The #Sexy #Nerd #Review...Many Are Invited...#Thriller #Suspense #HF #NetGalley

A housewarming party ends in tragedy. . . Steve Galanos, a native Midwesterner, reflects on his time in and near Silicon Valley during the 1990s, a time when the two-digit year emerged as the Y2K problem, the burgeoning Internet fueled the expansion of the New Economy, the dot-com bubble created unseen prosperity and real estate frenzies. Yet it’s a housewarming party, held in late 1999, that affects him the most.

The Sexy Nerd's Review...

I remember the whole Y2K movement back in 1999. OMG! Most everyone was worried about our electronics and what would happen when 2000 would come in. Funny thing though, I never worried because I thought it was silly. The human cry was that our computers and anything electronic would start from the beginning instead of knowing to turn to 2000. The end of time was coming! What would we do when 2000 rolled in? Some Americans built shelters and was storing up on food and water. Wow! Just thinking about it again really makes me chuckle, because as you can see, life continued. Time didn’t stop and our computers survived the year change. Our character, Steve Galanos, found himself working at a company in 1999 worrying about Y2K. He was on the team with the special IT group designed and charged with making sure everyone’s electronics would function correctly when 00 arrived.

However, Steve, was over the whole conversation, much like me at that time, and he was concerned but not overly so. His boss and friend, John, headed up the Y2K team and they struck up a fast friendship. They were constantly flirting in the office. Penning women “Swedes” and giving them numbers based on how they looked and how they were built. On one of their many dares, Steve dared John to go into this store where he saw a hottie that he figured John would not be able to pull. Well, John proved Steve wrong, so much so, he not only did not pull the babe he asked him to score, but he ended up asking the hottie’s coworker out. She wasn’t as beautiful, but she was cute. John discovered that the woman he ended up with was named Mary and her coworker who was the hot babe was named Lauren. What do you know, the two of them were roommates meaning Steve could join in the fun and they could double date.

Things began to heat up quickly for John and Mary leaving Steve and Lauren to fend for themselves. When the friends went out, Mary let them know that she and John were engaged, and that, readers is where this story begins to unfold. This story works up quickly because it’s a short read, but I found the story to be misleading.

I was of the impression this story was really going to center around Y2K and have our main characters navigating through it, but it turns out this story really didn’t have much to do with Y2K, or not entirely. There are things I’d like to say, but it would cause spoilers and I do not do spoilers. I also noticed a discrepancy that wasn’t intended to be, I think, but I went back to check the story because it was bothering me. Again, I can’t get into it because it would spoil the story for some, however, I’ll say this. When you read the first chapter, especially the last paragraph of that chapter, it really stuck in my mind. So, when I got to the end of the story. I began scratching my head because I was waiting on something to happen, but I think the author may have forgotten what he discussed in the first chapter. Or, what happened at the end was a metaphor for what he was discussing in the first chapter and that was the entire point? In other words, readers, you need to read the book to fully understand what I’m getting at.

Overall, I wasn’t feeling this story. I found it dragging a lot and quite boring. I dozed off a few times and was shocked I wasn’t still reading. The biggest hurdle to get over was the chapters dealing with the homecoming party that seemed to go on forever and I lost interest in all the different partygoers’ conversations. It was too many people to keep up with and I really wasn’t invested.

The Sexy Nerd gives Many Are Invited three uninvited guests. This story was weird and a bit different, but I didn’t feel it lived up to the actual premise of the story. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean you might not like it. Many Are Invited goes on sale Thursday, October 6, 2022, at your favorite book retailers or wherever books are sold. Until next time, Nerds, you know what to do!

Open a Book and Get Mind Blown!