Special thanks to Harper for inviting me to read this book through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Ellery Lloyd's latest, The Club, brings us inside the world of ultra rich celebrity getaways. When Ned Groom, head of the notorious Home Group, opens his latest celebrity spa off the coast of England, only the highest of the A-listers will get an invite to the coveted launch, where they can party to their debauched heart's excessive content in absolute privacy. Only thing is, everyone has dark secrets they'll do anything to protect, and it soon becomes clear that some guests are not destined to check out of their five-star suites.

This was a pretty solid read for me and the writing is strong, but certain aspects of it held me back from really enjoying it as an "edge of your seat" experience that I expect out of thriller to rate it higher. The bulk of the action doesn't really start until the last quarter of the book, so it's easy to lose interest before that, given the amount of description of the mundane before that. And it's hard to root for the majority of these characters; instead, their seediness (which is the point, I suppose) leaves a bad taste.

But the hardest part for me was the premise of the resorts themselves. I found it hard to believe, as it was written, that the world's top celebrities would come to something that felt like an above average bed and breakfast (the "artist-designed" butt curtains clinched it for me). And with a couple exceptions, none of the celebrities felt like true "A-listers," but rather aging has-beens clinging to the last of their riches. But maybe that was intentional, given why they were chosen with invitations to begin with.

While the cover is fantastic and the premise had tons of potential, this was a painful read for me due to the overly descriptive writing. I lose interest and have a hard time engaging into a story when the half page is wasted by describing an object or a surrounding.

Genre: thriller
Pub date: 3/1/22
In one sentence: Exclusive club Home is a home away from home for an exclusive group of wealthy stars - until a new club opening leads to murder.

I love thrillers with multiple perspectives and plenty of secrets, so I was excited to read this one. The description brings to mind The Guest List, One by One, and other "locked room mysteries". The plot unfolded well with multiple layers and unexpected connections between the characters. I also loved the exclusive club environment and found the celebrity and staff egos entertaining.

I read this book in one sitting, so it definitely kept my interest! I wasn't quite on the edge of my seat like I'd hope to be with a 5 star thriller, but I think readers who enjoy stories about rich people behaving badly will enjoy this one.

Thank you to Harper for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review published to Goodreads 1/8/22, to be posted to Instagram closer to pub date.

Ellery Lloyd's The Club has an intriguing premise and awesome setup; you get that Hollywood glitz and glamour told through the numerous POVs of staff members behind the grand opening of an ultra-exclusive resort called Island Home. No one at this shindig is quite who they say they are, and the main whodunit slowly unravels over the course of the weekend.

I never know what my main litmus test should be for thrillers, as it takes a lot to "thrill" me. I will say that I compulsive read The Club from start to finish on a plane and couldn't put it down. At the same time, there were...a lot of reveals that felt slightly random and unearned, and to be honest, I didn't find CEO Ned Groom himself to be all that compelling of a character. He just seemed like a cartoon villain to a certain extent; I think giving him his own POV would've made this whole book infinitely more interesting.

I love this thriller with a great story about an exclusive member club. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was going to happen and was not disappointed. The characters are colorful and the setting is perfect.

This so so much smarter than the 'ripped from the headlines' (albeit a few headlines blended together) trashy fun book I was expecting. Simultaneously subtle and riveting.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All of the opinions given are my own and have been given nothing for my review.