I didn’t really know what I was getting into with this book. I am really picky about supernatural stuff so I was really happy that it wasn’t the main focus of the book. It was just the right about of spooky with the perfect amount of twists and turns.

I couldn’t get enough of the drama and I finished the book in a record two hours because I needed to know what was going on.

The book reads more young adult which I don’t know if the author was going for that.

I have to complaints about the book.

1. It throws you right into the thick of the plot, there is no build up with Cath receiving the invitation and battling if she should accept or not. Without the build up it’s hard to get a feel of the character and narrator to see what you are getting into.
2. It was never really explained about the ages of the characters. They are drinking beer and partying but they sound like teenagers that are let loose. I was battling the whole book to see if I should be reading them as adults that are suffering from childhood trauma or teenagers that are still in the thick of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah A. Denzil for an ARC of You are in Invited; A Ghost Story in exchange for my review published earlier this month on September 15th 2020.
I totally recommend this read & loved the premise. With social media platforms and reality TV in the spotlight and so current to today’s world, it was interesting to read how the people we are influenced by may not be at all who they seem.
The story begins with a great build up to setting the stage for a creepy ghost story. There were a few paranormal elements that were fun but I was expecting more as the story progressed. But, I was not disappointed as the ghost story had an unexpected twist I really enjoyed.
The read also touches on mental illness and dysfunctional relationships. I think there could have been more development on the protagonist’s healing process but in the end I understood that we were only seeing the beginning of Cath’s recovery.
I’d love to say more on how much I loved the ghost in this story … but don’t want to spoil anything.
Synopsis:
"There are those who claim the ghosts walking the corridors of Sfântul Mihail are not ghosts at all." ~ Words whispered to Cath Fenwick on route to an invitation she will wish she had never said yes to.
Cath receives an invitation from Irene Jobert the most famous influencer in the world to “The Event”, a monetised retreat for social media influencers in renovated Transylvanian monastery. Isolated with nothing but the internet and followers watching their every move on a live stream.
The five influencers invited; Irene the model, Nathan the gamer, Jules the blogger, Daniel the fitness guru and Cath the writer. Until a sixth participant is noticed by followers lurking in the stream background… slowly five lonely people begin to lose their minds.

Wow! What a ride this was. The writing was captivating, perfect for this kind of story. I really didn’t know whether it was about vampires, ghosts, or just people being crazy. Cath was unreliable at times but always true to herself and it was awesome to see how it all unfolded and how she came out of this stronger than when she went in.

I really enjoyed this book. The atmosphere was so good and creepy. It was original and fun to read. I loved the modern take on it with the social media influencers yet they are invited to a place that is ancient and full of history....a secluded Transylvanian monastery,

Thank you Netgalley and author/publisher for the ARC,

Five influencers have been chosen to travel to a Transylvanian monastery to participate in The Event, a highly publicized month long livestream. Before she even arrives at the building, Cath's driver tries to warn her away from the place. Terrible events have happened there in the past and as soon as the streaming starts, unsettling things begin to happen. Cath's medication goes missing. Viewers report seeing shadowy figures on the streams. One anonymous follower offers a million dollars to whichever participant is willing to murder one of his or her companions.

I had high hopes for this one, but the plot is slow, mildly entertaining, and definitely not scary.

3 stars. First things first: the 'A Ghost Story' part of the title could've been left out. It's distracting and possibly misleading. It removed some of the tension of what on earth is going on. No need to suspect anything or anyone else, because it's a ghost, right? Right?!

That being said, the first 60% was worth 4 stars to me. It was a page-turner and I wanted to find out, indeed, what on earth was going on! (apart from the 'ghost story'. Around 70%, closer and closer to the revelation, things started feeling as flat as Cameron Diaz' feet to me. The revelation itself was a disappointment, in the sense that I could've seen this coming from a mile away, were it not for the title.

I felt nothing for the cardboard charcters. Only the protagonist was semi relatable and more fleshed out. The atmosphere and mystery kept me going.

If you like modern day thrillers/horror with historical aspects while still making use of communication a la 2020, go for it. Just don't expect to be blown away.

<I>Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</I>

Cath has accepted an invitation to stay for a month at a renovated monastery with four other social media influencers. The catch is everything will be live streamed. Also, maybe the monastery is haunted. Also, there are hungry wolves in the woods surrounding the monastery. Maybe this was a mistake.

You are invited gave me the fall atmosphere I was craving. I loved the setting, secluded in the Carpathian Mountains near Brasov in Transylvania. The descriptions were amazing, especially the autumn foliage. I’m here for it.

I’ve always been a fan of stories where you’re not sure if it’s paranormal or everyone is sliding into delusions due to isolation. You Are Invited builds with a creeping horror that made it impossible to put down. You can’t figure out who to trust, if anyone.

Our main character Cath is a writer. Her story telling ability really sold this book for me. This book is written a bit like a journal entry looking back at the trauma of the event. I enjoyed all the foreshadowing that ramped up the tension in the story.

I am concerned with how mental illness is portrayed in the book. There is some language that will make you uncomfortable. People get called out for using it (👍🏻). The more I sit with this book in my brain, the more I dislike the ending. It is hard to explain my feelings without spoilers, but I felt the ending diminished a serious mental illness.

If you’re look for a quick, spooky season read, I would recommend this one. You Are Invited is Paranormal Activity meets The Shining-lite and reads like a horror movie. It’s out now 🎉

I will start by saying that I liked this book. The author kept me interested enough to keep me turning the pages. However, the title says A Ghost Story. I went into it with expectations of being scared. There was some creepiness to it but nothing that scared me. I found it to be more of a thriller than a ghost story.

This is the story of Cath, a writer who has a large internet presence. Because of that internet presence, she is invited to 'The Event', which is held in the Carpathian Mountains in a remodeled monastery. during this event, she and other social media influencers are to be filmed 24/7 and the audience pays to watch. On the way up to the monastery, she starts talking to her taxi driver and learns a bit about the history of the monastery. Since it is the Carpathian Mountains, the area very rich with vampire lore. Sometime in 1940s, the monastery witnessed a mass murder of the nuns who lived there, and ever since then, the villagers have believed that there is some kind of curse surrounding this monastery. This means, while these social media influencers are there, things start to happen.

This story leans more towards thriller than that of a ghost story. There is a bit of horror and gore but it's more about those jump scares and a moody atmosphere. It does establish itself very well in storytelling and has a lot of very prevalent social media takes. It talks a lot about what people are doing for followers. It does also take a look at mental health. That plays a big aspect in the storytelling.

There are parts of the story that do feel very familiar because a lot of horror stories have taken nuns and it has taken monasteries and it has built up this almost folklore type quality about things that happen in such incidences. Especially when they are so isolated. So it does play into a lot of those very familiar themes. So parts of it I was not that surprised about.

I did like seeing all of these characters interact with each other as these cameras were on them 24/7. It has this weird take of being a Big Brother house but in this very large monastery in the Carpathian Mountains. The setting and the build-up was done very well because you felt the slow progression into that feeling you get when you're watching a very suspenseful horror/thriller. I liked it for that aspect.

It does have a lot of standard social media character tropes. You have that girl who is very much about her following and doing things for those follows. You have that secluded writer focused on publishing more work and getting validation. You have that gamer who's very loud and proud. And then you have that yogi who is all about calm, cool and collected personal and a nice physique. It does take a lot of those tropes, as you see in a lot of horror, and throws them all into one place. As you sit there and read you have those moments where you're like "What are you doing?! Don't open that door!! Why aren't you leaving?". And it does nod at the fact that it is doing that. Which I giggled at.

From the very beginning, I could have guessed where a lot of this was going. In the end, the closure in this book was kind of interesting and I like how that was done.

If you are looking for something moody and not completely filled with gore, though there are moments, it isn't constant, if you're looking for a thriller, if you're looking for some of those horror vibes, this read is probably for you.

3.5/5

Okay so I loved absolutely everything about the premise of this one. Isolated settings in horror or thrillers is one of my favourite tropes, and I love social media being put under the lens, or being utilised in horror. And ghosts!! Probable ghosts? What I'm saying is I went into this with super high hopes. Unfortunately, the book fell a lil short.

This was a quick read and I always wanted to know what was happening next. I loved the social media aspect. There was definitely a nice unsettling vibe but I feel like I was looking for more dread? To be more scared? That didn't really happen for me with this one.

The author also dealt with mental health, specifically schizophrenia, and although I don't have first-hand experience with this, I work in a mental-health setting and felt it was dealt with sort-of respectfully. I'll be seeking out reviews from people with personal experience to form a better opinion on it. I will say this: I feel using schizophrenia as a mechanism for an unreliable narrator is a lazy trope, the medication-usage didn't seem to make much sense (from my second-hand experience), and I dropped the book's rating just for the flippancy of that 'throwing my medication away' line at the end which was entirely unnecessary to the story. Given that it is a common problem for people who feel well due to their medication to then think they no longer need that medication, it felt like a foolish decision to include it.

Overall I enjoyed this one. I feel the end was perhaps a bit rushed, but there was enough of the elements I tend to mesh well with for it to be a quick, mildly creepy read.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy. This one's available to purchase now!

You are Invited is the perfect book for Halloween. It read like a movie and its setting and premise will feel fresh yet familiar for horror lovers a like.

The setting of the Carpathian Mountains and this old monastery was chilling. That alone was enough to unsettle me as Cath is heading to the event to stay with people she's never met (also unsettling). I loved the lore surrounding the monastery. I think Denzil used this smartly to keep readers off track in how this story would go. I couldn't figure out if this would be more of a slasher tale or ghost story and I loved that.

The pacing was perfect. The story was fast paced and even if it did slow down, it gave you the chance to soak up all the disturbing events taking place. I did hope there would be more sitings on the livestream of this mysterious black shape than the one we got. That's just a personal preference however.

The ending was truly chilling. I was sad, my jaw was on the ground, and I couldn't stop reading. This book was truly amazing

You Are Invited tells the story of Cath, a writer who joins a group of social media influencers on a project to stay in a monastery, to provide different content to viewers and fans. A diverse group, consisting of fitness, lifestyle, beauty, and gaming influencers, they all try to come together to make the time spent there interesting for all viewers and creating enough content to make themselves a small fortune. When stories about the monastery being haunted come forward, Cath and the others must find out who or what is in the monastery with them.

You Are Invited was an interesting, fast paced story, flitting between supernatural and human evil. While this wasn’t really a scary story, there were some tense moments throughout, and the atmospheric descriptions about the location really set the mood for a ghost story. Told entirely from Cath’s point of view, you do lack a bit of connection with the other characters. It would have been nice to see a bit more interactions with all of the other characters, rather than just touching loosely on them here or there, to be able to add a bit more tension and worry between them all.

One thing I did really appreciate about You Are Invited though, is the aspect of mental health. It features heavily throughout the story, for many of the characters, and was handled really well. There was a lot of relatable aspects to the worries and mental health that they experience, which made it easy to connect to some of the different scenes. It also added a bit of an interesting aspect for the worries they experience about the potential haunting, the concern they experience from different anxieties and mental health issues. That in itself really made this book for me, because it was fascinating to imagine how different anxiety could make a situation like this one - even for social media influencers, and the different kinds of worry they may have relating to live content and pandering to their patrons.

For readers looking for an atmospheric horror story, without too much violence or overly horror, this is a really great book for it. Some readers may find bits and pieces of it scarier than others, but the story is solid and engaging, and it reads quickly as you try to find out what’s going on. All in all, one I really recommend.

I'm so happy that I had a chance to read this book - it certainly got me ready for fall (which the weather is insisting on as well here!). Set in the Carpathian Mountains, in a remote abbey with a violent past, Cath arrives to participate in The Event - an exclusive social media influencer opportunity. Five participants will provide content 24/7 for the duration of their stay. But soon, things start to go wrong.

Cath comes with her own baggage and past which adds to the overall creepiness of the story. It's not an overly scary book, though there are some unsettling moments. There are some great visuals here and the characters all come to life. I appreciated the thorough ending - though I do worry that some may be offended in the overall representation of mental illness here. The last scene somewhat soured the story for me, but up until that point, I really enjoyed this fast-paced read. Despite some implausible moments, I still had fun reading it. It's not quite as scary of a ghost story as I wanted it to be, but there is a definite creep factor. And I definitely plan on reading more from Denzil in the future!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The premise drew me in right away, and it was very well paced, not dragging , but gradually building suspense to the horrifying conclusion. I was suspecting a ghost story, and while there were paranormal and creepy elements, there is no definite conclusion to whether or not the ghosts exist or if it all exists in the protagonists mind, which I loved. Always love an unreliable narrator!

The characters are really well developed as well, and I really found myself enjoying being with Cath on the journey. Sometimes with a lot of characters books struggle with the characterization, but I don't feel like this was an issue here. I had no issue keeping the characters separate and distinguishing between their different personalities.

All in all an intriguing story with great characters and a creepy atmosphere, and as a new reader to this author I am excited to see her other works!

When the world’s most famous influencer invites you on a social media influencer retreat to a partly renovated, mostly derelict and completely isolated monastery in the mountains of Transylvania, what do you say? Well, I would say no. But Cath said yes.

‘I will make you rich,’ Ireen tells her. But what’s the catch? The retreat will be live streamed to millions of viewers across the world.

Initially, everything seems to be going as ok as 5 strangers on camera 24/7 can go. But then the viewers start to notice things that the 5 residents don’t. A 6th presence...lurking near them.

As Cath spends more time in and around the monastery, she slowly begins to learn the history of the place as well as the history behind the strange, haunting energy that just seems to be getting closer and closer.

This was a great piece of horror. I was so scared when I turned the lights off and just thinking about that line above where the viewers noticed another presence in the house while the influencers were there freaked me out all over again.

If you need a good scare, read this book.

I absolutely unequivocally adored this novel! Ok that may be exaggerating a little but damn it’s good. You are led to believe that it’s going to be story of a haunting. As it turns out, it is a study in mental illness, cyber bullying, and mass hysteria, and an indictment of greed, social media, and the obsession for fame. This is all wrapped in a wonderful and beautifully rendered gothic horror setting with very few and subtle “haunted house” tropes. And this is just how it should be. I loved it! Now let’s talk characters. In the beginning they are portrayed as one-dimensional assholes, but as the story progresses the characters do too into well-formed creations. There is one magnificent twist that leads to a shocking and brutal act of violence that I guarantee you won’t expect. However, that is followed by an ending that I felt fell a little flat. With a breezy pace and exceptional writing, you won’t want to put this book down. Therefore, it is highly recommended for those that enjoy horror or mystery. Ms. Denzil, you have a new fan!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CE84odugPf6/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53628777-you-are-invited?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=POwAxdOf5D&rank=1

A ghost story! Would you accept an invitation anonymously to a strange unknown Castle in Romania. Good question!
Cathy Fenwick does accept this invitation to this social media event. Has no idea who else is coming and what will happen.
This invitation is by an obscure group that only Irene Joubert can have contact with.
The lives of the participants are changed forever.
This book has mystical, ghosts and history of Romania in it.
I loved the story faster paced thriller.
I want to thank NetGalley and Sarah A Denzil for an early copy of this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Synopsis: When Cath receives her invitation to The Event--a monetised retreat for social media influencers--she can't believe her luck. Irene Jobert is the most famous influencer in the world, and now Cath will be one of the five participants chosen to stay with Irene in a renovated Transylvanian monastery.

The catch? Their every move will be live-streamed to millions of people around the world. Patrons pay for constant access to their favourite social media stars. The five are isolated, with nothing but the internet to connect them to the world. That is, until eagle-eyed live-stream followers all around the globe notice a sixth participant. A dark figure lurking in the background. Who--or what--is in the monastery with them?

Review: This story wasted no time getting right to the action. It did take me a while to connect to the main character, but the more I read the more she grew on me. I really enjoyed the outcome of this story as I had no idea what was going to happen. I found this story to be very original and entertaining. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I think you should add this to your fall list of spooky reads!

This is my first book by @sarahadenzil but I will definitely read more from her in the future. Thank you for providing me with this arc, in exchange for an honest review.

This one is available tomorrow Sept 15!

This was so enjoyable! I thought it felt creepy and atmospheric (good for some fall reading!). I absolutely loved this exploration of social media in horror. It's certainly alarming to think about the different levels of access to livestreams/content! I enjoyed seeing the different challenges and activities our group of characters do for the viewers since this felt pretty authentic.

I particularly enjoyed watching the descent into creepiness with items going missing and mysterious figures appearing. Some of the scenes gave me chills! We do have some exploration of schizophrenia, and I liked characters questioning if things were actually real or not. I'm honestly still a little unclear about the reality of some of the events, but I actually think this mystery is very fitting.

The cast of characters was pretty enjoyable overall. There's also some LGBTQ+ representation here. Some of these group members are certainly not great, but I did really like Cath. She's more reserved and a bit of a people pleaser. I definitely enjoyed her character arc!

Overall, I really liked this and will definitely be checking out more books from this author.

There are some content warnings for abusive parent/child relationships.

I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.

My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 17:57-20:52 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AsFLmyEgmo

You are invited by Sarah Denzil was a good thriller. It was creepy and kept me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely read more by her!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.