Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of The Summer Club by Katherine Mazerov in exchange for my honest review and opinions. This was a perfect summer read to kick off warm weather! I throughly enjoyed this book! A great who done it story that will keep you guessing (and laughing) until the last pages. I highly recommended going outside and soaking up the gorgeous summer weather when you read this!

Lydia Phillips is having a busy summer running Meadowview Swim and Tennis Club this summer. A body washes up on the river near the club, her house gets broken into, the tennis courts needs lights, a mysterious car is following her staff. the shake machine breaks, bundles of money are found under a dumpster, and many catty customers and angry board members? What to do for the summer? This is what you will find out when you read this wickedly fun book.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this delightful read.

I think I just need a break from thrillers and mysteries. This wasn’t a favorite and I didn’t connect with any of the characters

I love playing tennis and live in a pretty Type A neighborhood so the plot interested me. Overall, I liked the idea and found the ridiculous nature of the members of the summer club amusing and irritating. I enjoyed the darker tale that made this more than a frivolous girlie book but felt the author didn't have the skill to write it. Her journalist background made this very much a telling of the story. She used dialogue in a poor way to help move the story on, therefore it felt stilted and unrealistic.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC, this is my honest review.

I was really intrigued by the premise, but the story itself fell flat for me. None of the characters really jumped out at me and the plot didn't compel me to continue reading. If the mystery would have pulled me in sooner, I probably would have enjoyed it more.

I'm torn about this book. I read it in hopes of it being a good beachy read, which at times it was, however the characters fell flat for me, and the plot moved kind of slow.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Outskirts Press for providing me a copy of Katherine Mazerov’s debut novel, Summer Club, in exchange for an honest review.

The opening sentence to #SummerClub begins, “The big black SUV…”, which is all I needed to read to know that the book was clearly written by an amateur novelist. #SummerClub was originally released in the summer of 2020, so I am not sure why it is only now being offered for review except to create chatter or gain a larger readership. After finishing it, I am completely baffled as to how this book managed to get published in the first place.

Despite the riveting tale that the novel’s book blurb purports to provide to prospective readers, the story barely skims the surface as anything so riveting unless the monotonous recounting of the crime at approximately 89% of the novel qualifies. The story is so far from what is written in the book blurb that readers should be able to sue for false advertising.

Do not by any means expect the story to be a fun beach read that includes a glitzy summer club with sordid affairs and members dripping in money. Instead, the summer club featured in this story is in fact a dump and does not meet presumed expectations. The “summer club” is more akin to a public pool than anything remotely resembling a country club. Prepare yourself to continuously struggle through redundant mentions of boys peeing on slides, kids pooping in pools, Slurpee messes, and unbearably tedious complaints from members.

The novel was sorely in need of an editor, and I am not referring to basic formatting issues or typos. It seemed as if the author wanted to write a sort of fictional autobiographical novel for herself more than she wanted to publish a book for the masses to read. That is fine, just do not subject readers to having to pay for something that is essentially a narration of daily life, coupled with dull and uninspired writing.

The number of passages that contained an unnecessary listing of humdrum items like foods on a grocery list or accessories was absolutely mind-numbing. This is yet another prime example of where adherence to the golden rule of, “Show, don’t tell,” would be effective. Also, many of the chapters—if you could call them that—lacked focus and contained clunky descriptions. There are so many trivial and unimportant details it became frustrating to read.

Finally, some of the content felt outdated. For example, two of the board members were stuck on the issue of whether to permit gay couples to obtain membership. If the author really was bent on including this issue, they could have at least had one of the board members point out their lack of funding or tied it into part of the criminal portion of the story.

It makes no sense in 2021, especially, since gay marriage is legal, to even bring up this issue. Not sure what the point of it was except to show that the club is located in a prejudiced town, which is not really relevant to the story at all.

One final note, the incessant descriptions of Stacie the dog engaging in the same acts was beyond overkill—if there is such a thing. To reiterate, not sure how or why this book was published, but the only silver lining here was that at least there were no glaring grammatical errors and the writing was clear for the most part.

This book is something else, after reading the blurb I thought it was a murder mystery. This is all about a Club House at some high priced development. Lydia is the Club House President, someone the residents complain to about they're displeasure at the Club House. There is a murder but you don't find out about it til later in the book. You have to read just over half the book before you find out about the murder. I guess you might call this Literary Fiction. This was my type of book but it was ok I guess. I'm not gonna say this is an awful book cause it wasn't, it's just not my cup of tea.

If possible I would give this book three and a half (3 1/2) stars. For a fiction debut by a non-fiction journalist I would say Katherine has done a worthy job of it. I can tell by her writing that she struggled a little bit with a fictionalized story but her story flowed well and her characters were fairly well developed. Using her life experiences helped her out a great deal. I look forward to seeing more fiction from this author. Bravo Katherine Dean Mazerov!!!

I received an ebook ARC from Netgalley and this is my voluntary, honest review.

Lydia Phillips agreed to be the President for this summer of her neighborhood swim and tennis club. There are many families with many quirks in the storyline. You read about the politics, sex-capades, and family quirks. Things take a turn for the dark side when a bag of money is found stuffed under the dumpster. What is really going on in this neighborhood.
I did struggle with the number of characters. It was sometimes hard to keep them straight. The beginning of the book flowed well although it did take me some time to get engaged in the story. The end of the book kept me intrigued. All I have to say is, Stacie to the rescue!

A summer club; a place for families to swim, play tennis and enjoy a barbecue. Throw in a few eccentric personalities, a lawsuit, and a feisty family dog, and you have the makings for a really good book. I enjoyed the slow pace of this mystery, as well as the minute details of the main character, Lydia’s, day-to-day life. This book offered a fantastic escape; perfect for a rainy afternoon.

We all expect summer days to be long, hot and relaxing, right? They are everything but that for Lydia Phillips, former newspaper reporter and super volunteer who has met her greatest challenge - the job of Board President of the neighborhood Meadow Glen Swim and Tennis Club. She’s constantly pestered with various petty complaints, must make sure that old equipment functions perfectly, has to guide the club through a lawsuit, and deals with worrisome security issues. All this takes time away from her husband Bill and their three children. When the body of a property manager is found in the river, Lydia wonders if he was connected to some mysterious events at Meadow Glen. Can she discover the connection before it is too late for her and Meadow Glen?

Summer Club just missed the mark as great summer read. That’s too bad because Lydia is a great character. We can all identify with a volunteer job that looks easy but isn’t and we’ve all tried to balance family with outside interests. Summer Club is just too long and needs to be tightened. Eliminate the multiple dog incidents, the Murphy boys and some of the swim team drama. I hope that Katherine Mazerov writes a sequel with Lydia returning to a newspaper or digital media position. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Outskirts Press and Katherine Mazerov for this ARC.

I expected this to be a light and fun read, judging by the title and the cover and I found the beginning somewhat promising. However, the story quickly turned into a series of.... how do you call it when someone gives you detailed activity reports? I don't need to know the financial portfolio status of every character. Really, just because they're in a swimming/tennis club I can understand they're all well situated. No need to expand on the number of millions everyone has. It doesn't mean anything to me, as a reader, especially since the characters are all alike by being all quite reach (there's nothing to differentiate between the characters so what's the point of the financial reports?) Also, what's the point of taking the reader (twice!) through a whole administrative meeting? Firstly, the president is reading her emails and preparing for the meeting. You think the readers care about all that, think again! And like it wasn't enough, we have to sit through the entire meeting, word by word. I literally had more fun going to meetings at work than reading this book.

Everything you need for an enjoyable , easy to read, mystery! Great characters, funny situations , and who done it?
This story takes place around a private summer pool club and all of the work and problems that happen one summer. Throw in a little dog that always wants to be where the action is and you have a great read. Lydia is the typical volunteer, with a busy family and friends life. How does she do it all? What happens when she makes everything her business? Enjoy this fun read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this advanced copy.

It’s not easy being a full-time volunteer, especially after one has had a successful career as a reporter and city editor. Lydia Phillips, questions her choice of becoming the Meadow Glen Board President as the intricacies of the job put her smack dab in the middle of shady happenings and a murder.

Summer Club was an easy read. It kept my interest, although I would have liked to see the murder earlier in the book as I kept waiting for it. The characters were solid and so was the setting. The author’s descriptions give the reader a good visual of what’s happening.

The name drew me in, and the idea of a lazy summer club. Basking in the sun, barbeques with friends and all things we associate with a relaxing good time. I had a relaxing good time reading Summer Club,, and it had just enough mischief to keep me satisfied.

This is a fun, light read. It is a bit of a soap opera, and that will appeal to some readers. That's not usually my thing. So it's well written, nonetheless. Even though I didn't enjoy it as much as other mysteries, I'm sure others will like it.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

Grab your pool/beach bag, your beverage of choice and your copy of Summer Club and head to your favourite summer reading spot. Katherine Mazerov has masterfully captured the joys and frustrations of HOAs and Club membership. With a scandal (or two) and some intrigue, Summer Club is a quick, fun read that will have you immediately identifying ‘that neighbour’ and ‘that Board/Committee member’ you know ohhhh so well!
Thank You to Katherine Mazerov, Outskirts Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy this title.

Summer Club was a very slow burn.

It was about a posh, you guessed it, summer club in a posh neighbourhood frequented by posh people. Unfortunately, the mundane details of everyday management of a summer club lasted for too long. The real action didn't' really hook me until about the last quarter of the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley and to the publisher, #OutskirtsPress for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fun, light, airy summer read.
The exact type of novel that I enjoy reading whilst sitting outside in the warm sun with a cold drink in my hand.

I'm giving this one 4.5 Stars.

For me, this was a book of two halves. It follows Lydia Phillips running her local swimming/tennis Summer Club, and follows the trials and tribulations of doing that, I love the character of her dog Stacie, she pops into the club often, with hilarious consequences! The evening of the Lobster Boil was also highly amusing, with a few “laugh out loud” moments.
There is mystery and intrigue running throughout with a murder, discovery of cash at the club, and a dark blue sedan following club members.
The first half of the book is a little slow for me, but got so much better, the final few chapters explain all the shenanigans well, and I was left feeling this would book would make a good movie.