Review: You're Invited by Amanda Jayatissa

Author: Amanda Jayatissa

Publisher: Berkley Books

Publication Date; August 2022

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 listened to the audio version of  You're Invited on my 6 hour drive back from vacation.  I thought it was a bit slow in the beginning, but after about 15%, I got sucked into the story.  It made the drive fly by.  This is a book that is best going into it not knowing a lot.  The synopsis doesn't begin to cover everything.  There are so many surprises and twists. 

The story is told through Amaya's eyes and goes back and forth in time.  Amaya is kind of an unreliable character.  I spent the entire book changing my mind about whether I could trust her or not.  I don't know a lot about Sri Lanka or its culture, but having the book take place in this setting was a nice change of pace.  I really enjoyed this one. It's the first I have read by this author.  I know I'll be seeking out other works in the future.  I highly recommend this one.