This was a slow beginning for me. I wasn't sure what was happening as the author jumped from one character to another and I couldn't get a sense of how the story was going to move forward. Then Iris came into the story and it started to settle in as did I. I loved how this was written, not too much description and dialogue but I never felt like the author was just telling me the story. It evolved, rolling along in the same peaceful, friendly way I imagined the small town of Mason to be.
John was my favorite character and has made me take time to consider homeless people and how they chose to live in a way that's so alien to me. The Confession club was a great idea and the confessions varied and believable. As many of the confessions came from smaller characters I sometimes wished the author could have given us more on them. Karen, the pastors wife was a character I would love to see develop.
I stayed up late to finish this and went to sleep with a warm, cozy feeling that all was good in the world.thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Where do I begin? I am writing this with tears running down my face and joy in my heart! This novel is a gem! Heartfelt, hopeful and laugh out loud funny! I want to buy many copies and send them to my sisters, sisters in law and friends. #hopeful

This book is one of those sweet stories with not a lot of conflict. It reminded me of Debbie Macomber books. While the title is the Confession Club, it is really mostly about a couple of the participants.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I think this is the first book by Elizabeth Berg that I've read and I haven't read the previous two books in this series. I enjoyed this book so I definitely want to read the previous two. The characters were quite likeable and relatable. The storyline was easy to follow and held my interest. I suspect there will be a fourth book and I look forward to reading it.

I read this ARC for a Fall Preview Book Buzz event at my Library. The Confession Club is one of my favorites for this Buzz.

It all started as a Supper Club that met once a month in a rotation of houses. After evolving into Confession Club, the group starts weekly meetings – still with supper, of course. Confession Club features a host of characters, the youngest of whom is 58, and all of them read and feel like people I know in my own life.

I feel like I cannot underline that point enough: Berg writes these characters with such depth and care that I can easily see my group of gal pals reflected in the Confession Club and I love the entire journey.

This book is not a high-stakes drama and is all the better for it. That is not to say it is without plot: Eventually, there are newcomers to Club and someone, of course, confesses to something that takes advice and support from the whole group to resolve. But it is a richly textured story in its telling, both comforting and smart.

Read-alikes include Berg’s first work in what is technically her Mason Series, The Story of Arthur Truluv, as well as Emma Hooper’s Etta & Otto & Russell & James, and Biloxi by Mary Miller.

I didn't read the first two books in this series but I read it anyways. It did not disappoint. I enjoyed reading the confessions of the various women, and the friendships they had with each other warmed my heart! The stories were funny and sad and I enjoyed it to the very end (great ending!!) I am looking forward to reading the first two books. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

#netgalley #theconfessionclub

I really loved the characters in this book and how they put it all out there in their confessions. This book was fresh, fun, and really kept me intrigued to learn more about their stories. I really loved the writing style and the overall character development was very great. This is one of these books that ends and you don't want it to. I will definitely be recommending this book to others and will seek out more works from this author. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

It has been a long time since I read a book by Elizabeth Berg. Why haven't I read everything she has written? I can't explain it, but I am happy now that I can look forward to reading her other books because I enjoyed The Confession Club so much.

I don't want to give any details about the story, because I'd love to give everyone the opportunity to experience it the way I did. I felt like I was dropped into the lives of people who I'd never met, but with whom I immediately bonded. This is such a warm, loving and hopeful book. I am so glad that I read it. I needed it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy. #netgalley #theconfessionclub

Read the Story of Arthur Truluv, was honored to read ARC of Night of Miracles and now to read book 3!!

Return to Mason, MO

The drive to Columbia, MO for play was a great opening to book.
I know that drive!
The 'Third Sunday Supper Club' has turned into "The Confession Club"

Catch up with old friends
meet new friends
Fall in love with Mason, MO again

I LOVE this series
I have created Mason Fans, will continue with this new book

This was a cute story about how a group of women in a small town interact and trust each other. It was an easy read and I would recommend it. I received an ARC from Netgalley and this is my honest review.

What a fun idea: running similarly to a weekly book club, this group of women belongs to “The Confession Club.” Instead of discussing books, the women take turns confessing very private, personal details about themselves and for which they feel a sense of guilt - but are then forgiven those transgressions by the other women. Then it is time for dessert.
Of course, the confessions lead to the characters’ back stories which gives the reader the feeling of belonging to this special group of friends. Happiness, tears, and compassion abound - not to mention the occasional wise comment. But the whole package makes for a very nice read with characters that may remind you of friends in your own life.
While this newest story by Elizabeth Berg is part of a series, it can certainly be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone. Those familiar with the series will recognize characters in this one, as well as references to Ms. Berg’s earlier books.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review!

I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Berg and this series does not disappoint. This is the third book that takes place in Mason and continues the lives of the characters that were introduced on previous volumes. In this tale, several women who were introduced earlier form a group to share confessions, stories of their lives where they were ashamed or embarrassed. Their confessions are catharctic and the members accept one another without judgement. Iris Winters and Maddy Harris are the stars of this story. Both are outsiders but have been accepted and are loved in the community and both are at a crossroads in their lives. Maddy has come back to Mason from New York because she feels lost and overwhelmed in the city. But she is uncertain that her husband shares her views. Iris becomes enamoured of a homeless Vietnam veteran. Berg's books usually have the happy ending which is sometimes very idealistic and this book delivers on that. In the end we want all our towns to be Mason and all are friends to be like the characters in the book.
Berg is a wonderful storyteller. The book is beautifully written. The scenes are idyllic and the characters lovable.

What a fantastic, feel-good story. The reader gets to drop in among friends in a small, rural town full of kind people. Each character could have a book of her own, and I hope some will.
“That’s what life is, at its best . A confession club: people admitting to doubts and fears and failures . That’s what brings us closer to one another, our imperfections.

Elizabeth Berg's novels are always a wonderful read and this is no exception.

The characters are well defined and multi demensional.

If you have read the previous 2 novels to this series, this will tidy up some house keeping and keep you engaged.

This lovely story is what we have come to expect from Elizabeth Berg.

I am a fan of Ms. Berg’s books and she did not disappoint with this one. I enjoyed the women’s comradery and their confessions. Berg is a masterful storyteller and this 3rd installment of the series was very enjoyable.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The small town of Mason, Missouri is once again the setting of this story by Elizabeth Berg. The first two stories in the series were about the caring people in the town. This one centers on a group of mostly middle aged women who regularly share food and wine and also their deepest secrets. No one judges the others and there seems to be relief when the secrets are finally exposed.

Iris, an almost 50 year old baking teacher who has fled her life in Boston, and Maddy, a twenty something who left her husband in NYC returned to Mason with her 7 year old daughter, are invited to join the group. Soon Iris meets John, a homeless Viet Nam veteran who left Chicago and is squatting in a deserted farmhouse outside town. She is attracted to the man who is suffering from PTSD but afraid to get involved with him.

Maddy was an unwed mother who was taken in by Arthur Truluv and his wife. She married Matthew in Mason but soon decided that her photographic works would get better exposure in NYC. Now she and her daughter Nola have returned to Mason and she is unsure whether Matthew will follow them.

Once again the author does not develop most of the characters and at times I had to refresh my memory about the identity of each character. It would help too read the first 2 books in the series. Also there are many unanswered questions about John, what he did to force his wife to leave and why he ended up on the streets.

Readers who enjoy books about small Midwestern towns where everyone looks out for their neighbors, will enjoy this and the other two books in the series, The Story of Arthur Truluv and The Night of Miracles.

I received this ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley for exchange for a fair and honest review.
It’s about a group of friends that get together once a month for a supper club. The supper club turns into a Confession club. They women gather to share not only dinners, but embarrassing misdeeds, deep insecurities and long held regrets.
I truly loved this book as it brought out so many emotions for me. It made me laugh, cry, mad and sad.
I connected so much with all the characters., each one for different reasons.
Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Iris Winters teaches baking classes in the small town of Mason, Missouri and when one of her students needs last minute help making Black Cake for the weekly Confession Club, of course she offers to help! In return she accepts the offer to stay for a trial run in the group of women from across the generations that meet weekly to confession the things they've done wrong and make peace with it together. Iris herself might have something to confess when she meets John, a man experiencing homelessness and living on an abandoned farm outside of town, and immediately feels a connection with him. She hopes for the future even as she starts to discover that John is battling demons of his own. Confession, redemption and hope and the themes throughout this women's fiction novel. This is a great read that weaves the stories of different characters and the perspectives of different generations well. Perfect for your own book club (confessions optional). (Advanced copy read courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. Opinions are my own.)

I really don't know what to say about this book -I loved it but in a small way I hated it too. Though I do have to admit the love part managed to win over the hate part.

I found this book (third in a trio) to be a little'sweeter' than the first two and the first two books were quite 'sweet' but in a perfect way. This book-the sweetness was a tad unbelievable and dangerous too.

The writing was still wonderful, the ladies in the Confession Club are perfect and I hope I can grow up to be just like them!

I certainly do hope that there will be a fourth in this group of books (I don't want to quite say series yet!) but I can see the different generations picking up for what the original character's stood for.



The Confession Club is inspiring, humorous and romantic.

*ARC supplied by the publisher.

The Confession Club#NetGalley
Elizabeth Berg ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a delightful story for any woman (and men too!) to read. All women can identify with the group of women who make up The Confession Club. These are women of all ages and generations who come together and find out that they all can identify with the day to day lives of each other. I think we would all love to have a group of friends who we could have this camaraderie with, but alas, in this day and age many of us do not. To be able to share your most personal secrets with a group of trusted friends would be invaluable to many. And, how many of us would love to spend time in a small town setting. I know I would. Elizabeth Berg makes it all seem so simplistic an idea. It is a light quick read and will leave you wanting more. Definitely a book to recommend to all friends and family.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️