4 stars

2025 is already shaping up to be a fun year in twisty thrillers, and Pliego is coming through with some good evidence for this case in this new book. The title sends a clear message that you are invited to a memorable event and that this invite will turn fatal...for some!

This is a really fun read centering on a writers' retreat. J.R. Alastor, a reclusive and mysterious writer, has hired Mila, whose perspective is one of several readers get to enjoy, to organize the aforementioned retreat for six known mystery/thriller writers. There are many perspectives, many excerpts from the fictional writers' books, and many intriguing details to keep track of here, but this is a blast instead of a chore. I really enjoyed the journey and the way this all came together in the end.

Fans of locked-room mysteries, complicated relationships, and twisty plots will enjoy this one. I know I did, and I'm already excited for more surprises from this author.

I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next and I couldn't wait to find out who the killer was. If you're in the mood for suspense and intrigue then this book won't let you down. Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to get a early copy.

A reclusive author invites six famous authors of thrillers to his private island for a writers retreat. What happens next is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. As guests are killed daily, the remaining writers try to figure out who their host actually is and how they will survive to get off the island.

You are Fatally Invited is a page-turner. The fantastically flawed characters draw the reader into a twisty ride until the very last page. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was in equal parts rooting for some of the characters to survive and wondering if I had been hoodwinked by them too. There is never a moment that slows as the story continues to its shocking end. I highly recommend You are Fatally Invited to all mystery readers.

What a twisty, super intriguing story! A group of thriller writers come to a secluded writer's retreat, all of them bearing dark secrets and one of them trying to reveal it all. But to what lengths will these writers go to hide what they've hidden for years or who will come clean?

I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout this entire story. Pliego created such a lush, vibrant world on this island, and I couldn't help reading slowly to devour her prose. The twisty clues she planted, the red herrings that redirected, what a cool story. I loved her nods to tropes and to other mysteries and thrillers throughout the story and especially loved the idea of Clue personalities and the characters having to discover who's who.

My only disappointment was the very end, which I cannot say without spoilers. But the final conversation where all was revealed felt a little flat after the embellished, lush story that preceded it. It felt almost overexplained compared to the rest of the story.

But overall, I really recommend and I'm planning on getting one of those gorgeous UK covers for my shelf!

You Are Fatally Invited - Ande Pliego
Pub Date - 2/11/25
Rating - 3/5
Page Count - 384

Summary - Six thriller authors are invited to an exclusive private manor off the coast of Maine for a writer's retreat by an esteemed celebrity author, J.R. Alastor. What the authors don't know is that they're walking into a thriller troupe themselves - they must make it through the various challenges, revealing their secrets, in order to leave the island in one piece.

Thoughts - Thank you Random House Publishing - Ballantine and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. This book looked really interesting - who doesn't love a locked in thriller about writers? Add some revenge for previous crimes, sign me up! I realized about 20% in that this book was going to be a slow burn, and boy did I STRUGGLE. I nearly DNF'd this book, but have been hearing so many good things about it, decided to keep going. I ended up skimming most of the remaining pages and my verdict: the overall story is good. I didn't predict the reveal, but didn't really track the reasoning behind the rest of the authors minus one. Overall, average read.

You Are Fatally Invited is a thrilling locked-room mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. The story follows six thriller writers invited to a remote manor off the coast of Maine, each harboring secrets they are desperate to keep. A killer among them is determined to have these wrongdoings confessed, leading to a tense and engaging narrative.

The well-developed characters, each with distinct personalities and hidden secrets, add depth to the story. I found myself constantly changing my mind about who to trust and who the killer might be. The multiple points of view and excerpts from the characters' books enriched the plot.

This entertaining and creative story is filled with complex twists and captivating characters. The strong ending ties everything together nicely. Overall, You Are Fatally Invited is a fantastic read with a rich, intricate plot that will keep you hooked from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Bantam for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Wonderful tale! I made every effort to predict the conclusion, but I was caught off guard. Throughout this book, there were times when I believed I understood the mysteries, but then something would change my understanding. I kept turning pages of this book late into the night to know what would happen next!

This was a clever and well written book for a debut novel. While the premise wasn’t necessarily unique, the author did a good job at keeping the reader captivated. I really enjoyed the CLUE vibes this book gave and the CLUE-like map at the beginning was an awesome detail.

The characters in this book were interesting and some of the bigger characters felt flat. Rodrigo has a big secret in the book but I couldn’t actually FEEL his fear of being found out while reading. It’s like he kept saying he was scared but the words did not convey the magnitude of his emotions. Fletcher’s character was on the other end of the spectrum - his overcompensating personality practically jumps off the page to the point where you’re getting annoyed.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Bantam, for providing me with this ARC! As always, all thoughts & opinions are my own :)

I was drawn to You Are Fatally Invited based on the premise. I’d never read a mystery quite like this one, which takes place at a writers’ retreat at Wolf Harbor Estate, a mansion on an island. Gee, what could go wrong? For me, nearly everything in this debut novel went right!

The invited guests of an equally mysterious and anonymous author that none of them had met are six mystery/thriller writers, “all masters of deceit, misdirection, and mayhem,” who find themselves immersed in a real-life murder mystery. And oh yeah, there’s a storm, so no getting off the island. Now, they’re trying to outsmart one another for their very survival!

With multiple POVs among the many eccentric and enjoyable characters, I confess I had a little trouble keeping everything straight. While the author generously sprinkled a few bread crumbs, along with a few more “red herrings,” I loved not knowing “who done it” until the end. This was a fun ride, because for me, this book was so clever and fun that it made the journey (complete with things that I didn’t see coming) worth every minute! Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. I happily, and voluntarily, am providing this review.

I liked this book. It was a little predictable however, it was a great palate cleanser to read bettwen my epic fantasy books. I had fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review.,

I found the characters to be unrelateble and the story a little predictable.

I enjoyed the premise of You Are Fatally Invited--a group of people invited to a remote location and murder ensues. But I didn't love the characters or all of the foreshadowing, which really took me out of the story.

I received an ARC of this book from Random House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I am apparently in the minority here, as this book really didn't work for me.

I had trouble keeping the characters straight literally the entire book. This was made worse by when one character is called by a nickname by another, but his own true name in his chapters; I was thinking there was another character.

The in-between chapters written by the villain were confusing. The header pages with descriptions of common tropes were very hard to read on the Kindle edition; perhaps this will be fixed before publishing.

The best part was the description of the resort and the island. The author definitely did a good job building ambience and setting the scene with secret passages, darkness, and isolation.

I was surprised about the villains but honestly didn't care - probably since I had a hard time keeping the characters straight, I didn't develop enough feelings about any of them to have a particular opinion regarding who was guilty.

The very end struck me as far-fetched and a bit corny.

Fantastic story! I tried so hard to figure out the end but I was taken by surprise. It takes place on a remote island with a wild storm coming. It certainly kept me entertained.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An innovative take on “And Then There Were None.” The writing style was refreshing, and the amount of characters’ POVs was enough to keep you engaged but not overdone. This is a must read for fans of mystery/thrillers!

Five writers are lured by world famous author to his private island with the hope of finally meeting him. Apparently no one has ever met him. He purposes several mystery games that go all wrong. A deep psychological thriller. Scary as the bodies begin to appear. Not my cup of tea as I’m way past wanting to be scared out of my wits. Thanks you Netgally for this Arc.

I loved the setting of this book and it’s always extra fun for me when writers write about authors. There were points in this book where I thought I had the mysteries figured out, but then there would be a twist to what I thought I knew.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego, JR Alistair is a reclusive writer, so reclusive he’s never been seen in 30 years of writing books but now he’s invited six authors to Wolf Island to a writing retreat held by him. The first suspicious thing is they all signed in NDA, but this won’t be where the strangeness ends. it isn’t long after the retreat begins that one of the writers go missing, but yet the games continue. everyone attending knows each other in some form or fashion and they’ve all got their suspicions of what’s going on, but will they all live to tell about it. I really liked this book not as much as I thought I would but still definitely recommend it. I love books with isolated locations and a murderer a foot but this somehow felt different from that type of book. I don’t know why but it did. I would still definitely recommend it for those who like mysteries because even when you think you know what’s happening it seems the game changes. I want to say I have been obsessed lately with the type of prose and writing style authors have and I very much liked the authors and would definitely read another book written by them. #NetGalley, #RandomHousePublishing, #AndePliego, #YouAreFatallyInvited,

You Are Fatally Invited is a super intense locked room psychological and horror thriller that will keep you puzzled and riveted to the very end. Like a macabre game of Clue, but with more dead bodies, enhanced methods of killing, and a puppet master hellbent on revenge invisibly pulling the strings. Suspenseful, intriguing and dark stuff by Ande Pliego.

Several well-known writers are invited to the private island of famously anonymous author J.R. Alastor for a thriller writers’ retreat. But this isn’t any ordinary retreat. Alastor has hired a host who will help execute a week of contests, riddles and scary situations intended to rattle and inspire these writers who all have a dark secret from their past. Meanwhile, this host has a hidden agenda – she wants to murder one of the participants and feels this week of mayhem is the perfect cover. However, when one of the guests turns up dead and it’s not the person she planned to kill, all bets are off and everyone on the island is in mortal danger. Can the guests outwit the unknown killer in their midst? Or will they all die the death they deserve?

Your brain will get twisted up like a pretzel and you’ll feel cold chills down your spine as you follow the deadly action and try to figure out who’s the mastermind behind this sinister retreat. Every character is both a suspect and a potential victim. They all have reasons to kill while also harboring secrets that someone could find punishable by death an appropriate course of action. Which leads to being deeply skeptical of everyone while also trying to find a sliver of goodness that would eliminate them as a killer. And it’s that dichotomy of fearing the worst but hoping for the best from each individual that propels this story forward. Forcing you to reconcile the two and pick sides until the truth is finally revealed.

The result is an engaging and enthralling story that grips you early and doesn’t let go. Exercising your brain and nerves in equal measure while you watch authors put through hell to see if/how they come out the other side.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the copy of You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego. I loved the plot and having the characters be authors was like a dream come true. I wish the characters had been more clearly defined so I could keep track of them all. At the very least, I would have liked to have a list of characters and a bit about their backgrounds like the old Agatha Christie books used to have. It took so long to connect any of the characters together, I started to lose interest. Good thing there was lots of action, and the days and nights moved at a fast pace. The story was inventive and fun, but I’m not sure I loved the ending, maybe because I never connected to the characters. 3 stars for me, but I can see this being a popular book!