I’m a sucker for wedding thrillers, and the unique culture and setting of this one was really interesting! However, most of the book moved really slowly for me. I also predicted a lot of the “twists,” and the others were crammed into the last few pages without a lot of explanation. A fun but not amazing read if you like mystery / thriller!

The author: This is my first book by Amanda, and it was one of my top reads of 2023. I’m so thankful for BOTM because I find authors that I may never have read otherwise.
The book: Presented with from 2 POV’s (Amaya and Kaav) with back and forth timeline, this book is a slow build with lots unpredictable moments. Also thrown in are some interrogations of other characters which adds to the confusion and suspense of what exactly happened. Topped off with an unexpected ending – this book is a must read!

You’re Invited was my July BOTM pick. It was a really fun mystery that I had a hard time putting down.

Things kick off when Amaya gets invited to the lavish wedding of her ex-best friend…who is marrying Amaya's ex-boyfriend. She flies home to Sri Lanka to stop the wedding, but when the bride goes missing, everything goes off the rails. I really enjoyed the overall plot and I probably guessed every single character could have done it within the first 100 pages. I’ve started texting my husband my official theory about half way through reading a mystery to…show I can’t solve mysteries. But I was mostly right this time! And the solution was very satisfying!

My only complaint is that there was a lot of repetition in the first half. Amaya kept saying the same thing over and over and it was slightly frustrating. It slowed things down and took me out of the story some. All that went away in the break-neck final third though. I couldn’t wait to get to the end! I wanted to know everything!!

Can Amaya stop her ex-best friend from murdering her ex-boyfriend? Or wait, now she’s being suspected of murdering her friend? What?

A wild ride filled with the culture of Sri Lanka. Beautifully written and crafted and just a typical thriller.

I enjoyed this and will definitely be picking up another from Jayatissa.

*Read for the Literally Dead Book Club October 2022.*

3.5

Dnf

That was wild. I only docked a star because the first half was slow. The rest was incredible.