This who dun it mystery thriller was another slow built. Be prepared to not understand how it all ties together until two thirds of the book in.

There was so many characters, I actually had to write down their names and who was who as I kept getting confused. I have always enjoyed different POVs but for this one, I simply didn’t like.

I actually loved the story line occurring on an island full of celebrities. It was fun, a tad unrealistic at points but fun to imagine.

Overall, I enjoyed it and the ending was a great delivery for the build up, I just wished it would haven’t taken so much confusion to get there.

This book was good but not great. It was hard to keep track of who was who at first. It also had a lot of similarities in other books that I have Read recently. Nothing particularly set it out from other books.

I wanted to love this book and was really excited about the premise. However, I found the book difficult to read and rambling at times. By the time I was halfway through I was just ready for it to be over. A really amazing idea that just fell flat in execution unfortunately.

I think we've all heard of celebrities owning islands and of those that run away for the weekend to party in Ibiza. It's viewed as a club, but what about the VIP clubs that require an investment that's as much as an average house price? They exist and in Ellery Lloyd's The Club not only do they exist, but they hold within their walls all the best secrets. The Home Group is a worldwide vacation club for the elite and The Club follows those VIPs as they celebrate the opening weekend of Island Home. A secluded island off the English coast, Island Home is the best of the homes, offering private bungalows to the guest, dining under the sea, and parties filled with all the best party favors. There's tension within the ranks of The Home Group though, both within those who manage it and the celebrities who belong to it. As the weekend grows wilder, a body is found.

I am a huge fan of island based novels, especially when a dead body is involved. It's instantly like a game of Clue, with a list of suspects, locations, and weapons to choose from and a myriad of issues scraping the surface. The Club was instantly gripping, taking the reader into Island Home from the perspective of the employees. We are treated to multiple background storylines and glimpses into the secret lives of the rich. Of course, someone is always breaking the rules in order to maintain power and that power is at risk during the raucous weekend. I didn't know what to expect as I dove into The Club, I loved some of the characters' and their perspectives, while others made me so annoyed. It is a classic story about the haves and have nots, with a whodunnit twist. The secrets are all over the place and the reveal of each is so impactful.

I was engaged from start to finish while reading The Club. It was the kind of fun read where you're totally hooked, trying to solve the murder yourself, while also suspending disbelief and just going along for the ride. The hype around The Club is worth it.

This read like a mix between THE GUEST LIST and MALIBU RISING. At an exclusive island club for the ultra-famous and wealthy, there are secrets and murder! Told from multiple perspectives, it was twisty and so so good!

Such a fun book! The club at times put chills down my spine but I could not wait for more! Highly recommend to read late at night when everyone else is sleeping. This is truly a plot I had never thought about but I love the idea and delivery.

I did not care for Lloyd’s debut, People Like Her. But I loved this one. Lots of characters, but I didn’t get confused between anybody. The writing was consumable, which made it a quick and suspenseful page-turner. Plotting was complex and I did not guess things before they happened, for the most part. I just think this was a super fun read, close to 5 stars for me.

I don’t know how I could possibly be expected to keep track of all of these characters, or whether I really need to pay attention to them. In any event, this book was taking too long to get to the point so I quit. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thanks to Harper Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. This book was FANTASTIC! All the deliciously deceitful characters, all the backstabbing and blackmailing, wondering who knew what about who and what they were going to do about it. I was riveted by this book and couldn't walk away until I had it solved. The Home Group is a glamorous collection of hotel accommodations and clubs catering to the biggest celebrities around the world. When a new Home opens, Island Home, a huge celebration opening party is planned with the biggest and brightest stars. But all of these stars have a secret, most of the staff have secrets and most are worth dying for. Who makes it out alive? 5 star read!

The second half is much better than the first half. Slow burn but overall a good read. Definitely a mystery not so much a thriller.
Thank to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

Welcome to Home Group,
An exclusive club where the wealthy have retreats unlike any others, but something is happening behind the scenes, the tensions are growing, the idyllic place where people come to getaway is not the place they once belived it to be. When the founder is discovered dead in plain view of notorious guests things start to take a downward spiral in which, the guests, wish they never made it on the elusive guest list.

While I thought the concept was fun and new; celebrites caught in scandal, beautiful locations and consistent plot, it still failed to reel me in as quickly as I thought it would. This was an entertaining read but for me, it was merely ok. This has been getting rave reviews from folks across the internet so it might be a case of, it just wasn't entirely for me.

The premise of this book sounded so good, but unfortunately this one was a miss for me. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. And there were so many names to keep up with right from the start, from club employees to celebrities, that I was getting them confused. While I did finish the book, it felt like a slog and took me far too long to get through. 3/5

Thank you to the publisher for offering this as a Read Now option.

The Home Group is a selective group of celebrity clubs where the rich and famous can party in private and then sleep it off in one of the luxury suites. As a group of celebrities descends for the opening of the pinnacle of The Home Group's resorts on a private island, the company employees are pushed to the breaking point and bad behavior and deadly secrets lead to an explosive weekend.

I thought Reese's March book club pick was overrated, which is disappointing because I loved Ellery Lloyd's debut novel, People Like Her. The first half of the novel drags as it tries too hard to impress you with the exclusivity of its resorts. Even when the action picks up in the second half, the lack of character development makes for a forgettable read.

I didn't particularly enjoy People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd but heard wonderful things about her newest book and knew I had to give it a try. Overall I wasn't overly impressed or unimpressed. I was entertained, however not blown out of the water. I found the premise of the book intriguing, however, I soon lost myself in the large group of characters and slow plot. I enjoyed the descriptiveness and development of the characters, however, there were too many for me to feel fully invested in them. This combined with the slow start made me hesitant to keep reading, however, I enjoyed the ending. Overall I enjoyed this book and it was a nice read, but a bit too slow for me to feel fully invested and engaged in the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This book was everything I could hope for - twisty, turns, dark, but with enough heart to make you root for some of the characters.

I loved the way it alternates between the Vanity Fair article and the characters.

It kept me guessing right until the end, which I loved! Perfect if you’re looking for a fast paced and fun read.

One of the most entertaining books I've read in a while! Kept my attention (and also kept me from housework cuz I couldn't put it down) I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers and ones that keep you guessing. You also KNOW it's gonna be good if Reese Witherspoon picked it for her book club. Happy Reading! Thank you to Harper and Netgalley for the ARC!

“There is no place like Home…”

Quick Summary: THE CLUB is about Home. What is Home? It’s a group of exclusive celebrity clubs around the globe. The aim of Home is to provide A-listers a ‘home’ where they can feel comfortable and away from prying eyes. The latest addition ‘Island Home’ is the location of a 3-day grand opening party that everyone wants to be on the invite list.

Hey Siri, play “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran. This book is chock full of not-likable celebs and staff with bad habits & secrets.

Written from multiple POVs, THE CLUB takes a bit to really get going. This makes sense considering these are fictional celebs and we need to have a picture painted of how famous they are, etc. Additionally, there are a lot of characters so I needed more description just to remember who is who.

I ended up liking this book more than I expected! I’ve seen mostly average reviews for it but was pleasantly surprised. This is a ‘whodunnit’ mystery but you’re not really sure who died until later.

One of my favorite parts of THE CLUB is a fictional Vanity Fair article that is revealed in chunks throughout the story. It basically reveals what happened during the 3-day party written from the future. This was clever and I liked how it helped keep the pace of the story going.

THE CLUB is the March 2022 @reesesbookclub selection. This book is perfect for fans of THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley and for fans of Agatha Christie.

4 stars

Thank you to Harper for the gifted ARC of The Club by Ellery Lloyd! All opinions in this review are my own.

SYNOPSIS
Home is one of the most sought after memberships in the world. When you belong to Home, you know that you have reached the peak of your celebrity. So when Home announces the opening of Island Home with a launch party, everyone is clamoring for one of the 150 invites.

However, there comes a point when something becomes too big and too much. On the opening weekend of Island Home, someone goes missing, a body is discovered, and secrets that have been buried for years are finally coming out.

WHAT I LIKED
💗 the exclusivity of the setting and the notoriety of the characters
💗 the story is told from multiple point of views
💗 how everything that had been brewing for years culminated at this one weekend

WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME
✖️ the interruptions between chapter with a news article about the weekend
✖️ the big reveals weren't that surprising because you are able to work them out before then

The Home is an exclusive group of celebrity members’ clubs around the world. At the opening of their latest and greatest club - Island Home, things go very wrong. With so many selfish people on the island, there are many people who could be behind it all.

This book starts with the reader knowing someone is missing and/or dead and it grabs your attention from the start. I spent the book trying to piece together connections and solve the mystery of what happened. There were so many layers that kept coming out making this such a complex story. There were 4 POVs and so many side characters so to see how all of the stories were woven together was fascinating. I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to Harper for the advanced copy!

I love that slow burn of this locked room mystery. I’ve always been a fan of multiple points in a book and this didn’t let me down. A peek inside of the exclusive club lifestyle swept me away.