I loved the premise and the overall plot of the book, it was twisty and fun. Locked room mysteries are some of my favorite reads!
However I thought that there was too many characters and it was a lot to take in at times.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Six thriller authors are invited to a week retreat at a private island estate hosted by a renowned anonymous author. Why these 6 authors? All have something to hide / confess. As various thriller tropes are written into events as the days go by, the guests must cooperate or end up murdered like the characters in their books.

If Agatha Christie wrote a book about the board game Clue, you’d get this book. They play a custom Clue game representing the rooms at the estate, the estate map at the beginning of the book is the Clue layout, & they have to play ‘games’ to figure out who the murderer is. I would have preferred if the title somehow credited Clue. The current title is mediocre. Same with the house/beach front cover; it didn’t fit the book. The setting is an exquisite four-story estate but the house on the cover looks like a modern day two-story home.

There were some unexpected surprises, excerpts from the host’s newest book that flowed well with what events were occurring, memorable quotes, and unique plot ideas. The suspense / thrill was lacking though. I found myself dozing off or losing focus too frequently. The chapters were really short and switched POVs frequently. It’s written is first person, POV of all the characters. The writing style didn’t vary enough from character to character and with the chapters being so short, it was difficult to recall which character’s POV I was reading / who was talking.

Overall, not a bad mystery read. Would recommend if you like books where characters are forced together in an isolated location to be systemically killed off.

Review and rating posted to Goodreads. Social media posting will occur on March 25.

When several mystery authors are invited to an inclusive retreat by one of the most famous authors, they know the games begin. Everyone has a secret on this writer's retreat and everyone will pay a price for their past mistakes. As Mila is called to coordinate this extravaganza plan with the mysterious author who nobody has ever met. It becomes evident that the revenge Mila seeks is not what she was expecting. As the murder toll rises, Mila is left to wonder if she is next on the list. They all had a secret that they were dying to keep. This is a fast-paced cat and mouse game that had me guessing with every clue and glued to each character. I did not see all the twists coming as all their secrets come out in the end. I had no clue who the mystery author's identity was either. I enjoyed how this novel was written and honestly could picture all the characters. If you want a fast paced thriller, this is the book for you. I will be recommending this book to others and look forward to reading more by Ande Pliego.

This was just ok. There were too many characters introduced at once and it was hard to get going with their different POVs that once the plot actually picked up, I was not very much invested in it.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego – 5/5 Stars!

Okay, I just finished You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego, and WOW. This book totally swept me off my feet! If you’re a fan of dark humor, spooky vibes, and a murder mystery with a side of chaotic family drama, then this is the book for you.

The plot? A total rollercoaster. We follow a group of characters who get invited to a fancy dinner at a luxurious estate… but here’s the twist: one of them is going to die, and they have no idea who it will be. Talk about dinner party goals, right? 😅 There’s so much tension in the air as the characters try to figure out who the murderer is while navigating all the twists and turns of their messed-up relationships. The suspense is real, and just when you think you have it figured out – boom – another bombshell drops. I could NOT put this book down!

What I loved the most? The vibes. It’s got that gothic, “everyone’s hiding something” atmosphere that had me turning pages way too late at night. Also, the characters are SO interesting – they’re all super different, but each one adds their own flavor to the story. You’ll either love them or love to hate them, but that’s what makes the whole mystery so fun to unravel.

And let’s talk about the writing. Ande Pliego has a way of blending humor with dark themes, making it feel like you're reading something seriously intense but still getting those comedic moments that break up the tension. The pacing is perfect; it doesn’t drag, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Honestly, I didn’t expect to be so obsessed with this book, but here I am. If you’re into a mystery that keeps you guessing, a bit of family drama, and a dash of the unexpected, You Are Fatally Invited is a MUST-read. I cannot wait to see what Pliego does next!

5 stars, no question. 🖤🔪

My mind is currently blown by the fact that You Are Fatally Invited is Ande Pliego's debut novel. It is so expertly plotted and intricately woven together that I thought Pliego had been writing for years. I loved that this book had lots of secret passageways and stairwells, and there is a nice handy dandy map of the interior at the front that I had fun looking at. The isolated setting off the coast of Maine was atmospheric as well as vivid and I felt like I was right there with our crime authors. And a week of games fueled by tropes?! This bookish book checked all the boxes when it comes to a locked room mystery with intrigue and extra twisty twists.

The audiobook is performed by a full cast, and I would recommend listening while having a copy of the book close by. It is a beautiful book, and I now want a copy for my shelf. The audio narrators were all winners and even though I couldn’t go higher than a 2x speed (I normally listen at a higher 2 up to a 3), I wasn’t bothered by it and all of their narration was perfectly paced. The end does get a little out there for me which is what brought down my rating just a touch, but I wouldn’t be mad if this got turned into a movie or miniseries. I had to listen to one part near the end a couple of times to truly understand what was going on, and I probably should have turned to the book.

Read this if you love locked room mysteries, bookish books, and the game Clue!

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read You Are Fatally Invited in exchange for my honest opinion.

Six thriller authors are invited to a private island for a Clue like writing retreat and of course someone actually ends up dead. And that’s just the beginning.

I loved this locked room thriller so much! Being trapped on an island with an unknown killer is one of my favorite thriller tropes so I was immediately sucked in. While I did guess who was behind it all correctly early on in the book I was still on the edge of my seat to see how this would all play out. 4.5 stars round up

Thank you, NetGalley Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam books for this free ebook for review. This was a fun debut thriller about a writing retreat hosted by an anonymous author at a private mansion. It’s all fun and games until a guest turns up dead and when everyone has secrets to hide or an axe to grind, the fun writing week turns into a deadly game of who will play the play and get off the island alive

There were some really interesting threads here and I wish the author would have just picked one rather than throwing a bunch of plot ideas and annoying people into a bowl and popping it under the stand mixer. Our main narrator, Mila, was just too much of a sad sack to really root for, especially since she seemed to have found a great and likely lucrative career in the wake of giving up writing but still acted like she had nothing else going on. Also, although I don't necessarily mind a bit of romance in a thriller if it's done well, adding her weirdly schoolgirl-esque crush on another character into the mix just made it lamer. Girl, focus.

So, basic middle of the road three stars for this one because I did like some elements - the setting was great, and I really appreciated feeling the atmosphere of a big spooky house on a private island, and the climactic scene in particular was super evocative and has stuck with me. I'll check out this author again in hopes that a little more experience will have filed down the rough edges of a debut work.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was INCREDIBLE. Ande Pliego has such a way with words, crafting atmosphere, and creating compelling characters. There were so many twists and turns, and I devoured this book! Can't wait to see what Ande does next!

It pains me to give You Are Fatally Invited a low rating, because I loved the concept so much. In this take on a locked-room mystery, six thriller writers travel to an island off the coast of Maine for a writing retreat hosted by renowned anonymous author J.R. Alastor. But they get more than they bargained for when they discover that Alastor knows secrets about each of them, and has set up a series of elaborate, trope-inspired games and riddles to call them out. But then of course, one of the writers turns up dead, and a storm cuts off the island, and then more people die…and you know how this goes.

It’s a story with good (and familiar) bones, and the fact that it’s a book about thriller writers offers some fun meta moments. But unfortunately, overall, I think Ande Pliego was a bit too ambitious and couldn’t quite execute the plot effectively. There were too many characters and not enough differentiation in their narrative voices (since the chapters alternate points-of-view), and the character development was lacking. The characters’ relationships with each other were so unnecessarily convoluted that I was just…lost. Pliego had all these big, fun ideas, but she didn’t tie the various threads of the plot together very cleanly, so it was all just…messy. By the end, I didn’t even really care if the big reveals made sense; I was just ready to be done with the mental gymnastics required to keep everything straight.

If you’re a fan of locked-room mysteries and metafiction, I’d still encourage you to give this one a try; not every book is for every reader, and this one wasn’t for me – but it may be for you. Thank you to Bantam for the complimentary reading opportunity.

This book really reminded of the game Clue. You got multiple perspectives but not so many that you were confused. This is a great locked room mystery and would highly recommend to those who like big twists and those who want to be a detective while reading. Good luck figuring out the who done it. :) Great read and already ordered my physical copy from Aardvark. So happy to see it as one of their March picks!! Thanks NetGalley.

You Are Fatally Invited is the And Then There Were None for a new millennium. Whip-smart, it will taunt you with clues, tease you into thinking you've figured things out. But debut author Ande Pliego sees your confidence and raises you with one twist after another until you finally concede the game, defeated. I already want to read it again!

You're an author who's been invited to an exclusive island writing retreat. Now, you must survive to the end. Oh, the beauty of a
locked room mystery that most tried and
true of all mystery tropes. I adored how perfectly Agatha Christie like this book was. It was a fantastic tribute to the murder mystery genre!

You Are Fatally Invited is a highly intriguing and compelling mystery. It held my attention from beginning to end. The story is told from the POV of each author and Mila, the event coordinator with snippets of the host author's newest book throughout. We find out early on that Mila has a secret and that she's there for revenge. This retreat is her chance.

This was such a fun book! I absolutely loved the creative murders and the creepy island setting and would joyfully read more books by this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed Ande Pliego’s debut novel You Are Fatally Invited. It was an interesting premise made all the more interesting with a convoluted plot. There’s the locked room factor (i.e. isolation on an island in a sumptuous house), a varied cast of characters, and twists galore. Not to mention lots of secrets (so many secrets) – including the identity of the host for the by-invitation-only mystery writers retreat. This was a combination that hooked me from the very beginning.

The story is told from various points of view. Some more revealing than others. This is probably what I found the most challenging. If I didn’t pay attention to the chapter title, it was sometimes easy to mistake the identity of the narrator. I found myself reading rather slowly in order to keep all the characters and events straight.

The writing is quite well done and the plot was impressive in how it was planned and executed. This is definitely a book that I would read a second time and that’s something I don’t do very often (except for a few classic books). I know there are plot points I missed and I think a second reading would make this book even more enjoyable. Fans of locked room mysteries will find this book a worthy addition to the genre. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

My Jan/Feb reading slump was REAL but thanks for all my driving for work and volunteering I was able to get some audiobooks in and claw myself out of my slump. I loved this one audio with its chaotic cast of characters and twists at every turn. The narrators did an amazing jobs and I loved the distinctive voices and accents for each character.

A writing retreat on a private island in an elusive author’s giant mansion - what could go wrong?! This one felt like an Agatha Christie novel with all of its twists and turns, but also specifically reminded me a bit of The Hitchcock Hotel from last year as well.

I loved how this one felt like a puzzle and that it gave me the urge to take notes to figure everything out along the way. Very well put together and I will definitely be looking out for this author moving forward! Check this one out if you enjoy locked room thrillers, writing and books, and a little bit of chaos!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for the eARC of this title!**

Solid 4 stars for this "locked room" mystery set on an island in the middle of a storm over several days.

Reclusive author J.R. Alastor invites several famous people to his "writing retreat"... but it's obviously going to be something totally different! Told by the perspective of the guests, as well as by Mila, the hostess, secrets are uncovered and retribution is made.

But who is J.R. Alastor? And what are his motives? Definitely full of gore, but surprisingly NO sex or language, this is a solid entry in the locked room genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC #sponsored

I am truly just such a sucker for a locked room mystery and this one delivers. Though very clearly pulling inspiration from Christie, the novel has modern update - like the inclusion of horror movie references - and a few bonus twists to keep it interesting.

**1.5-stars rounded up**

You Are Fatally Invited features a classic-Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None, set-up. Usually, an easy win for me. Additionally, it's set on a island off the coast of Maine. As an island resident myself, and having grown-up on the coast of Maine, both of these things should also have been wins.

What else? Oh, yes. The story also features a full cast of characters who are writers. Also a thing that I love, following author characters, getting insights on their processes. However, even with all of these incredible items being ticked off my personal checklist, this didn't work for me. It makes me sad, but I have to be honest about my experience.

From the very start, the writing style had me off-kilter. It just didn't mesh with me. There was one character whose perspective was 2nd-person, and that's not typically something I enjoy. Every time I got to that character's perspective it would jar me out of the story. Some people may assume that it's the fact that this whole cast is unlikable, but I assure you, that's not it. I love a cast of unlikable characters.

There were many times when I contemplated DNFing, but I felt like the least I could do was make it all the way through to the end. I owed it that, and it could have come around for me. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. It's pretty rare for me to actively-dislike a book the whole way through. I can almost always find some aspects to point out that I can compliment.

Unfortunately, I actively-disliked this throughout. I switched to the audiobook at around 35% to see if that would help. For a minute, I thought it would. Sadly, that notion disappeared as quickly as a free pizza in a workplace lunchroom.

I had been so excited for it too, based upon the points listed above, but it just wasn't the right story for me. We hated each other. I'm sure this book hated my eye-rolling, huffing-and-puffing ass very much by the end as well. I'm glad we can now go our separate ways. To me, it felt like the author was more in love with their own words than the plot, or the characters, of this story. I'm not saying this is true, it's just what reading this story made me feel. It's the taste I walked away with.

With this being said, I want to be CLEAR, this is just my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with this book. If you look at the current reviews, I am in the minority opinion on this one. I would urge absolutely every Reader who is captivated by the synopsis, to go ahead and give this book a shot. It's certainly worth a read and you can come to your own conclusion on it.

Also, as I have pointed out in many of my other reviews, I never write an author off after one try. Even though this exact story wasn't quite to my liking, I would totally be down to picking up this author's next work.

Thank you, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it very much and I know that this novel is going to find a wide audience who loves it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Advanced Readers Copy of You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego!