This novel is Clue meets And Then There Were None meets and escape room from hell. A collection of authors are invited by an anonymous author, J.R. Alastor. No one has ever met J.R. Alastor in person, not even the assistant. The authors are dying to meet this anonymous author but no one besides the assistant and her staff are present. Then people start dying and there are a series of “games” for the authors to play that are mischievous to say the least.

This was quite the who done it. It had me guessing until the end. It was a little bit of a slow burn for the first half but then it picked up and I held on for the wild ride til the end. Some of the characters were likeable and some were not but this was by design.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Locked room mysteries are so fun and this one didn’t disappoint! YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED is clever and complex. The multiple POV’s kept me on my toes and wondering what was going to happen next. This thriller was unique, making the reading experience exciting and immersive.

This was a fun mystery! I didn't think it was particularly great or inventive, but I had a good time reading it.

This was an entertaining murder mystery novel. I enjoyed the array of characters and the pace was great.

Reading in Between the Wines book review #31/125 for 2025:
Rating: 3.5 🍷🍷🍷
Book: You Are Fatally Invited
Author: Ande Pliego
AVAILABLE NOW!!!

Sipping thoughts: I absolutely love a well-crafted whodunit set in a single location, and "You Are Fatally Invited" by Ande Pliego did not disappoint! From start to finish, I was engrossed in trying to solve the mystery, but the clever twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. The reveal was masterfully done, and the reasoning behind it was both surprising and satisfying. The unexpected ending left me thoroughly impressed and eager for more.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @RandomHousePublishingGroup for an advanced copy of @YouAreFatallyInvited.

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This was a thrill ride the entire book. It had all of the twists and turns and I never knew who to trust.

This was a murder mystery dinner party I never want to be a part of. The bodies kept turning up and the secrets kept coming out.

This is the perfect read for any thriller lover because it will keep you guessing from page one.

I was excited for this book to come out because it is exactly what I look for in a locked room thriller. Best-selling authors arriving at a mysterious private island where their host is unknown to them. I enjoyed the differing points of views. I felt it dragged a little at the end, but overall a good read.

I’m not usually a big thriller reader, but for some reason wanted to give this one a go. It hooked me and kept me going the whole time. I was genuinely curious what was going to happen and enjoys the little twists and turns along the way. I’m not necessarily inspired to become an avid thriller reader, but I enjoyed this!

You Are Fatally Invited is an atmospheric thriller with plot twists woven throughout the story, that will have you guessing till the end. It had a slow start and took me bit to get into the book, but once I got 30% into it I was addicted. The plot escalated and tension rose, and I was flying through the novel. Would recommend this to anyone who is looking for an atmospheric thriller to cozy up with!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for allowing me to read and ultimately review audibly You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego on NetGalley.

Narrators: Multiple
Published: 02/11/25

Stars: 2.5

After starting and stopping several times I was able to pick up the audiobook. I was selected to read not listen to the book; however, I would have never finished it and gave serious thought to quitting on the audiobook as well.

Disappointing. This story has been over done. The names and places change. I didn't like any of the characters and their dialogue ranged from childish to maddening.

The board game Clue is genius, the movie ridiculously insulting and this book leaves me with a why? Your experience could be different.

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

I've read numerous locked room murder mysteries and didn't have high hopes as this trope is getting to be overdone. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this book! It was a unique take on the locked room idea and had a bit of the "And Then There were None" vibe. Chapters alternated between different points of view and each point of view became telling about what would happen in the upcoming chapters.

The cast of characters was unique and quirky and some were downright perfect to hate! The story starts with a group of writers being invited to the renowned and mysterious author J.R. Alastor's private Maine island for a writers retreat. But, instead of him showing up to host them, it turns he has another plan for all the writers, none of who are as innocent as they'd all have each other believe. One by one, justice will be served.

I tried to guess what was happening for the entire book and each time I thought I had it figured out, bam! Another twist. This was a surprisingly great book and I look forward to more books by this author.

This was a good thriller that had great stormy island vibes. I also really liked the short chapters it made this book very easy to read for me.
If you are a fan of locked room mysteries and Agatha Christie then I would recommend this book to you

Six authors are invited to an exclusive writing retreat hosted by the elusive author J.R. Alastor, at his private island. It turns deadly when one of the authors is discovered murdered.

A locked-room thriller that had me continuously guessing who the culprit was and what was going to happen next until the end! I really enjoyed the story line and characters. I thought the point of view changes throughout, helped to develop each character's story as well. I really enjoyed this book!

In general, I am not into locked room mysteries. It’s difficult to define why, although I do think it partially has to do with how similar they often feel to me. When authors lean heavily into this specific trope, the stories seem to become mirror images of each other.

I was, however, attracted to the addition of all authors being a part of this mystery, and while there was a keen sense of familiarity with the narrative, You Are Fatally Invited was a significantly more exciting experience for me. It does stand out, as debut author Ande Pliego took that old branch from the suspense tree and gussied it up in an authentically fun and exciting way, hooking readers with not just one mystery, but several!

While the truth regarding one puzzling aspect was quite obvious, since this type of reveal has been done countless times, there were still several other dangling threads that couldn’t easily be tied together. I enjoyed the steady pacing and I was eager to uncover the plethora of secrets.

Now I will linger in the suspense of what Ande Pliego will produce next, and I am looking forward to reading whatever she comes up with!

I am immensely grateful to Bantam Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a neat twist on a mystery. I enjoyed the detail to the murders happening with specific details for each character. I felt like the plot was a bit slow and the middle of the book was a bit of a struggle to get through. I figured out part of the ending early on in the book. I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Six writers are invited to a writing retreat on a remote island in Maine. The island belongs to a reclusive author. Everything seems fine, until the writers begin dying off, one by one...

This debut was entertaining, with heavy nods to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. However, the writing kept it from getting another star from me. At times, Pilego used an overwrought, adjective-heavy style of prose that took me out of the story.

Secretive author J. R. Alastor invites six authors to his estate on an island off the coast of Maine for a writing retreat. In addition to being successful thriller writers, the six have something else in common--secrets they wouldn't want to be known that Alastor is well aware of. Although Alastor does not make an appearance, his event coordinator, Mila--herself an author with her own secrets--is there to carry out his mission. But Mila also has a mission of her own.

While the retreat gets off to a promising start, it's not long before the first writer disappears and is discovered dead. As writers and staff meet unfortunate ends one by one, those remaining scramble to save themselves before Alastor kills them too.

While I love the premise of this book, and I typically adore anything Gothic-like and any Maine setting, I struggled with this book. Too many characters I couldn't keep straight, most of them not at all sympathetic, and a convoluted story line. But others will probably love it. #YouAreFatallyInvited #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the twists and turns.
Six thriller authors are invited to an exclusive writing retreat on an island owned by the best selling author J.R. Alastor. But J.R. Alastor has never given a public appearance and has remained a mystery through his long career. Mila has helped organize the weekend and all the games J.R. Alastor has planned, but she hasn't met the author either. She also has no idea what he truly has planned. When the guests start to turn up dead, Mila doesn't know what to think. All they know is that they have to confess their sins to survive.

This was a fun popcorn thriller. that had me hooked from the start. I wish I had gotten to it sooner, these are great pallet cleansers for me. I really liked our cast and the witty banter. The twists were good, a decent whodunit mystery.

Thank you for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

When renowned anonymous author J. R. Alastor hires former aspiring writer Mila del Angél to host a writing retreat at his private manor off the coast of Maine, she jumps at the chance—particularly since she has an ax to grind with one of the invitees. The guest list? Six thriller authors, all masters of deceit, misdirection, and mayhem.

This was a fun mystery/ thriller that was a combination of a locked-room mystery and Clue.

I loved the characters, the mix of suspense and pop culture references, and the twists. I felt that the beginning had a slow start with a lot of backstories for each character. Once the first murder was revealed, the book moved quickly and was a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Bantam for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.