At the cusp of the new millenium Y2K is creating fear in the minds of everyone and making us all a little paranoid. The tech industry is hard at work to do what they have to to make sure that there isn’t a total collapse of…every computer in the world! There are 4 main characters, who have zero clue that Y2K is the least of their worries.
This is a psychological thriller/drama, but for me hard to get through. None of the main characters had any redeeming qualities so I found it hard to connect with or care all that much about them. They were all mean, unkind, filled with jealousy, envy, backstabbing, were malicious and basically just not nice people. It’s well written with lots of twists along the way, but just didn’t resonate all that much with me.

This is the first book by this author for me. I was excited about this book since I heard it was a retelling of the Great Gatsby, but set in the 1990’s. It was a disappointment for me. One of the main attractions about the Great Gatsby is the time period the 1920’s with lots of Glamour, Style, Excitement. So, that’s a tall order to recreate a book that is such a classic for those reasons and place it in the 90’s. The description of the book makes it sound that it’s mainly about the Y2K problem. But it’s not really. It’s mainly about the two friend and that they met through the Y2K team at work. I remember that time. It feels like we just entered the year 2000 and now suddenly it’s 2022. I did not care for the characters. They were not likeable, they did not grow on me. You’re waiting all the time for something to happen, finding out what the book is supposed to tell you and then suddenly it does I think the main audience for this book is male.

Many thanks to Celestial Eyes Press and NetGalley

Steve and John were a strange pair. Their friendship began when John became the head of the Y2K department at the tech company Steve worked at. At first, Steve disliked John but somehow they grew to become best friends. But Steve's jealousy of John never truly went away. In fact, his envy only grew once two women were introduced into their lives: Mary and Lauren. To make matters worse was the tensions between Mary and Lauren. All of this buried hostility, jealousy and secrets would come to a head at Mary and John’s Housewarming party.
This is a hard book to review because while the plot and the plot twists had the potential to create a thrilling reading experience, the book fall flat. It was frankly boring and only became progressively more boring as I read on. Even though the ending was technically surprising, I did not care about what happened to the characters. I think most of the characters felt one-dimensional, especially the women who were really just sexist plot devices.
The writing was too wordy and the main narrator, Steve, was unlikeable. Being unlikeable isn’t usually a deal breaker for me, but being unlikeable and uninteresting is. The book also lacked diversity. To show how vanilla the main characters, there is a scene where Mary and Steve discuss why a British guy isn’t African American. All the main characters are white and there are no obvious queer characters.
The climax didn’t work for me (probably because I was not invested in the characters) and there were loose ends that bothered me. There was nothing too wrong or overly offensive about the book therefore, I am giving this one a 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Many Are Invited was a weirdly engrossing book. I read it in 2 days. It was one of those books that even though it seemed depressing, I needed to figure out what was going on, and I needed to know what was going to happen. The housewarming party was foreshadowed several times throughout the book, so I had to find out what was so important about a party.

I’m not sure if I was disappointed or not.

The ending was satisfying in that I felt like I got closure, but it was anticlimactic in that I’m still, weeks later, not sure why I invested 2 days reading this book. Many Are Invited was character-driven, so most of the story was based around the dynamics between the 4 main characters.

Not gonna lie… if I had a friend like Steve, I’d probably move.

The story is told from Steve’s point of view but features 3 other important characters. Each one has issues, foibles, and habits that take the story from “omg this is boring” to “holy crap, what’s going ON!?!?”

Like I said, weirdly engrossing.

When I opened the book, I saw a bible verse that said, “Many are invited, but few are chosen,” from Matthew 22:14. Somehow, this bible verse was supposed to explain the book title and give the reader an idea of how it connected to the story.

I never figured it out.

I honestly think the author threw it in there randomly, without any idea of how to connect it to the book. Many Are Invited cannot be classified as a Christian book, either, since religion is rarely mentioned, and I don’t believe either Steve or John are Christians. I’m proud of the author for wanting to display his beliefs, but I think it could have been done in a more cohesive manner, rather than a random bible verse.

If you enjoy soap operas, or books with weirdly engrossing characters, I think you should give Many Are Invited a chance. I may not be able to tell you precisely why I enjoyed it so much, but it was an easy read, and I gotta say it was a nice break from the huge, chunky fantasy books that I’m used to reading. It was a change of pace, and worth at least one read.

I was hoping that as I wrote this review, my thought would merge into a cohesive thought, and I’d have a better idea of why I found the story so engrossing, but sadly that was not in fate’s cards. I do think you should read it, at least once, but I doubt many people would come back for a re-read.

I was unable to finish this book, unfortunately. The characters were sexist and I didn’t enjoy the story enough to put up with it.

Thanks to Celestial Eyes Press and NetGalley for the chance to read for the honest review.

This one was not for me. I was interested in the book as I live in Northern California and thought it would be fun. However, the writing did not flow well.

I have decided to not keep reading this novel based on reviews. Thank you, publisher, and netgalley for the early copy!

"I didn't know any other "best friends" who affectionately despised each other."

The Y2K scare. I vaguely remember a build up and some freaking out but I don't remember a lot of the specifics. And this book didn't remind me of any of them.

The synopsis says this is about a housewarming party and the Y2K scare. It's not really. It's a weird look into friendships and how toxic they can be. Our MC is Steve and he's pretty sure he's owed a lot in life. When we first meet Steve, John is new to the company and isn't following all the drawn out unwritten rules that Steve has been playing by. Steve believes that's unfair but instead of getting punished, John gets promoted for his forward thinking. John reaches out to Steven for company advice and Steve has resented him ever since.

And being with Steve's POV is unpleasant. He's constantly sizing women up, letting us know if they are attractive enough or not. He doesn't even get to know blond's names, not really, just calls them all "swedes" and puts a number after their name. And his weird hate/hate friendship with John has him constantly having lunch or hanging out with John just to learn if he's dating anyone or other success, just to compare their lives. He even throws himself at EVERY girl he thinks John might have an interest in (mainly co-workers) and then instantly dropping them and running after the next girl John mentions.

But John continues to find success. He even changes jobs and become wealthy while Steve stays in his deadend job and mopes. Somehow John stumbles on a sweet girl, Mary, who adores him and Steve can't help but want her. Mary somehow has a similar toxic and competitive friendship with her best friend Lauren, aka Swede 11 (or 7. I don't eve remember her number anymore). And we get blow by blow of all their competitive weirdness between all 4 of them until the twist at the end.

If toxic friendships are your thing, this may work for you, but don't pick this one up thinking you're getting a quirky story about the Y2K scare - otherwise you'll be disappointed like I was!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I really, really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, I did not like how the characters spoke to and about each other. I could barely finish reading this book. I do not enjoy writing negative reviews at all, but in this case all I can say is that I am thankful for the opportunity to read it and will see how the author grows in future books.

I couldn't get past the constant patriarchal nonsense, "locker room talk," and generally misogynistic commentary. I know this was common in the 1990s, but we didn't need it incessantly to tell this story. I would not recommend this book to a single soul. 242 pages of this was 242 pages too many.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celestial Eyes Press for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This is a short book- shorter than I had expected! The book begins explaining a houseparty with a tragic ending. Most of the story is the POV of a man who attended the party named Steve, who was reflecting back on it.

There are many mentions that this story is a retelling of the Great Gatsby- and while there are inferences in the story, I don't know... I suppose in its own way there are similarities in a newer, 90s version, but I don't think much can compare with such a classic of that stature.

This one didn't really keep my attention and I wish there was more of an ending to bring it all together in a way that made reading it more ... worth it?

Thank you to Celestial Eyes Press & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review!

This book is available now, as of October 6, 2022.

I was really looking forward to this book, but it just feel flat for me. I felt like the characters weren't fully fleshed out enough for me to become invested in the.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

With Y2K breathing down their necks, Steve and John, both working to prevent any possible difficulties that may arise when 1999 becomes 2000. Little did they know that the real danger would find them before the new year in the form of a housewarming party, a party that one person will not survive and will leave many others questioning their choices, the people they invite into their lives and the path they wish their future to take.

This one did not do it for me at all. I jumped at the chance to read an early copy when I had heard it was a retelling of The Great Gatsby, but great it was not. There was so much lead up right at the beginning and throughout but the climax fell so very flat and was so abrupt. I found the characters to be a bit annoying and aggravating, and rather stereotypical. They all seemed like people that wouldn’t get along, nor would they be together in any kind of relationship. I also didn’t like all the backstabbing and maliciousness; as much as these things are needed within some stories, this was just too much and too heartless. It also seemed like there were some plot points that were forgotten about or were glanced over. This was not worth the read.

I really enjoyed the writing. The chapters were short and provided background while moving the story forward. However, I didn’t connect with Steve or any of the other characters. Steve was envious of his friend John and his life, but never made any decisions to improve his own life.
I will definitely read more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy. Four stars

This is a meandering book with characters you will not like. At times it is funny but mostly it is about the interactions of 4 people told from the perspective of Steve, a shallow, jealous, petty, unambitious, sexist, man. There are comparisons made to the Great Gadsby within the book itself so I can guess that the author was pushing the comparison and falling short for that type of fame. If you have to sell it that hard then the material just isn't there.

Each of the four primary characters are unlikable but they are all described from the perspective of the storyteller, Steve, so it is sometimes hard to tell if they are really as bad as he perceives them to be but their actions show their unlikability even without Steve's biased assessment. Though he probably presented them out of context for some of the stories.

The book is told from Steve's point of view in the present but will many backward glances.
This book took me a long time to finish because there were so many other better books to read and at times I just didn't want to pick it up again.

Thank you Net Galley for an opportunity to read and review this book in advance in return for an unbiased review

Choices were made and the only good one was it being short.



Thank you NetGalley and Celestial Eyes Press for providing a copy for an honest review.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I try to give every single book I read a fair shot. The only good thing about this book was how short it is. It reeks of sexism. The men, specifically the main character Steve, was condescending and sexist. He was constantly objectifying women. Every single “hot blonde” that he saw he called a “Swede”, and instead of referring to women with their names he would say “Swede 7” (or whatever number they were up to). The sexism literally starts in the first chapter and just continues through the entire book. All of the women have either administrative, marketing, or clothing store associate jobs. I get maybe women weren’t as prevalent in IT back in the ‘90s but they were absolutely there!!

Moving past the sexism, all of the character sucked. They had no redeeming qualities. Lauren was super jealous of Mary, and they would just tell other people each other’s secrets. Steve obviously sucked as mentioned previously.

This book, though short, is really slow. It’s marketed as a mystery/thriller but it really isn’t. The dinner party doesn’t happen until over halfway (55%) through the book. And really nothing happens that would be remotely considered “thriller” until around 80% through. The ending itself was pretty lame and seemed like a quick wrap up.

I would not recommend this book to any of my friends. Apparently women are not the target audience for this book, which is really disappointing for 2022. Maybe a 60 year old man would like it but nobody that I connect with about books.

I chose not to finish this book after reading 25 pages. The story and characters fell flat for me. I just did not care about the plot or the characters. I had been excited about the premise of this book after reading the description, but felt that it did not live up to the description.

I struggle with the review and rating on this one. I am not one to reword the summary of the book, I tend to write more about what I thought about the book and highlight what I remember most and what stayed with me. There wasn’t anything that really stood out to me with this book, yet it was intriguing enough that I was able to finish it in only three days, which says a lot for me. There are some books that take me weeks or months to complete when I’m not interested in them. I kept thinking this would be perfect for TV or film. I didn’t love the characters, but I think that was intentional and plays into the plot and story perfectly. That itself demonstrates talent to be able to match characters, behavior, and plot consistently throughout the book. Overall, I did enjoy reading it.

‘Many Are Invited’ has all the makings of a great book club pick. Literary merit, a bingeable pace and length, Great Gatsby references, thought provoking topics, consistent and cyclical use of themes and motifs, and l the teappings of psychological drama that book clubs love.

An end-of-year housewarming party turned mystery set in the 1990s, we get some Slicone Valley vibes, Y2K tech scare struggles, and— as aforementioned— some Gatsby parallels in respect to jealousy and love triangles and conventions of success. The drama wastes no time in gearing up, making this an easy read to get into, and the deliberate unlike-ability of the characters makes it even easier to make your way through with a need to know how things come full circle.

Younger (Gen Z) readers may find the terminology and setting a little difficult, but it’s nothing a quick google of Y2K or Gates/Jobs drama of the 90s couldn’t fix in under ten minutes.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Celestial Eyes Press for the invitation to read an e-ARC of Dennis Cursta’s ‘Many Are Invited.’