This book is a story of friendships, secrets, and love. Three women have three very different lives, but yet they bond because of similar circumstances they find themselves in. They are three army wives (sort of--one of the couples are in a partnership), one has children, one gets pregnant, and one woman has suffered several miscarriages. The best part of this book is when their husbands are on deployment and they must depend on each other and they form a "family". They begin their relationship by starting a book club, but although the book club is mentioned quite often, it is more for the structure of the story then any discussion about the books. The three women are the soul of the book and everything revolves around them, and how their lives change--it is a dual timeline book, so the reader learns something in the past and how it played out to the present (i.e. Regina's marriage). I am so glad that the author did include an epilogue so the reader has a conclusion to the book.

I love that right out the gate, you know you can relate to the characters with the bond of loving books and a book club. The characters all had their troubles and joys and formed a deep connection with the book club and it makes the reader feel like they belong there too.

n a Book Club Far Away by Tif Marcelo is a heartwarming and moving novel that is a perfect fit for readers who adore stories about the transformative power of female friendship, forgiveness, and the enduring bonds that can bridge even the widest of distances, especially those who appreciate books that celebrate the beauty of relationships and the human spirit.

IN A BOOK CLUB FAR AWAY • Tif Marcelo • Pub Date: April 6, 2021

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. My review is only 2 years and some change overdue!

Abridged Goodreads Synopsis: Regina Castro, Adelaide Wilson-Chang, and Sophie Walden used to be best friends. As Army wives at Fort East, they bonded during their book club and soon became inseparable. But when an unimaginable betrayal happened amongst the group, the friendship abruptly ended, and they haven’t spoken since. That’s why, eight years later, Regina and Sophie are shocked when they get a call for help from Adelaide. Regina and Sophie reluctantly decide to put their differences aside to help an old friend and her little girl. As the three women reunite, they must overcome past hurts and see if there’s any future for their friendship.

This book frustrated me. I finished the book feeling as though I liked it well enough, but as I sat down to write my review, I struggled to find a positive thing to say about it.

The actual reason for the betrayal between the three friends is not spelled out until well over halfway through the book, which was frustrating. Readers bounced between eight years post-betrayal, and the months leading up to the betrayal. I found it hard to care about either timeline without knowing what had actually caused the friendship to end. Why get invested in a friendship I already know ends? Why root for reunification if I do not know what split the friends up in the first place?

The characters themselves also fell flat. All three seemed wildly immature, which did not jibe given the hardships they discuss going through as military spouses. Not to mention the fact that the grudges over the betrayal are held for YEARS, then suddenly cleared up over one quick conversation. This rushed ending really took away from the entire build-up of the entire story.

TL;DR: I really wanted to fall in love with a story about female friendships forged through book club, but ultimately his book was just not for me.

Adelaide is about to have surgery. She is on her own because her husband is deployed overseas and she needs help with her recovery. She has a little girl and she just won’t be able to do what she needs to do. So she sends an SOS to her long time friends Regina and Sophie. These two ladies drop everything and make the long trip to help Adelaide. But, it is a very rocky start!

These characters are very real. I liked them and I hated them! Regina, Sophie and Adelaide have been through so much together. But, Regina and Sophie are on the outs. But Adelaide is going to TRY bring them together. However, Regina is not very forgiving and you will have to read this to find out.

I enjoyed these friends’ relationship and how they eventually found their way back together. I also loved the way the author wove in details of army life. Being an outsider, you just don’t know how hard it is…all the moving, raising kids alone, depending on others. Very well done!

Now…I did receive this novel from the publisher for a honest review. But, I never got to it. It is on sale now at chirp for $2.99. Since I am a fan of this author, I just jumped on that sale price. I listened to it in two days.

Need a good story about friendship and life…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

A great story about what it really means to be a true friend. Enjoy it with your book club or ladies' group.

Get your copy today at https://bookshop.org/lists/best-fiction-of-2021

I'm not going to lie I hated this one. While the writing style was easy to follow, I could not stand any of the characters. And when your dealing with a book about a book club you've got to like at least one of the members.

This was a great novel and a beautiful story line of women’s friendship. This was my first by this author and I will be seeking out more by her. It’s a great feel good read.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

For books that leave you smiling and wanting to stay in the lives of the characters a little long no one is better than rid marcello

I've read a few of Tif Marcelo's books and I have always enjoyed them. This one is a beautiful book about women's friendships. I love that it was about military spouses and the books that bind them together. Very heart-warming story.

Tif Marcelo is an autobuy author for me. I love her writing in all types of genres. This was a great women's fiction and it was so good. Tif has been a guest multiple times in the podcast.

This was a great book about friendships, hardships and distance. Through everything, the friendship that these women had at the core was able to bring them together even through what they went through individually and the misunderstandings within the group. It shows that if the friendship is strong mending and healing is possible.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I love books about books and how great that it's about a book club. I'm the queen of book clubs. ( well Oprah and then me) This book is a great example of how book clubs mean so much to it's members. Books bring people together but friendships and meaningful relationships is what keeps them coming back. Maybe you need companionship, maybe you need something to get you out of the house, and for me it's always the laughter that fills my soul. All the characters in this book go to book club and get the friendship and camaraderie they need.
Three women met and fell into BFF mode at book club. As Army wives they have a lot in common and can share their experiences with each other that non-military wives wouldn't understand. Taking care of the household, managing the children, and just dealing with the loneliness of having your spouse away is a lot on anyone, so having close friends to fill in the voids is imperative. Unfortunately a betrayal within the group will separate the friends and cause a lot of confusion. Years after the break one of the girls will return and everything they pushed down deep will resurface. Their friend has returned and she needs help, but are they willing to forgive and forget?

A beautiful look at women's friendship -- and the importance of books! This story of three estranged former friends and their earlier years as Army wives is moving and lovingly presented.

I wanted to like this one, but in the end it just wasn't for me. i didn't end up finishing it and might not every go back to it, but for now I'm calling it quits! couldn't hold my attention and found the writing meh! Oh well, on to the next!

This is a story of friendship throughout the years of 3 Army wives, brought together by a fateful book club meeting. After getting very close, an incident occurs that drives the wedge between 2 of the friends, and it’s up to the 3rd to try and bring them back together. Meanwhile, all 3 have struggles they are going through in their own lives.

I really liked reading about women both in the army, and supporting spouses or partners in the army, as this is not something I see very often. The chapters go back and forth between present day, when one gets sick and puts out an SOS to her friends to help her heal, and the past, where we slowly learn of the incident that drove them apart.

Usually I’m ok with time jumping chapters, but for some reason while I was reading this, I got confused. I found the character of Regina, who was harboring grudges the whole book, was very immature. To me, she never had a reckoning she needed. She treated people horribly instead of looking in the mirror, and everyone was ok with that? Yeesh.

This is a nice calm read - no major twists and turns, no gut churning emotions. There’s a tiny twist at the end, but you get a sneaking suspicion it’s coming about halfway through.

Three women became close friends years ago. They were military wives and they relied on each other to get through everything. They met through a book club. Something happened and two of them stopped speaking. Now it’s years later, and the other woman has asked them to come to her house to help her. How can they deal with what happened and still help her? I enjoyed the women and their close friendship throughout everything. The story was a wonderful combination of women’s friendships, book club, humor, and a little romance.

Not bad but I wanted more.

A huge thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy of In a Book Club Far Away.

This book review is long overdue. I was generously granted an advanced digital copy, I chose this as a Book of the Month selection earlier this year but ultimately wanted the audio version. I noticed it was finally available on Scribd so now was my chance.

What I Enjoyed-

*The Author- I really enjoy Tif Marcelo's books. I've read a few of her back list titles. This one is probably my least favorite but I encourage you to pick up her other books.

*The Audio- This audio book is narrated by Cassandra Campbell. She is such a queen! She has a huge backlist and if you've been listening to audio books for any amount of time you've probably heard her voice. She is phenomenal.

*Books about Books- This book is broken into parts and at the beginning of each section the author lets you know what book the book club is reading. In a Book Club Far Away is also told in a dual time line and the books that are read are popular throwbacks. The Nostalgia =).

*Army Wives- I've always found the lives of service men and their families interesting. I've read very few books involving army wives and enjoyed the relationship dynamics and friendships.

Where This Book Fell Off

*Disconnect - I felt like I was reading about characters and events but I wasn't as invested as I would have liked. This book is told in multiple POV which I loved but I was enjoying Regina's POV far more than the others. I think the author could have just focused on that one character and developing the friendships. No Shade. I love Tif.

*The Drama- The reason Sophie and Regina's friendship fell apart was very plausible. I wanted more drama. More of a fall out. The conflict and solution was executed to softly. I hope that makes sense.

Overall- Still anticipating reading more by this author.