Iris Winters and Maddy Harris are invited to the weekly "Confession Club" by a group of women friends in the small town of Mason, Missouri.
A dinner get together where the ladies share secrets of all types. Some are lighthearted and others are serious.
Iris runs a cooking class and meets and falls for a homeless man named John who is "squatting" on an abandoned property.
Maddy lives in New York, but has come back with her young daughter to sort out problems with her husband Matthew.
This book deals with many important issues, but with a very light touch.
My first book by this author and I enjoyed the friendships and camaraderie among the women.
The small town feel and slightly eccentric, but likable characters made it a sweet and uplifting read.
Nothing too heavy or earthshaking, but a pleasant and entertaining way to spend time.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

I received a free electronic copy of this contemporary novel from Netgalley, Elizabeth Berg, and Random House Publishers. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Confession Club of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I urge friends and family to read this book. It will have you laughing, crying, and seeing your own life through a happiness filter.

I received an ARC for Elizabeth Berg's 'Talk Before Sleep' in 1993 and fell in love with her prose. And then there was 'Range of Motion'! What heartbreaking tales featuring the warmth and caring of humankind! The 'Confession Club' is another excellent example of this. Elizabeth Berg can play your heartstrings with just a sentence or two. In this latest Berg novel, we have women ranging in age from their thirties to their seventies in this little insular town of Mason, Missouri who years ago started the Third Sunday Supper Club, alternating meetings at members kitchens. Membership was ideally limited to eight as that is all that can be seated at their kitchen tables.

As the ladies became more comfortable with one another they began sharing secrets, then meeting more often, and they eventually became the weekly Wednesday Night Confession Club. Because you always feel better when your secrets, recent or in the deep dark past, aren't just yours any longer. And you trust they won't go beyond these club members. The ladies take turns hosting each week, sharing a sin, big or little, after supper and dessert. They discuss thoroughly this sin and share ideas or shared common sins and then end the meeting by everyone saying 'Go in peace'. This also eventually evolved into 'Go in Peach' (thanks to Leah) and was accompanied by this week's confessor wearing home the club forgiveness symbol, a delicate peach scarf.

Joanie Benson is a divorcee and 65, the town's recently retired librarian with severe arthritis. She is a 'native' Masonite along with 69-year-old Gretchen Buckwalter, owner of the local grocery store. Rosemary Doleman is 58, more 'glamorous' than the others, the wife of the local Chevrolet dealer who is a bit spoiled and is turning 60 in 18 months. She has to get used to saying 'almost sixty', and it will take time. Dodie Hicks is 'north of seventy', though she won't say how far north, dyes her hair deep black and wears alarming makeup. Anne McCrae is 74 and she and Leah Short live in the local retirement home. Leah is their senior member at 77. Toots Stout is 47 and the newly elected president of the town council. She does her best to keep order among club members whether they like it, or not. Karen Lungren, 35, is the minister's wife and the youngest member of the Confession Club. She often has to remind the ladies that her husband is the pastor - she is just the wife and not necessarily bound by the same rules. Together, these ladies are hilarious and very, very touching. They offer each other joy and forgiveness and lots of humor and goodwill - but change is in the wind. Will it be the same when Anne and Leah move to a retirement home in sunny Arizona next month?

Iris Winters is a relative newcomer to Mason, a Boston transplant pushing 50, also divorced, who teaches a baking class for local women in the kitchen of her rented home once a week. Club member Joanie is a student of Iris' weekly baking class and gets Iris involved with the club when Joanie needs a Black Cake (Thank you, 'The Belle of Amherst' and Emily Dickinson) as promised for her turn hosting the club meeting -but winds up not having time to bake the complicated cake and the already baking stew for their supper as well.

Raised by her father after her mother's death when she was a baby, Maddy Harris is in her twenties and previously a resident of Mason but now a New York professional photographer and has inherited the house Iris is renting. Maddy along with her seven-year-old daughter Nola is visiting Iris, perhaps for the summer, but with the thought of returning to Mason to live. Maddy accompanies Iris as she delivers the famous Black Cake dessert to the meeting already in progress, and is recognized and welcomed by the older members. within minutes, Maddy is opening up to these ladies, the only mother figures she had as a child, anxious to see if they can help her with her complicated relationship with her much-loved husband Matthew, left behind in New York.

Then we have John Loney, a Vietnam vet needing to be homeless who, while hitchhiking cross country from Chicago to California, spies a deserted farmhouse set back off the road in the Missouri woods that speaks to him. He has the trucker providing his latest ride let him off and with his small backpack virtually moves into the old abandoned farm for a spell, planning to move on in a few days. Or maybe weeks. Or, you know, when his newly planted tomatoes ripen. And then he meets Iris.

The Confession Club allowed me to revisit my “friends” from Berg’s previous novel Night of Miracles. This story centers around a women’s dinner club that turns into a confession club. The club is a safe place where friends take turns sharing their secrets and fears. As with the previous story there is an abundance of delicious food and desserts. I love the fact that Berg features characters in mid life navigating life, friendship and love. Although her novels are feel good stories she addresses real life issues such as loneliness, sexual relationships, PTSD and even homelessness. Can’t wait for the next one! Thank you to Netgalley for the gifted copy.

Elizabeth Berg returns us to the town of Mason for the Mason series’ third installment. Yes, read the series in order. It will enhance your appreciation of this town which seems to exist in a bubble, exempt from any influence of national events, let alone politics. I am not sure that I would want to live there but I definitely want to visit.

Mason is a community in which people grow up and age among family, friends, and neighbors. They connect and stay connected despite all the slights, hurts, and misunderstandings that we all confront. This story focuses on a group of women who began a monthly supper club which morphed into a “Confession Club.” What is a Confession Club? It is gathering at which members confess those things they have done, and about which they are deeply ashamed and embarrassed.

This is a sweet, uplifting story – an antidote to the murder and mayhem genre from which many of us need to occasionally take a break. I’ve enjoyed this series and will look to visit Mason when the next installment is released. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Confession Club
Author: Elizabeth Berg
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

A group of friends in Mason, Missouri start a supper club to talk, share recipes, and have dinner and wine. Except one night one of the ladies confesses something startling—and soon the weekly get-togethers are called The Confession Club, with all the ladies sharing misdeeds, regrets, and secrets.

Like one of the ladies is dating a charming new man…but he’s homeless. And another ran away from New York hiding a secret so big she doesn’t even know what to do with it. The Confession Club gives them a chance to talk about these things, but it’s also a place for love and support.

The Confession Club is a charming read. I haven’t read any of the other Mason books, but had no problems jumping in with book three. Despite being about a big group of women, I had no problems keeping them sorted out, and I was completely invested in their secrets and confessions. Thoroughly enjoyed this!

Elizabeth Berg is an award-winning author. The Confession Club is her newest novel, the third book in the Mason series.

(Galley courtesy of Random House via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

3.5 Stars

This is the third installment of the series of books which began with the beautiful and outstanding "The Story of Arthur Truluv" and was followed by the touching "Night of Miracles". While the two successive books are lovely reads, for me they do not measure up to the 5 star quality of the first book. They each can be read as standalones, but you are doing yourself a disservice by not reading "The Story of Arthur Truluv" first.

For a brief recap, in the first book Arthur is an elderly grieving widower who visits his wife at the cemetery daily, eating lunch by her grave. Unknowingly, troubled teenager Maddy has regularly found refuge in the cemetery and has witnessed Arthur from afar. When they finally meet it's the spark that creates a kind of new family for Arthur, who was never able to have children with his deceased wife. Maddy is pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend, and Arthur takes her into his home. Next door, another lonely and elderly neighbor Lucille often invites Arthur to sit on her porch, enticing him with her extraordinary baking skills. Like Maddy, Lucille eventually winds up living in Arthur's home. They are excited about the baby coming and these three friends have helped quell each other's loneliness.

In the second book Arthur has passed away, leaving the house to Maddy. She had the baby and named it after Arthur's wife, Nola. However, Maddy is now engaged to her college professor and Lucille is living alone in the house. She's created a baking class business run out of the house which is thriving, but she's been visited by an angel lately. How inconvenient when she's not quite ready to die! As the book progresses Lucille recruits a women named Iris Winters to help with the baking classes. She's a divorcee and harbors regrets about not being able to have a child.

As this third installment begins, Lucille has passed on and Iris now lives in the house, running the baking class business Lucille had started. Maddy married her college professor and lives in New York, thought to be a better locale to promote her fledgling photography passion. However, Maddy suddenly returns, daughter Nola in tow, wanting to live in this cozy town of Mason, Missouri again. Maddy is really worried about telling her husband that she wants to move back to the neighborhood she considers home. However, a delightful part of the book is the one which titles this book, "The Confession Club". This club has meetings held in each member's house where a wonderful meal including dessert (especially dessert!!) is served, but the really important part comes when whoever's turn it is makes a confession. These confessions are really blatant and exposing and they certainly have to trust each other... I must say! They were quite entertaining to read about, but it seemed like for the confessor it was a catharsis getting it off their chest. They got to talk it out with their beloved friends, take in different points of view and if needed, emotional support. These confessions were unexpected and funny, but something that all of us can relate to.

Another main story in the book was Iris's burgeoning relationship with a much older homeless man. John was a Vietnam vet in his sixties that was quite handsome and engaging; people were drawn to him. His marriage broke up decades ago due to PTSD from the war. He now is adept at surviving off the grid, earning money at transient jobs, hitchhiking, and maintaining a clean presentation despite his living situation. He has taken up at an abandoned property which Iris happened upon while out driving, lured to it by some flowers she wanted to cut and take home. While I found this character very intriguing, this union somehow didn't ring true to me. I kept rooting for them, but the ending left this reader hanging. And then with a cynical sigh I surmised that this is probably going to book 4 in the series to resolve.

I really enjoy this author's writing style, but each successive book in this series has gradually left me wanting just a little bit more. I did enjoy reading this book and revisiting the neighbors of Mason, Missouri, but I keep going back to the first book as my favorite.

A group of women, who live in Mason, MO, decide to turn their monthly supper club into a confession club. Each attendee is allowed to confess her deepest and sometimes darkest secrets, without fear of judgement. As luck would have it, group newcomers Iris and Maddy are invited to join just when each has a need for friendship and support.

What a joy it was to be back with the folks in Mason, MO. It is such a delightful place to spend time and I was reminded how much I enjoyed the characters. The women of the confession club are of varying ages and each brings a unique personality and perspective to the table. And while it wasn't always hugs and kisses at each meeting, by the end of their get togethers they still walk out as friends. Each time I finish one of Elizabeth Berg's story set in Mason, I find I have a smile on my face and happiness in my heart. This one did not disappoint!

My thanks to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

Having been a huge fan of the first two books in this series (The Story of Arthur Truluv & Night of Miracles), it's safe to say I was excited for this one. Unfortunately, I did not connect with the characters as much as I did in the first two - Arthur Truluv is one of my favorite literary characters of all time so I guess my expectations were high. Overall, this is a quick, enjoyable read but it is missing some of the magic of the first two.

I really enjoyed this continuation of the stories from Mason. This book focuses on Iris and Maddy. Iris is happily living in the house Maddy inherited, teaching baking classes, and she meets a man one day out on an abandoned farm. Maddy has returned to Mason with her daughter, trying to figure out whether she wants to and can come back for good. Both women are able to join the Confession Club, and the chapters from those meetings share both current and past secrets that the ladies have been wanting to tell. Berg's writing style is beautiful, and her characters are rich, personable, real people.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Berg is one of those authors that provides the reader with exactly what they expect - great reads and well-developed plots and characters. This book was no different and I have been enjoying the Mason series, of which this is the third book. This is just the kind of feel good read that I was seeking.

This was an OK book. Nothing too dramatic or too sad, nothing overly happy or joyful. I had a hard time connecting with the characters; none of them felt real. I liked the premise, and I liked how the women accepted Iris and Maddy quickly. Overall, a book I'd recommend to someone looking for a light, easy read.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Let’s start with the Confession Club. Honestly, the supper club felt more like a subplot to me, which I wasn’t expecting given the title of the book. I had hoped there would be more dinners and confessions throughout the book, but the main story was about Iris and Maddy and their relationships. Maddy leaves her husband in New York to come back to Mason with her daughter and stay with Iris. For most of the book, she doesn’t speak to her husband although nothing happened between them, she just has her own issues she needs to work through. It didn’t seem genuine. Her husband never calls her after she picks up and leaves with the kid for what seems to him to be no reason? It was just… odd. Iris meets a homeless man who she immediately falls in love with, despite the fact that she barely knows him or what he comes from. The characters just didn’t really have any depth and the plot itself missed the mark. I think the book had a lot of potential, but it didn’t do much for me. Besides Iris, Maddy, and Maddy’s daughter, Nola, the other characters were not memorable — as a matter of fact, I couldn’t tell you right now who the other members of the Confession Club are.

It wasn’t a terrible story — it just wasn’t amazing… to me. It was a light and easy read, and it had great elements of love and friendship. I think I was just expecting something a little more.

Rating: 3 solid small town stars

This is the third book in the “Mason” trilogy by Elizabeth Berg. The series is set in Mason, Missouri and has a thread of a few recurring characters (or memories of the characters) through the series. This book is like the first two books in the series. It explores human issues in a small town that seems to be accepting of just about everyone.

I read the first two books, ‘The Story of Arthur Truluv’, and ‘Night of Miracles’ in quick succession right before picking up this book. Of the three books, I thought that ‘The Story of Arthur Truluv’ was the strongest book. It had the most impact on me emotionally. I felt a little less connected to each successive book.

This book, ‘The Confession Club’ went back and forth between detailing the meetings of the local Confession Club; and furthering the story of Maddy, her daughter Nola, and Iris whom we met in earlier books. I loved the continuation of Maddy and Iris’ stories. I didn’t care all that much about the Confession Club sessions. A lot of the discussion centered on accepting yourself for who and where you are. Many group members found out that their deepest darkest secrets, their ‘confessions’ were not all that uncommon among the group. It was a bit difficult for me to keep all the club members straight.

I am giving this book 3 stars. It’s a nice look (if perhaps through rose tinted glasses) at small town life in Missouri. It touches upon issues of aging, romance at any age, self-acceptance and moving forward in life whatever the circumstances. It wasn’t full of fireworks, but I felt the time spent reading the book was well-spent. I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy a ‘slice-of-life’ book set in a small town. It’s not too sweet, and not too sour. I think that many readers would think that this book is just right.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Random House; and the author, Elizabeth Berg for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I really like the characters of Mason, MO, I feel like everyone is just too 'nice' to be believed. The first book in the series (Arthur Truluv) was just wonderful, and I feel like the follow-ups are fine, but nothing to get excited about (even though I do get excited when Ms. Berg publishes another book).

This is the story of Iris, a nearly-50 year old who falls in love with the newcomer to Mason. It is a little saccharine and her character behaves like a MUCH older lady, so whenever the reader was reminded of her age, it was a bit of a shock (yes, multiple times!)

If you want an escape to a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business but loves them anyway, the Mason series is for you.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is book #3 in the series that begins with The Story of Arthur Truluv. I believe this can be read as a stand-alone, but I think some of the characters are done a disservice by not knowing their backstories. I didn’t read the first two books, and I felt like I was missing what shaped and influenced the folks of this small town, especially the influence of Arthur Truluv.


Iris Winters is the instructor of a local cooking class and dessert guru. She has Maddy Harris and her daughter Nola staying with her, while Maddy figures out what’s going on with her marriage. Joanie Benson asks Iris to bake a special Black Out cake for her weekly club, and, of course, deliver it too. Upon delivering the cake to what they believe to be Joanie’s book club, Iris and Maddy are invited to be the newest members of The Confession Club.

The ladies of small-town Mason, Missouri started a Sunday supper club years ago and it somehow morphed into a club where they confess to each other. They confess things they think and do, some quite intimate, and, of course, there is always wine and dessert. Each week one of the ladies takes a turn to “confess,” and to borrow a phrase, what is said in confession club stays in confession club.

Iris and Maddy both find that they need this club more than they could imagine. Iris is involved with a man who is struggling with demons from his past, a man she’s worried others won’t accept. Maddy is finding it hard to accept that she is worthy of love and forgiveness.

Maddy had a very close relationship with Arthur Truluv, and he is mentioned many times in this book. I’m still not certain as to how Iris connected with all of them, so again I need more backstory. I did love the ladies of the confession club. They were brutally honest, hilarious, and extremely supportive. They had words of wisdom that we all could take to heart. So, if any of y’all want to start a confession club, I’m in.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this arc for review.

3.5 rounded up to 4

This was 3rd installment of the Mason series set in Mason Missouri. Here you will meet a cast of characters who all come together on Sunday night for dinner, dessert and confessions where each week someone needs to confess. These confessions bring these woman together in more ways then one. If you like stories about heartbreak, love, death, friendship and a you like to get to know the whole town. try out this series you'll be glad you did.

I still miss Arthur (insert sad face here)

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

I didn't realize when I requested this ARC that it was the third book in the series. I have not read the first two books! I was still able to read and enjoy this third one, though I do think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read the first two books. This is a complete story in and of itself, but the characters have backstories from previous books, and it would have helped me to connect more with the characters if I had read the first two. So I would recommending reading the first two books first (The Story of Arthur Truluv and Night of Miracles) and then reading this one!

Sweet is the word that I keep using to describe this book. It's the kind of book that makes you say "awwwww" and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I loved the idea of the Confession Club, where a group of women of all ages gathered together to confide with each other about their failures and shortcomings. I loved this group of multigenerational women and their open honesty and acceptance of each other.

I really enjoyed the "love" story between John and Iris. Which kind of surprised me a little because I tend to read more romances about younger couples. But this story about an older couple was really endearing and probably one of my favorite parts of the book.

I did feel like I was missing a lot of backstory with Maddy, Matthew and Nola. I might need to go back and read the first two books to find out all that I missed with them!

Comforting and cozy, uplifting and enjoyable--I think this book (and the series as a whole) would be a great fit if you are looking for a "feel good" read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Confession Club is a fun and fast read, much like a beach read. It’s a heartwarming and comfortable story about friendship, love, honesty, and second chances. While this is the third book in the Mason Series, it is a completely a stand-alone story and Berg fills in any missing details that you need to know. Just be warned that whether you read the first two books or not, you may find the beginning rather confusing like I did even though I read Books 1 (The Story of Arthur Truluv) and 2 (Night of Miracles).

It was not easy for me to become engaged with this book and the characters. The first chapter introduced eight people, none of which were in the first two books, and I wasn’t able to get a feel for any of them. With chapter 2, the focus honed in on two main characters and I began to enjoy the story. What wasn’t clear to me while reading chapter 1 was that all of the eight new people were secondary or actually tertiary in importance.

The book tells of a group of people that began as a supper club and has evolved into a confession club where women share their insecurities and regrets in a nonjudgmental setting.

<i>Naturally, it was endlessly fascinating, what people confessed to. There was a saying someone shared at an early meeting: The truth is always interesting. So, too, an honest confession. And it wasn’t necessarily the sin that was interesting; it was the willingness to say, There. Have a good look at my imperfections. It made you feel better about your own.</i>

<i>”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.</i>

<i>“But to say out loud our missteps or inadequacies—to confess in an honest way and to be lovingly heard—well, that’s the kind of redemption we need on a regular basis.”</i>

The reader will find, throughout the book, insights from everyday people and truisms about everyday life, which makes The Confession Club very real, relatable and at times inspirational.

<i>All around are broken people, doing the best they can. And getting better.</i>

<i>“The only way to get out of that darkness is to go into it,” Karen says. “That’s how you can come out the other side. You’re going to have to hurt more before you finally feel better.”</i>

For me, the story was not about the confession club but rather about Iris, who we met in Night of Miracles and her relationship with a homeless man named John, a vet with PTSD. While Iris is well developed, I didn’t feel like I got to know John that well but maybe that’s in keeping with his character because he has PTSD and isn’t forthcoming with details about his life. For both of them, they get a second chance at love with each other.

<i>When she abruptly revealed her feelings for John at Confession Club, and revealed as well a kind of shame at feeling this way about a homeless man, Joanie said, “Did you ever hear that Elaine May quote ‘The only safe thing is to take a chance’?”</i>

While The Confession Club is entertaining, I found the first two books more enjoyable and satisfying. In fact, The Story of Arthur Truluv is a wonderful book that everyone needs to read. What? You haven’t read it? Well, get to it!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Elizabeth Berg offers up just the right combination of small-town life, humor, quirky characters and second-chance love in The Confession Club. Though a bit confusing to keep the various members of the Confession Club straight, the story basically focuses on the two newest members of the club. This is the third novel in the author's Mason, Missouri series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. I look forward to reading the previous books. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to preview The Confession Club.

Predictable, comfort food yes, but she tackled the many problems facing women today and used different age groups to do so. Self doubt, assisted suicide, the aging body, the mistakes made in the past that continue to haunt, street people and the problems facing returning vets.. Her books are easy-going, quick reads, told in a light hearted manner. One comes to really root for her characters, hard not to like them. She also has small town living down to a T. In many ways she could be describing the block I live on, we really do all help each other.

I loved the character of Ollie, a first woman in her ninties, who though she is a Cardinals fan, wears a Cubs cap because she feels bad for them and their fans.

I do have to say that her prose and the circumstances are sometimes over the top, treacly and a bit much. Still, they are enjoyable breaks, and a welcome relief after many of the difficult reads I've undertaken lately.

Read with my two book buddies, Angela and Esil whose insights are always valuable..

ARC from Random house.