This book kept me entertained the entire time and I enjoyed learning about the characters as we continued. Especially as other POVs were brought up and described what they were doing. Overall a great premise and story!

2.5 mystifying stars, not rounded up

“There’s nothing new under the sun, including what can be said about writing.”

Authors of thrillers are invited to an exclusive private island, and things turn fatal for some of them. ‘Fatally Invited’ is a locked room mystery that I wanted to get out of.

The author tended to overuse ‘scary cliches’ and dramatic language. Within a page: “I almost stopped breathing,” “chased by a shiver,” “flexed his hands in exasperation,” “I don’t want them to be in anyone’s crosshairs” and “Fear seeped through to my core.” Speaking of a stolen laptop, the narrator character writes, “Somewhere, someone had my unfinished projects and abandoned novels and all the contents of my brain, my soul, dumped out in front of them to dissect.” I prefer the main protagonists to grow and show strength rather than continuously whining and lamenting.

The chapters are very short with introductions, which chopped the story up even more. I know that sometimes one needs to suspend belief when reading mysteries, but the escape box/ elevator was too much. Then a character who died came back to life? I am not often confused when reading, but You Are Fatally Invited mystified me, not in a good way.

“At least in fiction, you stand a chance against the monsters.” You are Fatally Invited had its share of monsters: the over dramatic writing and the characters, none of whom I liked. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing good ever happens on a private island, it seems, and in this case, it was no different when a group of thriller writers gathered for a retreat, and one of the authors was soon found murdered. The audio was a fun way to read this one; I thought it enhanced the story. A storm is coming, and the remaining authors must scramble to figure out what is going on and who is behind everything before another one of them is gone. This was so fun to read; the setting was right up my alley, and I enjoyed trying to guess what in the world was going on here.

Thank you to Random House and PRH Audio for the copies to review.

I was hooked from the very first chapter of You Are Fatally Invited. This book combined so many of my favorite tropes. It was stranded island meets writing retreat meets locked room murder mystery. It felt like Knives Out, which is one of my favorite movies to watch over and over. At no point was I absolutely certain of what was to come, and the suspense was delicious. This book was just what I have been trying to find in so many other thrillers recently. Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read.

I love isolated, closed room mysteries reminiscent of And the there were None. So I was eager to read You Are Fatally Invited. A writers' retreat with authors who all have secrets and a mysterious host who doesn't seem to want to make an appearance. What more could a girl want?

I thought this was fairly enjoyable. I did restart the book a couple of times because I kept getting the characters confused. None of them were particularly likable. The beginning was a bit slow for my taste and really didn't pick up until about halfway through the book. Once it did, I found myself enjoying it a lot more. I did NOT call that ending at all. So that twist definitely saved the book for me. Ultimately, I would recommend it. If you can stick with it until the halfway point, you will love the second half.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows a group of writers who are invited to a special event with a very reclusive author. Things quickly unfold from there.

I was really looking forward to this book but it was not for me. I felt like the writing just did not grab me and the characters all blended together. I am so sad that this one didn't work for me.

I hope others love this one!

This really kept me guessing with all the twists and every time I thought I had it figured out...I was wrong. A great take on the locked room thriller and amazingly layered to include all the ways the characters were connected.

My first read by this author, and it will not be my last. I am a sucker for a solid locked-room mystery, and I was not disappointed. This novel had a great group of characters and an ominous atmosphere. It kept me guessing until the end.

Tricked by a cover again! I know, it is my own fault, judging and all, but COME ON. The cover is gorgeous.

J.R. Alastor (pseudonym), a renowned author, hires Mila to host a writing retreat. Alastor will be hosting it at his private manor tucked peacefully away on an island off the coast of Maine. Mila is excited for the opportuity - for many reasons. She's a former aspiring writer herself, and she desperately needs to get revenge on one of the attendees.

The guest list is small, just six well-known authors who have all mastered their craft and are writers of thrillers and mysteries. They know the tropes inside and out, can toss out red herrings, create misdirection and mayhem, and are above all else, deceitful.

Alastor and Mila have planned a whole week's worth of events and the plan is to use the cover of the retreat to take her revenge. But before she can, a different guest ends up dead and Mila realizes things are not what she thought, and Alastor may not be who she believed.

Then the storm comes along and they are cut off from the mainland. More die and Mila has to figure out what the game really is before she is next.

Well, this was a big fat disappointment for me. It had all the things I love: small group of unlikeable characters, no contact with the outside world, and murder.

It was hard to even decide how to rate this one. The plot itself I really enjoyed, because this type of thriller is my favorite. Do not, however, for one moment compare it to And Then There Were None. I see that as a alllllll the time and nothing ever even comes a tiny bit close. It's one of the greatest murder mysteries of all time.

But there were too many POVs and some of the voices were not distrinct enough to carry their own chapters; I had to keep going back to the beginning to see who I was reading. Other characters were basically caricatures of pretentious and self-absorbed authors who had no idea they were about to finally being held accountable for some past behavior because they's JUST SUCH TALENTED WRITERS. As the game progressed wildly off-course, the chapters with various sins as titles were added and those were even worse.

Even so, I was enjoying the mystery itself - until the reveal. It fell flat and was so disappointing because it was something I considered early on after the first two deaths, but then dismissed because I felt like it was too obvious to actually be the thing that this all led up to. What an unsatisfying ending for such great build-up. I am always willing to suspend some belief for a fantastic reveal, but this was too much for me.

So again, I am torn. The plot itself was great and I loved the build-up. But the uncompelling characters and suspension of belief needed for the reveal are the reason for two stars.

I guess I would recommend with caution. Don't say I didn't warn you about the bad bits though.

A writers retreat gone wrong. when multiple famous authors are invited to a very prestigious island for a writer's retreat everyone is excited until there's a dead body. with everyone pointing the finger at each other they soon learn the host is playing a very cruel game of cat and mouse. the authors must give in and play his games if they want to survive. I overall enjoyed this one but, i feel this idea of a writer's retreat is getting overused and kind of overrated now but, it still had me on the edge of my seat.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of You Are Fatally Invited.

I would give this book a 3.5/5. I wanted to like it better than I did. The premise of the story is clever: several best-selling mystery and horror authors are invited to a writers’ retreat at a mansion owned by an author who has kept his true identity secret. As the days go on, they are encouraged to confess and repent their sins as they are subjected to tests/games based on a different trope each day. The authors need to work out who they can trust with their secrets—and their lives.

The issue I had is that the characters felt at once overblown and undefined. The narrator shifts through the chapters, and some of them I really couldn’t keep sorted in my head. As I read, I wanted something more to really sink my teeth into, but the plot felt like a gimmick, the resolution felt insignificant (as I worked my way toward it), and the people were shadowy caricatures.

This might turn into a cute movie (the rights have a film agent’s support, according to the acknowledgments), but as a book, it feels kind of superficial.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This had the potential to be really cool, but the book was bogged down with far too many characters and changing POVs for me to keep track of, and too many plot twists. I felt like there was too much going on with too many characters who I just didn’t really care about in the first place, so it was hard for me to be invested.

I'm a sucker for a locked room twisty mystery!

Alastor and Mila have masterminded a week of games, trope-fueled riddles, and maybe a jump scare or two—the perfect cover for Mila to plot a murder of her own. But when a guest turns up dead—and it’s not the murder she planned—Mila finds herself trapped in a different narrative altogether.

One by one, you’ll lose your turn.

With a storm cutting off the island, and the body count rising, Mila must outwit a killer who knows literally every trick in the book.

Until only one of us remains…

Honestly I wasn't expecting much different than any other mystery but I was pleasantly surprised! This was a fun rid full of twists and turns that I couldn't even guess!

While this was a fun twist on And Then There Were None, if you've read the original then you would definitely be able to identify the killer from the state.

There were a few character plot lines that didn't tie together well and seemed a little too drawn out but that didn't take away from it being a fun summer read.

I DNF this book, but I think it was a me problem. I’m not a huge fan of “locked room” thrillers so I think it just wasn’t for me! But I think someone who enjoys that trope would love this book. I like the invitation.

I loved this, it’s like a reading and writing retreat meets clue. I was honestly surprised when everything became clear and was revealed. A true murder mystery!

4.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine. This book is like get from point A to B and has a bunch or yarn between and you have to untwist it......and im still confused lol. Alaster a famous writer sets up like a writing retreat using a even coordinator Mila and invites 6 authors but they each have secrets and dark past and it turns into a shit show and I was here for it all. Theres not much to say but even with clues I could not figure it out lol and I'm usually pretty good about this stuff.

The following review was posted on Goodreads on 7.11.25:

There's a lot to love about YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED, one of which is the way it pokes fun at and plays with classic murder mystery tropes. With an appealing AND THEN THERE WERE NONE premise, it also intrigues from the very beginning, upping the ante with every chapter, leading to a breakneck, explosive finale. (I stayed up until 1 this morning, LONG after my bedtime, to finish it.) The plot is clever, too, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. (Although I figured out some of the answers, I missed a few things, too.) Not all of the characters in the book are likeable (naturally), but Mila is. I cared about her, in spite of her flaws, and wanted her to find peace. Pliego writes well, creating interesting characters, a complex plot, and an engrossing story using engaging, assured prose. Her debut does not feel like a debut. As an added bonus, YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED doesn't have any real profanity (a handful of Bible swears is all) or sex. It's got a lot of violence and blood/gore, but it's a PG-13 read in my opinion. (I wouldn't hand it to a 13-year-old, though.)

Of course, the story is more than a little far-fetched. Some people's motives seemed extreme and unrealistic. Also, the plot does get a bit convoluted and, while the important things are explained, there are some questions that never really get answered. In addition, the book is very depressing. It's been compared to Benjamin Stevenson's Ernie Cunningham series, but YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED doesn't have that kind of humor or charm. Still, I enjoyed this propulsive thriller. I'm definitely eager to see what Pliego does next.

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mild language (a few Bible swears), violence, scenes of peril, and blood/gore

First and foremost, thank you to netgalley and Random House Publishing for the e-ARC!

Unfortunately I was left fatally disappointed…

⭐️⭐️

I feel terrible writing this review because I really wanted to love it, but it was missing so many things. It had so much potential, but it fell very flat for me. I expected witty banter, misguided humor, and ‘wtf’ intensity equal to Netflix’s “The Menu”. Instead, we got a board game version of ‘Clue’ and a haze of confusion.

I struggled to connect with the characters. I got why the multi POV happened and tried to envision like how “Knives Out” was filmed with the different perspectives to catch the killer, but imo wasn’t executed rather well. I did think the puzzles and the idea of the participants’ efforts of figuring each other out via board game was clever, but as I said - just poorly executed.

This book unfortunately was not a page turner for me, and I felt like I was forcing myself to finish reading just so I can see how it ended.

What a breath of fresh air! I loved this spooky locked room mystery and all it's wild characters. Not only was island atmosphere perfect, but the "And Then There Were None Style" kept the story flowing at a consistent pace and made me feel like a sleuth along with the characters. I enjoyed seeing the diversity in age as well!

I especially enjoyed the "game within a game" elements. It was a surprise at the turn of every page!

I also really appreciated that there were little to no content warnings in this book. It makes it easier when recommending this to just about any reader!