An opportunity of a lifetime for author Cath when she is invited to a retreat to a renovated monastery in Transylvania. Along with other influencers with the ultimate influencer Irene Jobert and a few hand selected others. Cath is quiet in comparison, doesn't have as many followers and is a bit of an introvert. They get sponsored to perform tasks, they have camera's all around and ones on their person to upload anything good. Before long it appears they are not alone, the fans are watching everything and the pressure is mounting.

The group are being watched, trying to get used to each other, everything is exposed and then things turn a bit creepy and spooky. It is a bit of a social experiment type story in the middle of a secluded and spooky location. A back story of a massacre of nuns and query some malevolent spirit still resides there, help is miles away.

Spooky, creepy, bitchy, shocking - a wee blend of some of the best elements in a story. I wasn't sure where the whole thing was going to be honest and couldn't have guessed. It made for interesting reading and a page turner because I HAD TO KNOW! 4/5 for me this time, this was my first time reading this author, it won't be my last.

THIS. BOOK. 

I have to say, I found myself just absolutely reaching for this book and wanting read more and more and more. It was a completely amazing atmospheric concept: four social media influencers, strangers to each other, invited by a fifth ultra-famous influencer to a remote Romanian monastery with a dark past, and I mean DARK, for “the Event.” Their every move will be broadcast to the world via social media platforms, which should make them feel safe - but slowly, things begin to deteriorate, as the audience notices strange things in the background shots, and the behavior of the participants deteriorates along with their mental states. Is there a simple explanation, or is history about to repeat itself?

The five characters were each fairly archetypical social media profiles and I liked that they were thrown together like this in a really different setting. It could only led to disaster, the only question being what kind, of course! And the story does not fail to deliver on that front. There’s a really heavy sense of dread that hangs over the book as thing begin to happen, and there are different points where the fourth wall is broken and the narrator, Cath, alludes to terrible events yet to come, confirming that we’re in for a bumpy ride.

It’s also very creepy to see not only the weird supernatural things happening around the characters, but the characters themselves begin to break down. I don’t want to give too much away, but it becomes obvious that there are two things happening: the haunting/manipulation/whatever of the monastery and the complete deterioration of the situation amongst the Event’s participants. 

What’s going to do them in kept me hooked and turning pages late into the night. I was so hooked on this book I actually had to force myself to put it down.

WARNING MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

My only minor complaint is that I wish the ending had drawn more on the history/supernatural elements of the monastery. It seemed like there was a lot of build up to a really good conclusion involving the history of the place and the spirit energy of the place - a really haunting ending, but things were very practical in the end, and that felt....meh. I wish things had been a bit more Woooooo, if you know what I mean. But that was fairly minor. I have some theories about how there were more ties to the supernatural in the actions of the five, and I can share them with anyone who wants to know them in the comments - just comment and let me know that you want me to explain! Also, feel free to share your own theories, of course!

Overall, this book was just what I needed to spice up my reading list. It was creepy, intriguing, original, and it left me wanting more.

If that sounds good to you too, you need to pick this one up.

Infuencers in a haunted monastery in Transylvania, why would I not want to read this!?

I really enjoyed all the "storytelling" from Cath and and how it all twisted into the main narrative. It was interesting finding out more about Cath's past and her mental illness, she was a diverse character in more than one way. 

The only thing I really wanted more of was to get to know the other characters a bit better. We did get bits and pieces about some of them, but since there were so many of them. They all had cameras as they explored their surroundings and the stories surrounding the monestary, so it would have been cool to see other viewpoints and aspects of the story in that manner. Other than that, it was a solid story and a quick fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

You Are Invited by Sarah A. Denzil  is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Cath Fenwick is ecstatic.  She received an invitation from Irene Jobert,  to be one of five participants in "The Event".  Cath will be staying in a renovated Transylvanian monastery in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, totally isolated.  She can't believe her luck.  Irene Jobert is the most famous social media influencer in the world.

As part of this retreat, Cath has agreed that almost every step she takes will be live-streamed to millions around the world.  Her followers, if they subscribe, will be paying for exclusive content. Along with Cath (a writer), there is Irene (a model), Nathan (a gamer), Jules (a blogger), and Dan (a fitness instructor).  The followers will be able to chat amongst themselves, and with the participants.

The followers are surprised to see a sixth individual lurking in the background of some of the pictures and videos, and warn the participants, but they are already aware of strange things happening in the monastery.

It is said that the forests around the monastery contain wolves, and other things.  It is said that ghosts walk the corridors of the monastery, that Sfântul Mihail is haunted.  Others say they are not ghosts at all.  They are vampires. 

It's a good thing that Cath doesn't believe in all that nonsense.


My Opinions:   

Basically this is a reality tv show, based on the contestants living together in a haunted house, and with plenty of access to their fans.  I don't watch reality tv shows.   However, I do read ghost stories, so this was definitely up my alley.

On the suspense and creepiness scale, it was right up there.  Very well done.  It was a little dark, and very atmospheric.  The characters were also well done, and their emotions shone through enough that you felt their fears.  You knew most of them were keeping a secret or two, and you knew that one of them you couldn't trust at all, but that didn't detract from the "ghost" story part of the book.

My only concern was that I'm not sure the mental health issues  were handled correctly,  but they were somewhat convincing. Personally, I think living with 4 other strangers would do me in.   Add the creepy location and strange events, and my anxiety would be at an all time high.  However, I think schizophrenia was the wrong label to apply, since the ending seemed to prove that a broken mirror and a dead nun could heal that. I have faith, but that didn't jive.

Overall, it was a really fast, entertaining read, and with this one the author hit the mark.

Very atmospheric but not scary. One of the first non-horrors with a want to be horror which I could actually enjoy.

I loved the twist on having multiple “influencers” all being offered money to stay in an abandoned area. Lots of things happen and lots of twists.

I’d recommend to anyone who was just starting out with horror or wanted something very atmospheric with a hint of horror.
Good for those who love horror but hate being afraid.

this book was very intense and creepy. If you love horror stories you will love this. it has a topic close to my heart "mental illness" so that aspect was cleverly done.

It’s got big The Haunting vibes, but for the social media golden age.

Cath Fenwick is one of five social media personalities invited to “The Event,” a live-streamed stay at a supposedly haunted Transylvanian monastery. Cath is an author. Then there’s Nathan, the video gamer. Irene, the cancer survivor turned media darling. Jules, the woke one who teaches “adulting,” and Dan, the fitness guru. Their quarters have been remodeled, but they are still isolated from supplies, and help. When strange things start happening, Cath can’t tell if it’s schizophrenia (someone stole her medication right off the bat), or if this dark place with a violent past really is haunted. The longer they stay, the weirder things get, and there’s this one “attendee” who keeps offering them large amounts of money to murder one another.

This doesn’t sound like something you’d want to read during “The most wonderful time of the year,” but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one over the holidays. I had plenty of time to sit down and actually enjoy it. It was cold enough here to curl up in my lair of blankets and get immersed in the Transylvanian winter, and let’s be honest, I love horror any and all times of the year.

There are, of course, things I didn’t like about it, but I would say those are my own personal preferences, and this genre is so difficult to get right. There are so many subgenres and so many directions something like this can go, and I think Denzil did an excellent job. I was intrigued, I wanted to know what happened, and I enjoyed the ride.

It’s like a feature-length episode of Black Mirror (or The Twilight Zone for the digital age). I loved the social commentary and the examination at the voyeurism of this live-stream age. Good horror does that. It explores our fears and examines our current culture. It’s actually a a really great way to examine history to get a solid perspective on a particular decade or age. Know what scares us and you understand us.

It’s out now if you need something spooky to get you through to the new year.

I really enjoyed You Are Invited. This book has some really creepy undertones and I’m completely here for it. The main character, Cath, is really relatable and I can see myself being good friends with her. I don’t know what it is about her character but she has inspired me to start writing again. Looking forward to reading more books by Sarah!

One of the greatest horror novels to read for the modern horror reader. This takes tropes from horror novels and turns them on their heads. The interactions between the five inhabitants of The Event reflect the hesitant trust that can so easily break in the face of adversity, especially when there are suspected hauntings involving mysterious figures and remnants of horrible tragedies. 

There are so many reasons to enjoy this book, but my favorite part would have to be the moment towards the end where Cath is rescued by the farmer and his wife. This breaks character for many horror novels I have read in that it shows there are good people still in the world, not those who would be considered naïve of the dangers present on the mortal and supernatural planes.

This novel takes some time to get moving, but once it finds its stride, the tension never leaves the page. Written for a new adult audience, the story structure contains snippets of internet chat rooms to heighten the POV of our leading character and enhance the mysterious circumstances of The Event. The characters are a bit cliche, including the lead protagonist Cath Fenwick who has schizophrenia. I was worried about the use of a mental illness to create an unreliable narrator, but there was a good balance between presenting mental health in a respectful light and using it as a plot device. 

This is more of an atmospheric read versus creepy or sinister. As the title suggests, it is a ghost story. Kinda. It took me to an unexpected ending, which I appreciated since the beginning of the story felt predictable. I would have liked more dark moments and higher tension in the first half of the book, but I flew through the last act.

The setting was a lot of fun, although I would have liked to have seen it exploited a bit more. The Carpathian Mountains, home of Dracula, makes for a promising horror landscape. Plus, there's a ghost story floating around town involving a group of murdered nuns. These make for an interesting backdrop for the story, but it could have been ramped up, especially in the beginning. Overall, it was a fun read.

A fresh interesting concept. A modern book that fits right into the social media world we are living in. Multiple online influencers are invited to a somewhat haunted mansion with deep and dark history to participate in a reality show when weird things start happening.  A decent read. Felt a bit slow for me and took me a little while to finish. But overall a good read. This book would make a great TV show or movie.

I don't know what it is but in October and November, I read a few books with a Transylvania/Romania/Vampire/old and possibly haunted building theme. This is another book to add to that collection. A group of 5 Internet Influencers are invited by a famous Internet star to a remote monastery in Transylvania. It is like an episode of Big Brother except for the remote and creepy location. They will be watched online by thousands of viewers paying different tiers for access. The story has many elements to it: horror, suspense, mystery, folklore. It also has the feel of "And Then There Were None" to it. I enjoyed the suspenseful build and the fact that you could not be sure if the happenings were supernatural or human made. I wasn't too keen on the characters and the ending felt like a bit of a let down but I think I was expecting something different. That is my issue and not the book's issue. All in all, I enjoyed reading this one.

This was an interesting story.  A group of social media influencers picked to live in n old monastery for a month.  The will be live streamed to anyone who purchases a membership to watch.  What will happen? Is there a haunting? Is there mass hysteria?  Who knows.  
Three quarters of the way through, the book could’ve taken multiple different directions.  Needless to say I didn’t see the twist that was coming.
All in all it was a good read and entertaining.  Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for giving me a copy to review.

A thoroughly modern premise of social media influencers gathering for a streaming ‘Event’  in a gothic, haunted Dracula like setting was brilliantly setup in this new tale by Sara Denzil.  A cautionary  cultural warning mixed with a horror and murder mystery is a fun, easy read with enough twists to keep you guessing.  As with most things in like, the fast half was better then the last half, but hey, at least they were invited while we can only watch.

“..the place had an atmosphere to it ... perhaps it was the way you could walk around one corner and sense a still quiet like no other, and yet around the next, the forest was alive before you ...”

This quote from Sarah A Denzil’s new book pretty much sums up how I feel about this book. The spooky story of a haunted monastery where nuns were brutally murdered pulled me in and didn’t let go until the twist is revealed in the end. Influencers are invited to attend a big brother type of event in the isolated Romanian mountains, but slowly each participant begins to lose the plot as the monastery and surrounding forest begins to reveal its secrets. 

This is my first Denzil so I can’t compare You Are Invited to her other work. I liked it. It kept me intrigued right to the end, and although the twist didn’t come as a massive surprise, it was easy to get lost in the pages and the short chapters made it a breeze to read. Denzil can write; she had me easily picturing the dark forest and long, cold corridors in the monastery. Her characters were well developed and believable, and her exploration of mental illness is well handled. 

Is it a ghost story? A vampire story? Horror? Murder mystery? I think it tries to be all four, and while that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book, it makes it difficult to define the genre it slots into.

This was a better version of Mexican Gothic, albeit without the fungi and weird family. 

Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review. 

**3.5 stars **

i finished this book in little time, it was definitely a two sitting read! i love the atmosphere that denzil created with this novel, i felt goosebumps all the way through. the twist at the end was incredible, and i can’t wait to read more from her. i can highly recommend you are invited.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It was very atmospheric, and I found it hard to put down, although I didn't like the ending. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

3-4 stars, while the first half might even be a 5 star read, I felt the second was just not as good!  I thought it was an intriguing plot, with some great character development!  It genuinely was creepy in many parts, but slowed way down after the first part!  I liked the idea, was linking forward to it and overall think the author did a good job at writing a creepy, scary story! I would recommend to those who don’t mind shifts in pace, and like atmospheric reads, with old eras sort of meeting new!  

Will buzz around and use lower  Amazon reviewer number.

When Cath receives her invitation to The Event, she packs her bags and doesn’t look back. Cath’s mother died recently, leaving her with only the voices in her head for company. In comparison to her lonely home, the partially restored Romanian monastery sounds almost cheery.
Cath arrives with four other influencers for The Event: a month-long live-stream in a beautiful, remote location. Paying viewers will be able to access their favorite social media celebrities and offer to pay them to do things like karaoke, or yoga…or killing one of the group.
Things start taking a dark turn right away, and the group— a model, a fitness buff, a gamer, a life-advice guru, and Cath, a writer— don’t exactly mesh. Cath is the one to tell them the story of what happened in the monastery years ago, how the slaughter of a group of nuns left Sfantul Mihail cursed. Drunk on wine, everyone is creeped out, but no one believes it. Until one of their body cams turns up something they—and all their viewers— are able to see.

In “You Are Invited” by @sarahadenzil the protagonist, Cath, is over the moon when she receives the invitation to “The Event”,a monetised retreat for social media influencers,in a renovated Transylvanian monastery surrounded only by forests and wolves.

Once Cath and the other four influencers enter the monastery, their every move will be live- streamed to millions of people around the world.

But,if there are only five influencers in the monastery, why do the followers live -streaming the event see a six person hiding in the background?
Who or what are the shadows hunting the halls of the ancient building?

It is for these un-answered questions that the influencers will slowly start to lose their mind in an escalation of events that will drive you to the edge of insanity too!

A brilliant and breathtaking book that will take you on a journey of the darkest corners of the Carpathian Mountains and human mind!

A huge thank you to @sarahadenzil and @netgalley for the ARC- I feel very lucky to have had the chance to read this amazing story!