Many Are Invited by: Dennis Cuesta, Publish date - 10/6/22

Synopsis: A housewarming party ends in tragedy. . . Steve Galanos, a native Midwesterner, reflects on his time in and near Silicon Valley during the 90's, a time when the two-digit year emerged as the Y2K problem, the burgeoning Internet fueled the expansion of the New Economy, the dot-com bubble created unseen prosperity and real estate frenzies. Yet it’s a housewarming party, held in late 99, that affects him the most.

I felt the story was more of a man's story in my opinion. A lot of locker room talk about sexism, woman, politics and religion. I found it complicated at times and hard to finish.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #CelestialEyesPress for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A housewarming party in December 1999 has a tragic ending irrevocably changing the lives of four people in Dennis Cuesta’s Many Are Invited.
Reflecting on his time spent with friends and working for a phone company on solutions for with the impending Y2K problem near Silicon Valley in the mid-to late 1990s as the Internet expanded and contributed to new levels of prosperity, Steve finds himself haunted by the events of a housewarming party in 1999. Reminiscing about how the party thrown by John and Mary Goertz even came to be, Steve reveals how he met John in 1994 at work and how he didn’t like him at first but found that they were both from the Midwest, which helped them to bond and become friends. Detailing events throughout the years that led to John meeting, and later marrying, Mary, as well as meeting Lauren, Mary’s roommate, an interesting dynamic between the four emerged that contributed to the chaos for a disastrous outcome of the party.
Focusing on the relationship dynamics between the four characters, who each contribute to the destruction of an otherwise happy occasion, the tragedy obliquely referred to at the story’s outset slowly comes to light piecemeal as Steve recalls details that flesh out a picture of what exactly happened. Much of the narrative concerned the interpersonal dynamics, as filtered through Steve’s perspective, between John, Lauren, Mary, and Steve, both as a broader group and in various iterations of pairs, which presented as infidelity in some scenarios; it was intriguing to see the psychological elements that compelled each of them and how they interacted with the others. The writing had numerous instances where transitions between events or actions didn't exist, which resulted in a jarring shift that pulled focus from the intricacies of the relationships and instead placed it on how or why the scene had suddenly changed and it was rather heavy-handed with references to The Great Gatsby. Though important facts were obscured from the start was clearly established, there persisted a strong sense that vital details weren’t shared with readers, leading to a devolving of the narrative as it wrapped up too rapidly and leaving too many things unsatisfyingly resolved or explained – perhaps in an effort to be surprising or shocking, but the execution was underwhelming if that's the case – though there was an entertaining ironic twist of fate.
Overall, I’d give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not for me. The religion and politics talk isn’t something I’m interested in reading about and I didn’t Realize it would be so heavy in this book before requesting. The story kind of dragged for a while and I couldnt relate to any of the characters. Written well, I’m just not the reader for this one.

At first, I didn’t know what to make of this. Two guys working together preparing for Y2K while chasing girls. Fast forward as life moves on and John and Steve are still friends even after leaving a mutual job. John finds love and Steve carries on with his life. John finds love with Mary even though his original pursuit had been Lauren, Mary’s best friend. While this was a quick read I was ultimately trying to figure out the purpose the author had for these characters. The ending and the irony made it all worth it.

Set in the run-up to Y2K, this comedic tragedy tells the story of two sets of friends, Steve and John and their romantic interests, Mary and Lauren.

Steve's narrative tone, and particularly his description of female characters, was off-putting at the start, but after the first several chapters, as the story began to take shape, the voice began to fit better with it. Although the narrator was never a person I would want to spent time with in real life, his observations were incisive and entertaining, and the novel is a quick and absorbing read.

The unfortunate exceptions to this "quick and absorbing" descriptor were a handful of overly drawn-out dialogues, apparently designed to further the philosophical and literary themes of the novel. While interesting in small doses, these sometimes became too heavy-handed to suit the overall tone. Notwithstanding these bits, Many Are Invited was an interesting, unusual, and thought-provoking story.

1.5⭐️
Initially I was excited about this book, but my excitement quickly deflated once I started reading, the book overall was a chore to read, but my biggest issue was the authors referencing of woman..it was insulting ..I am by no mean easily offended, by there’s no need to refer to women by the body shape or their hair color.
Maybe there is an audience for this book, I’m sure there is, but I am not it.


Thank you to Celestial Eye Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book, all thoughts are my own. Release dat October 6, 2022

I remember the whole Y2K movement back in 1999. OMG! Most everyone was worried about our electronics and what would happen when 2000 would come in. Funny thing though, I never worried because I thought it was silly. The human cry was that our computers and anything electronic would start from the beginning instead of knowing to turn to 2000. The end of time was coming! What would we do when 2000 rolled in? Some Americans built shelters and was storing up on food and water. Wow! Just thinking about it again really makes me chuckle, because as you can see, life continued. Time didn’t stop and our computers survived the year change. Our character, Steve Galanos, found himself working at a company in 1999 worrying about Y2K. He was on the team with the special IT group designed and charged with making sure everyone’s electronics would function correctly when 00 arrived.

However, Steve, was over the whole conversation, much like me at that time, and he was concerned but not overly so. His boss and friend, John, headed up the Y2K team and they struck up a fast friendship. They were constantly flirting in the office. Penning women “Swedes” and giving them numbers based on how they looked and how they were built. On one of their many dares, Steve dared John to go into this store where he saw a hottie that he figured John would not be able to pull. Well, John proved Steve wrong, so much so, he not only did not pull the babe he asked him to score, but he ended up asking the hottie’s coworker out. She wasn’t as beautiful, but she was cute. John discovered that the woman he ended up with was named Mary and her coworker who was the hot babe was named Lauren. What do you know, the two of them were roommates meaning Steve could join in the fun and they could double date.

Things began to heat up quickly for John and Mary leaving Steve and Lauren to fend for themselves. When the friends went out, Mary let them know that she and John were engaged, and that, readers is where this story begins to unfold. This story works up quickly because it’s a short read, but I found the story to be misleading.

I was of the impression this story was really going to center around Y2K and have our main characters navigating through it, but it turns out this story really didn’t have much to do with Y2K, or not entirely. There are things I’d like to say, but it would cause spoilers and I do not do spoilers. I also noticed a discrepancy that wasn’t intended to be, I think, but I went back to check the story because it was bothering me. Again, I can’t get into it because it would spoil the story for some, however, I’ll say this. When you read the first chapter, especially the last paragraph of that chapter, it really stuck in my mind. So, when I got to the end of the story. I began scratching my head because I was waiting on something to happen, but I think the author may have forgotten what he discussed in the first chapter. Or, what happened at the end was a metaphor for what he was discussing in the first chapter and that was the entire point? In other words, readers, you need to read the book to fully understand what I’m getting at.

Overall, I wasn’t feeling this story. I found it dragging a lot and quite boring. I dozed off a few times and was shocked I wasn’t still reading. The biggest hurdle to get over was the chapters dealing with the homecoming party that seemed to go on forever and I lost interest in all the different partygoers’ conversations. It was too many people to keep up with and I really wasn’t invested.

My thanks to Net Galley and Celestial for allowing me to review this arc.

The best way I can describe this is Great Gatsby meets the Dot.com Era with jealousy, a dwindling friendship, and love from a distance. I found the dot.com stuff a bit boring and could not connect to any qualities of the characters. However book was a quick and easy read. Just an ok for me. Not wowed.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I found the Y2K issue a boring start. But, once involved, I found the book to flow rather quickly. I wanted to find out where this would all go.
The characters were not very likable and I never really cared what happened to any of them.
This was not a very good book at all.

Many are Invited by Dennis Cuesta

Published: October 6, 2022
Celestial Eyes Press
Pages: 254
Genre: Psychological Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Dennis Cuesta is a native of California; and attended the University of Michigan and remained in the Upper Midwest during his early career. Stuck in Manistique is his first novel. Dennis and his wife did get stuck in Manistique once, long ago. The interrupted trip served as inspiration for the book.

“Tragedy yearns to be mourned and remembered and mourned some more.”

Steve goes through the motions, doing just enough to get by without being dinged in any radar. When a new guy shows up with big ideas and gets recognition, Steve isn’t thrilled. Making waves is rarely a good thing. When the two become friends, Steve keeps his jealousy and resentment hidden, or so he thinks. Until the night of the housewarming party.

This was an unusual book. Well written and interestingly presented, but unusual. I enjoyed how the story was told, and I found the characters engaging. This was almost like a voyeuristic look into jealousy, resentment, and ego.

Steve was likable, and he had decent enough qualities. But he didn’t want to do anything to change his situation. And he resented his friend John who did. Steve felt like things just happened in John’s favor, but John also took risks and made the moves to make things happen.

John had the motivation to make things happen. He took risks, he made moves, and it paid off. He wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t a monster.

The storyline for this book stays pretty level, nothing too crazy happens, but the plot is engaging and entertaining. I was captivated by the pure presentation of humanity that was presented on these pages.

This is an emotional journey, and I can’t decide if I am happy with how things ended or annoyed that I still have questions. The humanness of this book is so realistic.

I enjoyed this story more than I expected. The writing was well done, and the plot was unique.

DNF. I just felt like this story was dragging too much, and I didn’t care about the main characters who seemed pretty unlikable. I think the prose is okay and the premise is interesting/I want to know what happens, so I might pick it up again at some point. However I don’t feel like fighting my way through something I’m not enjoying so, for now at least, I’m putting it down.

An interesting take on the Y2K problem and suspenseful without being super obvious with foreshadowing. Great read!

This is not my typical genre. If it were, I would most likely love this book, but for me it was a difficult read

I skimmed over several areas in the book that just seemed to dtag and, for me, did not seem to add to the book.

I would only recommend for those who have a huge interest in this topic. Just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Celestial Eyes Press and the author, Dennis Cuesta, for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Was surprised how much I enjoyed reading this book. I lived through this era and my father and I were both at computer companies, so it was interesting to read.

Many are Invited
Dennis Cuescat
Celestial Eyes Press
October 6, 2022

The Goertz Housewarming invitation read
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:15
Saturday, December 12, 99 at 6:00 pm
There was a tragedy that night, but the reader won’t know what it is until the end of the book. Who was to blame?

Steve and John work together at the phone company. John is the Director of the Year 2000 Compliance Team and John works under him as the Service Delivery Manager
for all corporate systems related to the Year 2000 Conversion team. The team is dealing with the Y2K (Year 2000) problem where everything was going to fail because the year was supposed to change from 1999 to 2000, but it would actually reset to 1980. This would throw havoc into all systems. I really thought this idea would be the main concern of the book, but it isn’t. It’s friendship and jealousy.

Steve is jealous of John’s life and style. He has a beautiful wife, a new home, and a couple of millions from stock options at his new job. They hang out together with Mary and Lauren. Lauren is jealous of Mary, who is married to John. They spend a lot of time bar hopping and drinking too much.

Honestly, I didn’t like this book. I was confused as to where it was leading and when it finally gets there, it ends abruptly. I didn’t like any of the characters and I didn’t understand the mixture of technology and religion. And don’t get me started on the misogyny.

The good things about the book is it has short chapters and it is a quick read. I feel this book is written for a male audience: It wasn’t for me. But, I would try another book by the author; this one is just too messy for my taste.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Celestial Eyes Press for the arc. The opinions are my own.

*Thank you NetGalley and Celestial Eyes Press*

The book flowed beautifully and was an easy read. The chapters were brief and to the point and I enjoyed how the Y2K crisis was integral to the plot.

Similar to other books, there were some engaging characters and some uncharismatic types. In general, the character development was excellent, and I liked being inside Steve's head. In my opinion, Steve's comparison of the early to mid-twenties generation to adults in their mid-thirties was absolutely accurate. The life stages of these two age groups are so dissimilar. Dennis Cuesta, in my opinion, did an excellent job of capturing how John and Steve discussed women when they were alone. It's not to imply that all men are like that, but I've observed men talking about women in that way in conversation.

My only caveat is that the conclusion did not have enough meat, so to speak.

Steve Galanos and John Goertz met as colleagues during the dot-com bubble in the 1990s. With the threat of the Y2K bug looming large, John’s innovative proposal to develop a solution lands him a promotion. Steve’s initial dislike and resentment toward John grows into an uneasy friendship of sorts that continues after John leaves the company. Over the next few years, John meets Mary (and her friend/colleague/roommate Lauren who was initially the person Steve and John had shown interest in), begins a relationship and finally marries her. Though the foursome finds themselves socializing often, there is an underlying tension that complicates their lives. Under the veneer of friendship we see jealousy, lies, manipulation and constant one-upmanship.
Everything comes to a head during John and Mary’s housewarming party in 1999 when a shocking tragedy irrevocably changes their lives.

The entire narrative of Dennis Cuesta’s Many Are Invited is presented through Steve’s PoV as he recalls the events leading up to that fateful night of the housewarming party. Steve is insecure, consumed by his feelings of inadequacy, and jealous of John’s success, his life and his wife. He comes across as whiny and annoying which is why it is difficult to muster any sympathy for him. Mary and Lauren might be roommates but they don’t hesitate to out each other's secrets to anyone willing to listen. Needless to say, I immensely disliked most of the characters in this story. The build-up to the night of the party took a long time (over the 55% mark) after which the ending is rushed and feels abrupt.

I found the locker room talk, objectification of women and blatant sexism depicted in this book to be in extremely poor taste. Even if it was required to set the story (I understand sensibilities in the 1990s and the present day would differ) and portray the men in this story in a negative light , I feel the author went overboard.The pretentious conversations on politics and religion between the invitees of the party (inconsequential fillers that served no purpose but to fill the pages) were uncomfortable to read, to say the least. The only positive thing I can say about this book is that it was a quick read with short chapters. Clearly, I am not the right audience for this book.

Many thanks to Celestial Eyes Press and NetGalley for providing the digital review copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. The book is due to be published on October 6, 2022.

Fast Moving Twisted Tale
What a fun book to experience! The main character is recalling the events that occurred during his friendship with his best friend. Their friendship has somewhat of a weird dynamic, as many friendships do. I can't talk too much about the book without giving away some significant plot points. All during the story, the reader keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. It eventually does, but not in the manner you would guess. It is a fast-moving tale that is placed during Y2K and the dot com explosion in California. I received this Advanced Reader Copy fromNet Galley and this is my honest review.

This is the review posted to my Goodreads account: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4940061516. Also, there were no reviews on Amazon, and I tried to add this review there but it said it wasn't eligible.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************
First of all, I would like to thank Celestial Eyes Press, Dennis Cuesta, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC free for an honest review. And as such, this review is much longer than some of my other book reviews.

There aren't many books that I will sit down and binge read. This was one of the few. The story isn't too long, nor too short and can easily be read in an evening. I had read the intro and first chapters earlier, before delving into the main story, starting at Chapter Two. I also made sure that I didn't know much about the story ahead of time, so that I could provide an unbiased review (though I do have some opinions which I have included).

With that said, I want to say that I really enjoyed the time period (the late 1990s right before Y2K hit), the writing style (simple, not overly flowery/wordy) but with enough details along with the hook and flashback telling, plus it being reminiscent of an author I came to enjoy as an adult--F. Scott Fitzgerald. Plus, the title had piqued my interest.

Basically, we are told the story of a Midwesterner, Steve Galanos, who has come to Silicon Valley (Northern California) and is working at a phone company, during the time when dot.coms and the Internet were the next "big thing" just before the year 2000 (or Y2K).

Trying not to be too biased, I will admit that I had a little bit in common with our protagonist, Steve, also having grown up in the Midwest and gone out to the Bay Area (where I worked with a database company) around the same time.

I too, wondered about the what-ifs behind Y2K until the last year or two of the 1990s. Many even thought it could be the end of the world. I wasn't quite that concerned, but I did understand the implications. Basically, for those who might not be as familiar with what was meant by Y2K--it had to do with the two-digit year changing the way computers understood the change over to a new century. Perhaps that's why I really enjoyed reading and looking back at that time. I can't recall reading many books using that for the backdrop of a story.

The hook for me was how the story started out as Steve's looking back at something tragic that had happened to him, so I wanted to know what happened and what was meant by "The invitation remained hidden in nineteenth-century Russia for over twenty years." This story is told as a flashback (sometimes an overdone literary device, but this was, in my opinion, done well!) We learn that some tragedy has Steve trying to deal with the aftermath and the resulting story is what he wrote in a journal to try and deal with his guilt from a dinner party that went horribly wrong and the events that lead up to that eventful night.

Steve meets a man named John Goertz who came to Steve's company (1994) to convince them of the need to prepare for what will happen at the end of the decade and new century. Convinced that Goertz is right, the company creates a year 2000 (Y2K) compliance program where the skeptical and envious Steve works with John. The two eventually become friends when they find out they have some things in common. However, John leaves the company a few years later for a startup and the their lives split off in different directions. John, through coincidence or fate, meets his future wife through a dare that Steve makes and John follows through, even though the intention had been a co-worker instead (both of whom were roommates/friends for some time). From there, the friendship diminishes further; John has made his fortune through an IPO while Steve continues working for the same company. Despite different decisions, these four friends' lives (Steve, John, Mary, and Lauren, the former co-worker) come to a head the night of the housewarming party for John and his wife Mary.

I mentioned about F. Scott Fitzgerald earlier and I would like to say that some may like this story because it is a bit of a re-telling of the Great Gatsby (perhaps with a touch of the unexpected, in my opinion, with some Hitchcock--if you like those twists and turns with surprise endings). I know many who never liked The Great Gatsby, myself included in high school. I had a hard time understanding the meaning involving the Egg--that's all I remember from then. But having re-read the story several times sense, I have come to really like the story.

The Great Gatsby and Many Are Invited both take a simple theme about jealousy and friendship. Many Are Invited creates a simple but engaging story using a back drop to end of a decade leading into a new century with some concern of how a computer glitch over two digits could possibly have a devastating effect on the world, not only the business world. The Great Gatsby took place in 1922 (four years after the Great War, aka World War I) in a time which there were many uncertainties about America and the world at the time. Many Are Invited does use direct references to The Great Gatsby, such as the character F. Jake, who we learn has a connection to F. Scott Fitzgerald and why he is called F. Jake. And a conversation between Steve and Joanna talks about the Owl Eyes, as well as provides a take on the relationship between Nick and Daisy from The Great Gatsby.

I read this for the story and wasn't trying to look for hidden meanings, making it a very enjoyable read. Not many books do get 5 stars with me, but I feel this book, for me, was a solid 4 stars. I may re-read Many Are Invited again, to see if there were other literary elements/devices hidden between the pages.

This seemed like a modern re-telling of “The Great Gatsby.” Good writing and characterization but the novel seemed to end abruptly.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61416442