There are many perspectives, many excerpts from the fictional writers' books, and many intriguing details to keep track of here, but this is a blast instead of a chore. I really enjoyed the journey and the way this all came together in the end.

Fans of locked-room mysteries, complicated relationships, and twisty plots will enjoy this one. I know I did, and I'm already excited for more surprises from this author.

I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next and I couldn't wait to find out who the killer was. If you're in the mood for suspense and intrigue then this book won't let you down. Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to get a early copy.

A reclusive author invites six famous authors of thrillers to his private island for a writers retreat. What happens next is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. As guests are killed daily, the remaining writers try to figure out who their host actually is and how they will survive to get off the island.

You are Fatally Invited is a page-turner. The fantastically flawed characters draw the reader into a twisty ride until the very last page. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was in equal parts rooting for some of the characters to survive and wondering if I had been hoodwinked by them too. There is never a moment that slows as the story continues to its shocking end. I highly recommend You are Fatally Invited to all mystery readers.

What a twisty, super intriguing story! A group of thriller writers come to a secluded writer's retreat, all of them bearing dark secrets and one of them trying to reveal it all. But to what lengths will these writers go to hide what they've hidden for years or who will come clean?

I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout this entire story. Pliego created such a lush, vibrant world on this island, and I couldn't help reading slowly to devour her prose. The twisty clues she planted, the red herrings that redirected, what a cool story. I loved her nods to tropes and to other mysteries and thrillers throughout the story and especially loved the idea of Clue personalities and the characters having to discover who's who.

My only disappointment was the very end, which I cannot say without spoilers. But the final conversation where all was revealed felt a little flat after the embellished, lush story that preceded it. It felt almost overexplained compared to the rest of the story.

But overall, I really recommend and I'm planning on getting one of those gorgeous UK covers for my shelf!

You Are Fatally Invited - Ande Pliego
Pub Date - 2/11/25
Rating - 3/5
Page Count - 384

Summary - Six thriller authors are invited to an exclusive private manor off the coast of Maine for a writer's retreat by an esteemed celebrity author, J.R. Alastor. What the authors don't know is that they're walking into a thriller troupe themselves - they must make it through the various challenges, revealing their secrets, in order to leave the island in one piece.

Thoughts - Thank you Random House Publishing - Ballantine and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. This book looked really interesting - who doesn't love a locked in thriller about writers? Add some revenge for previous crimes, sign me up! I realized about 20% in that this book was going to be a slow burn, and boy did I STRUGGLE. I nearly DNF'd this book, but have been hearing so many good things about it, decided to keep going. I ended up skimming most of the remaining pages and my verdict: the overall story is good. I didn't predict the reveal, but didn't really track the reasoning behind the rest of the authors minus one. Overall, average read.

You Are Fatally Invited is a thrilling locked-room mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. The story follows six thriller writers invited to a remote manor off the coast of Maine, each harboring secrets they are desperate to keep. A killer among them is determined to have these wrongdoings confessed, leading to a tense and engaging narrative.

The well-developed characters, each with distinct personalities and hidden secrets, add depth to the story. I found myself constantly changing my mind about who to trust and who the killer might be. The multiple points of view and excerpts from the characters' books enriched the plot.

This entertaining and creative story is filled with complex twists and captivating characters. The strong ending ties everything together nicely. Overall, You Are Fatally Invited is a fantastic read with a rich, intricate plot that will keep you hooked from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Bantam for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Wonderful tale! I made every effort to predict the conclusion, but I was caught off guard. Throughout this book, there were times when I believed I understood the mysteries, but then something would change my understanding. I kept turning pages of this book late into the night to know what would happen next!