
Thriller
You're Invited
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Welcome to the wedding from hell! We’ve got lost dresses, tabloids, private investigators, and an unexplained murder.
Family drama
International
Glamorous
Wedding
When Amaya is invited to Kaavi’s over-the-top wedding in Sri Lanka, she 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 as the weeklong wedding celebrations begin and rumors about Amaya’s past begin to swirl, she can’t help but feel like she also has a target on her back. When Kaavi goes missing and is presumed dead, all evidence points to Amaya.
However, nothing is as it seems as Jayatissa expertly unravels that each wedding guest has their own dark secret and agenda, and Amaya may not be the only one with a plan to keep the bride from getting her happily ever after . . .
I woke up with bruised knuckles and blood under my fingernails, more rested than I have been in years. I guess this is who I am now. The kind of person who would finally get a good night’s sleep after attacking someone else. The kind of woman who would fly halfway around the world to stop my ex–best friend from marrying my ex-boyfriend. If that’s one too many exes for you, well, it certainly is for me. But I’m also the kind of woman who does whatever it takes, so here I am.
Balancing my teacup in one hand, I opened the sliding door that led out onto the small balcony attached to my room at the Mount Lavinia Hotel. It overlooked the expansive private beach, which was deserted.
Of course it was. It was too early in the day for anyone to be out there. Maybe later on, but then again, who knows how things will pan out? The wedding would definitely be canceled now. The guests would all shuffle home, dispirited and upset. Or maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe they would just be grateful for the all-expenses-paid weekend, and take advantage of the beautiful beach and open bar. They would definitely mull around, gossiping and curious about what transpired. Aunties would have their own theories, no doubt, and phones will light up with messages about what happened to the unfortunate bride, Kaavindi Fonseka. This is Colombo after all.
It flickered in my stomach then—the first flutter of nervousness. I knew I couldn’t keep it away for long. It had been a simple plan, of course. But like all simple plans, it could be quite complicated unless you teased everything out. Laid everything bare. And like all simple plans, it had the potential to go very, very wrong.
If you loved Crazy Rich Asians but wished there were a little blood spattered across its gilded halls and sparkling jewels, have I got the thriller for you. You’re Invited is a slick, twisted, and relentlessly juicy novel with a quick-witted protagonist you’ll simultaneously love and distrust.
At the start of the story, Amaya scores a coveted invitation: Her former best friend, Kaavi, is marrying none other than Amaya’s ex in the Sri Lankan wedding of the century. Amaya, estranged from Kaavi and still raging about their falling-out, can’t believe she made the invite list but decides to go in order to stop the troubling union.
Then, mere hours before she’s supposed to walk down the aisle, Kaavi disappears. Investigators are stumped, wedding guests are imprisoned in their hotel rooms, and Amaya—who wakes with blood beneath her knuckles—thrums with panic. Through a carefully paced rewind of the months leading up to the disappearance, along with interview transcripts with those who knew Kaavi (and Amaya) best, we begin to see that beneath this celebration’s lavish exterior, secrets, lies, and betrayals are all brewing.
I can’t get enough of thrillers with complex female friendships at the center, and You’re Invited is pitch-perfect in its patient untangling of Amaya and Kaavi’s sordid past. It’s also a perfect poolside read for anyone with a penchant for travel and a fascination with the lifestyles of the rich and famous—I could watch Kaavi’s glamorous family plan a South Asian, high-society wedding all day. With dizzying, hall-of-mirror twists and a cutting examination of privilege and power, You’re Invited is a bloodthirsty beach read you won’t be able to put down.
Nikki S.
Harrison Twp, MI
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5! I was super hesistant at first because I thought I was going to strongly dislike Amaya but I got sucked in! Just when I thought I had things figured out, I was thrown a curveball!!
Katee A.
Greenwood, IN
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. Loved this book! There’s so many details that you don’t want to miss and you aren’t sure who you can trust. Kept me mostly guessing until the end! Love me a good mystery
Rachel R.
Columbus, OH
The words that come to mind for this one are “neat” and “tight”. I love when thrillers really do tie up all the details of all the loose ends. Loved the story, the peek into Sri Lankan society, etc.
Mila Z.
Marina del Rey, CA
The first half I really didn’t like Amaya, but push through! You don’t ever get to know the characters/writing style is okay… but the twists were fun and the plot was engaging. Ended w/ no loose ends!
Tracy V.
New York , NY
Wow! I couldn’t put this down. A great mix of humor and thriller. As a South Asian American woman, I was so happy to see representation in a genre I’ve always loved. You will finish this book in a day