You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
4.5 Stars

THIS WAS A WILD RIDE Y'ALL! This is a very clever, twisty locked-room mystery! If you love thrillers or mysteries, this will be one to check out for sure!

6 thriller authors are invited to an exclusive writing retreat on a private island as a game centered around classic mystery tropes....but things turn deadly when one of the guests is murdered. You know what's next...

I loved the cast of characters, the atmosphere, the isolated island...it was giving And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie vibes honestly! (Another favorite of mine from this year!)

As somebody who never figures out the "who-dun-it" in the book, you already know I never knew who to trust but it kept me engaged as I read along. I was just here for the ride!

The premise is especially fun for thriller fans because the characters themselves are mystery writers. They know all the tricks and tropes, which adds another layer to the cat-and-mouse game unfolding on the island. The author clearly had fun playing with classic mystery conventions while still delivering surprising twists.

The large cast occasionally made it challenging for me to keep track of everyone and their motivations, particularly in the beginning but thats a ME thing. The audio helped me keep track since it was a FULL CAST! I LOVEEEE a good FULL CAST AUDIOBOOK! :) I became fully invested in this one.

If you enjoy locked-room mysteries, isolated settings, and stories that keep you second-guessing every character, this one is worth adding to your TBR!

Content/Trigger Warnings: Mild to moderate language, murder, psychological tension, lots of death in general 

Libro.fm Audio (Supports Local Indie Book Stores): 

https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780593949863-you-are-fatally-invited (on sale as of 6/24)
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Amazon: https://amzn.to/3R0O9VZ
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The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

 

The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

4.5 Stars 

I had such a great time with this thriller! This was a chilling, atmospheric thriller that completely pulled me in. I WAS SO HOOKED.

The setting alone hooked me. A fixer-upper in a small-town in Maine with ties to Acadia National Park? It had that isolated.... eerie vibe where you just know something isn’t right from the start. The house was almost like a character itself. 

We follow Gwen who is a former homicide detective and right from the start you are like....what's going on here? She is somewhat of an unreliable narrator because you question if the issues lie within her own mind with what she sees and hears in the house, is it trauma from the past or is someone out to get her truly? You also are trying to piece together why her and her husband and daughter left town to buy this new house and why she is no longer a detective.

I loved how the story slowly unraveled. The pacing kept me engaged, with just enough building in each chapter to keep me needing to know all the things. 

And the twists.....Y'ALL, it was definitely twisty with some big turns at the end that I didn’t fully see coming. Everything came together and I was like WHAT!! So good. If you like thrillers, you will definitely enjoy this one. This was my first Jessica Patch book and I am looking forward to more.

Please be aware that this book does lean into some heavier themes, so just be aware of content warnings: child abuse, murder, child death, miscarriage, fertility struggles, marriage issues, panic attacks, sexual assault, grooming, child abduction, mental health struggles. My only wish was for some added faith content since it was a love inspired read, there was not much faith moments or discussions.

Overall, this was a strong thriller with a haunting atmosphere that keeps you guessing. Thank you to the publisher Harlequin for a copy of the book to read for review. All thoughts are my own.

Libro.fm Audio (Supports Local Indie Book Stores):
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781488237683-the-girl-upstairs
Sign up for Libro.fm here, I love it:
https://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm206402

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4uvybBl
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The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

The Good Sister - Sally Hepworth - 5 Stars - AMAZING!

WOW. 5 STARS. What an AMAZING secular psychological thriller! I would say it leans more on the family drama / suspense side - which I LOVED. Sally Hepworth new fav?! YES. I am so glad I read this with my friends as it really enhanced the reading experience. We did NOT see what happened in the end and that was awesome. THIS is how you do a psychological thriller! Love to see it!

This book will keep you on your toes and keep you guessing all the way through. This follows 2 twin sisters, Fern and Rose. Rose has taken care of Fern her entire life, as Fern is neurodivergent and has sensory problems. My son is Autistic and I have ADHD, so many of her struggles reminded me of being on the spectrum with some of his issues and ADHD with some of mine, but she has never been formally diagnosed. Rose is unable to get pregnant and Fern sees this as an opportunity to help her sister after everything she has done for her. So she secretly sets out to find a father and things go on from here as she meets "Wally" but never expects to fall in love with him. We see secrets of the past between the sisters start to unfold and what you find is what you NEVER expected! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!

I loved Fern's character. She is probably one of the BEST book characters of all time for me. I loved the representation of her being neurodivergent and just how real she was. Her and Wally were PRECIOUS. LOVED THEM SO MUCH. The family drama in this was the BEST. 

If you want to see ALL of my thoughts as I read this book ---- check out my reading vlog, there are timestamps to skip to where I talk about this book towards the end. AMAZING. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUJ4ok4W8vo&t=

Content warning: This book does have some language but not much - it made sense in the secular story. There are also journal entries that depict some hard topics such as family abuse and child sexual abuse but very easy to skip those and not too detailed. Wanted to mention though as a trigger warning.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5589632140
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OQIpKC

YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP6NLPxY6po