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The Club
'One of the most riveting books I've read in a long time' Louise Candlish
'Smart, topical and immensely entertaining' T.M. Logan
From the author of R&J pick, People Like Her, and for fans of The White Lotus and Big Little Lies, Ellery Lloyd's The Club is an exhilarating, addictive read, telling a story of ambition, excess, and what happens when people who have everything - or nothing - to lose are pushed to their limit.
There's no place like Home . . .
The Home Group is a collection of ultra-exclusive private members' clubs and a global phenomenon, and the opening of its most ambitious project yet - Island Home, a forgotten island transformed into the height of luxury - is billed as the celebrity event of the decade.
But as the first guests arrive, the weekend soon proves deadly - because it turns out that even the most beautiful people can keep the ugliest secrets and, in a world where reputation is everything, they'll do anything to keep it.
If your name's on the list, you're not getting out . . .
'Smart, topical and immensely entertaining' T.M. Logan
From the author of R&J pick, People Like Her, and for fans of The White Lotus and Big Little Lies, Ellery Lloyd's The Club is an exhilarating, addictive read, telling a story of ambition, excess, and what happens when people who have everything - or nothing - to lose are pushed to their limit.
There's no place like Home . . .
The Home Group is a collection of ultra-exclusive private members' clubs and a global phenomenon, and the opening of its most ambitious project yet - Island Home, a forgotten island transformed into the height of luxury - is billed as the celebrity event of the decade.
But as the first guests arrive, the weekend soon proves deadly - because it turns out that even the most beautiful people can keep the ugliest secrets and, in a world where reputation is everything, they'll do anything to keep it.
If your name's on the list, you're not getting out . . .
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2022
12356 people are currently reading
113739 people want to read
About the author
Ellery Lloyd
11 books1,233 followersEllery Lloyd is the pseudonym for New York Times Bestselling husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos.
Collette is a journalist and editor, the former content director of Elle (UK) and editorial director at Soho House. She has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.
Paul is the author of two previous novels, Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day is Like Sunday. He is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Greenwich.
Collette is a journalist and editor, the former content director of Elle (UK) and editorial director at Soho House. She has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.
Paul is the author of two previous novels, Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day is Like Sunday. He is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Greenwich.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 9,599 reviews
February 6, 2024
Think I’ll Stick to Staying at the IHG
The Club is a fictional story about a highly exclusive club which has a chain of sumptuous hotels across the world. The owners of The Club are Ned and Adam who are in the midst of opening their newest location: Island Home. However, tempers are flaring with budget overruns and countless delays. How will Ned be able to keep his Club running?
Ellery Lloyd is a husband and wife writing team who is often noted for their prior work in People Like Her. The Club, however, was not funny like People Like Her. It was really dark, and it could have used some humor to lighten it up.
This book spent a lot of time discussing how exclusive The Club was and how terrific. However, I didn’t see anything that spectacular or that surprising. In fact, I have had stays at the IHG which were more exciting. Because I am Celiac, it can be difficult for me to eat items from the menu so I called up room service and asked them to make me some baked French Fries with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Sure enough, 20 minutes later a piping hot plate of baked French Fries arrives at my room. Also, I would order up gluten-free ooey-goeey chocolate chip cookies that haven’t even had time to set at all hours of the day and night. If you are part of Kimpton’s Inner Circle, the staff already have all your food preferences, and they will have an entire spread of food and drinks waiting for you upon your arrival. The description of The Club was underwhelming.
One thing that I didn’t understand was that the cabins at Island Club were not all the same. If you are a wealthy celebrity, traveling to stay on an island, you probably aren’t going to take less than the best. For example, if I am going to stay in an oceanside resort, I’m not going to stay in an inside room. I will wait to travel until the suite with the oceanfront balcony is open so I can read my books in peace while the waves gently crash in the background.
The book rotates its POV between Jess, Adam, Nikki, and Annie. Additionally, there are a lot more characters on top of that—too many characters to the point that they were difficult to keep track of.
Overall, an average mystery with a tone that didn’t build excitement.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
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The Club is a fictional story about a highly exclusive club which has a chain of sumptuous hotels across the world. The owners of The Club are Ned and Adam who are in the midst of opening their newest location: Island Home. However, tempers are flaring with budget overruns and countless delays. How will Ned be able to keep his Club running?
Ellery Lloyd is a husband and wife writing team who is often noted for their prior work in People Like Her. The Club, however, was not funny like People Like Her. It was really dark, and it could have used some humor to lighten it up.
This book spent a lot of time discussing how exclusive The Club was and how terrific. However, I didn’t see anything that spectacular or that surprising. In fact, I have had stays at the IHG which were more exciting. Because I am Celiac, it can be difficult for me to eat items from the menu so I called up room service and asked them to make me some baked French Fries with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Sure enough, 20 minutes later a piping hot plate of baked French Fries arrives at my room. Also, I would order up gluten-free ooey-goeey chocolate chip cookies that haven’t even had time to set at all hours of the day and night. If you are part of Kimpton’s Inner Circle, the staff already have all your food preferences, and they will have an entire spread of food and drinks waiting for you upon your arrival. The description of The Club was underwhelming.
One thing that I didn’t understand was that the cabins at Island Club were not all the same. If you are a wealthy celebrity, traveling to stay on an island, you probably aren’t going to take less than the best. For example, if I am going to stay in an oceanside resort, I’m not going to stay in an inside room. I will wait to travel until the suite with the oceanfront balcony is open so I can read my books in peace while the waves gently crash in the background.
The book rotates its POV between Jess, Adam, Nikki, and Annie. Additionally, there are a lot more characters on top of that—too many characters to the point that they were difficult to keep track of.
Overall, an average mystery with a tone that didn’t build excitement.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
April 29, 2022
Not much I can really say about this one.
I liked Lloyd's previous book, People Like Her fairly well. It was a dark voyeuristic look at the underbelly of social media stardom. This book, on the other hand, tries to do the same with celebrities, but really doesn't even come close to making any sort of a point.
So there are some people dead on an ultra exclusive island getaway for celebs. We spend the whole book learning what led up to these deaths and why they occurred. In the end I determined that I absolutely didn't even care, even a tiny bit, about any of them.
Listened to this one on audio, which had its pros and cons. The narrator, Tamaryn Payne, did an okay job at keeping the story moving and attempting to give each POV character a distinct voice. Her American accents were a bit stilted, but overall not awful. The biggest problem--there are WAY TOO MANY POV CHARACTERS. It's not Payne's fault there are so many and that they are virtually indistinguishable from each other. I couldn't keep the PA separated from the head of housekeeping separated from this or that celebrity, nor could I keep which bad person did what bad thing to whichever other bad person. There was not really one redeemable character in the bunch and I couldn't tell who was really who by the end and I didn't care (see above).
I'm giving it 2 stars because I did finish it and one of the storylines concluded in a halfway decent way. Otherwise, it's one that readers can safely skip and not miss anything. I'm really surprised that this was a Reese Witherspoon pick, because it doesn't really seem like it fits.
I liked Lloyd's previous book, People Like Her fairly well. It was a dark voyeuristic look at the underbelly of social media stardom. This book, on the other hand, tries to do the same with celebrities, but really doesn't even come close to making any sort of a point.
So there are some people dead on an ultra exclusive island getaway for celebs. We spend the whole book learning what led up to these deaths and why they occurred. In the end I determined that I absolutely didn't even care, even a tiny bit, about any of them.
Listened to this one on audio, which had its pros and cons. The narrator, Tamaryn Payne, did an okay job at keeping the story moving and attempting to give each POV character a distinct voice. Her American accents were a bit stilted, but overall not awful. The biggest problem--there are WAY TOO MANY POV CHARACTERS. It's not Payne's fault there are so many and that they are virtually indistinguishable from each other. I couldn't keep the PA separated from the head of housekeeping separated from this or that celebrity, nor could I keep which bad person did what bad thing to whichever other bad person. There was not really one redeemable character in the bunch and I couldn't tell who was really who by the end and I didn't care (see above).
I'm giving it 2 stars because I did finish it and one of the storylines concluded in a halfway decent way. Otherwise, it's one that readers can safely skip and not miss anything. I'm really surprised that this was a Reese Witherspoon pick, because it doesn't really seem like it fits.
January 12, 2022
While the cover is fantastic and the premise had tons of potential, this was a painful read for me due to the overly descriptive writing. I lose interest and have a hard time engaging into a story when the half page is wasted by describing an object or a surrounding.
March 24, 2022
Oh Reese . . . .
Your book club selections often leave much to be desired : (
I really dug People Like Her, but this one was just crap. The premise here is about – you guessed it – a club . . .
The grand opening of the newest branch of “Home” – an exclusive getaway for the rich and famous – that ends up with a body count.
Sounds okay, right? Like a yummy trashy mindless sort of vacation from your problems? Yeah. Well, it sucked. It lost me immediately when the “island” this new supposedly fabulous resort was set on was off the coast of Jolly Ol’ England. WTF? It never stops being winter here. I wanted a sweet escape to the tropics. But setting aside, notes to myself included . . . .
“Meh. Who cares? All of these people can get killed at this point”
and
“Lame”
and
“Snore. This could have been pizzagate – not this boring shit”
and
“Duuuuuuummmmmmmb”
and
“So stupid”
Obviously your mileage may vary. The cover sucked me in, but I thought the content was just turrrrrrrible (™Sir Charles Barkley).
ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
Your book club selections often leave much to be desired : (
I really dug People Like Her, but this one was just crap. The premise here is about – you guessed it – a club . . .
The grand opening of the newest branch of “Home” – an exclusive getaway for the rich and famous – that ends up with a body count.
Sounds okay, right? Like a yummy trashy mindless sort of vacation from your problems? Yeah. Well, it sucked. It lost me immediately when the “island” this new supposedly fabulous resort was set on was off the coast of Jolly Ol’ England. WTF? It never stops being winter here. I wanted a sweet escape to the tropics. But setting aside, notes to myself included . . . .
“Meh. Who cares? All of these people can get killed at this point”
and
“Lame”
and
“Snore. This could have been pizzagate – not this boring shit”
and
“Duuuuuuummmmmmmb”
and
“So stupid”
Obviously your mileage may vary. The cover sucked me in, but I thought the content was just turrrrrrrible (™Sir Charles Barkley).
ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
December 26, 2022
The Home club the ultimate globally franchised elite club for the people at the top of their global game! This book tells the story of the launch night of Island Home where the franchise decided to set up an entire island as a branch of their super-elite members only club. Their brand sees them overseeing branches all over the world with some of the highest quality performers, decor, services and more, but the question that's never really been asked is how do they raise so much money to provide the services they do from their very rich but limited membership?
As with the vast majority of books that cover celebrities, the rich and famous, and how they spend their leisure time, this is trope and stereotype full, and doesn't really show any real evidence that the writer Ellery Lloyd is a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. This book feels like an OK daytime TV movie with no real surprises but with interesting enough (stereotype) characters that make it worth watching/reading. 4 out of 12, Two Star read... time to walk...
2022 read
As with the vast majority of books that cover celebrities, the rich and famous, and how they spend their leisure time, this is trope and stereotype full, and doesn't really show any real evidence that the writer Ellery Lloyd is a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. This book feels like an OK daytime TV movie with no real surprises but with interesting enough (stereotype) characters that make it worth watching/reading. 4 out of 12, Two Star read... time to walk...
2022 read
March 24, 2022
I don’t know how I could possibly be expected to keep track of all of these characters, or whether I really need to pay attention to them. In any event, this book was taking too long to get to the point so I quit. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
April 10, 2022
3.5 down
Welcome to The Club which the wealthy would kill to join. The Clubs are dotted around the world and are the brainchild of Ned Groom. The latest addition the the impressive portfolio is the Island Home (Boucher Island) in Essex where a three day long party will celebrate its grand opening. This is one opening the well heeled guests will never forget as what they think is a publicity stunt may well turn out to be the murder mystery of the decade. The story is told from four perspectives.
It starts very dramatically so my intrigue antenna is definitely up! I like the format as you get some points of view then a continuation of THAT night which helps to pick up some pace. Throughout the authors give us little evidence bombs and an escalation of animosity between characters so it becomes a good puzzle to figure out whodunnit. None of the characters are particularly likeable so you may well end up with your own hit list! With one character in particular it's very hard to figure out what they are up to and then it all starts to slot into place. What all this amounts to is that there are plenty of motives and people have killed for less.
Whilst the novel is undeniably well written with an excellent premise it is equally undeniable that it is very slow at the start. There is a lot of detail especially on the characters and it's way to much backstory for my liking although it does become relevant later on. There's a lot of gossipy 'Hello' type information on the celebrities which also slows the pace although it does make very valid points on the cult of the celebrity. There are a lot of characters to get your head around although it's worth wading through to get to the nuggets of suspicion and distrust.
The second half is much better than the first and some things you learn pull you up sharply and make you reevaluate what you think you know. There are some excellent, dramatic and almost surreal scenes towards the end and a couple of those are doozies! I like the end-justice served.
Overall, it has a very good second half. I'd class this as a good slow burner mystery but not so much a thriller.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan McMillan/Mantle for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Welcome to The Club which the wealthy would kill to join. The Clubs are dotted around the world and are the brainchild of Ned Groom. The latest addition the the impressive portfolio is the Island Home (Boucher Island) in Essex where a three day long party will celebrate its grand opening. This is one opening the well heeled guests will never forget as what they think is a publicity stunt may well turn out to be the murder mystery of the decade. The story is told from four perspectives.
It starts very dramatically so my intrigue antenna is definitely up! I like the format as you get some points of view then a continuation of THAT night which helps to pick up some pace. Throughout the authors give us little evidence bombs and an escalation of animosity between characters so it becomes a good puzzle to figure out whodunnit. None of the characters are particularly likeable so you may well end up with your own hit list! With one character in particular it's very hard to figure out what they are up to and then it all starts to slot into place. What all this amounts to is that there are plenty of motives and people have killed for less.
Whilst the novel is undeniably well written with an excellent premise it is equally undeniable that it is very slow at the start. There is a lot of detail especially on the characters and it's way to much backstory for my liking although it does become relevant later on. There's a lot of gossipy 'Hello' type information on the celebrities which also slows the pace although it does make very valid points on the cult of the celebrity. There are a lot of characters to get your head around although it's worth wading through to get to the nuggets of suspicion and distrust.
The second half is much better than the first and some things you learn pull you up sharply and make you reevaluate what you think you know. There are some excellent, dramatic and almost surreal scenes towards the end and a couple of those are doozies! I like the end-justice served.
Overall, it has a very good second half. I'd class this as a good slow burner mystery but not so much a thriller.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan McMillan/Mantle for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
February 12, 2022
If a latter-day Agatha Christie wrote a locked-room mystery set at a fictional Soho House, you would have Ellery Lloyd’s The Club. This was an engaging and literary slow-burn mystery that was intimate and enjoyable, if a little slow at times.
I have always been fascinated with the private club and magnet for the celebrity and creative elite, Soho House (even going so far as to try to scheme a way into joining until I learned of the exorbitant membership fee). Having attended Soho House functions as a guest, I always wondered when happened with the inner workings and admissions of such clubs, so this book was basically written for me.
This novel focuses on an isolated Island version of the elite club Home (a thinly veiled Soho House type of retreat) and a mysterious death that occurs within its confines. The book is told from 5 points of view, which was a little much for me (full disclosure: I have a short attention span and a finite memory bank for narrating characters). I loved the focus on the enigmatic founder of Home and the celebrity and socialite members. I would have loved a little more focus on those characters and a little less from characters I found more tertiary. I enjoyed the timely themes the book tackled (which I won’t elaborate on so as not to spoil the unfolding of the story) and thought the writing was very good. Being a thriller adrenaline junkie, I would have liked a little bit more action a bit quicker in the story. But I also enjoyed getting to know most of the characters and reading the well-executed plot.
This is a thoughtful and nicely executed and locked-room mystery. Thriller fans should know going in that this is a more literary slow-burn, traditional whodunit, rather than a high octane page-turner. It also has some interesting social commentary woven in. So read it when you are in the mood to do a little more thinking per page.
Thanks to Harper Collins, NetGalley, and the author for the enjoyable ARC.
I have always been fascinated with the private club and magnet for the celebrity and creative elite, Soho House (even going so far as to try to scheme a way into joining until I learned of the exorbitant membership fee). Having attended Soho House functions as a guest, I always wondered when happened with the inner workings and admissions of such clubs, so this book was basically written for me.
This novel focuses on an isolated Island version of the elite club Home (a thinly veiled Soho House type of retreat) and a mysterious death that occurs within its confines. The book is told from 5 points of view, which was a little much for me (full disclosure: I have a short attention span and a finite memory bank for narrating characters). I loved the focus on the enigmatic founder of Home and the celebrity and socialite members. I would have loved a little more focus on those characters and a little less from characters I found more tertiary. I enjoyed the timely themes the book tackled (which I won’t elaborate on so as not to spoil the unfolding of the story) and thought the writing was very good. Being a thriller adrenaline junkie, I would have liked a little bit more action a bit quicker in the story. But I also enjoyed getting to know most of the characters and reading the well-executed plot.
This is a thoughtful and nicely executed and locked-room mystery. Thriller fans should know going in that this is a more literary slow-burn, traditional whodunit, rather than a high octane page-turner. It also has some interesting social commentary woven in. So read it when you are in the mood to do a little more thinking per page.
Thanks to Harper Collins, NetGalley, and the author for the enjoyable ARC.
Read
May 1, 2022Not rating I could tell from the start that this book wasn’t for me too many characters I couldn’t get straight in my head the storyline didn’t do anything for me a big miss.
November 12, 2022
I don't really have much to say about this one. It was a decent read, I was entertained while reading it. It wasn't that unique in terms of plot line, a lot of what happens felt cliched, but it was executed well enough that it didn't bother me. I'm not sure I would classify it as a mystery though.
February 3, 2022
Thriller time. Slow start. I wasn't sure I wanted to continue. Picked up a bit though, so hang on if you read it. Good twisty turny fun.
March 16, 2022
A very interesting plot, and the writing was impeccable. But the story moved too slowly and too many stories to follow.
September 28, 2025
“We all have versions of ourselves we can bear to look at, versions we prepare for the world’s consumption, that we hope will make ourselves loved, allow us to be forgiven. Versions of our real selves that allow us to live with the things we have done.”
― Ellery Lloyd, The Club
Am I the only person in the world who actually really liked this book?
I just finished it tonight , and I was really surprised when I clicked on the reviews and saw so many ones and twos. I did not think it was bad at all.
So this is quite the smutty story. It’s kind of like a more realistic, more literary version of a Jackie Collins novel,a writer who I may add, that I read all the time when I was a teenager and in my 20s.
But it also has a sort of dark component , an allure and I can see why Reese Witherspoon recommended it so highly.
So the book revolves around a very unlikable cast of characters for the most part although there are a few I liked. But the action is set at this opulent, hedonistic, exclusive celebrity club, part of a string of opulent, hedonistic, exclusive, celebrity clubs.
All of these clubs are owned by two brothers, and one must be a very, very famous celebrity indeed to get an invite.
We know from the beginning of the book that people have died. What we don’t know is who and why.
The book takes you on a journey, letting you get to know this exclusive group of mostly repelling individuals, but interspersed with the whole story is the current day articles about the murders themselves and the mystery behind them.
I will say outright that reading the book I just couldn’t get this one damn question out of my mind. Is this really what the top one percent is like?
That’s a question I’ll likely never get an answer to. I’ve met some celebrities. They seemed normal enough . But who knows? I do have a weakness for celebrity gossip on occasion, but never really stopped and deeply contemplated just who are these pampered and privileged humans inside?
I’m not friends with anybody famous . I have family members who are. I have never heard any stories even remotely resembling what I read here. However, we all know the scandals that happen, of course we do, we hear about em on occasion, we see them blaring out on the covers of these celebrity rags that for the most part exist to titillate people and on some rare occasions actually get it right.
So yes, I have no doubt there are clubs like this, and there Is much depravity that goes on at these clubs. Much of it will probably never be known but I’ll admit it’s intriguing and also as I read this book, I could not stop seeing the book in front of me in flashing lights as a film. Has this been optioned as a movie yet? I don’t go to movies much anymore at all but I think I just might meander to a movie theater to see this playing out on the screen.
OK so I read some of the negative reviews and I agree with some aspects of it. First off the book does go on to way long and give too much descriptive detail about how everything looks. It’s really rare for me to complain about overly descriptive writing because I’m a writer and I write metaphors and similes just about every day, and I am as about as descriptive a writer as one can get, but this was just too much. I mean when you’re reading a scene and there’s dialogue, and then it cuts in the middle of the scene to a description about the couches, or the chandeliers or the swimming pools or the barbecue pits and then. you’re forced to read like two pages straight about that it can grate on one’s nerves. However, not to fear! I found an excellent way to get around that.
I just skimmed all the descriptive stuff.
That is after all what skimming is for. But it didn’t decrease my enjoyment of the book.
When I am really into a book, a book I’m deeply enjoying, I start to gradually decrease my speed reading, taking many breaks, in order to drag out the experience for as long as possible.
That’s exactly what I did here. I read this over the course of two days and I really can’t recommend it enough. It’s dark it’s seamy,
but it’s strangely compelling and it’s intense . Also awfully awfully poignant in some areas, brutal as well in some areas with some of the characters.
Besides the overly descriptive writing, there were two other things I did not like. One of them was that some of the characters could’ve been developed more I feel. I mean this guy Jackson? Did he have any kind of personality besides boozing and grunting? I mean he’s supposed to be this guy who gets all these women and is a top movie star, but it didn’t seem like to me like he could string two sentences together . I’ve met boozers at the most seedy bars imaginable with way more working brain cells than this dickhead Jackson .
I would’ve liked to see at least something of what anybody saw in him. I highly doubt he really could’ve been employable as a movie star because he couldn’t speak. Seriously everything came out as a grunt.
The third and last negative is something I can’t do without spoilers. So if you find yourself wanting to read this book, you should stop reading my review now because they are going to be
SPOILERS
Oh my gosh did I feel for Jess. . I wanted to just reach into the book and give her a hug . That was very difficult to read about. But that is not my complaint. My complaint is I really really really really really wanted to see Annie get her comeuppance and her just desserts. I know that she does but I really wanted to savor it. I absolutely despise this book character in a way . I don’t usually despise many characters and that is WAY
before we find out her role in Jess and her family’s tragedy. I absolutely hated Annie from the start and everything about her.
I wonder what Reese Witherspoon thought reading this. I wonder what other celebrities thought when reading this. Do they recognize people they may know? It really is fascinating. I think this would make an excellent book club selection too. I really really do. Anyway, that is my review for the club. A strong four stars from me and highly recommended.
― Ellery Lloyd, The Club
Am I the only person in the world who actually really liked this book?
I just finished it tonight , and I was really surprised when I clicked on the reviews and saw so many ones and twos. I did not think it was bad at all.
So this is quite the smutty story. It’s kind of like a more realistic, more literary version of a Jackie Collins novel,a writer who I may add, that I read all the time when I was a teenager and in my 20s.
But it also has a sort of dark component , an allure and I can see why Reese Witherspoon recommended it so highly.
So the book revolves around a very unlikable cast of characters for the most part although there are a few I liked. But the action is set at this opulent, hedonistic, exclusive celebrity club, part of a string of opulent, hedonistic, exclusive, celebrity clubs.
All of these clubs are owned by two brothers, and one must be a very, very famous celebrity indeed to get an invite.
We know from the beginning of the book that people have died. What we don’t know is who and why.
The book takes you on a journey, letting you get to know this exclusive group of mostly repelling individuals, but interspersed with the whole story is the current day articles about the murders themselves and the mystery behind them.
I will say outright that reading the book I just couldn’t get this one damn question out of my mind. Is this really what the top one percent is like?
That’s a question I’ll likely never get an answer to. I’ve met some celebrities. They seemed normal enough . But who knows? I do have a weakness for celebrity gossip on occasion, but never really stopped and deeply contemplated just who are these pampered and privileged humans inside?
I’m not friends with anybody famous . I have family members who are. I have never heard any stories even remotely resembling what I read here. However, we all know the scandals that happen, of course we do, we hear about em on occasion, we see them blaring out on the covers of these celebrity rags that for the most part exist to titillate people and on some rare occasions actually get it right.
So yes, I have no doubt there are clubs like this, and there Is much depravity that goes on at these clubs. Much of it will probably never be known but I’ll admit it’s intriguing and also as I read this book, I could not stop seeing the book in front of me in flashing lights as a film. Has this been optioned as a movie yet? I don’t go to movies much anymore at all but I think I just might meander to a movie theater to see this playing out on the screen.
OK so I read some of the negative reviews and I agree with some aspects of it. First off the book does go on to way long and give too much descriptive detail about how everything looks. It’s really rare for me to complain about overly descriptive writing because I’m a writer and I write metaphors and similes just about every day, and I am as about as descriptive a writer as one can get, but this was just too much. I mean when you’re reading a scene and there’s dialogue, and then it cuts in the middle of the scene to a description about the couches, or the chandeliers or the swimming pools or the barbecue pits and then. you’re forced to read like two pages straight about that it can grate on one’s nerves. However, not to fear! I found an excellent way to get around that.
I just skimmed all the descriptive stuff.
That is after all what skimming is for. But it didn’t decrease my enjoyment of the book.
When I am really into a book, a book I’m deeply enjoying, I start to gradually decrease my speed reading, taking many breaks, in order to drag out the experience for as long as possible.
That’s exactly what I did here. I read this over the course of two days and I really can’t recommend it enough. It’s dark it’s seamy,
but it’s strangely compelling and it’s intense . Also awfully awfully poignant in some areas, brutal as well in some areas with some of the characters.
Besides the overly descriptive writing, there were two other things I did not like. One of them was that some of the characters could’ve been developed more I feel. I mean this guy Jackson? Did he have any kind of personality besides boozing and grunting? I mean he’s supposed to be this guy who gets all these women and is a top movie star, but it didn’t seem like to me like he could string two sentences together . I’ve met boozers at the most seedy bars imaginable with way more working brain cells than this dickhead Jackson .
I would’ve liked to see at least something of what anybody saw in him. I highly doubt he really could’ve been employable as a movie star because he couldn’t speak. Seriously everything came out as a grunt.
The third and last negative is something I can’t do without spoilers. So if you find yourself wanting to read this book, you should stop reading my review now because they are going to be
SPOILERS
Oh my gosh did I feel for Jess. . I wanted to just reach into the book and give her a hug . That was very difficult to read about. But that is not my complaint. My complaint is I really really really really really wanted to see Annie get her comeuppance and her just desserts. I know that she does but I really wanted to savor it. I absolutely despise this book character in a way . I don’t usually despise many characters and that is WAY
before we find out her role in Jess and her family’s tragedy. I absolutely hated Annie from the start and everything about her.
I wonder what Reese Witherspoon thought reading this. I wonder what other celebrities thought when reading this. Do they recognize people they may know? It really is fascinating. I think this would make an excellent book club selection too. I really really do. Anyway, that is my review for the club. A strong four stars from me and highly recommended.
March 3, 2022
DNF. when a book is more descriptions than actual plot. You know it’s not for you. good lord I barely made it through two chapters before all the descriptions gave me a migraine.
July 9, 2022
Rich elites gagging to get into private, luxurious resort. Fun, games and comeuppance, what more could you want! A few twists, but pretty slow moving.
May 23, 2022
2.5 Stars but I won't go so far as to round it up!!
If you really enjoyed this duo's debut, People Like Her, and are expecting The Club to be on par with it, you will most certainly, like me, be sorely disappointed. I have never had the best of luck with Reese Book Club selections, so I'm not quite sure why I expected this one to be any different. I suppose I had hoped this might be one of the few exceptions, but sadly it was not. How someone can select such great scripts/movies (IMO) to star in, but have mostly dreadful taste in novels, I will probably never understand!!
An abundance of characters made the first half of the book incredibly confusing, and top that off with the unlikability of about 90% of those characters and that makes for a mediocre reading experience, at best. At least it was for me. As you begin reading this it's made very clear a murder has occurred on Island Home, the newest addition to the celebrity members' club chain, Home Group. Who dunnit? To say I was somewhat intrigued after the initial few pages would be fair. But then came an overwhelming amount of perspectives, none of which were initially interesting or likeable, making it that much harder to get a grip on who was who, leaving me completely discombobulated not knowing what the heck was going on! I am being completely honest when I admit it took me about 150 pages before I know who everyone was, and had a remote semblance of which direction the plot was headed - it was frustrating enough for me that I wanted to DNF this one, and actually did, TWICE, before forcing myself to pick it back up and tough this one out, if for anything to at least get my money's worth ($27 USD!!). I will say the the latter half of the book picked up in pace, and the characters were given a bit more depth, in turn redeeming the chaos that was the first half to an extent, but not enough to salvage my overall opinion on this one. There were a couple tiny twists at the end, making the mystery element somewhat more original, so it wasn't all together a total miss for me. I do believe that if there had been possibly three less perspectives, this might have made this story more palatable for me, but the overall unlikability of the obnoxious staff and guests didn't do this one any favors. I admit, I'm a mood reader and also need to actually like my characters in order to become invested in them and their storyline, and I just couldn't really do that here, but I may be in the minority with that requirement. If you can overlook unlikable characters, and a variety of perspectives and still have a good reading experience, this might be a good book for you!
The Club seems to be receiving fairly positive hype, so you might just take my review and opinions with a grain of salt and give this one a shot. Everything being said, I'm still cautiously a fan of Ellery Lloyd, and may give their third novel a read before I make a final decision on them.
Here's to my next great read!!
If you really enjoyed this duo's debut, People Like Her, and are expecting The Club to be on par with it, you will most certainly, like me, be sorely disappointed. I have never had the best of luck with Reese Book Club selections, so I'm not quite sure why I expected this one to be any different. I suppose I had hoped this might be one of the few exceptions, but sadly it was not. How someone can select such great scripts/movies (IMO) to star in, but have mostly dreadful taste in novels, I will probably never understand!!
An abundance of characters made the first half of the book incredibly confusing, and top that off with the unlikability of about 90% of those characters and that makes for a mediocre reading experience, at best. At least it was for me. As you begin reading this it's made very clear a murder has occurred on Island Home, the newest addition to the celebrity members' club chain, Home Group. Who dunnit? To say I was somewhat intrigued after the initial few pages would be fair. But then came an overwhelming amount of perspectives, none of which were initially interesting or likeable, making it that much harder to get a grip on who was who, leaving me completely discombobulated not knowing what the heck was going on! I am being completely honest when I admit it took me about 150 pages before I know who everyone was, and had a remote semblance of which direction the plot was headed - it was frustrating enough for me that I wanted to DNF this one, and actually did, TWICE, before forcing myself to pick it back up and tough this one out, if for anything to at least get my money's worth ($27 USD!!). I will say the the latter half of the book picked up in pace, and the characters were given a bit more depth, in turn redeeming the chaos that was the first half to an extent, but not enough to salvage my overall opinion on this one. There were a couple tiny twists at the end, making the mystery element somewhat more original, so it wasn't all together a total miss for me. I do believe that if there had been possibly three less perspectives, this might have made this story more palatable for me, but the overall unlikability of the obnoxious staff and guests didn't do this one any favors. I admit, I'm a mood reader and also need to actually like my characters in order to become invested in them and their storyline, and I just couldn't really do that here, but I may be in the minority with that requirement. If you can overlook unlikable characters, and a variety of perspectives and still have a good reading experience, this might be a good book for you!
The Club seems to be receiving fairly positive hype, so you might just take my review and opinions with a grain of salt and give this one a shot. Everything being said, I'm still cautiously a fan of Ellery Lloyd, and may give their third novel a read before I make a final decision on them.
Here's to my next great read!!
March 19, 2022
There are many, many fabulous clubs in the world.
"The Club" by Ellery Lloyd is not one of them.
I tried my hardest to like "The Club" but it never happened.
This is the second time this week that one of my go-to authors has disappointed me and it's not a good feeling to have.
I was a huge fan of "People Like Her," so my expectations for "The Club" were sky-high.
Where should I begin? The plot was flat, all over the place, and lacked sizzle. There were waaaay too many characters and, as a result, character development was painfully shallow.
I listened to the audiobook and all of the narrators did a superb job of staying awake and narrating the book. Even strong narrators, however, could not save this book.
I have not given up on the husband/wife team of Ellery Lloyd.
I know that these talented authors are capable of penning ultra-compelling books and, hopefully, next time they will.
"The Club" by Ellery Lloyd is not one of them.
I tried my hardest to like "The Club" but it never happened.
This is the second time this week that one of my go-to authors has disappointed me and it's not a good feeling to have.
I was a huge fan of "People Like Her," so my expectations for "The Club" were sky-high.
Where should I begin? The plot was flat, all over the place, and lacked sizzle. There were waaaay too many characters and, as a result, character development was painfully shallow.
I listened to the audiobook and all of the narrators did a superb job of staying awake and narrating the book. Even strong narrators, however, could not save this book.
I have not given up on the husband/wife team of Ellery Lloyd.
I know that these talented authors are capable of penning ultra-compelling books and, hopefully, next time they will.
December 27, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I was a big fan of Lloyd's "People Like Her," so when I read several fabulous early reviews for this one (although you would think by now I would have learned to pay very little attention to early reviews), I jumped at the chance to read an ARC. While there is something different and somewhat riveting about parts of it, it still barely tipped the 3-star mark on the scale for me.
The blurb reads, "At this club, if your name's on the list, you're not getting out..." Well, sort of. It's a "whodunnit" but you don't even know until near the end who is dead, which made it all a bit convoluted. The plot centers around a collection of celebrity member clubs across the world, dubbed "the Homes" where the rich and famous party hard without cell phones and fans. The Island Home, off the English coast, is the newest venture and CEO and founder, Ned Groom and his team have planned an exclusive three-day launch party, which is by far the most coveted A-list invite of the year. But behind the scenes, tensions are at breaking point. Ned is a narcissistic monster; his trusted assistant, Nikki, has a big secret she's been keeping for decades; Ned's younger brother, Adam, has sacrificed his marriage to be Ned's right-hand man but has been given an impossible ultimatum by his wife; the Head of Membership, Annie, keeps the world's most spoiled celebrities entertained using any means necessary, but at a personal cost; and the Head of Housekeeping, Jess, has ulterior motives spanning years prior to the launch. Within a day, bodies start piling up, and all the dirty secrets come to light, despite desperate measures taken to keep them hidden.
Hmm. Where do I start? This is a classic case of too many characters and too much backstory and build up taking too much time. The first half of the book was a struggle - I couldn't get invested in any of the characters, so what might eventually happen to them didn't really phase me. There were pages of descriptions about the other "Homes" and descriptions of fake celebrities and their interactions with the characters. It felt a bit distracting to the main storyline, which was actually very good. I guess it could be argued that the "fluff" was necessary to bring the plot full circle, but I still think it could have been done in a much shorter, more cohesive manner. It's too bad because the last third of the book definitely held my attention, and I ended up really digging the ending, but getting to that point was just so cumbersome that I almost gave up.
Overall, a strong premise with lots of despicable characters that you love to hate, but it suffers a bit from an overindulgence of details. Still worthy of a read, just be prepared to mire through parts of it.
I was a big fan of Lloyd's "People Like Her," so when I read several fabulous early reviews for this one (although you would think by now I would have learned to pay very little attention to early reviews), I jumped at the chance to read an ARC. While there is something different and somewhat riveting about parts of it, it still barely tipped the 3-star mark on the scale for me.
The blurb reads, "At this club, if your name's on the list, you're not getting out..." Well, sort of. It's a "whodunnit" but you don't even know until near the end who is dead, which made it all a bit convoluted. The plot centers around a collection of celebrity member clubs across the world, dubbed "the Homes" where the rich and famous party hard without cell phones and fans. The Island Home, off the English coast, is the newest venture and CEO and founder, Ned Groom and his team have planned an exclusive three-day launch party, which is by far the most coveted A-list invite of the year. But behind the scenes, tensions are at breaking point. Ned is a narcissistic monster; his trusted assistant, Nikki, has a big secret she's been keeping for decades; Ned's younger brother, Adam, has sacrificed his marriage to be Ned's right-hand man but has been given an impossible ultimatum by his wife; the Head of Membership, Annie, keeps the world's most spoiled celebrities entertained using any means necessary, but at a personal cost; and the Head of Housekeeping, Jess, has ulterior motives spanning years prior to the launch. Within a day, bodies start piling up, and all the dirty secrets come to light, despite desperate measures taken to keep them hidden.
Hmm. Where do I start? This is a classic case of too many characters and too much backstory and build up taking too much time. The first half of the book was a struggle - I couldn't get invested in any of the characters, so what might eventually happen to them didn't really phase me. There were pages of descriptions about the other "Homes" and descriptions of fake celebrities and their interactions with the characters. It felt a bit distracting to the main storyline, which was actually very good. I guess it could be argued that the "fluff" was necessary to bring the plot full circle, but I still think it could have been done in a much shorter, more cohesive manner. It's too bad because the last third of the book definitely held my attention, and I ended up really digging the ending, but getting to that point was just so cumbersome that I almost gave up.
Overall, a strong premise with lots of despicable characters that you love to hate, but it suffers a bit from an overindulgence of details. Still worthy of a read, just be prepared to mire through parts of it.
March 5, 2022
Home is a luxurious club only for the rich and famous. Run by Ned Groom, The Home Group has celebrity clubs all over the globe, London, Lisbon, Malibu, Manhattan, Paris, Shanghai, Venice, and Cannes. The Home Group is launching its newest and most spectacular Home yet on an island off the English coast. The new opening launch party is the most coveted A-list party of the year.
But behind the scenes tension is escalating and some are at there breaking point. The longer the weekend gets, everything takes a sinister turn and some people on the island don't make it out alive.
Told from four points of view:
Jess(who is newly hired to work in housekeeping at Home), Nicki(Ned’s personal assistant), Annie (the head of membership at home), and Adam(Ned’s younger brother). There are also pieces from a Vanity Fair article at the end of each chapter.
The Club is begins introducing us to the set of narrators and other characters. Some of the characters are more likeable than others and most are morally grey at best. You soon learn about the complex history between the characters. You will not see a lot of action in the beginning but the second half is much more intense and will leave you on the edge of your seat. I thought the ending was satisfying and it concluded the entire story.
This is my first read by the husband and wife writing duo that is Ellery Lloyd and it will not be my last! I love for a good locked room whodunit mystery and this one exceeded all of my expectations. The Club is a solid and well-written book that kept me entertained and constantly guessing what would happen next. I do feel like The Club is more of a mystery than a typical thriller but either way I loved the story and I highly recommend this one!
The Club will be available on March 1. A massive thanks to Harper Books for the gifted copy!
But behind the scenes tension is escalating and some are at there breaking point. The longer the weekend gets, everything takes a sinister turn and some people on the island don't make it out alive.
Told from four points of view:
Jess(who is newly hired to work in housekeeping at Home), Nicki(Ned’s personal assistant), Annie (the head of membership at home), and Adam(Ned’s younger brother). There are also pieces from a Vanity Fair article at the end of each chapter.
The Club is begins introducing us to the set of narrators and other characters. Some of the characters are more likeable than others and most are morally grey at best. You soon learn about the complex history between the characters. You will not see a lot of action in the beginning but the second half is much more intense and will leave you on the edge of your seat. I thought the ending was satisfying and it concluded the entire story.
This is my first read by the husband and wife writing duo that is Ellery Lloyd and it will not be my last! I love for a good locked room whodunit mystery and this one exceeded all of my expectations. The Club is a solid and well-written book that kept me entertained and constantly guessing what would happen next. I do feel like The Club is more of a mystery than a typical thriller but either way I loved the story and I highly recommend this one!
The Club will be available on March 1. A massive thanks to Harper Books for the gifted copy!
July 4, 2023
I had literally zero expectations, and I thoroughly enjoyed the craziness of this one.
If you like the dark side of celebrity gossip, you may like this.
I loved the way that the characters are all connected. And it's all jacked up.
Maybe that final night was a bit TOO crazy, but this book didn't seem to take itself TOO seriously either, so it worked.
An excellent 4.5 read rounded up to 5 stars
If you like the dark side of celebrity gossip, you may like this.
I loved the way that the characters are all connected. And it's all jacked up.
Maybe that final night was a bit TOO crazy, but this book didn't seem to take itself TOO seriously either, so it worked.
An excellent 4.5 read rounded up to 5 stars
March 6, 2022
Take me off the VIP list for The Club. I just couldn’t get into this Ellery Lloyd thriller and Reese’s Book Club pick. It was overly descriptive, slow-paced until the last third of the book, and full of characters that were hard to keep straight. Ultimately, I didn’t care what happened at Island Home. Hopefully other readers will enjoy this more than I did.
June 25, 2024
TO JEST JAK NOWY SEZON „BIAŁEGO LOTOSU”.
4.5 🌟 Znakomite, w stu procentach trafiła w mój gust. To nie do końca jest thriller, wydaje mi się, że wiele osób mogło mieć inne oczekiwania wobec tego tytułu.
4.5 🌟 Znakomite, w stu procentach trafiła w mój gust. To nie do końca jest thriller, wydaje mi się, że wiele osób mogło mieć inne oczekiwania wobec tego tytułu.
February 20, 2022
Are you ready for the roller coaster ride that is The Club? After reading and really enjoying People Like Her, I was keen to see what this writing duo had in store for us next. And I was not disappointed.
The Club, a new exclusive members only club with a waiting list, is opening a new resort. Island Home is said to be the best and most exclusive yet. The launch party is going to be the celebrity even of the decade and everybody wants in. An isolated location, you just know that things are not going to be smooth sailing. That many egos in one place - a recipe for disaster!! The invitees and the staff are hiding things, and will do anything to keep their secrets safe.
A fun, extravagant murder mystery, where anybody could be the culprit. A fast and enjoyable read. Love the insight to the world of the rich and famous.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for my advanced copy to read. Published April 7th.
The Club, a new exclusive members only club with a waiting list, is opening a new resort. Island Home is said to be the best and most exclusive yet. The launch party is going to be the celebrity even of the decade and everybody wants in. An isolated location, you just know that things are not going to be smooth sailing. That many egos in one place - a recipe for disaster!! The invitees and the staff are hiding things, and will do anything to keep their secrets safe.
A fun, extravagant murder mystery, where anybody could be the culprit. A fast and enjoyable read. Love the insight to the world of the rich and famous.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for my advanced copy to read. Published April 7th.
July 25, 2022
not good
March 22, 2022
3.5 stars
The strength of this mystery is there are enough components that you can't say it's entirely predictable. But even with some surprises here and there, it didn't deliver in terms of being the most satisfying read. It's a pretty decent book but lacking oomph or whatever you want to call it to take it the next level. The characters were the main issue for me.
I love it when a story opens up with something bad happening but you don't know all the details right then and there. That's when the author takes you back to the beginning, so to speak, and you see everything leading up to that moment. The setting is Island Home which is an exclusive luxury resort that is having its grand opening weekend. You have to be pretty wealthy and famous to score an invite. The story follows some of the people working for The Home Group, which runs the various celebrity members only clubs located around the world. The ultra privileged and elite gathering for what is supposed to be a celebration. What could possibly go wrong?
I wasn't interested in any of the characters but that's not a requirement for me to enjoy a mystery. My dilemma though was with how the characters were written, particularly the women. They weren't well defined characters. It's a story full of secrets but with the female leads I could not keep track of who was who. Each time the narrative would switch between characters, I would have to stop and think for a bit to remember each storyline arc. It made for a disjointed reading experience.
The plot itself is pretty good though. I like how its an escapism type read as you just sit back and get to watch the messy lives of the rich and famous. Might not have been a perfect novel, but I enjoyed many aspects of it.
Thank you to Harper for providing me with a copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
The strength of this mystery is there are enough components that you can't say it's entirely predictable. But even with some surprises here and there, it didn't deliver in terms of being the most satisfying read. It's a pretty decent book but lacking oomph or whatever you want to call it to take it the next level. The characters were the main issue for me.
I love it when a story opens up with something bad happening but you don't know all the details right then and there. That's when the author takes you back to the beginning, so to speak, and you see everything leading up to that moment. The setting is Island Home which is an exclusive luxury resort that is having its grand opening weekend. You have to be pretty wealthy and famous to score an invite. The story follows some of the people working for The Home Group, which runs the various celebrity members only clubs located around the world. The ultra privileged and elite gathering for what is supposed to be a celebration. What could possibly go wrong?
I wasn't interested in any of the characters but that's not a requirement for me to enjoy a mystery. My dilemma though was with how the characters were written, particularly the women. They weren't well defined characters. It's a story full of secrets but with the female leads I could not keep track of who was who. Each time the narrative would switch between characters, I would have to stop and think for a bit to remember each storyline arc. It made for a disjointed reading experience.
The plot itself is pretty good though. I like how its an escapism type read as you just sit back and get to watch the messy lives of the rich and famous. Might not have been a perfect novel, but I enjoyed many aspects of it.
Thank you to Harper for providing me with a copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
March 15, 2022
This was a short audiobook and I enjoyed it. The narrator did a great job. I really like whodunnits, especially with a fresh twist.
The Home Group has numerous clubs around the world catering to the elite, the rich, and the famous. Island Home situated off the English coast is the most exclusive and highly guarded of the extremely luxurious resorts.
They are hosting their three day launch party and the guest list is ultra exclusive. This whole extravaganza is very expensive and puts a lot of pressure on the CEO and the employees. They all have secrets to hide and as the minutes tick the body count is rising as fast as the ocean tide.
The Home Group has numerous clubs around the world catering to the elite, the rich, and the famous. Island Home situated off the English coast is the most exclusive and highly guarded of the extremely luxurious resorts.
They are hosting their three day launch party and the guest list is ultra exclusive. This whole extravaganza is very expensive and puts a lot of pressure on the CEO and the employees. They all have secrets to hide and as the minutes tick the body count is rising as fast as the ocean tide.
February 28, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Mystery Thriller
The Club is the story of a VIP club where all the rich, celebrities and A-list members meet in a luxurious place for parties and fun. Everybody is eager to be a member of this club and even the staff who serve these celebrities consider themselves lucky to have this job. Island Home is the latest luxurious club that is run by Ned Groom, the CEO of the Home Group. The story is set on an isolated private island and all the events occur during the first few days of the launch.
The story is told from multiple POVs using the third person narration. There is Jess, who is among the housekeeping staff. Adam, who is the CEO’s brother (Ned), Annie, who is responsible for memberships and later becomes the acting CEO, and Nikki, the personal assistant of Ned. The book has many other characters and needs some focusing so you won’t feel lost. For the size of the book, I do think that there were far more characters than required.
I absolutely loved the premise of this story. An isolated place, celebrities, hardly any likable character, and lots of secrets and backstabbing! There is lots of tension building if you are able to be patient with the pace. That is the main problem with the book, the pacing. The first 70% of it was very slow (I would have been OK if that pace continued) and then the last 30% was too fast and somehow went over the top with many characters dying and falling like flies! I was a bigger fan of the subtility that the slower part has offered. I feel it fitted the theme more. My one criticism of the story is the believability factor. I mean when you have a club like that with big names and VIPs staying there is supposed to be some kind of security force. I don’t recall there were any.
I have read the digital ARC version (ePub file) and I feel this book is not suitable to be read in such a format because there are many parts of the story that continue from a previous page. You get a header that says “continued from page 65”. Of course, reading an ePub means there is no way to know what page 65 was about. So I had to continue reading disregarding all that. If you are choosing a digital format go for a PDF if the pages are numbered. Otherwise, your best option will be the physical book once it is out.
This was quite an entertaining read for me. The characters were very interesting, their different motives were fascinating. The atmosphere and the setting both were superb. The pacing is the only downside of the story. I think the authors (Husband & Wife) did a pretty good job.
Many thanks to the publisher Harper and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.
Genre: Mystery Thriller
The Club is the story of a VIP club where all the rich, celebrities and A-list members meet in a luxurious place for parties and fun. Everybody is eager to be a member of this club and even the staff who serve these celebrities consider themselves lucky to have this job. Island Home is the latest luxurious club that is run by Ned Groom, the CEO of the Home Group. The story is set on an isolated private island and all the events occur during the first few days of the launch.
The story is told from multiple POVs using the third person narration. There is Jess, who is among the housekeeping staff. Adam, who is the CEO’s brother (Ned), Annie, who is responsible for memberships and later becomes the acting CEO, and Nikki, the personal assistant of Ned. The book has many other characters and needs some focusing so you won’t feel lost. For the size of the book, I do think that there were far more characters than required.
I absolutely loved the premise of this story. An isolated place, celebrities, hardly any likable character, and lots of secrets and backstabbing! There is lots of tension building if you are able to be patient with the pace. That is the main problem with the book, the pacing. The first 70% of it was very slow (I would have been OK if that pace continued) and then the last 30% was too fast and somehow went over the top with many characters dying and falling like flies! I was a bigger fan of the subtility that the slower part has offered. I feel it fitted the theme more. My one criticism of the story is the believability factor. I mean when you have a club like that with big names and VIPs staying there is supposed to be some kind of security force. I don’t recall there were any.
I have read the digital ARC version (ePub file) and I feel this book is not suitable to be read in such a format because there are many parts of the story that continue from a previous page. You get a header that says “continued from page 65”. Of course, reading an ePub means there is no way to know what page 65 was about. So I had to continue reading disregarding all that. If you are choosing a digital format go for a PDF if the pages are numbered. Otherwise, your best option will be the physical book once it is out.
This was quite an entertaining read for me. The characters were very interesting, their different motives were fascinating. The atmosphere and the setting both were superb. The pacing is the only downside of the story. I think the authors (Husband & Wife) did a pretty good job.
Many thanks to the publisher Harper and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.
December 24, 2021
Holy plot whiplash Batman. I adored this thriller!!! Enter THE CLUB if you dare!
July 5, 2022
Everyone wants to join the club. The rich the famous and the meager. But there’s not enough room, which is why the club is expanding. It’s a place where the wealthy and famous can go and feel as free as the commoners. But things go south fast at the new club house once all of its members are gathered. Probably because the club is running out of money and needs more funds from each person there. Will they pay? Is there an underlying reason as to why they would pay to be a part of the club? All these answers in more or between the pages of this book!
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