The topsy-turvy ride that this book was gave me whiplash, honestly.

It started off so good, firstly. This is how it went—oh, a map at the beginning of a mystery-thriller? That's pretty unique AND OHH IT'S A CLUE BOARD! IT'S A CLUE BOARD MAP!

And then it simmered down. Way, way down. The characters weren't well defined, the tension didn't land, and the interactions felt forced. I kept getting really bored and almost DNFing at multiple points. It's a weird book that kept giving morsels of clever meta references and twists that kept me reading. It's written as a thriller but almost comes off as a literary exercise. It challenges preconceived notions, tropes, and thought processes of characters in mysteries, but commits an extremely hackneyed twist at the end. It's more of an artistic experience than an immersive read. You want to see the book get truly meta? <i>"Darling, life's too short to spend five hundred pages in misery."</i> Apparently, I don't agree, since I read the entirety of this.

2.5 stars. I giggled at many references and loved how the book was a Cluedo exercise in itself. It didn't work for me, nor was it memorable, but it had its moments.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A fun locked room mystery that was made for those who like trying to connect dots and solve mysteries as they read. I spent my entire reading experience pointing fingers and just desperately trying to figure it out - and it was not always easy.

At some points it did feel like there was too much going on, too many side mysteries, some feeling more relevant and necessary than others. But ultimately, I think everything tied together well enough. Having so many POVs didn't help with that feeling of Too Much, but it wasn't anything that took away from the enjoyment of the book.

While not every character was the most likable (they weren't all meant to be though), I loved Mila. I was so attached to her by the end and was rooting so hard for her, even when maybe I shouldn't have been.

It's a book that makes you want to re-read it almost immediately, to see what hints were missed, or to study everyone's interactions now that you know the ending.

A fun locked door whodunnit wrapped in some small-ish slasher vibes. The vibes were spectacular and reminded me of a classic mystery you would find playing on TCM channel.

The writing was engaging and fast paced. Kept me hanging on and dying to figure out the end of the puzzle. I had so many guesses and then had to backtrack a few times. The end was also satisfying!

4.5 🌟
What did I just read?? That was freaking fantastic. I had no clue who the killer (maybe killers) was! I tried so hard to figure this book out all the way through and I was just completely stumped. I was afraid this book would be similar to The Writing Retreat but it wasn’t at all. I went on such a journey through these pages. Multiple POVs is always a bonus for me. What a nail biter!

Amazing. Complex. Twisty. So many words to describe this novel. As a reader and a writer, the meta references hit home. If you love And Then There Were None, Clue, and/or Knives Out:Glass Onion, you will enjoy You Are Fatally Invited greatly. A group of authors, each harboring dark secrets from the past, are invited to a secluded island by the famous and reclusive horror legend J. R. Alastor, whom none of the authors have ever met or even seen, for a weekend writer's retreat. Except when they arrive, Alastor is nowhere to be found. Instead, they are greeted by Mila, Alastor's assistant, who insists Alastor will join the group later for dinner. And so begins the game.

There's a lot to devour in this one. Each character gets their own chapter(s) in the book to reflect on past and present events. Excerpts of Alastor's upcoming book on writing, The Ink in Your Veins: On Writing Fear are sprinkled among the narrative. And there's a Clue-like map of Alastor's house at the beginning of the book. I love stories with maps!

I received an ARC of You Are Fatally Invited through Netgalley, but honestly I've already preordered a copy of my own for my mystery collection. This one, for me, is a keeper.

This remote island, locked room thriller will have you guessing what’s going to come next! 6 authors are invited to a writers retreat but then things become more lethal than expected.

Short chapters and very fast paced. A new style of writing for me. The author did an amazing job keeping me entertained from beginning to end!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this arc! Book publishes February 11th. 2025

When six thriller writers get invited to a retreat on famed author J.R. Alastor’s private island, they thought they won the ticket of a lifetime…until they realize they might’ve just gotten a first class ticket to their death instead.

The chokehold this book now has over me!!! If you were to take the Saw movie franchise and the Clue board game, and put them into an escape room together, this book would be their baby. This was just the right amount of twisty, suspenseful, and outrageous and I was hooked the whole way through. The multiple POVs, complex character arcs, and unreliable narrators kept me on my toes, and the little inserts of Alastor’s thriller book tips were just the right amount of hint at what’s to come without giving too much away. If you love thrillers, murder mysteries, and puzzles, you’ll love this book!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

You Are Fatally Invited by Andi Pliego is a locked room mystery, one that follows authors and the havoc they have created. This was a fun read and the winding mystery took me down many avenues and guesses, most of which were wrong. Pliego does a great job of giving us just enough info but not too much. She’s a very skilled breadcrumber! The multiple POV’s added to the suspense of it all and created so many great layers.

I wanted to really enjoy this book but it didn’t work for me. I think others will be very entertained by this plot and these characters, but I was underwhelmed.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213243937

If you look up imaginative, original, edge of your seat mystery this is the book you will find! Mina is one of ten people on an isolated island writers retreat who could be a serial killer or someone else who has evil in their plans. One by one they go till the surprising events at the end are revealed. Is anyone who they say they are and what skeletons are in each closet?

I know I am in the minority on this but I could not get into this book at all. I didn’t care about any of the characters (in fact on numerous occasions I had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to find out whose chapter it was since there was little to distinguish one voice from another.) I didn’t care about what happened to the characters or who was killing them and why. I was bored throughout much of it and probably wouldn’t have finished the book except I owed Netgalley and the publisher a review. 2 stars.

This twisty thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat! J. R. Alastor invites you to a writer's workshop on a private island with your fellow top-notch mystery writers, the trip should be filled with collaboration, 5-star meals, and an exquisite time. Instead, you're on the menu, as each writer is systematically picked off for their past crimes and character. This one will keep you guessing until the very end!

Holy WOW this is a great book! The story has you hooked right from the start. Just when you think, "Oh yea, I totally know who this is"...NOPE you sure don't! The plot was awesome and I loved the addition of the Clue game. I'm very impressed with the author that this is her debut title. The writing is superb. Will absolutely recommend to all my thriller loving friends!

Think Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None or Ten Little Indians and you have the basis of this story. Mystery writers are invited to a writing retreat by famous author, JR Alastor, whose identity is not known. After arriving, writers begin to get killed one by one. The writers and even the staff all have secrets, secrets from their past, secrets about the relationships between each other, secrets about their writing careers. These secrets will be their undoing. Each day brings a new game from Alastor, which of the remaining writers will survive.

This is a well written story, even with the plot similar to Agatha Christies, the author makes this story all her own. The plot lines between the writers, their host and even the staff weaves and flows effortlessly. The characters capture your imagination, their secrets are revealed slowly, and little hints are sprinkled within the chapters. The way the death of a character is done in the same manner as in one of their books is genius. It’s eerie, creepy, and intriguing and engaging all at the same time. Well done!

Darkly delicious, You Are Fatally Invited is a feast for thriller lovers looking for a clever twist on the locked-room mystery. This is definitely one writing retreat I’d happily skip (okay, I'd probably attend the retreat out of curiosity LOL)! The story pulls you into a whirlwind of surprises, and despite all the twists, it’s refreshingly easy to keep track of the characters. The author does a fantastic job of developing each one, giving the story an intimacy that lingers. Just when you think you have it figured out, another shocking twist has you rethinking everything. With so many layers to unravel, this book feels like a grown-up version of Clue. You Are Fatally Invited may just be one of my new favorite mysteries!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

An intriguing mystery set on an isolated island during an exclusive invitation-only writer's retreat with a small group of authors. Each person holds a deadly secret. Told from multiple points of view, I felt the first few pages were off-putting and disjointed, due to the story structure; I tripped over the book within a book in the early pages. But then the story came together, and the ending was dramatic and satisfying.

I feel this is a re told story. I am giving the book a 3.5. The characters and relationships but I just feel the storyline I have read and it continues to be redone in books.

Suspenseful, gory, and thrilling, this mystery will keep you guessing till the very last page.

A mysterious, reclusive writers hosts an invitation-only writer's retreat on a private island. The guests are connected to one another in more ways than any of them suspect. As the corpses mount up, the sadistic games their host has set for them lead them toward self-awareness, confessions, and gruesome demise.

Will anyone leave the island alive? And who exactly is this mysterious host of theirs? Revelations just keep coming. The story is well-written, tightly plotted, and gripping.

Spooky writing retreats are cool! and this book is so BADASS in vibes, so twisty and such interesting people with such interesting plotlines. 5 stars. would recommend.

What an awesome debut novel! I loved this locked room mystery and the confusion I felt with the alternating chapters and the use of pronouns rather than names in those chapters-kept me guessing who was being talked about by whom. I can’t wait to see what Ms Pliego crafts for her sophomore efforts!

Thanks to #netgalley, #bantambooks and the author for this arc ebook to read. All opinions are my own.