Ande Pliego’s debut novel brings us into a twisted world where no one can be trusted, and even the sharpest minds are led astray by brilliant misdirection. The premise itself is enough to entice any fan of the genre: a secluded writers’ retreat on a private island, hosted by the enigmatic J. R. Alastor, featuring six renowned thriller authors—all experts in deception and plot twists. It’s a writer’s paradise—until it turns into a nightmare.

Each new chapter feels like a race against time, as the characters must outwit a killer who is as adept at playing the game as the authors themselves. Pliego’s writing keeps you on edge, offering up tantalizing hints and false leads. The blend of suspense, red herrings, and dramatic reveals makes this novel a true locked-room mystery in every sense. The island setting adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere, trapping the characters—and the reader—into a deadly narrative where escape seems impossible.

If you’re looking for a twisty, unpredictable read that’ll keep you up late into the night, Your Fatally Invited is a must-read. Pliego’s debut is a tour de force of misdirection and suspense, and it marks the arrival of a talented new voice in thriller fiction. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Ande Pliego debuts with her twisty locked-room mystery thriller You Are Fatally Invited. Readers bear witness as six crime writers are summoned to a writing retreat by pseudonymous bestselling author JR Alastor. The mansion is on an island and is made up specifically for their stay. Mila has been hired as event coordinator to ensure that everything goes precisely to plan. But Alastor knows that the crime writers have crimes to atone for themselves and Mila didn't know that anyone would die. Other than the murder she had been planning herself, that is.

This thriller is intricately plotted with interweaving tropes common to the genre and beautifully executed. Divided into six days, the action and the mystery and the murder unfolds in changing perspectives. Aided by a helpful Clue-inspired game board, Pliego gives us the perspective of the named characters but occasionally provides the perspective of their unnamed archetype instead.

I am not normally one to find a thriller to rise above four stars, but Pliego did it. Each aspect of the book was incredibly clever while leaning into the tropes it was presenting in a way that allowed it to stay fun and forward-moving. I truly hope the film rights find a fitting home because this would also make an amazing movie.

Not only am I appropriately thrilled to have read this book early, but I will purchase my own copy even knowing all of the twists and links and clues. Much success wished to Pliego in the future; she is definitely one to watch.

I wanted to read this one the second I saw the cover. It’s eye catching, covey’s thriller vibes to me, and the title alone makes it sound suspenseful and mysterious. Unfortunately, despite a few good twists I found the characters to be too pretentious and one dimensional. The number of times this group of authors DISCUSSED how they are authors with each other was exhausting. I didn’t care anymore, and I just wanted them all to be quiet. There were also too many POV’s, and I was constantly confused about who was who. Now, while I do like what it could have been, these things impacted my enjoyment. For example, this one has strong clue vibes and if the characters had more personality, I think I would have liked it more. But truly they ruined it for me. No matter if it was for me or not, I do encourage readers to look at other reviews because quite a few did enjoy this one!

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐

A locked room mystery with multiple mysteries underneath. It was dark and haunting, but it took a while for me to get into the story. I didn’t have the mystery figured out which was impressive, but in hindsight, plenty of clues were dropped throughout the chapters.

A solid whodunnit mystery for fans of thrillers.

Thank you @prhaudio for this #gifted audiobook.

An exclusive writers’ retreat on a remote island, a group of thriller authors, and a storm that traps them all together—what could go wrong?

This felt like a huge nod to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None - the premise and motives were the same, except the “guests” were all authors in this story.

The audiobook is such a fun experience. Every POV shift comes with a new narrator, making it easy to follow along, and the occasional sound effects add to the atmosphere. A full cast usually reads their own lines, so this was a different technique.

There aren’t too many characters, but there is a lot happening, and I’ll admit I occasionally got a little lost. Clever at times, convoluted in others, but always entertaining and an exciting page-turner.

Mila was definitely the standout character for me, and I liked Ash too, but I didn’t feel like I got to know the others as well as I’d have liked.

Guessing whodunnit was a huge part of the mystery, and though I managed to guess the twist, the reveals and motives were all a surprise.

The final chapter was my favorite—both in story and audiobook production. Fans of locked-room mysteries and whodunnits will eat this up!

As an aside I wanted to get everything straight in my head, and discovered @jenryland who blogs spoilers - so helpful and a great resource 🙏

Nice little isolation/locked room thriller. This is a debut and it’s evident Pliego is one to watch for. This was twisty to the point of confusing at points, but Pliego manages to not only tie it all together, but make it sensical and plausible by the end. Obviously there was a bit of omniscience for our main antagonist, which was a bit of a stretch, but I think some level of almost supernaturally encyclopedic knowledge is required to sustain the entertainment aspect of the story. Overall, I think Pliego does an excellent job at keeping the story grounded yet fun.

In You Are Fatally Invited we follow several authors invited to an authors retreat hosted by the incredibly mysterious author, J.R. Alastor. The main point of contact is Mila who has her own agenda. When bodies start turning up Pliego presses the gas on the twistiness and things go off the rails. The characters weren’t the most likable but all of them have issues that contribute to their loathsome qualities.

The cast of characters isn’t overly extensive but Pleigo often switches through different iterations of the characters name (nicknames, first names, last names, past names etc) which often made me have to stop and think for a moment to connect the backstory. This didn’t really affect my reading as I’m pretty used to my crappy memory.

There were a few twists I expected but I didn’t mind because they tend to go hand in hand with these types of mysteries. I definitely enjoyed this debut by Pliego and look forward to seeing what else she produces.

The story unfolds in alternating character perspectives, which when done well is something I typically enjoy. Honestly, I had a hard time distinguishing between the different perspectives at times and would have to go back and look at the chapter title to remember whose POV I was reading.

The entire premise of this book really drew me in and is what kept me reading even when it got a little slow in the middle of the book. Overall, this is a fun mystery and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it ahead of publication.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for a complimentary e-ARC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Good to Know: occasional profanity, descriptions of murders

This theme isn't anything groundbreaking. Unfortunately, other authors have done it better. For me, I'd judge a book on whether or not I'd be upset if I invested money in it. I'd say that this is a good one you could pick up at your local library if the wait isn't long.

I am mainly a thriller reader and this book is a top thriller read for me! I loved the storylines from unreliable narrators. I loved the twists and turns. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the story went in a completely different direction. I can’t wait to read more from the author! What a fantastic debut novel! 👏🏻

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

We have all read this story at least a dozen times. A group of people (this time mystery and horror writers) who hardly know each other (but all have deep, dark secrets) are invited to a secluded spot (this time an island off the mainland coast), for whatever reason (this time a writing seminar) and one by one they are killed. In my opinion, the best of this genre was done by Agatha Christie in And Then There Were None (or, Ten Little Indians).

This one is not bad, and in fact is rather good, until about 40% in, when it all seems to fall apart. With three separate narrators, the points of view get a little confusing, and in the end everyone was so awful, I hoped they would all die!! I didn't figure out who the mysterious host was, which gives points, but the ending was just a little too pat and didn't ring true.

It is worth picking up, if only to see if you can figure out what is going on and who each of the players really is.

Six thriller writers have received a coveted invite to a remote island for a writers retreat. Unfortunately their host has been detained, but they are met by the event coordinator of this lovely getaway. And as the saying goes ‘let the festivities begin.’
But the festivities that begin are not what the writers expected. The playing of games, mayhem, locked rooms and murder unfortunately follow. The host is seeking revenge. The writers are seeking their lives. From a pompous writer to a sweet young woman, one of them is the host (murderer). Can you figure it out?
This was well written with enough suspense to keep me guessing the killer, although there were plenty of clues…so pay attention. It did drag some, but eventually picked up the pace. Each of the well known, successful authors/characters have in their background something they thought no one knew and that something could destroy their careers. Will their secrets kill them literally? Read on, as this is what makes this book so interesting.
I received an early copy of this excellent, suspenseful book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group. Ballantine Bantam. This review is my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley & Bantam for an eARC ♥️

So, the story takes place on this fancy-schmancy island at Wolf Harbor Estate, where a bunch of thriller writers have gathered for a retreat. Sounds like a great setup for a murder mystery, right?🤩
The characters are all super interesting, each with their own secrets and motivations. You've got Thomas, the snobby English writer who thinks he's above everyone else; Violet, the young and ambitious YA author who's trying to make a name for herself; Ashton, the paranormal thriller writer who's always talking about his latest ghostly encounters; Cassandra, the queen of thriller writers who's been around the block a few times; and Rodrigo and Olivia, the husband-and-wife writing team who seem perfect, but might be hiding something.
As the retreat gets underway, things start to get real. The host, Mila, has planned all these games and challenges to keep everyone on their toes. There are writing prompts, scavenger hunts, and even a mock murder mystery game. But then, someone ends up dead, and a massive storm rolls in, cutting off the island from the mainland. Suddenly, the game becomes all too real.
Mila's gotta figure out who the killer is, and fast! But as she starts to investigate, she realizes that everyone on the island has secrets to hide. And with the storm raging outside, they're all trapped together with a killer.
I was seriously impressed by how Ande Pliego took these familiar ways like writer retreat, island setting, murder mystery) and made them feel fresh and exciting. The writing's top-notch, and the surprises just keep coming! I loved how the author wove together all the different plot threads, keeping me guessing until the very end.🤩

4.5 stars! A locked room mystery with a twist. J.R. Alastor is one of the greatest authors of mystery and yet no one has ever met him. The reclusive author has invited several other mystery/horror authors to his private island for a writers' retreat. His concierge, Mila de Angel, is there to smooth everything over and make sure the games are running correctly. But Mila has her own agenda for being there. And the authors quickly find out that if they can solve puzzles to their shady pasts, they may survive the horror tropes that await them Loved this novel!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this digital e-arc.*

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. I love the premise of authors being invited to a writer's retreat with mysteries to solve. It was slow for me and I did get confused with the characters for awhile. I didn't feel like I got to know the characters.

I really loved the premise of this book. 6 writers invited to a writing retreat hosted by a mysterious author, what’s not to love? Overall, I loved the setting, a mansion on a secluded island is such a fun locked room setting. I also enjoying getting perspectives from different characters and how they interpreted the actions of the book. I loved the tropes used in the book and how the writers acknowledged them, even as they were living the tropes.

Here were my issues with the book:
1) Most of the characters didn’t have strong personalities so it could be challenging to remember which POV you were reading if you came back to the book mid-chapter.
2) Switching the POVs really took me out of the narrative. Some of the chapters were from character POVs and some were the POV based on the sins, which was confusing.
3) I would’ve loved more backstory on the sins and what drove the characters. Especially the serial killer, it felt really glossed over and I wanted more.
4) I’m still not sure I understand what any of the games were meant to do. They weren’t “winnable” in the sense that it wasn’t obvious if the game was solved or not.

Bottom line, this is a really fun book and I can’t wait to read Ande’s next. Thank you to Ande Pliego, NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego had definite 5-star potential! Exclusive thriller author retreat? Private istand? Anonymous author? One author found murdered? YEP YEP YEP!

...but this missed the mark for me, unfortunately. I didn't feel particularly connected or invested in any of the characters, and with all of the characters being thrown in I felt confused keeping them all straight. The island setting was super fun and the premise of the “trapped" in a secluded area made it even more eerie and haunted feeling. The descriptions of the house and the rooms and the surveillance were fun.

I think the pace kept me from enjoying the book more? I think a faster pace/shorter chapters and maybe more of a central narrator would've helped? Could've just been me...

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Bantam for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! This book releases on 2/11!

I really enjoyed this one! Lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing and second guessing. Just when you think you have it figured out, a new clue is given. Fun read.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

This is a five star mystery, which reinforces why I love debut books and authors. The story will capture you immediately with brilliant characters and its who-dun-it theme. Pliego will have you on a string begging for more information, but you’ll never guess the outcome.

Mystery authors are invited to an island retreat by a famous author, JR Alastor, whom none of them has ever met. Alastor has planned games which must be carried out and writers must confess to sins each has committed- or die, as it turns out. Seven authors and two workers are on the island when things quickly go south, and just who is JR Alastor anyway?

I highly recommend this fantastic book for readers who like a good, well thought out mystery. This one is exceptional!

A locked room mystery involving writers invited to a private writing retreat on a remote island. While I loved the premise, the overall plot fell a little short for me. I found the storyline hard to follow at times and still had questions at the end. Overall a fast paced read and an author I would read again.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book early. I loved this unique take on an isolated, closed circle murder mystery. While I think it was missing a bit of that pacing secret sauce to boost it to a 5, I have very little critique for this book. I enjoyed getting to know our cast of characters and getting a peek behind the curtain with POV changes. I felt the ending was satisfying which can be very hard to pull off with a mystery of this nature. I also enjoyed the use of book-within-a-book here and how it supplemented our journey through the week. If you’re ready for a rain soaked island retreat full of twists and turns, grab a copy and happy reading!