A twisted tale of revenge! This book was incredibly well paced, with plot twists that will grip you with each turn of the page. Ande is a masterful writer and brought forth so many complex emotions and layered imagery that I found myself dreading the ending of this book - I wanted more of her lush writing!

Wow! What a debut! You are Fatally Invited is a deliciously delightful read!

Mila, once an aspiring writer, is the event coordinator for an exclusive retreat on a private island hosted by a renowned anonymous author. The guests? Successful authors of thriller novels who all seem to have skeletons in their closets.

This meta story, full of familiar thriller tropes, unfolds from the perspectives of its distinctive characters. Each carefully crafted personality is captivating with their endearing qualities as well as their foibles and sordid flaws. The narrative aptly sets the mood and each scene without being verbose or painfully repetitive.

To put it succinctly: This was a fun read with great pacing. It took me on a roller coaster of emotions that kept me wanting to know what would happen next. One minute I would be cheering for a character, and instantly switch to wondering whether he or she was the cunning killer. The tropes familar to thriller fans are on the nose without going overboard.

I. Loved. Every. Page.

I have been craving a book that would sate my desire for fresh plot twists, complex characters, and vivid storytelling. It has been a long time since a book has kept me on the edge of my seat and reading far too late into the night. I was fully immersed and I wish I could go back and read it for the first time all over again.

I will be anxiously and impatiently awaiting Ande Pliego’s next book.

“You are Fatally Invited” by Ande Pliego is a debut mystery that attracted me immediately. A famous and shadowy thriller author invites six other fellow mystery writers to an exclusive writing retreat on a secluded island. Yes, it’s a bit spooky, and yes there is a storm and yes there is murder and mayhem! But, the journey to find the identity of the host and the unexpected twists in the story made for a fun read as all the clues are slowly unraveled. If you enjoy slow burn locked room mysteries this book is a must read for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the writers retreat aspect of this book. The all-over creepy vibes scratched the autumn itch. I enjoyed the characters and the ending.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This isn't going to make much sense, but I'm not sure how else to say it. This is one of those books that I had to constantly think while I was reading it, almost to the point of it becoming a chore. It was kind of difficult keeping the characters straight in general, but then when their crimes and titles were added it became almost impossible for me. I also didn't like when the Mila chapters would say "You said this" and "You walked in the door", etc. It took me out of the story and really confused me.

The mystery was okay enough, but I wasn't a fan of the ending. It went into 'too ridiculous' territory for me.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego takes the locked room murder mystery we all know and love, and turns up the heat. Summoned to a writers retreat by famous - and anonymous - thriller author, J.R. Alastor, our cast of characters fall into all of our favorite horror tropes as they are picked off one by one. Unlike the usual who-dunnit, we have our hostess, Mila, who makes it clear she's taken the job to take her revenge on one of the guests, and while she has been in conversation with the ever elusive Alastor, she has never met him. It's her job to run the nightly dinner games; to get the authors to confess to their sins - all while plotting how to get away with the murder. That is, until the guests start dying. That was never part of the plan... Or at least not that Alastor mentioned. And it's quickly becoming clear that the famed J.R. Alastor is one of them.... But which?
Full of twists, red herrings, and an unexpected almost feel-good ending, You Are Fatally Invited gets 4 stars from me!

Rating: 4.75 stars
***Thank you to NetGalley and the Random House Publishing for and ARC ebook.

I'm trying to avoid spoilers with this one. As soon as it's released in February, I'll probably be choosing it for my turn in book club because I seriously enjoyed this one so much. This is a debut novel Pliego (wow, are you KIDDING? WELL DONE *BRAVO*), and the style of writing, the twists, the different POV's, and the sense of humor from J.R. Alastor w/ tidbits on how to write--just so well executed. I loved the murder/mystery/games and I felt like throughout the book I was trying to figure out each one (and it makes you feel like you're playing along, albeit not ending in murder).

Readers will really enjoy this one--dark humor, fast pacing, hitting all the thriller tropes--just brilliant! Can't wait for it's release to show it to everyone else.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I really looked forward to this book and it did not disappoint. Strange things keep happening at this writers retreat full of people who aren’t quite who they claim to be. Then there is the mystery of the actual host, whom no one has ever met. Loved the creepy atmosphere or the old house and property. Lots of moments that will leave you wondering. You can trust basically no one. The end was a bit of a surprise too.

4.75 stars. Very smart locked roomed thriller. I appreciated the different points of view as it kept you guessing. For those who loved the old movie, Clue, you’ll enjoy the darkly witty comedy of this fast-paced mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House/Bantam for this advanced copy.

This book turns thrillers on their heads! It all at once makes fun of classic thriller tropes, while proceeding to engage in them throughout the pages. I loved the different POVs and the theme of justice. Take your favorite revenge plot, add in the game of Clue, and you’ll get You Are Fatally Invited. Fun, spooky, a little gruesome, and kept me guessing the entire time. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A debut murder mystery (congratulations!) about a spooky writing retreat (I am a sucker for books about writing retreats…not because I am a writer, but I guess just because I love books so much?)

Famous anonymous author J.R. Alastar hires former aspiring writer Mila del Angel to host a writing retreat at his fancy pants mansion on an island (oh, no. An island. Prediction. Big storm. Communications cut. Something’s happens to boat/there is no boat. People, NEVER GO TO AN ISLAND IF A STORM IS COMING. I don’t care if you are going with your parents, spouse, children, dogs and cats. Someone among that group is out to kill everyone. THIS IS GUARANTEED!!!)

Six thriller writers are invited, Thomas Fletcher, a snooty, English veteran writer, young Violet Blake, Ashton Carter, who has written a YA paranormal thriller, Cassandra Hutchinson, who, in her 70s in the grand dame, and Rodrigo and Olivia Sandoval, and husband and wife team of authors. Oh, and Mila has a bone to pick with one of the invitees. Wolf Harbor Estate is set up much like the Clue house with even more secret passageways.

J.R. and Mila have planned games, riddles and scares for the group, while Mila is planning a murder (that must be quite a bone.) However, a different guest ends up dead and….wait for it…a storm cuts off the island from the mainland and Mila must stop the killer.

There was one tiny plot hole that really didn’t make much of a difference, but overall this book was very nicely done. There are plenty of writer retreat books and plenty of “stuck on an island” books out there, but for a first timer the author made these tropes work - there were surprises galore and the book was well written. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I haven't had so much fun reading a book in a long time! I was piecing together clues and making guesses right along with the characters, and the twists and turns had me in their clutches the whole way through the book.

I am excessively fond of locked room mysteries, books about books and writers, and characters who aren't what the first appear. This delivered on all fronts and culminated in one of the most satisfying books I've read all year.

This was a pretty good thriller! It was a little bit slow at some parts, but maybe that was just me. Overall, I would recommend this thriller to other people and I will be getting a copy to add to my library when it comes out! 4 stars!

I really enjoyed You Are Fatally Invited.

I really enjoyed the characters. They each brought their own passion and quirks to the story. It did take me a little while to keep them all straight. There are several characters and points of view...then later on even more points of view (which you'll understand when you read it).

In the beginning, Mila addressed someone we don't know yet as 'you' a lot, and it started to get a little repetitive. Also everyone always almost ready to throw up...nauseated. Not nauseous.

I think that everything got wrapped up well. I did like the way it ended and everything was resolved. In addition to being a mystery/thriller, I feel like it was also a story about forgiveness and growth.

The games they had to play and the inclusion of tropes were also a fun addition.

I don't say this often, but I'd be interested in learning more about each character's story pre-You Are Fatally Invited...especially Olivia (What in the world, lol).

It was a very easy and enjoyable read for me. It's a really nice locked room thriller. If you like Agatha Christie, Clue, Knives Out, Inheritance Games...you might just like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read the ARC of You Are Fatally Invited.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of You are Fatally Invited!

This book quite literally left me speechless! If you liked the movie Knives Out or The Glass Onion, you’ll love this book. At every point, I was trying to guess what was going to happen next and failed. I will say that I had an inkling of who J.R. Alastor was and convinced myself I was wrong when I ended up being right!!! My jaw literally dropped at the reveal. It’s extremely rare that I literally have to put down the book to process the twist I just read, but this book had me GRIPPED.

The book was beautifully paced and had lots of amazing twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I’m intentionally being vague to avoid any spoilers but I highly highly recommend this book!

You Are Fatally Invited has SUCh a good setup and title. I immediately judged this book by its gorgeous cover, hoping the mystery would be as compelling. Unfortunately, it fell really flat. There are too many characters/POVs, it's hard to tell everyone apart, and even harder to understand their relationships with each other. I wish I loved this book more, but I ended up DNFing it.

You are Fatally Invited follows six authors as they make their way to an exclusive estate, the home of anonymous author, J.R. Alastor. There are husband and wife co-authors Olivia and Rodrigo Sandoval; a young woman named Violet, who at 21 years old, had her first novel published; Ashton Carter, a former police officer turned author; Thomas Fletcher, a psychiatrist and a renowned domestic thriller author named Cassandra Hutchinson.
With several games and mystery dinners scheduled throughout the weeklong retreat, each person is excited to get mentorship from the mysterious Alastor, whom they hope to learn the true identity of after years of speculating. However, Alastor’s beautiful assistant, Mila, has nefarious plans that would culminate in the murder of one of the retreats attendees.
Mila’s plans fall through when each night one of the authors end up dead, outside of her owns plans. For days, they attempt to get through the night unscathed, but not everyone is so lucky.
Ande Pliego’s novel started off slowly. It was difficult to guess who was who, what each person’s alleged sin was, and it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat. Often, I found myself dozing off in the middle of a chapter. The remaining last two sections of the novel, redeemed the story just a tad, as that was when all the real action occurred, and we received the answers we were looking for. Alastor’s identity was revealed, which was a shock to me as I truly didn’t see it coming.
A 3 out of 5 stars from me. Thank you to Netgalley, Ande Pliego and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC of You are Fatally Invited. The opinions aforementioned are my own.

Wedding thriller? Yes, please! I’ve had many wedding thrillers that were total bummers. Predictable at most. But this was refreshing one. Kept me guessing until the very the end!

It was a decent locked room mystery. The book has multiple POVs. I really wanted to enjoy it more than I did. It was basically if Clue and Agatha Christie had a child. If you are looking for a decent mystery book I recommend this.

Ande Pliego’s debut novel is a bold and ambitious exploration of the murder mystery genre. Set on an isolated island, a group of renowned thriller writers finds themselves trapped with a killer among them. The premise is both clever and engaging, as the characters, familiar with every narrative twist, become suspect and sleuth simultaneously. This “locked room” scenario amplifies the tension, but what truly sets the book apart is its self-awareness of genre tropes.

As secrets unravel, readers are left questioning the intentions of every character, including event planner Mila. The author skillfully weaves in puzzles and riddles from the writers' retreat, enhancing the intrigue. While the pacing occasionally falters and leans on familiar tropes, the overall execution is solid and engaging. For fans of clever mysteries like The Glass Onion and Knives Out, this novel is a promising start for Pliego, offering a refreshing take on classic detective storytelling.