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All Dressed Up
All Dressed Up: A Novel | Jilly Gagnon
11 posts | 11 read | 10 to read
A remote hotel. A murder mystery. A missing woman. Everyone has a role to play, but whats real and whats part of the game? A twisty and fiendishly clever novel perfect for fans of The Guest List and Knives Out . . . The weekend getaway at the gorgeous manor hotel should have been perfect. But Becca is freshly smarting from her husband Blakes betrayal and knows this is just an expensive attempt at an apology. She may not be ready to forgive him, but the drinks are strong, the estate is stunning, and the weekend has an elaborate 1920s murder mystery theme. She decides to get into the spirit of things and enjoy their stay. What could go wrong? Before long, the game is afoot: famed speakeasy songstress Ida Crooner is found "murdered," and it's up to the guests to sniff out which of them might be the culprit. Playing the role of Miss Debbie Taunte, an ingenue with a dark past, Becca dives into the world of pun-heavy clues, hammy acting, and secret passages, hoping to at least take her mind off her marital troubles. Then, the morning after they arrive, the actress playing Ida's maid fails to reappear for her role. The game's organizerthat's Miss Ann Thrope to youassumes the young womans flakiness is to blame, but when snooping for clues as "Debbie," Becca finds evidence she may not have left of her own free will. Told over a nail-biting forty-eight hours and interspersed with in-game clues, set pieces, and character histories from the campy 1920s mystery nested inside a modern one, All Dressed Up is a loving tribute to classic whodunits and a riveting exploration of the secrets we keep in order to sustain the act.
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bookandbedandtea
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Pickpick

4 couples are at a hotel for a 1920s themed mystery weekend full of atmosphere, hidden clues, & murder. But one murder is real! My enjoyment was lessened by how hard it was to keep track of the characters (everyone had their real name plus the name of the character they were assigned for the mystery weekend) & by the MCs internal angst over her marriage. IRL I've no doubt it would color her whole life but it dragged the story down. Soft pick.

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LiteraryinLawrence
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this one in a fun, not earth shattering way. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I didn‘t guess what had happened, so it kept me engaged til the end. Some things felt a bit unresolved? Overall I‘d say it‘s a fun, sort of campy story about a group of people at a murder mystery themed weekend at a beautiful hotel. What‘s part of the dinner theater level acting and what‘s real? Is someone really in danger? You‘ll have to read to find out. 😋

66 likes1 stack add
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quietjenn
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Mehso-so

Despite a pretty cover and catnip of a premise, this is another one I found pretty underwhelming. Annoying characters, an over the top reveal, and pretty tedious going for much of the way. At least it's off the currently reading pile, eh?

Tamra It always feels good to move on! 😊 1y
Ruthiella So many modern mystery/thrillers grab me with their premise but don‘t quite wow me upon reading. 1y
49 likes2 comments
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Preciouz29
Mehso-so

Overall I enjoyed the book, but the marriage mess was distracting from the rest of the stories. I think it was trying to take too much on all at once. Becca is an emotional mess, with good reason, but being in her head while she's trying to solve a couple of mysteries and her marriage issues was just too much. If we nixed all of her personal issues, this would have been a solid read; the premise is intriguing and the details were good.

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TPulyer
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Could have been a lot of fun except for the obsessive narrator who made it hard to read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #alldressedup #jillygagnon #mystery

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TorieStorieS
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Pickpick

With a description offering CLUE vibes, I excitedly dove right into this locked room murder mystery game turned real mystery! The layers, snippets of the faux character descriptions & gameplay- along with red herrings- makes this a fun read. Main character & narrator, Becca, bogs the pacing down a bit with her own backstory & reflections on marriage, infidelity & her own flaws. Overall, this makes for a fun- though not entirely unpredictable read!

62 likes2 stack adds
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Monica5
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Panpan

Ugh! I hated Becca, the MC, so much I really didn't care what happened. Plus, the ending was so ignorant. It was like Gagnon didn't know how to wrap up everything between her husband and her.

I should have just bailed, but others really enjoyed it. Just goes to show everyone reads a different book with the same title.

I have no idea what my time is on reading. My stopwatch deleted my time. 2 books done though.

#AugustARC
#20in4

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Monica5
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Not very exciting. It's just my first name with how old I was when I got my first library card.

#littenswanttoknow

20 likes1 comment
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robinb
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Pickpick

This was a fun romp with a bit of a Christie vibe. Becca and Blake are taking a weekend trip away in the aftermath of the discovery of his affair. He books them in a remote hotel/mansion/estate for a 1920s murder mystery weekend (think Great Gatsby feel). There are 3 other couples and a skeleton staff, and while the mistress of the house is “murdered”, Becca begins to think there‘s something else going on behind the facade…possibly a real crime.🔻

robinb While this was funny and a bit twisty and turny, I didn‘t particularly connect with any of the characters. Becca and Blake could be annoying at times, and the whole affair thing somehow didn‘t fit for me. And while the storyline was going along well, the final denouement felt too left field and jarring. 🔻 2y
robinb And the end found Becca making an about-turn that to me was inexplicable and left me going “what??!”. So, at least for me, some aspects fun and humorous, some not so great. A soft pick. 3.5/5⭐️ 2y
40 likes1 stack add2 comments
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vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is a fun murder mystery. A couple goes to a murder mystery weekend at a secluded hotel. One of the employees goes missing. Is it part of the game? Extra points for Clue (movie) vibes.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 9/6/2022
#ARC #Netgalley

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
40 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Alfoster
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Pickpick

This is one of those fun Murder Mystery parties where guests are given identities and clues to help them solve the “murder” and is set in a beautiful mansion in an idyllic setting. Becca is still upset with husband Blake‘s indiscretion earlier in the year but is pleased as she is a fan of mysteries. But of course a real murder takes place so the stakes are high. Good romp and 1920‘s speakeasy theme so enjoy the intrigue!
#NetGalley Out in Sept.

68 likes3 stack adds