Finding solace after losing loved ones, four new friends come together to create the Sunday Potluck Club. Despite coming together over death, this story is about life and how to move forward.

This is a delightful story of dealing with grief and moving forward with new found friends!
It is laugh out loud funny at times and not at all what I was expecting. It has caring, romance, friendship and grief.
"Everyone grieves in their own way, and it's up to each of us to respect that."
The characters are amazing and the details in the novel give you a feeling that you are part of this fabulous club!
Truly enjoyed this story and I read it in a day!

Bridget, Amy, Nichole, and Hazel bonded when their parents were dying from cancer. This is chiefly Amy's story of coming back from the grief over the loss of her mother and moving into a new relationship with Trent and Olivia who lost their wife and mother. Set in Alaska (although there isn't much to distinguish it from any other setting), it's a romance and a tale about the family we make. Bridget, the youngest of the group, spins out of control- totally overwhelming herself with a commitment to find forever homes for all the dogs at the local shelter. I found myself quite concerned about her. Amy, a teacher, meets Trent when he rear ends her car and then when she realizes his daughter is in her class. They both adopt older dogs (good!), bond, go through ups and downs, and come out the other side with happiness ahead. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read and I'm looking forward to learning more about Hazel and Nichole.

At first, I thought Amy was disguised as Debbie Downer - tentative and afraid of herself, wallowing in her grief. Okay, so mid-way through the book I still thought that but the transformation she made towards the end was completely redeeming. I'm excited to continue the series and follow the other three members of the Potluck Club as they find their path after a tremendous grief..

I was intrigued by the description and requested the sample from Netgalley. So glad I did. I then was lucky enough to receive the full the book.

As the story opens, we find a group of women that gather to support each other. The basis of the gathering is that each has lost at least one person close to them. The four main women met in a cancer ward. Most have lost someone close to them, some are there prior to the loss as a way to cope.

Amy, Bridget, Hazel, and Nicole have differing was to adjust and deal with the situations. I learned a lot from all of them. This may seem like a book about death but in reality it is a book about life.

Give it a chance and open your heart.

I was given an advanced copy from Netgalley and the publisher and am not required to leave a positive review.

A novel about grief and how everyone reacts differently to it. A story to show that there is no right or wrong way: everybody lives it according to their values and the way that they see life, positively or negatively. This was an excerpt. Looking forward to read the whole story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an Advanced Reader excerpt.

Unfortunately, I did not realize I had been provided with an excerpt only. I try to avoid excerpts at all costs. As I understand from other reviews, the excerpt introduces us to the main characters and the basic premise of the book which is the first entry in a series. There is much that is intriguing: the setting in Alaska and the four adult friends all dealing with grief as well as the trajectory they are on. However, the excerpt was not sufficiently long for me to feel comfortable giving a review. or even a ranking. I do look forward to eventually reading the entire novel. Thanks to NetGalley for introducing me to this book

I really wanted to love The Sunday Potluck Club. The premise is promising-a group of friends who meet and bond while their parents are going through cancer treatments and form a strong friendship from their experiences. Set against the backdrop of Anchorage I was looking forward to this story of friends healing together and moving on while forming new relationships. It was a little drawn out with some side stories served to move the story along that seemed forced. Anchorage or life in Alaska was really only featured a few times; this book could have been set anywhere and that is definitely a missed opportunity. If you are looking for an easy, clean read then you may enjoy this book however I expected more depth and well-fleshed out characters.

Thank you to the write, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Melissa Storm’s book, The Sunday Potluck Club, approaches how adult children cope after the death of a parent due to cancer. Though specific, the the themes are applicable to anyone who has suffered a loss and is trying to find their way out, to move forward. While Amy Shannon’s mother was in the hospital with her illness, Amy met three other women in similar circumstances; the four began meeting in the hospital cafeteria once a week to be a support group; as the need to be at the hospital passed, the women remained friends and started getting together for a weekly potluck.

This book will be part of a series, and Amy’s life is the center of it, though the other three are well represented. They have become solid friends and wind up seeing each other in pairs or more, multiple times in a week for various reasons. Whether to get advice on a new relationship or solve a bigger issue related to animal welfare, they are there for one another. I did appreciate how they speak their mind, have squabbles, and make up, showing a more realistic side of life than some novels do with their characters.

Some aspects I didn’t like as much included the writing style, as it was at times choppy, even on the opening page. From a plot perspective, the area that seemed unrealistic is that these four women became best friends and no other friend is ever mentioned. Though I know coping with a family member’s illness can be all consuming, it seems odd to not have anyone else in their lives. Lastly, Amy starts a relationship with one of her student’s parents and I am pretty sure that is not allowed - so the unrealistic aspect tainted their love story for me. On the plus side, I did read some pages in the next book and it highlights a second member of the club Bridget; it looks fun and like it picks up where the first one ends, which will make for a seamless transition.

two women are brought together by circumstances no one wishes for. Meeting other women who have also lost spouses, and other dear ones, they decide to meet every Sunday night for a potluck supper. Their friendships grow, as do the women A fun book which gives hope to all who read it - you just have to be strong enough to take that first step and with someone behind you, anything can be accomplished..

I totally missed this was an excerpt only!! As soon as you brought in rescue dogs, I was hooked. Can’t wait to read the rest of the book

I have now finished entire book. Definitely loved the rescue dog storyline the most! Everyone needs a dog but it really does help a grieving person to have someone to love. Otherwise the book was just ok for me. Too many coincidences, chance meetings. Just not enough meat on the bones for me.

3/19/2020

I was given access to the entire book after having read the excerpt.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a sweet, easy quick read about four women who became friends while helping loved ones through cancer treatments. They love and support each other with food, honesty, support and humor even when they go a little off the rails. Especially then! This was the first in what is to be a series. This was a well written, sweet start. I loved that the author integrated animal rescue and particularly the dogs that are often harder to adopt out. Bigger dogs certain breeds and older dogs tend to languish in shelters and these wonderful dogs all found loving forever families. I am looking forward to the next in the series.



I read the excerpt of this book and immediately requested it. I did not realize that it was only the small part of the book. Basically a teaser. It totally my fault as it was written right there, but it sounded like such a great read I missed it. It was wonderful and I am very much looking forward to the entire book.
Life can be hard, crazy, sad, and if we are very very lucky filled with ride or die friends who will always have our backs no matter what. They save us from ourselves and hold us tight no matter what. Four women meet under some difficult circumstances in the hospital. Through it all they support and love each other even when they need it most.
I cannot wait for the rest of the book to be released to join these women along their journey.

I didn’t end up finishing this, unfortunately. I liked the writing style but I didn’t get along with the plot. It fell a little flat for me

Unfortunately this was also a DNF for me. I enjoyed the writing and the story seemed great, but for me, something was off.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

📖 BOOK REVIEW⠀📚
BOOK:The Sunday Potluck Club
AUTHOR: Melissa Storm
#MelissaStorm
Stars: ⭐⭐
Published: March 31, 2020
https://amzn.to/2U5igdx

I didn’t realize when I picked this book up that it was the start of the series. The premise sounded really interesting as someone who has gone through cancer and dealt with the issues. However, I did have problems connecting to the characters in this book. I have no idea why. But that’s not to say that the issues and discoveries in this book weren’t important. They were really hard hitting and poignant. So I feel it is an important read anyway.

Small Summary:
New friends can be found in unexpected places. For Bridget and Amy, that place was the cancer ward of an Anchorage hospital. Now, as each struggles to overcome loss, they lean on each other for support—sharing suppers, laughter and tears.
Bridget and Amy aren’t about to let hardship knock them down—Bridget plans to return to her veterinarian school studies, Amy to her position as a second-grade teacher—but neither feels quite ready. And so the Sunday Potluck Club is born, a way for Bridget, Amy, and other women who have lost a loved one to find solace and understanding. Savoring favorite dishes while sharing memories and the comfort of connection, the members of the Sunday Potluck Club nourish body and soul.
As weeks go by and the group grows in unforeseen ways, both Bridget and Amy are inspired to find greater purpose. Amy reaches out to a student whose father bravely faces his own struggle. Bridget volunteers at the local animal shelter, rehabilitating dogs whose unconditional love will bring others a chance to heal. And with the help of a very special man, Amy is realizing that there’s always room at the table for love and rekindled joy . . .
*****
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm sounds like a really great story. It is engaging from the start and I like that there is a whole group of women, whose bond formed and strengthened through shared battles. The focus on animals is a huge plus for me as an animal lover myself. I cannot wait to read the entire book!

I really wanted to love this book. It had everything I thought I needed right now: a book set in Anchorage, Alaska, a group of friends coming together to help one another and a cute romance. It was a quick read that I enjoyed sitting down with.

I liked that plot points with the friends helping each other grieve and helping Bridget with her animal shelter dog adoption event.

However, I did not enjoy that the author used Bridget as a plot device to screw up the relationship between Trent and Amy. I also didn't like that the end of the book seemed hastily thrown together.

I would be interested in reading the second book if this becomes a series to see where the characters go.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington

I had t realized this was only am exception, so I was kinda dissapointed I didn't get read the rest because I was getting invested. I would definitely read the rest of the book, I already want to know how their stories play out.

Thank you NetGalley for the excerpt of this book in exchange for my honest reveiw!
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I really enjoyed this book thus far. The Sunday Potluck Club is about a group of four women who meet in the cancer ward of a hospital. They are each caring for someone important in their life and through this group, they are able to be there for each other. What they kept saying to each other was, 'no one can judge how someone grieves' and I really loved this. As someone who strives to know how to care for people when they are going through something hard, I loved this excerpt and can't wait to read the whole book.
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I can already tell I'm going to really enjoy growing with these four women and their stories as they heal and move forward in different ways.