[received an advanced copy from netgalley and random house, thank you!]

super fun! i don't read many thrillers/mysteries but i genuinely enjoyed myself with this one. i was taken by surprise with how invested i got into each character, outside of just their role to play in the mystery itself. i genuinely really enjoyed the final act, which is usually where i feel a drawn-out mystery like this can get tripped up--and the interludes of author-on-author bickering were funny and gave this book its own unique flavor. the whole thing really did give me a sort of 'clue' vibe--a little over the top, and kind of silly--but i mean that in a complimentary way! even when certain clues or scenes seemed obvious, i enjoyed the chase as much as the reveals.

You are Fatally Invited is a locked room mystery where the players are on a secluded Maine island with no transportation off the island. Several mystery/thriller/horror authors were invited on an exclusive writing retreat by J.R. Alastor, a famous author whose identity has been anonymous since they entered the industry. These bestselling authors jump at the chance to learn from and learn about the mysterious host.

The guests are greeting by the event planner, Mila, who is there with two staff members to make the guests comfortable and to help with Alastor's agenda. We soon learn that Mila also has an agenda - seeking revenge on the author who stole her work years ago. As we learn more about the guests, this is not the first time some of them have crossed paths with each other or the host. They all have their own secrets, ranging from theft to murder.

The book is well written as we move POV between all the guests. Sometimes we know who the person is by their name and sometimes we know who they are by their sin. The rules of games are simple, atone for your past sins and you might get out of this alive. There is a lot of misdirection with the names and roles that keep you guessing until the end. And just when you think you might know who someone is, they are the next to die. And nothing goes according to the anyone's plans as there are a few unplanned for events or actions as well.

I definitely enjoyed this book that kept me on my toes and recommend it to others. Thanks NetGalley and Bantam books for the advanced copy.

A delightful must-read for fans of classical mysteries
When a renowned but mysterious thriller writer invites six other thriller writers for a week’s retreat on an island in Maine, everyone expects murder to be on the agenda, but they are not expecting the murder victim to be one of their number. A big storm prevents the attendees from leaving the island or even contacting authorities after the first body is found. The disappearances and deaths keep growing; the suspects keep shrinking; and the innocent guests begin to wonder who will be the next victim. The host remains unidentified, presenting another mystery for the guests to solve.
It is always a good sign when the opening sentence of a book makes me laugh, but the humor was only one of many things I enjoyed about You Are Fatally Invited. The structure is interesting; interspersed between the chapters telling the story, there are excerpts from books written by the attendees (with a few handwritten amendments) and excerpts from a book by the host on how to write about fear. The characters’ emotions and their dialogue are well done, too. As we come to know them we also come to learn there are mysteries in their own lives, also. There are intriguing references to other fiction, such as Neil Gaiman’s fantasy, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. My interest never waned as I followed the twisty plot, sympathized with the fear felt by the guests, and saw some of my favorite suspects die. There were some times when I became a bit confused as I followed all the characters and all the trails, but I do not know whether to blame the author for that or myself. Not surprisingly, the denouement was twisty but satisfying.
If you are looking for a mystery that is classic, clever, and a lot of fun, I would invite you to put this one at the top of your list.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and Bantam Books

Love thrillers? You'll love You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego! Check this one out... but only if you have some free time because you won't want to put it down!

You Are Fatally Invited by Andy Pliego is a fun, fast-paced thriller that serves up a twist on the classic "whodunit" with a group of thriller authors trapped on an isolated island. Mila del Angél, hired to host a writing retreat for six suspense-loving authors, has her own agenda—one that involves a bit of murder. But things go awry when one of the guests is found dead—only it’s not the person Mila intended.

The book delivers plenty of intrigue and dark humor as the storm rages outside and the body count rises. With each character channeling their inner mystery writer, it’s a meta experience, full of tropes, riddles, and games, keeping you guessing. The premise is solid, and the setup is deliciously sinister, but somewhere along the way, the execution falls a bit short. The plot occasionally feels predictable, and the characters don’t always live up to the potential of their darkly comedic roles.

Still, You Are Fatally Invited is a page-turner with a good balance of suspense and humor. It’s a light, enjoyable read for fans of locked-room mysteries—just don’t expect to be completely floored by the twists.

I love the board game and the movie Clue, which is why I picked up this book. However, there were so many POVs and none of them had a true distinctive voice which made it hard to keep track of. The beginning also failed to hook me in. There was too many "fluffy" sentences that I just do not enjoy in my thrillers. This one seemed to be more of a slow burn. DNF'd at the 20% mark.

So twisty! This story felt like a darker version of the board game Clue came to life.

Six thriller writers are invited to a secluded island, by a host that no one has met. What was thought to be a writer's quickly turns into something more sinister. Everyone is not who they say they are and trying to figure out the clues kept me turning the pages. There were a few slow parts but a couple pages later, the story picks up at avalanche speed. Loved this one!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

I will be raving about this book for the rest of the year. The storyline is great, but the writing takes it to a whole other level.

This story starts with a group of writers, meeting for a themed writing retreat. The elusive, but incredibly well-respected and admired author, J.R. Alastor is hosting at his island lodge in Maine. There is immediate tension between the characters but they forge along to Wolf's Head Lodge. Some have history, and the shrouded secrets and tension are simmering from the first page.

This story has "And Then There Were None" and locked room vibes. That's pretty obvious just from the book synopsis. However, what I LOVED about this story was the writing. The author takes a common feeling and uses beautiful language to convey it and it doesn't feel distracting, but unique and refreshing.

Another aspect of this story is the concept of the unreliable narrator. Every single character is unreliable, all in different, and sometimes deadly, ways. As the story goes on, I was completely unsure of who our villain truly was. With every character hiding secrets from their past, even the present becomes murky with uncertainty. The author does an amazing job at making the reader relate to the characters, and then suddenly...you're not sure you can trust them anymore.

Hands down, this is a five-star, favorite book of 2025 for me. I know it's early but this book was just THAT good. This book is fantastic for those who love trapped rooms, secrets, and deadly games between (sort of) friends.

I remain in awe of authors who can keep this kind of story so tight and so straight. There are so many characters, all who had deep, dark secrets, and all who have reason to be the bad guy. That it flowed so smoothly and tied it up in the end is simply astonishing. Nicely done.
The details are pretty good, but I would have loved to get a better view of the house. I got a little lost sometimes because I didn’t know how they got from point A to point B. .

Immediate yes from chapter 1. A thrilling debut from Ande Pliego, the story is set around a writer’s retreat hosted by reclusive author J.R. Alastor. It features a cast of writers trapped in a real life murder mystery, all with secrets, hidden agendas, and motive to kill each other. This is not only a story about writers, but a book for writers. The story throws every trope into it, but done in a very self-aware, almost meta way. It also contains a ton of thought provoking lines, especially in the excerpts of J.R. Alastor's book that pepper the story as breaks between chapters.

For fans of Agatha Christie, Clue, and/or Knives Out

Recommend if you like:
- Locked room and/or closed circle mystery
- Opulent settings
- Strong character development
- Twists and turns
- Ensemble / multiple POVs
- Flawed characters

Cons:
- No spoilers, but some the characters motivations unraveled for me a little bit towards the end. I'm not sure the resolution fully landed with me, but it was a really fun ride getting there.

Highly recommend for fans of the genre, and I’ll absolutely be reading future work by the author. Note: the book does contain some horror with occasional graphic descriptions. Thank you NetGalley, Random House, Ballantine Books, Bantam for an advance copy of #YouAreFatallyInvited. Releasing Feb 11, 2025!

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Bantam Books for an early electronic. All opinions are my own.

I cannot believe this is a debut. A book about books and authors, murders of all sorts, and a locked room mystery done so well. Entertaining to be sure.

Six authors of thrillers convene on a private island owned by the famous author and recluse, J. R. Alastor. Along with a couple of staff members and Mila del Angél, hired as event coordinator. Everyone has secrets. Of course they do. They also are masters of writing twisty tales of murder. When one author goes missing and is found dead, the finger pointing begins and the body count starts. Even better, the killer is using the author's own works as a manuscript for murder.

This book reads as if it were the game of Clue on the pages. Fun read and highly recommend.

If this is a debut, I can’t wait until we get more from this author. The story did feel pretty slow for the first 50-60%, and I think that will lose some people, but I sprinted through until the end. I loved the Clue elements and the sections divided into common mystery/thriller tropes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A fantastic premise, a locked room/island mystery populated with mystery writers. I was sucked in initially, especially when each of the writers were trying to figure out the fatal game being played, using their own experiences as mystery writers. Then story is unfolded so slowly and was told from so many perspectives that I kept getting confused about which perspective I was reading. There wasn;t enough distinction between the various voices. It was a convoluted story, and the characters were pretty one dimensional so that when the predictable big reveal came about I really didn't care about it. I can't really recommend this one.

thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for an advanced reader copy.

I had such a fantastic time reading You Are Fatally Invited. I’m a massive fan of the murder mystery genre as a whole, so I knew just from reading the blurb of this book that I absolutely needed to get my hands on it.

You Are Fatally Invited is like a modern day And Then There Were None, which is one of my absolute favorites in the genre. Give me a secluded island and a twisted killer, and I’m bound to have a great time! It was such a wonderful ode to murder mysteries and their tropes, and it played into those tropes in a very fun, meta way. In typical murder mystery fashion, I spent the whole book formulating my theories to see if I could guess the killer before the main character(s). Some things I was dead right on, while others I definitely didn’t see coming, and I absolutely love that!

I’d highly recommend this book to any murder mystery lover, but especially those that are fans of Agatha Christie and looking for a modernized version. You Are Fatally Invited was a fun, twisty, and addictive read for me. I struggled to put it down!

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the early review copy of You Are Fatally Invited. All opinions are my own!

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