Great premise but ultimately didn’t work for me. I love the idea of thriller authors convening on a secluded island but the writing fell flat and I just never got pulled in.

The amount of plot twists in this novel were mind-boggling in the best possible way. Ande Pliego's debut novel follows a group of writers invited by renowned author J.R. Alastor to a writing retreat on his private island. One by one, the authors are killed off and forced to decide who to trust in a scenario they can't escape from. Overall, this page-turner kept me on the edge of my seat!

It can NOT be coincidence that there was a married couple in this book named olivia and rodrigo... i mean, come on now!
This was engaging enough and kept me hooked, but i felt very unsatisfied by the ending. i feel like there were a lot of plot holes and loose ends that never got tied up. i always go into these locked room mysteries expecting to be wowed and I unfortunately wasn’t with this one.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I just couldn't get into the story and with so many characters, it was too hard to keep it straight. I really wanted to like it but when you are not connected with it right from the start, it's hard to keep going. Sorry, I had to DNF this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books and the author for a free copy of ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You Are Fatally Invited is a smart, darkly funny horror mystery that hooked me with its sharp wit and gripping suspense. I loved how Pliego blends chilling supernatural elements with a razor-sharp critique of privilege and social dynamics. The protagonist’s journey felt deeply personal and relatable, even amid the eerie, deadly stakes. The pacing is tight, the twists satisfying, and the queer representation is heartfelt and authentic, making this a standout in contemporary horror.

It's "And then they were none" by Agatha Christie meets the movie "Clue". A seemingly unrelated group of authors are invited to a private island for a writers retreat by an unseen reclusive host who is also an infamous author. As the weekend progresses, more mysteries and secrets are unveiled.

Our lead character, Mila, orchestrates the games the guests must play that have murderous intent. While she doesn't know why all of the guests have been invited, they are all famous in ways they want to keep secret.

While Mila is directing from behind the scenes, she eventually has to deal with a personal struggle ... exacting revenge or maintaining her conscience.

This book is easily something I can envision become a movie or TV series. The characters are indentifiable with reality and the plot keeps you in suspense until the very end.

I'm hoping to read more stories from this author

Six thriller authors at an exclusive writer’s retreat? Say less—I was in from the premise alone. Add in a Clue-inspired, who-dun-it vibe with sharp writing and layered mysteries, and You Are Fatally Invited turned out to be just the right book at the right time for me.

I loved getting multiple POVs from the authors, each flawed and fascinating in their own way. Some were surprisingly likeable, some absolutely weren’t, but all were fun to read about. The shifting perspectives helped build out the tension and made the unraveling of secrets so satisfying.

There’s not just one mystery here, but several—from hidden sins to the true identity of the elusive J. R. Alastor—and Ande Pliego balances them all with skill and a great sense of pacing. I also appreciated the clever play on classic thriller tropes—it felt like a love letter to the genre, while still keeping me on my toes.

If you enjoy smart, character-driven thrillers with a little wink to the reader and plenty of twists, this is one worth adding to your list!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing (Ballantine) for my DRC!

This fast-paced mystery follows a group of mystery writers invited to a secluded island by a secretive and famous mystery author who has always hidden their identity. The characters are instructed to play a game organized by the host and carried out by the woman he hired to run everything on the island. Filled to the brim with secrets, these authors might deserve what is coming for them.

I sped through this novel and stayed up the latest I ever had for a book because I could not sleep without knowing how the mystery unfolded. I adored the characters and loved how the mystery unravelled and the story ended.

It's best to go into this novel without much knowledge because that improves the reading experience.

Readers who love isolated mysteries with twisted secrets and unreliable characters will eat up this book. This book needs to get the attention that it deserves!

If you like a great whodunnit set on an atmospheric island this is the book for you

This is one of the books that you can’t put down till you finish it. So many times, as you read you think you know the answers, but this keeps you guessing till the very end.

I always like a book with different POV’s, and this worked very well. The characters were well developed, and you could feel like you know them. The reveal tied everything together, but you were able to still feel surprised and satisfied with the end.

Great mystery full of twists and turns!

Thank you, NetGalley,, and Ballantine & Random House Publishing for the eARC.

An anonymous writer hosts a retreat on a private island. Little do the invited authors know that he has planned several dark and twisted games to sniff out their dark secrets and expose them to one another, and then the world.

I was absolutely hooked on this book. It was like a super dark game of clue! Trying to figure out who the mastermind behind all the twisted games was so riveting. The big reveal had me totally flabbergasted! Highly recommend.

Darkly comic and thoroughly original. Pliego’s twist on the murder mystery genre is sharp, stylish, and packed with personality. A few pacing hiccups didn’t slow me down much—I devoured this. A fun ride for fans of campy thrillers with edge.

I really enjoyed You Are Fatally Invited. It's clever blend of mystery and dark humor that kept me hooked from start to finish. Pliego does a great job weaving suspense with wit, creating characters that are both intriguing and relatable. The plot twists were enough to keep me guessing, without feeling overly complicated. My only reason for four stars instead of five is that some parts felt a tad rushed, but overall, it’s an entertaining and well crafted read. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries with a darker edge. Definitely one I’d recommend!

I tried really hard with this one. I didn’t get a chance to read it before it was archived so I tried listening to it. I couldn’t follow what was happening (couldn’t go back to the beginning of the chapter to see who was talking; couldn’t remember who the characters were) and didn’t like the narration as it was done in dual which I don’t like. I made it 49% of the way through. I might try again when I can get a physical copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Randomhouse Publishing Group - Ballantine for this advanced copy.

It was fun read, full of twist and turns. Had me guessing all wrong until the very end. Told in different point of views.

An interesting take on the locked room (locked island in this case) mystery. Several mystery writers are invited to a writing retreat being given by a well renowned yet reclusive author. Everyone on the island has some things they'd like to keep hidden, but the reclusive author is determined to out those things. Deaths happen, betrayals happen, and a oddly bizarre and unlikely ending. However, it was intriguing enough to keep me entertained.

Thank you to Ande Pliego and Net Galley for this ARC! As you can see this review is coming out much later than the publication date, and this is because I struggled with the book. I think that it lacked A LOT for the genre. I think the amount of POVs was very confusing, and I didn’t care about all the characters. It was like I had to wade through 4 people to get to the one I wanted. Plus there was a lot of telling instead of showing. I think all the best murder mysteries are like a scooby doo episode– I should be able to follow along with clues to guess by the end or look back and see the breadcrumbs that were placed that I overlooked. This had very few of either. I’m not really sure why the romance started or why it was necessary. I just wanted more from this book and would’ve DNF, but them allowing me to read the arc made me push through.

4.5 stars

"An exclusive thriller writer's retreat hosted on a private island turns lethal when one of the authors is found murdered in this twisty locked room mystery." - from Goodreads.

This was such a me type of book. To begin with, the synopsis of the book is basically everything that I love in a mystery. Then when I opened the book I found a map that showed the layout of the house. Such fun! It felt like Clue in the best of ways. I was literally all in with this book from the very beginning. This was one of those books that I both wanted to savor and fly through at the same time. I spend my time reading trying to guess what was going on and who was behind it all. And suspecting everyone at one point or another. I really liked how this author played with the isolated island trope where people were dying one by one. It almost felt like a slasher mixed with a mystery. That being said, my one complaint was that I didn't love the ending as much as I had hoped to. In fact, I ended up going back and rereading the ending just because I felt like I had missed a few things. Overall though, I had such a fun time with this book and cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next. She's a mystery author to watch.

Readers who enjoy suspense filled mysteries that keep you turning the pages should give this book a try. If you loved Dead of Winter by Darcey Coates or They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall then definitely pick this one up. I'm landing on 4.5 stars and rounding up.

This story has definite And Then There Were None vibes (and even a very small Clue (the movie) reference early on), so while it absolutely started off slow... it got more interesting once the characters were being killed off. I guessed the murderer incorrectly, and did not see any of the twist coming. I like how each character had a different personality and it felt like a real writing retreat (minus the murders lol).

I gave this one 3.5 on Storygraph, but will mark it as 4 stars on NetGalley.

Milan plans a writers retreat on a private island. Six thriller writers are collected together. All with secrets. Great locked in room type thriller. I had to get a copy to keep for myself.

Thank you netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

*Thank You @prhaudio For This #Gifted audiobook*

**4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account**

"No, I’d never have catharsis. But I’d settle for revenge."

"I like my men like my Kleenex: expensive, pliable, and disposable.”

Let me invite you to read and listen to the twist upon twist psychological locked room thriller, You Are Fatally Invited, by deviously clever debut author Ande Pliego. You will laugh, smirk, and gasp, as the reveals keep coming along with the deadly games.

Six bestselling thriller writers are invited to a secluded island by reclusive renowned author J.R. Alastor for a writing retreat...or so says the invitation. What happens when they arrive is every mystery thriller trope from a "to die for dinner" to "everyone's a suspect."

Mila, the event planner, has a revenge plot against one of the writers. It gets tricky when she realizes Alastor has his own nefarious games. But it really gets wild when bodies are piling up that neither Mila or Alastor have targeted...could there be a third killer...and could they be next on the killer's list?

A full cast of voice actors deliciously chew up this satirical thriller. The delightful Will Damron reads excerpts from Alastor's book with devilish glee. As Rodrigo, Alejandro Ruiz is schemingly mysterious. The uppity Fletcher has an extra dose of obnoxiousness from John Lee. Violet's outbursts are so extra from the captivating Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Mia Hutchinson-Shaw makes Olivia an alluring character.

There's Dawn Harvey with her chef's kiss sarcasm, as my favorite, the elder author, Cassandra. The dubious Ashton is aided by the charming Feodor Chin. The astutely Victoria Villarreal owns Mila's conflicted inner voice.

With a wink to thriller fans, this writer creates an often tense, shocking murder mystery that had my heart fatally pumping with thriller joy.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing via Netgalley for a fair and honest. All opinions are my own.