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mhugie2's review against another edition
4.0
You're Invited ended up being much more of a twisty and thrilling mystery than I thought it would be. There were things that happened throughout the book that I just did not expect at all, and I love that! The author does a wonderful job at leading everyone on a merry chase and making the reader fully invested in what happens. This is a perfect and quick read that will keep you guessing. Highly recommend!
ksendy's review against another edition
3.0
I thought I had this thriller all figured out! That was until the final few pages. Lots of misdirections and things to keep you guessing.
minimicropup's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Everyone was a mess I couldn’t look away 🤭
Energy: Frenzied. Brazen. Lively.
🐕 Howls
Relies a little too much on ‘this story would be over if people just communicated even a little’, but that’s also life.
🐩 Tail Wags
Hooked by the Prologue. Thrown into the story style. Withholding that works, since it adds intrigue and we get the tea from interviews between chapters. Sprinkling nuanced clues we can use to make predictions and piece together the story (but can also go with the flow and still enjoyable).
Scene: 🇱🇰 A historic and luxury beach hotel and the Colombo 07 district of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Perspectives (2): The bride’s childhood friend on the morning of the wedding and leading up to the wedding. The bride leading up to the wedding.
Interview transcripts with police speaking to wedding guests and family/friends.
Timeline: 2020 (no COVID).
🔥 Fuel: Withholding. Starting at the End. Revelatory backstories. Unreliable narrator. Why is Amaya so intent on attending the wedding? Why does something seem so off about her invitation? What is Plan A,B,C?
📖 Cred: Plausible to suspended disbelief
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Art deco. Instagram likes. Avocado toast. Email notifications. Humidity. Car horns. Aftershave. Araliya tree flowers. Cocktail dress. Fairy lights.
· Past friends, past romance rivalry
· Revenge fantasies and scheming
· Getting the tea, scandals, cons, gossip
· Unhinged, desperate, or hopeful?
· Insufferable influencer
· Sri Lankan culture and insight
· Rich family drama and secrets
· Weddings gone wrong
· Whodunnit, whatisit mystery
· Red herrings and multiple suspects
· Nuanced clues, hints and puzzles
· Good for Them Revenge
· Interview transcripts, eavesdropping on thoughts, characters diretly musing to the reader
· Easy to imagine settings and somewhat explorable with Google Earth (some real addresses/places given)
Content Heads-Up: Obsessive, intrusive thoughts. Sexual content (off page; consenting, sub-dom). Jealousy. Class divides. Impacts of colonization. Loss of parent (as child). Parental rejection. Cancer (brief mention, terminal). Self-inflicting pain. Fatphobia. Body shaming (clothing, size). Relationship shaming/pressure (marriage, children). Forced gender roles. Patriarchy. Toxic femininity. Outing, possible sexual assault/rape. Blackmail. Domestic abuse (threats, violence, controlling). Cocaine use (off page). Pedophilia (off page). Guns.
Rep: Sri Lankan, Sri Lankan-American. Sri Lankan/British ancestry. American. Cisgender. Hetero. Sinhalese Buddhism.
📚 Format: Kindle
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
adriannasophiabookss's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC! A few of my favourite book reviewers said really good things about this so I wanted to check it out!
This is a thriller following Amaya who has randomly been invited to her ex best friend Kaavi’s wedding. They haven’t spoken in five years and the big kick in the teeth? Kaavi is marrying her ex boyfriend Spencer. Now Amaya is prepared to do whatever it takes to stop the wedding and when the bride goes missing on the day, all fingers point at Amaya. Now Amaya is stuck in Sri Lanka being questioned for Kaavi’s disappearance and many dark secrets are about to be revealed.
This was so JUICY. There were so many twists and turns, so much rich people drama. I really enjoyed the Sri Lankan backdrop as well as I’ve never read a book set in Sri Lanka before. I could really feel that heat! The plot unfolded slowly over time with things being hinted at for a while before they were fully explained which I really liked because it kept me guessing. I started to see where some plot points were going but even then I didn’t fully guess the twists. The last third of this book is absolutely action packed as well.
The characters were so relatable and also unlikeable to a certain extent. The main character Amaya was probably the only character I ended up really respecting by the end of the book but I think that was intended. Amaya also obviously has OCD but it wasn’t referred to explicitly which I personally found interesting because I also suffer with OCD, some of which concerns patterns like Amaya’s does.
Amanda Jayatissa is an incredibly talented author whose writing hooks you right up to the end of the book. I can’t wait to read more of her work! You can check this out now as it was released back on 11th August 2022 so if you’ve been wanting to read this, bump it up on your TBR!
This is a thriller following Amaya who has randomly been invited to her ex best friend Kaavi’s wedding. They haven’t spoken in five years and the big kick in the teeth? Kaavi is marrying her ex boyfriend Spencer. Now Amaya is prepared to do whatever it takes to stop the wedding and when the bride goes missing on the day, all fingers point at Amaya. Now Amaya is stuck in Sri Lanka being questioned for Kaavi’s disappearance and many dark secrets are about to be revealed.
This was so JUICY. There were so many twists and turns, so much rich people drama. I really enjoyed the Sri Lankan backdrop as well as I’ve never read a book set in Sri Lanka before. I could really feel that heat! The plot unfolded slowly over time with things being hinted at for a while before they were fully explained which I really liked because it kept me guessing. I started to see where some plot points were going but even then I didn’t fully guess the twists. The last third of this book is absolutely action packed as well.
The characters were so relatable and also unlikeable to a certain extent. The main character Amaya was probably the only character I ended up really respecting by the end of the book but I think that was intended. Amaya also obviously has OCD but it wasn’t referred to explicitly which I personally found interesting because I also suffer with OCD, some of which concerns patterns like Amaya’s does.
Amanda Jayatissa is an incredibly talented author whose writing hooks you right up to the end of the book. I can’t wait to read more of her work! You can check this out now as it was released back on 11th August 2022 so if you’ve been wanting to read this, bump it up on your TBR!
brielzebub's review against another edition
2.0
It was fine. Good chapter structure to keep me saying "one more chapter!" and I liked the interview segments to break it up. But probably not something that will stick with me long term. Easy sick day read.
lilysnape's review against another edition
3.0
3.25/5. I want to like this more than I do. The tension being built up in the first two-thirds of the novel was great, and I actually felt for the main character. However, there's a point at which all the whiplash that are the twists just keep coming and don't let up. Although some of it was predictable, it just didn't click for me.
kalinrenee's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
lahrizzle's review against another edition
3.0
If I could give this one 3.5, I would. Not quite a 4 star read for me with some of the darker parts of the book, but the author won me over with how the book finished. Once I got to the last third of the book, I was glued and needed to know how everything unfolded.