Firstly prepare yourself for the world of technology, the first part of this book is heavy on the jargon, but once you make it through it’s an average book.

I don’t feel that it fulfilled it’s destiny but it is a good read. Steve is a good narrator for the story but is let down by the abrupt (and completely unnecessary) ending.

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC!

Set in the '90s during the dot com craze, "Many Are Invited" is a quick read with multiple fun twists. The story is about Steven and his jealousy of his "frenemy," John, who both work at the same company trying to prevent the Y2K Bug from causing problems. Along the way, Steven grows more and more jealous of John's relationships and career, all leading up to the thrilling evening of John's housewarming party.

None of the characters were very likable, and we have an unreliable narrator, but I quite like it when I cannot predict endings. I thought a few sections of the book were repetitive or irrelevant, but Cuesta managed to wrap up those loose ends in the final chapters. This was a fun read that had me guessing and theorizing the entire way through.

A little late in the day for a Y2K novel but I will keep that aside.

This is a book that's hard to describe. A lot seems to be happening at the same time without a lot happening. The story centers on 4 people none of whom are particularly nice. A lot of throwaway comments that are not explained. The party scene (where "many are invited") seems like something from a movie where the camera cuts between quick shots of conversations among people.

A quick and easy read overall though not as engaging.

This was a very quick read, which for me was the best thing about it. It’s always the characters who make any story matter to me. That said, two young men meet at work and become close friends. They meet two young women who are roommates and then they all become friends. But they all keep secrets from each other. Unfortunately, I didn’t care much for any of the characters. I couldn’t relate to them. The story was somewhat slow, and I kept waiting for something to happen. I didn’t care about the bars they visited or parties they went to or what clothes they were wearing. Something awful does happen, but it was too late in the story for me. And then I had a hard time understanding what really happened and was left wondering about a couple of things. I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy this story and like the characters. I hope so. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. I would like to thank Celestial Eyes Press, Dennis Cuesta and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC free for an honest review.

This was an interesting read, one of the first I have read dealing with the Y2K issue. It delves into the issues surrounding the possible shut down of everything, and the dot-com bubble in the economy at that time. Unfortunately, for me, the characters were not particularly likeable or well developed. The story is a bit slow throughout. The end is more fast paced and begins to bring the characters and story line together, but unfortunately still leaves many things unanswered, and doesn't feel quite complete. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my complimentary copy.

While I liked the book I'm still trying to figure out the ending. It was a good story but I feel like I'm missing something.

Many Are Invited
By Dennis Cuestra

This book is about love, hate, jealousy, coveting. It is about Steven, who starts out disliking John, but ends up his best friend. It is about Mary and Lauren, high school friends, then roommates who seem to be in constant competition for love, success – everything one gets, the other wants.

When the foursome come together, the situation becomes poisonous. Best friends become mortal enemies, and through a series of mishaps, lives are destroyed. In short it is reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.

Mr. Cuestra's story is a sad commentary on being human. When emotions take control, humanity can quickly be lost.

First of all thank you so much for allowing me to read this ARC. I really enjoyed this book. I kind of went into this book blind and I am kind of glad I did. I think this is one of my favorite thrillers of the year and I will deff be buying it for my shelf.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

While the writing flowed easily, the story felt like a short story expanded to far. There was too much Y2K discussion (the explanations were too in-depth to be entertaining), and very few of the characters were like able. It was a good story, but not one I’d rush out to tell anyone about.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

This is a trip down memory lane of what it was like to be a young professional in the 1990s. Not much exists in the way of a plot. Instead, this is sort of an atmospheric piece revolving around four main characters, two men and two women. The two men met at work, at a time when Y2K threatened to render business computer systems inoperable. The two women work together also, in a retail shop. All are single, but eventually they all come together and build friendships, leading to marriage for one of the couples.

Nothing momentous happens in the book for the longest time, though it seems as if something significant will occur. It does, but the reader must wait until the last 10% of the book, where tragedy strikes but is dispensed with rather abruptly.

The characters are not appealing. Not much of a plot. Thus, the poor rating. On a final positive note, this is a smooth, easy read and it was easy to follow what was going on.

A quick read but a lot of characters at the end. Still trying to figure out the ending. Lots of dialog and back story. Didn't quite feel satisfied at the end. I feel like I'm missing something.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

I quite liked this book! The story was simple but engaging, and fast paced. I could not stop reading it once I started. I was engaged straight through to the end - which was crazy.

I remember the Y2K times and I thought this book reflected them well.. I found this story was okay but I didn’t really have any strong feelings about it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a fairly quick read though I couldn't quite figure out what type of book this was supposed to be until maybe the last 25%. By the description, I thought it was a mystery/thriller but for the first half of the book, not much happened except for a one-sided competition between two guys during the dot com era and the Y2K fear. The story focuses on 4 people: Lauren, Mary, Steve, and John, none of whom were very likable. Steve, the narrator, was super immature. His behavior sets in motion the final disaster at the end of the novel.

There were a few unexpected twists at the end but it all wrapped up too quickly for everything that we had to slog through in the beginning. The story left us hanging as to what happened to 3 of the 4 major characters at the end after the incident.

This book has a lot of potential with some editing. I'd like to see what the author has in store in the future because he is certainly good at coming up with an ending that I just didn't see coming.

This was a well written reflection on the Y2K crisis in late 1999. As I was in tech industry at the time, I could relate to the impending doom that we were all expecting. Two former coworkers, John and Steve, meet at a party where tragedy occurs, and it's a flashback up until that event. John is the more successful of the two men, and Steve is envious of his success. Steve is a serial womanizer and not that likeable.

There's lots of long drawn out dialog that paints a picture of the history of the two men up until the year 2000. The lead up to the event in question is also lengthy and should have been tightened up a bit more. I would have been more interested in a focus on the Y2K crisis and the lead up to that.

All in all an interesting take on that part of history but not a thrilling read.

Set in the 1990s, with the Y2K problem looming and .com and tech companies booming, a group of friends, definitely not ones that I would want, demonstrate just how destructive and deadly competition and the green eyed monster of jealousy can be.

The pace of this story moved quickly and I was able to read it in one day. If the characters were meant to be unlikeable, then that goal was achieved. However, though I thought that the plot was interesting, the pieces of the puzzle did not come together smoothly or cohesively and the narrative seemed to flounder at times and could have used some structural editing. Overall, this was just an OK read for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

3 1/2 stars. Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC! This book isn’t my typical style, but it was a quick and easy read. I liked the premise and felt the nostalgia of the late 90’s y2k.

I feel like the beginning was a little slow moving compared to the end. There was a lot of character and world building which I liked and then it ended really abruptly.

I had a hard time relating to the main character. I felt like he wasn’t as likable but I think that was part of his personality.

I would’ve liked another chapter or two, but the way the book ends so abrupt it does work. Just personal preferences.

The book reads easily and that’s always a big bonus for me. I definitely enjoyed the latter half of the book once the party got started more then the first half. It was very interesting to see all the relationships and the envy between Steve and John and Lauren and Mary. I did like Gatsby references as I feel like the book had a little parallel.

Overall it was a good read and I’m glad I stepped out of my usual boxes for it!

I started out really enjoying this book. The characters were impressively flawed -it was really kind of hard to tell which character was screwed up the most. The pace was really good but the ending felt rushed and not at all satisfying. I felt like the author took the easy way out and could’ve really moved character development along towards the end but chose not to.

Very lightweight. Unresloved plot details. Littlle character decelopment, Suprtficial .riting stye.

I didn't know what to expect from this book and I'm glad I didn't get my hopes up. It's the late nineties and our narrator, Steve, is in his mid-thirties and working for a phone company right when the Y2K hysteria begins. It's brought to the company's attention by a co-worker named John who Steve immediately dislikes for no apparent reason other than that he made everyone come to a meeting. But they soon become friends and we see them at different points in their lives leading up to 1999.

John leaves the company and becomes wealthy, meeting his future wife, Mary, and living a great life. Steve stays in the same job and dates around but that's about it. The story culminates in a housewarming party where tragedy strikes. Although it doesn't feel tragic at all, you're just happy the party is finally happening because it's the last 10% of the book and you've been waiting so long for the conclusion. Because believe me when I say this isn't a thoroughly plotted tale, it's Steve talking to people now and then in overlong dialogues that add nothing to the plot. He's a completely unlikable character who ogles women all the time and is envious of everything John has. When he gets dates with coworkers or other women, he drops them after a while because he just seems bored with them or they are just not hot and interesting enough.

The worst part is that this book is just plain badly written. I don't even have the words or technical knowledge to accurately describe why it's bad. It's what I imagine the first draft of a random story by a non-author would read like. There are long passages that just abruptly end. There are characters introduced who end up never being mentioned again and who added nothing by being described in the first place. The wording is often awkward like it's someone talking to you, but then it switches to sound like someone talking to themself. The character development is nonexistent - the women are terrible, and the more attractive they are, the worse their personalities are. But that's ok because she's hot! It feels like this story was written by a teenage boy at times.

That's about the best I can do in describing why this story fails on so many levels. I don't know how it's getting published but I can't wait to see what everyone else has to say.