I just could not get invested in these characters- they bored me. The pacing was slow, and unfortunately I could not finish the book which is rare for me. This book may be appreciated greatly by others, but was not a good fit for me. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher.

I did find this book to be an interesting read. I’ve always been a fan of multiple points of view and loved the way tropes were used in a new way.

But this book just seems sooo long. It wasn’t a book that had me hooked and reading and reading just to see how things turned out so each page felt like it took forever to read.

All in all it was still a good book and I’d recommend it to friends.

Gotta love an unreliable narrator and so many mysteries that you're not sure who to trust or what to think. This is a great mystery!

📖 Book Review 📖 When I started this book and found the illustration at the beginning, I felt like I was entering a game of Clue…except with a gripping story about a writer’s retreat in Maine (one of my favorite places to visit)! Andre Pliego has written an absolutely fascinating book with a concept with so many delicious layers, a sort of Knives Out thriller for book lovers that I am here for! You Are Fatally Invited is a fun, fast-paced thriller that will keep you on your toes until the very end!

The cover really drew me in for this book. It looked like a cover of other thrillers I’ve read, and enjoyed, in the past. I would say the story followed the same. It was a fun thriller, but more of thriller lite. I wouldn’t say I was hooked and couldn’t put it down but I was intrigued. Not particularly caring for any of the characters while loving a locked room mystery made it so I was sure to finish it…but wasn’t rushing to the end.

So I made it more than halfway through before I gave up.

While I appreciated the author trying to use thriller/horror tropes in a new way, it just…never overcame its own trope.

I got bored.

I found the pacing slow, as well. At 30%, I thought the book was almost over. At 40%, same. It just never ended.

None of the characters were particularly interesting to me and I didn’t care about our elusive author.

I’m sure that this will work for others…it’s just not for me.

• ARC via Publisher

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me and felt too much of a repeat of The Writing Retreat and others. The writing itself used an excessive amount of adjectives for simple moments and these descriptions were distracting and took away from moving forward with the story.

What I did enjoy: the multiple POVs were done well and I liked following the trail of cookie crumbs dropped for the reader to follow along as we try to piece the puzzle back together.

This book was an incredibly written journey through all the classic horror/thriller tropes. I was sucked in from the beginning and every chapter had me guessing and wanting more. Even when I thought I had an idea of what was going on, there would be a twist that I would never have seen coming that blew my mind in the best way. The imagery in this book was beautiful and chilling, almost like I could feel or see some of the things happening for myself. A definite must read for anyone who loves mysteries and thrillers, or anyone looking for a good spooky time read.

I haven’t had this much fun with a book in a long time. It’s even a book where all of the characters are written in first person! For the love of writing people, please STOP doing this. It makes for all tell and no show, and is most often terrible. Thankfully, Pliego manages to overcome this fatal flaw with a twisty turny plot, murders galore, puzzles to solve, wicked games and a whole lot more. Great fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early peek.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. A writer retreat with a twist. Honestly got confused at times to where the story was going and who was who. And the ending was dragged out a little much. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

OMG, you guys! 😱 This book is like ALL of my murder mystery dreams rolled into one! Imagine a super-exclusive thriller writer's retreat on a private island (cue the storm and cut-off communication, because of course). Six thriller authors, each a master of mayhem, get the invite of a lifetime, but uh-oh—things take a deadly turn. 😬

So, renowned anonymous author J.R. Alastor invites these authors to his boujee manor off the coast of Maine, but instead of showing up himself, he hires Mila del Ángel to run the show. And girl’s got a serious bone to pick with one of the attendees. Okay, so the setup is classic locked-room mystery vibes. You’ve got the dark mansion (seriously, the house is like Clue but creepier), secret passageways, and the looming storm that cuts off the island. But the best part? All the authors brought together are writing pros, which means there’s a game within a game. Mila's trying to outsmart them, but when bodies start dropping, it’s a total page-turner! 📖💀

The author absolutely nails the meta vibes, with excerpts from Alastor’s writing advice on fear and horror tropes. It’s like a delicious little wink at us readers. 😉 I was totally guessing until the end because, wow, the red herrings—they were everywhere! Like, I kept getting distracted by the gorgeous writing and those spooky, twisty descriptions. This book is giving serious Knives Out meets The Inheritance Games vibes, and I am LIVING for it. 😍

The only teeny-tiny critique? There was one little plot hole, but honestly, it didn’t even matter because the twists just kept on coming! The book keeps you hooked, and that ending? Well, I was SHOOK. 😵

I 100% recommend this to anyone who loves a good whodunit with all the classic tropes: spooky island, secret grudges, and so much murder-y goodness. 🌧️🔪 And trust me, you do NOT want to miss out on this wild ride! ALL the stars ✨

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! 🎉

“You are Fatally Invited” is a murder mystery set during a mystery writers’ retreat on an island cut off from the world. The mysterious host is a famous writer who doesn’t appear in public so no one knows who brought them all together but he seems to know their secrets. It’s basically setup like a game of Clue and that’s mentioned repeatedly. I struggled to really get into the story until about 40%. It’s just written too pretentiously and the multiple characters POVs took a long time to keep straight. The big twist wasn’t nearly as shocking as it was laid out to be throughout the book. Overall, it was ok but just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book!

A twisty and mysterious story about a group of writers who attend a retreat held by a prolific but anonymous author, J.R. Alastor. Excited to learn from Alastor and possibly learn the identity of the famed author, they all are happy to participate in the games and events in store for them.

Mila has invited all of them at Alastor’s behest. She has her own plans for one of the guests, but soon more nefarious intentions are unveiled and Mila becomes prey to Alastor along with the rest. In order to get out alive, they have to go along with the remaining retreat activities, never knowing what secrets the others hide.

This was entertaining, but nothing remarkable. I was really impressed by the premise, but the execution was a little lacking. This is a solid debut and I enjoyed it.

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.