“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… 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…”

You are Fatally Invited is a solid book. It followed 6 authors on a writing retreat on an island. Pretty quickly they realize that this is not a retreat of any kind and they need to stay alive before the mysterious host takes them out. Pretty interesting concept. 3.75-4/5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So many twists and turns. This book kept me guessing and I was totally taken by surprise with the ending!

YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED by ANDE Pliego

A thriller about a writer’s retreat, hosted on a private island that turns lethal when one of the authors is found murdered.

It reminded me so much of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None”. Good plot, but I felt the book was a little too long. Hard to concentrate on each guest’s whereabouts.

Thank you Net Galley fo sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

I devoured this book! 🙌🏻

This thriller is like the game Clue ✨
The characters has such detail and their stories wove together perfectly. I never figured out who Alastor was so I was pretty shocked to find out in the end!
Writing a book within a book is very cool 🤯

I can’t wait to hopefully see more from this author in the future! 🥳

As soon as I started this one, I felt like I had read so many books like it before. A writers retreat, with a mystery host, and it’s going in the direction of And Then There Were None. I was a little annoyed by the premise immediately. There are also so many characters that we are trying to get to know so intimately, it was a tad confusing. At times, I wished the book would move faster as it seemed to drag on. When everything was revealed I felt a little letdown. Overall the book was written well, but I wanted more.

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher. This book gave off Hitchcock vibes right from the start. It was eerie and the perfect locked room novel. a bunch of famous thriller author's are invited on an exclusive writing retreat by an author who is a famous recluse. They all can't wait to finally see who the reclusive author is and meet them in person. There are a lot of different things going on between all of these authors, they all seem to have their own histories. When people start dying no one knows who they can trust and how long until they are next. This one will keep you up late!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for providing me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this book. It is very similar to And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, which I was slightly nervous about. Only because that is one of the greatest books of all time (in my opinion) and I think its hard to live up to. But, this one did in every way! You Are Fatally Invited was so good in comparison. It was was similar but different in a way that made it that much more exciting. I loved all the references to other books, TV, shows, and movies. It made the read really fun and relatable. Ande Pliego's writing style is soooooo good. It is so unique and pieces together perfectly. I will say there were times it got a little confusing with the characters switching back and forth. However, it felt intentional to me and made the book that much more intriguing. It was overall such a great read, I highly recommend!!!

I always enjoy a locked room mystery with the twist of a writers retreat. There were a lot of characters and sometimes it was easy to confuse them. The mystery was well thought out and captivating.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this debut book. I thought it was well written and kept me on my toes the entire time. I truly read this in one sitting!

I love a locked room mystery and this one was excellent. I highly recommend this book if you also like a locked room thriller or any thriller/mystery book really. I really can’t wait to see what else this author comes up with in the future.

Six authors are invited to a mystery writers retreat on a remote island. Mila has organised games for week on behalf of the host, Alastor. But when Alastor doesn't turn up and the bodies start piling up it's clear that there is more to this mystery retreat than writing.

I love a mystery that has you guessing from the start! From the very first page I was trying to work out the many mysteries of this book. Every time I thought I had it figured out there was another twist added. Locked room mysteries are some of my favourites so I really enjoyed the isolated island setting of this book. The people were all so different but perfectly cast as the characters in a mystery. Each person showcased a different mystery trope but there were also some red herrings thrown in along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bantam for the advanced reader copy!

I have to say, I’m shocked at how much I liked this. At times, was a little dark for me, but the mystery was so well done. Every character has complex, connected secrets, and Pliego does such a good job at stringing you along in anticipation. I've read books with this trope before (such as The Guest List) but You Are Fatally Invited did it so much better. My favorite part was how each character's POV was revealed slowly throughout the book, instead of them being dumped in front of you from the start. I was additionally surprised at how tense the story could be. There were times when I was clenching my jaw waiting for something to be revealed, which is simply a testament to how well the suspense was written. It also felt pretty original compared to other books I've read, and I loved how Pliego incorporated elements of what it feels like to be an author. My only complaint was that, at times, it could get a little cheesy, and the characters too cliche. Very good overall and I'd honestly expect it to become somewhat of a bestseller once it's released!

Wow. Just wow. This was my first advanced digital review copy that I received and it was amazing. A real life Clue Game with thriller authors as the players. Nearly every thriller trope was so intricately added and the characters played so well into the story, I forgot I was reading halfway through. For a debut novel, I am so excited to see what Pliego writes next. Her writing style was so unique and detail oriented, she is an author to watch going forward. If you love the who done it, survive the night, or locked in a room trope, this book is 100% worth picking up as it has all three and more.

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher at Random House, and NetGalley for the digital review copy and allowing me to give an honest review of this amazing book!

thank you so much to Bantam/Ballantine & Ande Pliego for this ARC via Netgalley!!

i had such a good time reading this one! i’ve always loved clue and this took such an interesting spin on the “locked room” idea as well as various other thriller tropes that were weaved in. it was a bit slow to get started but once i really got into the neat of it (40-50% in) i did not want to put it down (and i didn’t lol) and ended up devouring the rest of it. part of this was that the multiple povs was overwhelming at the beginning but i did come to appreciate them by the end.

maybe i was just too enveloped in the story to really think far ahead but i truly did not see some of the ending twists coming which was a nice surprise! overall, i think it wrapped up nicely and i felt content with the ending. if you want a writer’s themed locked door mystery thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat you should give You Are Fatally Invited a read when it comes out February 11, 2025❤️‍🔥🔪

*posted on Goodreads and scheduled to be posted on IG this week*

The premise of this sounded very intriguing, but it did not quite captivate me as I thought it would. The characters weren’t very likable and I felt it hard to keep track of whose perspective I was reading from.

What an incredible debut! I rarely find a thriller that actually keeps me guessing and this one did just that. Every time I thought I had everything figured out, I was completely wrong. If you’re looking a murder mystery with high stakes, this is the book for you!

This book is such a well done thriller, I could NOT put this book down.

J.R. Alastor, a famous, anonymous author, hosts a writing retreat, at his private island, and authors jump at the chance to attend.

However, once they all get there, it turns out Alastor had a sinister reason for all inviting them there, and now they must work together to figure out how to escape. The only problem? Not everyone is who they seem to be. Soon the bodies are piling up, and you start to wonder, will anyone make it off the island alive?

I loved the multiple POVs and quick chapters.- everyone is an unreliable narrator, which I actually adored, because it made it really hard to guess what was really going on. The ending will blow your mind.

If you love a locked room mystery, Agatha Christie novels, or the game Clue, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

Thank You NetGalley and Random House Publishers – Ballantine for a complimentary copy of this novel!

I so enjoyed this book!!! It’s a mystery thriller set on a private island where a mysterious author only known as J. R. Alastor invites six authors to his estate. There is also Mila, hired by Alastor to prepare the estate and move the activities along. Then there’s the cook and the housekeeper. Each author has a shady past they’re hiding, and Alastor communicates via Mila that in order to survive, you must confess your sins. But it’s not only the six authors with a questionable past. Mila, the cook, and the housekeeper also have something to hide. With games to play and win, riddles to solve, and a fight to the finish; this is a locked room type mystery with a little bit of Clue mixed in. This novel is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat!!! And on top of everything going on and bodies dropping like flies, the island is cut off from the rest of the world due to a storm and someone purposefully disconnecting all communication. So, there is no help coming and there’s a killer loose on the island! And one of them also has a hidden agenda! But the main question everyone is literally dying to find out (no pun intended), is “Who is J. R. Alastor?” Read this exciting rollercoaster of a novel to find out when it comes out February 11, 2025!!!

I must read too many books because so many parts of this book felt familiar. And I don't just mean because the classic mystery tropes were generously sprinkled throughout the story. At the beginning, I struggled with differentiating the characters. I think my count was off! Once I was able to separate them, the reading flowed much smoother for me and I was able to enjoy the finer details. Did I know who J. R. Alastor was before the ending? Kind of. I had it narrowed down pretty good. But like many good books, the journey is as good as the ending. All of which I enjoyed! I will be looking for future books from this author!

You Are Fatally Invited is a fantastic locked room murder mystery that takes place on an isolated island during a writers retreat.
Reclusive author J R Alastor hires Mila to run a themed mystery writers retreat to expose each of the writers' crimes. While Mila is initially excited to get revenge on the author that stole her book, this soon go awry when one author ends up dead. THe authors will have to figure out who among them is a murderer and who is J R Alastor.
This had all the best elements of a Clue game. It was so twisty and interesting. With that many characters, sometimes they can get lost in the shuffle but Pliego did a great job with the narrator choices to make each character stand out.