Picture Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House set in the internet age of influencers and online tip jars. Set in the ruins of a nunnery in the mountains of Romania, You Are Invited does homage to the classic that came before it. A lonely young woman who was made insecure by a emotionally sadistic mother. Strangers who come together in an remote ruin where odd and unexplainable things happen. Is it mental illness or do evil spirits exist? All of this was found in The Haunting of Hill House.

Ms. Denzil, the author takes the bones of the classic and then makes them her own. Once Cath, the protagonist, arrives at the nunnery, a new fright happens on almost every page. Wolves that may or may not be supernatural prowl the grounds. A dark shape that may or may not be benign stalks Cath. The other members of the party may be your friends or they may be lying and playing tricks. Cath was damaged by her mother but is trying to find a way out, different than the damaged young woman in Hill House that ended up staying the only way she knew how.

The taxi ride to the nunnery seemed a little long, but once she got there the story was a real page turner. I read the book all through the night and the sun was coming up when I finished it. I enjoyed it and hope to read more books by Ms. Denzil in the future. Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A classic locked room mystery updated for the digital age. Five influencers, a secluded retreat, their only connection to the world is a livestream until a sinister figure emerges...harrowingly cleaver. I would highly recommend this read. Each page adds a sinister layer tension to a clever premise that leaves you on the edge of your seat.

I thought it would be a much exciting story as I think the general idea was not bad. I'd imagined or things that will be happening, but what followed were mostly flat and cliché. It was overall not a bad story, but it was not enough to make an impression.

Cath has been invited to The Event, a retreat for social media influencers hidden deep in the Carpathian Mountains. One of only five people invited, she will be staying in an old monastery. Every moment Cath and her fellow influencers are onsite, their every movement will be streamed live to viewers all over the world. That’s creepy enough, but something else is lurking in the halls of the old monastery. This is a really creepy read, combining the supernatural and mental illness to great effect

The world of social media to me is daunting and as a blogger just returned from a four year hiatus I can see the blogosphere has changed in those years and some of it I don’t like. Influencers rule the roost and they have the power, sorry the influence to sell millions but at what cost?

You Are Invited caught my eye because reading through the lines of the synopsis it sounded like Big Brother with wolves and vampires in a haunted monastery in Romania. Sold, where do I sign up?

Naturally there is more to it than that, a retreat has been set up in the Carpathian Mountains, an exclusive event that is invite only, hosted by über influencer Irene, a cancer survivor, model and all round amazing human. She is joined by four others, Dan the fitness guru, Jules the blogger, Nathan the gamer and our protagonist Cath the writer, all young twenty somethings.

They will be staying for four weeks in a refurbished monastery, the building has a bloody past, one that Cath is haunted by. Every move they make (with the exception of bedrooms/bathrooms) will be streamed to their adoring public, they are at their subscribers beck and call 24 hours a day and the more they do, the more they get paid as the whole event is monetised.

Sounds easy right, enjoy a peaceful break, make new friends, soak up the scenery, talk to subscribers, earn some money and in Cath’s case try to fit in. She struggles, not only because of the whole situation she finds herself in but she has Schizophrenia which she takes daily medication for.

She finds her medication taken one day and from then on things starts to unravel. Not just for Cath but for them all, they are complete strangers in a remote setting, surrounded by bloody history and maybe something else, when their subscribers mention a sixth person in their videos things start to go south. Are they alone?

I really enjoyed this books because the setting is well described, the dark mountains, the forests where wolves still prowl, the superstitions that make the locals nervous and the monastery itself sounds wonderful imposing. The characters especially Irene are perfectly described, I can just picture her with a duck face pout on Instagram with a blue sea and golden beach behind her.

My knowledge of Schizophrenia is limited, the character of Cath and her mental health is dealt with in a way that you feel her confusion in wondering what is real and what is not, she struggles immensely but unlike the others she has a very loyal fan base who look out for her and are genuinely worried for her.

You Are Invited is a look at the darker side of social media influencers, what they are willing to do to be the best. Who they are willing to destroy and who they are willing to betray.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this creep. It had some spectacularly creepy moments, a sense of unease and tension and the characters were good.

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my review.