I liked the locked room/island premise at first but then it felt claustrophobic after a few chapters. Intriguing but dark. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, first of all, WOW. 4.5 stars! This story had so many twists and turns that actually made sense, it kept me turning the pages literally begging for answers. I always feel like the mark of a good book is if I want to skip to the end and read what's going on. I'm going to tell you right now, DO NOT. Every chapter has something exciting and emotional. The only reason for 4.5 stars is the fact that I felt like I was a dying man in the desert craving water, and didn't find any until the end of this story. I would've liked a crumb of reveal before the final ending, just something that didn't make me feel like "yes, yes, yes but WHO IS A MURDERED IN THIS STORY."
I loved our morally gray Mila. Sweet baby girl, you're wild and I love it. Down to clown but also has the ability for redemption and real human emotions? Yes please. The way all of the characters came together, some stronger ties than others, was amazing. I like that not everything was a super obvious connection, and was all believable enough that I didn't have to wonder. I felt like this story was wrapped up so nicely!
If you're looking for your next great read or a slump buster, this is it.

What a ride! I loved this one. Twisty from start to finish—the mysteries were so layered and interconnected that even when I thought I may have had one figured out, there were two more giving me a run for my money. This read like a delightfully dark game of Clue, with the “sinful” identities of all retreat attendees a mystery, each burdened by a secret, and a writing retreat that grows deadlier by the day, parsing out who was who before the end had me shouting at the pages: “WHO IS IT??” At one point I wrote out the identities like a clue card trying to match them up, looking for the little details that implicated someone or cleared someone else. Such a fun book, especially all the little thriller/horror artifacts that made cameos (I’m looking at you, Lucille).

This reminded me of Clue, a twisty thriller where everyone is a suspect. There were a bit too many characters for me. I was getting a little lost with all the moving pieces, backstories, and reason everyone wanted to kill everyone else.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam.

Ohhhhhhh yeah!!! This is my favorite type of book. They're on an island and don't know who or where the "host" is. Everyone starts getting picked of, one by one and when I tell you I was on the EDGE EDGE of my seat, I mean it! I love love love this book. I will definitely be going to buy a physical copy to keep on my bookshelf !

Yes, there are a lot of characters and a lot of POV's, but this is a fabulous locked room thriller that gets close to horror and it will be one that will be talked about for 2025

The premise of this book is great, and I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it went off the rails pretty quickly. I'll outline a few things I had problems with below.

- Multiple narrators, but the voices were not distinct enough to truly differentiate characters or to really care about any of them. And throwing in a Spanish word, seemingly at random, to signify the Latinx characters are speaking was...a choice.
- You have to suspend your disbelief way too far. I won't post spoilers, but we're supposed to believe so many people in one person's life just happened to end up as famous authors?
- I'm not sure if this book was originally meant to be marketed as a horror novel, but the author seems to frequently confuse horror and mystery tropes/devices. All the characters are mystery writers and the interspersed chapters of "how to write a mystery novel" seem meaningful. But then they make a big deal of the memorabilia room which is filled with props from horror movies and shows. And there's a whole chapter and game about the "final girl" - definitely a horror thing!
- Speaking of the props, they're used as murder weapons in this book and, my friends, I'm here to tell you they don't use sharp objects on sets. The props are...props...

Overall, there was just way too much going on. The book feels unfocused and by the end I found it was so disjointed I didn't even care what happened to the characters. Honestly, I was rooting for them all to die.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 STARS ⭐️
This is a locked room, isolated setting, an unseen host, characters getting picked off one by one thriller that employs ALL the tropes in the book (literally) and DOES THEM SO WELL! I know there are so many readers out there chasing the high of reading Christie’s And Then There Were None for the first time, and this one is the only one from a modern author that even comes close. And let alone for a debut novel? Amazing. The title is fantastic and the cover is also absolutely stunning. The only reason I couldn’t give this 5 stars is that even by the time I finished the book I just couldn’t jibe with the author’s voice. It just didn’t flow well, and one of the characters writing with the use of the word “you” to refer to another character was more than a little confusing. Otherwise, I can’t wait to see what Ande Pliego does in the future. Song pairing is Seven Devils by Florence and the Machine (a devil for every author invited to a mysterious writing retreat) 😈✒️✉️

PUB DAY: FEBRUARY 11TH 2025 🥳

This was a load of fun. In the vein of And Then There Were None, this novel uses the tropes of the "locked island" (in this case) mystery to great effect. When a small group of successful writers are invited to a(nother) major, mysterious writer's island home off the coast of Maine, they start to get knocked off, one by one, and anyone could be the culprit.

I loved the different character voices and discovering all of their secrets--and they ALL have secrets, including the hostess, employed by the mysterious writer who has collected all these folks together. I suspected the antagonist from early on, but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the overall journey.

There was maybe a plot hole or so that requires a bit of glossing over, but in a genre that can feel overdone, this novel still felt fresh and original. I'm looking forward to seeing what this author does next.

Fast-paced Clue-like thriller with a cast of characters each more devilish than the last. With a lush setting and a locked room vibe, this will capture the attention of readers who like high stakes, literary drama, and unlikeable narrators. Fun and fast read with movie-ish feels.

This book was really good, it reminded me of an older Agatha Christie book! The twist are great and it was a really good read! The characters made me think once or twice!

This was mysterious. It's set on a writing retreat of one of the most popular mystery authors of the generation, but everyone invited seems to be led astray with what the true purpose of the retreat was. Especially when people started dying. Then it is a race to truly find out who is behind the name. Would recommend.

I really enjoyed Locked Room thrillers and thought this one was really well done. Told from multiple characters' viewpoints, this fast paced story has lots of complex characters, is action packed, and has a nice little twist or two at the end. Very atmospheric, it reminded me of "And then there were none".

The killings were pretty brutal and gruesome but other than that, I loved this book!

Ok wow. This book was A LOT. CLUE is my favorite board game AND my favorite movie, so when I saw the Clue game board-inspired map, I knew I was going to be hooked. And I was - immediately. A secluded writers retreated hosted by a mysterious, but ultra famous host? Yet unkown connections and secrets and games to be played, puzzled to be figured out? Yes.

And then WHAM it is so much more. SO much more. This thriller boarded closer to horror than I usually like, but I was so ensconced into the story that it only made me semi-grossed out. I will say, I REGRET reading this at night, because I did not get a good night's sleep any of the days I was reading.

Completely unpredictable, amazing characters and character ARCS, perfect pacing and an intricately laid out story that moved from POV to POV at just the right moments to keep you guessing and dying for answers.

Yes, this needs to be on your TBR.... I will be scared... I mean thinking about this one for a long time.

This had a few too many characters and too slaw a pace, however the intensity of the setting was well done.

ok ok this was good! it had a solid plot, solid characters, kept me SO interested that i considered calling out of work to finish it. i loved the plays on the game clue and how i genuinely wasn’t sure what was happening and who was alastor. my only problem was that the beginning kind of threw all the characters out at once and it felt like a lot going on but i quickly caught on and was fine. excellent solid thriller !!!

Obviously my favorite books are the ones I don’t want to put down. This was definitely a page turner for me.

You Are Fatally Invited is a private island retreat version of an escape room where all the guests are thriller authors. There is no getting off the island after a timer ends or asking the worker to let you out. These guests are trapped and there’s a killer in their midst.

The best thing about this murder mystery is that the guests all have dark, twisted minds. They’ve all written stories of mayhem and death. They’re masterminds in their own right, so the suspect list is long. I’m convinced the walls of the authors entire house were covered with evidence boards while she was mapping out all the twists and turns. I truly had no idea who the killer was. Ande did such of good job of leaving breadcrumbs that had me pointing the finger at everyone. My heart rate had to be high while I was reading because I was nervous for real—and excited. I had a fun reading experience and would love to read another book like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

Well, this clever whodunit combines glamour and murder in a way that feels both classic and contemporary. It’s an entertaining read with moments of inventiveness, providing an engaging escape for mystery lovers.

What I Liked
✅ Atmospheric Setting: The glitzy, mysterious estate came to life, adding a rich, cinematic quality to the story.
✅ Tension-Filled Premise: A dinner party unraveling into chaos worked well, with some genuinely gasp-worthy twists.
✅ Energetic Prose: Pliego’s snappy and fun writing style made the pages fly by.

What I Didn’t Like
❌ Uneven Momentum: While the story opens with flair, some chapters meandered, slightly diluting the suspense.
❌ Character Depth: A few characters felt more like plot devices than fully realized individuals, making their actions feel hollow.

This book is like a lively party: fun while it lasts, even if it stumbles in places. Perfect for cozy mystery fans looking for an engaging and entertaining read.

The changes are subtle but aim to tighten phrasing, keep the flow consistent, and elevate the overall polish. Let me know if you’d like further tweaks!

I feel this is a re told story. I am giving the book a 3.5. The characters and relationships but I just feel the storyline I have read and it continues to be redone in books. I am not saying I dislike it. There are several stories that are redone. This would make a great Netflix movie.

I really enjoyed this locked-room mystery. It felt incredibly unique, despite telling us exactly which literary tropes were about to be used. It felt very meta, but I thought it was unlike anything I have read before.
That being said, this book was a little slow for me until about the 60% mark. There were obviously clues being dropped, but you aren’t given enough information to be able to put anything together until much later in the novel. Sometimes two characters would be having a conversation and one character isn’t identified. Characters will mention a situation with no context or details. Alastor leaves items for the guests that represent their backstories and you don’t learn said backstories until the end. You can’t even put the pieces together because of how much information isn’t given. This made it slow and somewhat frustrating.
Once it picked up (and the reader starts getting more information about the characters), it became a lot of fun. I do still have some questions that I don’t feel like were fully addressed which is why I took some stars. I did see in the acknowledgements that this might be a movie eventually, and I will be looking forward to that.