REVIEW; By Invitation Only (Gilt #1), by Geneva Lee

Rating: ★★★★☆

Genre: YA, Romance, Suspense

Recommend: Yes

Book 1

NO SPOILERS 

Summary:

Emma Southerly feels out of place at Belle Mère Prep, just outside of Las Vegas. Her mother has left and upgraded to a rich husband and Emma is left with her alcoholic father. 
When her best friend invites her to a party hosted in the home of her father's arch enemy, Emma knows she should say no... There she meets Jameson, hiding out from the crowds and the party and Emma has the best night of her life. But waking up in the morning she discovers Jameson is now the prime suspect in a murder, and she is thrown into the mess of truth and deception.

My Thoughts:

Story: I feel like this was a guilty pleasure read. Definitely YA and for younger readers but I loved it. The Romeo and Juliet vibe runs through this but in an adorable way, and the added mystery of "Romeo" being a murder suspect really adds a thrilling side to it. There's a great mix of romance and excitement with the captivating plot twist of a "who dunnit?" 

Emma: I felt so sorry for her. Her mother left and "upgraded" her whole life, leaving poor Emma with her alcoholic father and grieving over the loss of her sister. She is then forced to attend the party of the rival family, And then she unknowingly falls for his son and has to keep him a secret from her father. She is then fired into doubt and wonders if he truly is responsible of murder and the poor girl can't just get a break!

I'm not so much a fan of how the books have been split up. Usually with a series I like each individual book to have at least some story resolve but we don't get many answers in this so feel pressured into buying book 2 to find out anything about this story. As a result, this all felt like a build up but you need to get the 2nd installment for the actual climax. This type of thing usually just annoys me so much I don't want to bother with the next book as I feel it's cheating a little. I don't mind cliffhangers, but give us SOMETHING! 

Overall:

Despite feeling short-changed, I still enjoyed this and got swept up into Emma's world. Recommend for YA readers who enjoy a 90210/Pretty Little Liar's mash up. 

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