You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande PliegoYou Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
Published by Bantam on February 11, 2025
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 371
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
Purchase on: Amazon// Barnes & Noble// BookBub
Add to: Goodreads // StoryGraph

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.



An exclusive thriller writer’s retreat hosted on a private island turns lethal when one of the authors is found murdered in this twisty locked room mystery.
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.
Confess the crimes, survive the tropes.
Alastor and Mila have masterminded a week of games, trope-fueled riddles, and maybe a jump scare or two—the perfect cover for Mila to plot a murder of her own. But when a guest turns up dead—and it’s not the murder she planned—Mila finds herself trapped in a different narrative altogether.
One by one, you’ll lose your turn.
With a storm cutting off the island, and the body count rising, Mila must outwit a killer who knows literally every trick in the book.
Until only one of us remains…

four-half-stars

review

I was drawn in by the title when I first picked up You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego. Then, was sold on the story by the sinister synopsis. A murder mystery with real murders? Delectable! Mysteries and Thrillers are always such an interesting genre for me because it’s so hard to find a good one where you don’t figure out the killer within the first 15% because it is so obvious but the killer also isn’t so wildly unexpected because there were no clues left behind. This hit that perfect sweet spot! Everything made sense in retrospect but I spent the entire time trying to find how everything fit together and who did what.

What really made this so exceptional was the formatting. Now, I know, you’re probably wondering what the heck? How can formatting make anything exceptional? Well, it can and did. Each chapter features a different POV and none of them are clear. We don’t delve so deep into a psyche that we gain their secrets. We don’t get their names or motives. We’re simply seeing events unfold through a different set of eyes with a hint of their intentions coloring the narrative. Then, we get these beautiful chapters that aren’t part of the story, technically, but excerpts of books written by the characters. I have so many quotes highlighted, it makes me honestly wish that was a real book I could buy!

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego is a mystery/thriller that had everything I could want and it’s a book I absolutely recommend. I know it’s one that I will definitely be re-reading just to see all of the things I missed. The pacing was quick. The characters were great. The murders were fun. This was simply an amazing debut novel and a joy to read.

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