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delphine_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book goes back and forth between Amaya’s point of view of events over a few days, and the accounts of other characters who give their own perspective. It makes it really interesting and is a splendid set up for some really well engineered reveals and progression points.
The morals of everybody involved are delightfully twisted and the book left me feeling like well- that was even more messed up than I thought. But in a good way. The layers of morality.
It was also a really fun projection into both Sri Lanka and the high society of that place. It really felt like I could place myself there, the world was really well brought to life.
My only gripe with the book- but it’s a pretty big gripe- is the laying it on thick about one of the characters. I think it could have been more subtle and the result of it was just a lot. I would have been sold just as effectively with less.
This is a bit sad as the book otherwise does a great job of depicting tense relationships, two-faced individuals, and
Finally another gripe would be the little faux pas of implying
All in all I liked this book a great deal and couldn’t stop listening, I am delighted to have spent time with this, and picked up another book by this author. Read the trigger warnings REALLY carefully, because they’re no joke. But if you’re good to go, then I could not recommend it enough.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Self harm, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Car accident, Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, and Blood
theoceanrose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent
lbsalas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Emotional abuse, Stalking, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, and Violence
martamae77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Classism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Murder, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Outing, and Homophobia
cassielaj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm, Addiction, Murder, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Sexual violence
bree_of_the_woods's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.75
Very slow going, with disturbed MC who has very dark, violent thoughts about others and engages in self-harm.
All of the characters are unpleasant in varying degrees. Towards the end, Jayatissa begins throwing in so many plot twists/fact reveals that feel like a few too many. Ending was an abrupt, bizarre wrap-up, that left one major line of facts out of the final “whodunnit story” and none of the characters ask about it, and then you get more layers of unpleasant characters that by the last page I was left with a very “what the heck did I just read” sort of bad taste in my mouth.
Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Gun violence and Self harm
Minor: Pregnancy and Pedophilia
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"You're Invited" follows Amaya, a young woman who is invited to her ex-best friend's, Kaavi's, wedding. Despite being childhood friends, and inseparable all their lives, Amaya and Kaavi had some sort of falling out years ago and have not spoken. Now, Kaavi is marrying Amaya's ex-boyfriend and Amaya finds herself heading home to Sri Lanka with one mission: to stop this wedding at all costs.
This story is told through duel timelines, which is something I really enjoy in thrillers. In the first chapter we find out that Kaavi is missing on the morning of her wedding, and Amaya is the prime suspect. We slowly get the "present day" investigation, but we jump back to the days leading up to the wedding as well. EVERYONE has something they are hiding, and just when you think you have the story figured out, there is a new twist that completely derails everything. I thoroughly enjoyed reading a story set in Sri Lanka, and the author did an impeccable job of making the story incredibly atmospheric. I do think the ending might be polarizing, but I LOVED it.
I am so excited to continue to read from this author!
Graphic: Death, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Pedophilia
Minor: Torture
misslaurenreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Death, and Classism
maregred's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Cancer, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
juliaaa02's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Gun violence, Classism, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Misogyny
Minor: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy