i love how this one opened up. it gave you a glimpse of what was to come and really left a great impression on the reader. it was tempting you to continue on to see the madness.

this one was not my favorite book ever, but it was filled with drama and suspense that kept me hooked to find out how it all played out, til the very end. i wasn't very connected to the characters as much as i was the drama. it was a fresh premise though and i enjoyed that.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year… A string of elite celebrity clubs ran by the home group, sounded like the premise for a great book. I was thinking the gossip girl meets behind the seasons fiction based reality tv. However, it didn’t feel that way. This book left a lot to be desired. Between the numerous characters that were hard to keep straight, and the odd who dun it murder mystery atmosphere. Left me wanting more of this glamorous life I thought I was going to be immersed in. Beyond knowing their on an island and the cool water restaurant Poseidon, I don’t feel like I got a good grip on the atmosphere at all. Same thing goes for the character, there wasn’t enough defining characteristics to tell them apart, when there’s upwards of 5character points of view in a chapter. I really wanted to love this book, and I’m sad I didn’t.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Slow burn mystery that I totally enjoyed. Many we'll drawn characters. Slow paced but lots of twists that kept me reading. Lots of attention to details. Unpredictable ending.

This was a DNF for me. The premise was so interesting but I do not think teamed writing partners work for me. The writing style was choppy, drawn out, and overall was the reason that this did not work for me. It was extensively literary for a summer thriller, and very underwhelming. I love the premise of this one and also of People Like Her, but neither worked for me sadly and I do not think I will be revisiting this author team.
I did really enjoy the characters and their interactions, and I feel like someone who loves slowburn thrillers would really enjoy this book and I have a few friends that I did recommend this to.

This book was phenomenal. A concept I loved that was executed perfectly. I was drawn in instantly and devoured it from the go. Will highly recommend this to everyone!

Will link to full review when posted.

This was a fun whodunit mystery set in the elusive backdrop of Hollywood insiders.

I was initially drawn to the cover, the neon pop set it apart from other books and made it stand out.

I loved that it was more of a mystery than a thriller and find that a lot of novels in this genre have started to go for shock value instead of slow build mystery.

That number of viewpoints was a bit much and hard to keep track of at first but then started to make more sense as the novel progressed.

Overall I loved this!

This is told in a multiple POV which is quickly becoming my favorite. I also love the whole VIP club, only for celebrities and the A list people .. everyone wants to join and the people working there feel so lucky.

There is backstabbing and secrets, gosh I love secrets. I will say it was rather a slow build for me.. but overall with sticking around for.

I did enjoy this book. There was one mystery but then more seemed to develop as one was revealed. I just love a mystery in the world of luxury.

This was a 3.5 rounded to a 4 for me

Thank you netgalley for the ARC

There is much to enjoy in The Club. It's a fast paced, celeb gossip rag, type read with a very dark side. The Club ends up being a locked-room, clue type mystery with multiple deaths, and many suspects with possible motives. However, it is mostly written in a retrospective sort of way. There is a ton of inner monologues of different characters and a not a lot of in the moment type action which is why I think I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

It is easy to see why The Club by Ellery Lloyd was a Reese Witherspoon pick. It was well-written. Some of the topics it touches on could be difficult, but I think her readers tend to expect that sort of emotional complexity. Generally recommended.

I was one of the readers who absolutely loved People Like Her, so I was really excited to read Ellery Lloyd's sophomore novel The Club. I love the cover so much, and I usually love anything that is filled with drama, so it seemed like a real winner on those fronts. I was immediately captured by the imagery of this author duo's writing and the way they brought Island Home to life. In theory, it is a place anyone would love to be, but this story brought new meaning to the phrase looks can be deceiving. There weren't really any likable characters in the book, although I did like Jess quite a bit, and I think it is good to know going in that you are probably going to love to hate these people. I really enjoyed the various viewpoints, and I loved the pieces of the Vanity Fair article mixed in throughout as well.

I think The Club really shines on audio, and the narrator Tamaryn Payne did such an amazing job being the voice of so many characters. She really brought them to life for me, and I particularly loved how she made the article seem like another narrator when she read those parts. It took me a minute to get all of the characters straight, but once I did, I was really into this drama fest and was excited to see where the story would take us. It is a fairly slow burn, even with the different viewpoints and the article mixed in, but I was hanging onto every word and couldn't put it down. The audiobook isn't even 9.5 hours long and I easily listened to it in one day, and practically one sitting if I'm being honest. I was also really satisfied with the end of the book and if you love drama with unlikeable characters this will be a solid read for you. I am a huge fan of this husband-and-wife team, and I can't wait to see what they write next!

Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

At first, this book was very promising. It started off dramatic, like a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel. However, it was really slow after that. It was bogged down with too much backstory that appears irrelevant at the time. None of the characters were likeable.
Once I was able to get through the first half of the book, it picked up. I had to know what happened, and second guessed myself the entire second half. The ending was spectacular. This would have easily been a 5 star book if the first half weren't so slow and the characters were more interesting. For those that like slow burn mysteries, I would certainly recommend this book.

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for the eARC!

After reading People Like Her and The Club, I feel that it's safe to say that Ellery Lloyd's books tend to be divisive. Personally, I'm a fan. The Club is about an elite and glamorous members' club called The Home Group. With locations across the globe and an emphasis on privacy, the rich and famous are dying to get in. The Club follows the story of the opening weekend of The Home Group's newest and most impressive location yet, Island Home, and how what was supposed to be the party of a lifetime turned into a murder mystery unlike any other.

First off, I loved the setting of this book. Island Home is exotic and lavish and extravagant. I love the idea of this super exclusive members' club and the secrets that these celebrities are so desperate to keep. It's obviously a recipe for disaster. Add on top of that, the island is only accessible via a narrow winding road during low tide? Yes please. I also loved the way that this story unfolded from multiple viewpoints and news articles. Similar to People Like Her, Ellery Lloyd (a husband and wife duo) seem to enjoy exploring celebrity status and the secrets behind the people that society tend to put on a pedestal. I will say, this book did get a little outlandish, but as a whole, the positives outweighed the negatives for me. Like I said, Ellery Lloyd's books tend to be divisive. People seem to either love them or hate them. I personally look forward to whatever comes next from Ellery Lloyd.

The Club was a slow burn mystery, not a thriller. The story is told over a few days, from multiple perspectives and I had a hard time keeping the characters straight until I wrote a cheat sheet.

Most of the characters in this book are despicable. The story line kept me reading as there is a good bit going on simultaneously.

This story takes place over a 36-48-ish hour timeframe, so things are moving quickly.

You’ll cheer, you’ll jeer, you’ll want to throw something, but you’ll read until the end and I recommend it.

“Picture a night club…If you’re on the outside, queuing to try to get in, all you can see is a bunch of people having what appears to be a good time. And then you get inside. And for awhile you think you made it. And then you realize in that club is a VIP area, where all the really exciting people are…beyond that is a VVIP area. And even if you manage to get in there you realize…”

Welcome to The Home Group, an exclusive set of clubs with locations all over the world. A place where only the most rich and beautiful people gather. Now a new location is opening, Island Home, an invite most celebs would die to attain, and a club where wannabe’s will once again, clamor to work.

But this is not the story of The Home Group’s latest launch. Rather it’s the behind the scenes story of what went wrong on the now infamous weekend and the sinister events that led up to it. The Club introduces us to a mix of characters- ranging from stockholders and workers, to A-list guests. Each has their own story to tell, chock full of twists and turns at every minted pillow.

While the slow moving story picks up in the second half, there are A LOT of moving parts to keep track of leading up to the big reveals. The Club gives the reader plenty to chew on, but one could argue it’s a bit too much. It was hard to have a favorite character because of this, and because most of them were varying levels of deplorable. If this is what getting behind the elusive velvet rope would really be like, I’d rather stay home-home instead. 😉

I tried reading this a few months ago and got about 60% into this book and realized I didn't know what was going on. I think the setting was creepy and great, and the story line was different and exciting. I just think there were a bit too many different POVs for me to keep track of what was going on. I'm hopefully going to come back to it in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the change to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

The grand launch of Island Home is the latest of Ned Groom's exclusive global resorts, catering to the very famous, rich, and elite. Set off the English coast, the resort is accessible by boat, helicopter, or a causeway, when it isn't flooded. Phones are banned, giving the celebrity members complete freedom to do as they wish without any consequence... or so they think. The members and the Home staff have secrets, many of which could destroy lives. As tensions grow and the launch begins, not everyone will make it off this island.

The Club is a well written mystery, filled with manipulative characters and sinister secrets. Who ends up dead actually becomes less engrossing than unveiling the characters' pasts and reasons for being on the island. With a large cast of characters, this novel could have easily gotten bogged down by sideplots but Ellery Llyod (which is actually husband and wife duo Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos) manage to create these layered, unique individuals seemlessly and keep the plot moving. This is more of a slow build, however, with a lot of character development so do not expect a lot of fast paced action.

The examination of celebrity and image is emphasized between chapters with parts of a Vanity Fair article on the mystery of what happened that weekend. The reader gets to know the real events and can see how even after all that happens, the characters who are still alive are continuing their secrets and lies to cover themselves. Their concern is less about jailtime or how those close to them would react. They instead worry about a loss of their status and prestige, whether they could work again in the limelight or lose their lifestyle. Their protection of the persona they've created, whether they're a celebrity or celebrity adjacent, remains their priority.

The Club is a fascinting page turner.

This is a story about bad people with good reputations.

I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed this, since the authors last didn’t work for me.. but this was so petty & fun. I loved the different perspectives of the “help”, and the descriptions of the messy guests. This book was made to be an HBO series!

Thank you so much netgalley & Harper Collins for the eArc & copy!

A compulsive thriller that brings to light the darker side of celebrity and wealth. The Club is full of dark secrets, compelling characters, and twists that keep you guessing until the very end.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Lloyd's The Club was a fun escapist-read. The large cast of equally-footed "bad guys" left the reader guessing at each of the author's twists and turns.