You're Invited

Love love love love love love this!!!
Author Amanda Jayatissa has done it again!
This was delicious, thrilling all the right elements in their right places!!
All the stars!!!

#YouAreInvited #NetGalley
Awesome.
When Amaya is invited to Kaavi's over-the-top wedding in Sri Lanka, Amaya is surprised and a little hurt to hear from her former best-friend after so many years of radio silence. But when Amaya learns that the groom is her very own ex-boyfriend, she is consumed by a single thought: she must stop the wedding from happening, no matter the cost. But Amaya might not be the only one with a plan to keep the bride from getting her happily ever after. When Kaavi goes missing and is presumed dead, the evidence points towards Amaya. Caught between excessive Sri Lankan wedding celebrations, old wounds and dark secrets, will Amaya be able to prove she's being framed for a murder she's almost positive she didn't commit?
Wow. It was so gripping.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straughten for giving me an advance copy.

Amaya hasn’t spoken to her best friend Kaavi for 5 years, when she walked out of her life, so she is shocked when she receives a invite to her wedding, back home in Sri Lanka. She’s even more shocked to find out that Kaavi is marrying her ex boyfriend.

The book is told from different perspectives and interspersed with interviews with the characters about an event before the wedding.

This novel was throughly engrossing and I absolutely loved all the details about Sri Lanka and the insight into the Sinhala language.
The author seamlessly blends beautiful locations with intriguing mystery leaving a completely enjoyable book.

I recommend to any one who loves a mystery, the complexity of friendships and a stunning backdrop.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

This book was completely riveting. It is a gripping storyline that is well written with well developed characters and a dark atmosphere. It was told through several points of view which really added to the atmosphere. Twisty and unpredictable.

Our main character in this psychological thriller is Amaya. And she just found out her ex-bestfriend is getting married to her ex-boyfriend. You can maybe imagine how she's feeling. The book starts the morning of the wedding and it is clear something has happened and Amaya is involved. From that first chapter I was invested. I love dark and twisted thrillers and this was one of those for sure!

The book is set in Sri Lanka which made it pretty unique right away, I loved that we got a different setting. You can also tell that the author herself is from Sri Lanka. There was quite some commentary on Sri Lankan culture and traditions, which I found fascinating. It also reminded me a bit of Crazy Rich Asians in that regard.

Amaya does not come off as a likeable person, just how I like my thriller main characters to be honest. She is obsessive, her thoughts scared me a bit at times, she self harms and is involved in BDSM. But there were also this little mentions of her past that made me question how she became the way we see her now. And are Spencer (the ex-boyfriend in question) and Kaavi (the ex-bestfriend) who they are portrayed to be. You mostly see Kaavi through her social media account and through Amaya's eyes and that never gives an accurate portrayal of someone.

After that initial chapter we start three months before the wedding and we slowly make our way to the day off. In between chapters however we read investigator interview transcripts. And those definitely made me question what happened. I loved the twists and turns in this book. There were something I did see coming but others I was for sure surprised by. And isn't that the best feeling? I also thought the ending was very satisfying and not what I was expecting.

For me, at the core this book was about a -strained- friendship. There was quite some talk about the heartbreak that comes after breaking up with your best friend and I wish there were more books, movies or songs about that. Wherever you look you can find something about being heartbroken after a romantic breakup but we need meer about friend breakups!

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down and finished it so fast. It was a compelling psychological thriller with an interesting setting, good twists and an unique setting. I highly recommend this one!

This is the first book I’ve read written by a Amanda Jayatissa and it is truly brilliant. What incredible writing- had me hooked from the very beginning, full of plot twists and turns and dark humour. Loved the Sri Lankan cultural and traditional context pitched against the backdrop of the super wealthy .
Very well paced with a great cast of characters. Highly recommend.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers, Hodder and Stoughton, for this ARC

I love a wedding whodunnit, and YOU'RE INVITED delivered spectacularly on that point. The Sri Lankan setting was such a treat and so fresh, and I thought the multiple perspectives were handled brilliantly. I'm excited to read more from Amanda.

I saw this book with rave reviews so I started reading it, cold turkey not knowing what to expect. I was hooked from the start assuming the story would go the way I thought it would however I couldn’t have been more wrong. Written from different POV’s in the months and days leading up to Kaavi’s wedding, you get a sense of the spoilt an in d twisted lives Kaavi and her family have, appearance is everything. However, I don’t think anything could’ve prepared me for this story. It was more twisted and thrilling than I could’ve imagined. So cleverly written, I’m still coming down from the shock revelations in the story. If you get the chance to read this, it truly is amazing.

This book was a breath of fresh air amongst other mystery novels set around wedding celebrations! The colorful background and some very twisty characters turn it into a great read!

When you find out that your best friend is marrying your ex boyfriend what would you do. I was utterly gripped with this thrilling story. I was literally glued to the pages. I recommend this physcological thriller highly.

This was my second novel by Amanda Jayatissa. I thoroughly the author's début novel and this one, You're Invited was great as well. Here, Amaya is invited to Kaavi's wedding in Sri Lanka. Kaavi is her best friend, though they haven't communicated in a very long while until now. When Amaya realises that the groom is her ex she is gutted. The story wass told using investigator interview transcripts, as well as from the perspectives of Amaya, and Kaavi through her social media account. The ending was not one I was expecting. Terrificallly good and engrossing.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I loved it! A totally different read. I loved the setting and learning more about Sri Lanka culture and the hierarchy in the capital city. A great read with lots of twists. A perfect marriage for Instagram until the big day.

This had me hooked from the first page and I was gripped throughout.
Brilliant scene-setting and character development. A must-read for fans of suspense.