This was so fun, but I would say I liked but didn’t love this one. I loved People Like Her, but thought there were too many POVs in this story. Still a fun and fast read about the rich and elite.

This book was fantastic! Loved getting to read before publishing date and will be recommending on Instagram, goodreads, and Amazon.

The Club centers around a murder mystery that has happened on an island resort that is part of The Home Group, an exclusive celebrity club. The Club shifts among the perspectives of various characters and newspaper clippings telling the story of the events leading up to the murder and coverage of the fallout.

The Club is a perfect spring/summer read. I read it while on a flight and during time off on a work trip and it helped me feel like I was on vacation. Even though none of the characters were real celebrities, Lloyd wrote about them in a way that was totally believable. The twists and turns kept me engaged and I never wanted to put this book down. If you're looking for a beach read, or a book to help you pretend like you're on vacation enjoying a beach read, I highly recommend this book.

It’s launch weekend for Island Home, the latest in the Home group of ultra-exclusive clubs for the rich and famous, and Ned Groom is finalizing the plans. Or rather, his staff is finalizing the plans. The guest list for this Halloween weekend party is small, meaning Annie Sparks’s phone is constantly buzzing with celebrities and their PAs trying to finagle a last minute invitation. As Head of Membership, she is expected to be available to their 1500 or so members, but she has no openings to offer for Island Home. Everything has been planned well in advance, and there are no empty rooms available.

But for the first night, Thursday, Ned only invited a handful of members, actor Jackson Crane and his wife Georgia, artist Keith Little, film producer Kurt Cox, and talk show host Freddie Hunter. Although Freddie did encourage his friend singer Kyra Highway to come with him, and she brought her 8-year-old daughter Lyra. After dinner, Annie made the announcement that soon they would be receiving new contracts to sign with an updated membership fee. In addition, they’ll all be getting an extra gift delivered to them.

What these exclusive guests don’t know yet is that the “gift” they’ll be receiving is a personalized flash drive that Ned has put together for them. What they don’t know yet is that those new membership fees include a hefty spike in what they will owe the Home Group moving forward. What they don’t know yet is that there are cameras all over the Home clubs, from the Manhattan Home to Cannes Home to Shanghai Home and all the other clubs around the world.

What Ned doesn’t seem to understand yet is that he is handing each of these individuals a reason for them to want him dead.

As the weekend goes on with its celebrations, its meals in the underwater restaurant Poseidon, its easy access to alcohol and drugs, people begin to disappear. Jackson Crane is holed up in his cabin with a Do Not Disturb in the system, so no staff will go near it. Ned Groom himself has gone missing, with his only communication a short email to his PA, “Gone to London.”

As secrets get revealed and emotions run high, the people at Island Home grow increasingly paranoid. And the more wound up they get, the more it becomes obvious that not everyone will make it off the island alive. But who will end up a villain, and who will end up a victim?

Told through a lengthy Vanity Fair article as well as the viewpoints of several Island insiders, The Club is a look inside the most exclusive and extreme lifestyles of the rich and famous. Filled with delicious secrets revealed and a slow burn story that takes its sweet time before making it clear what all happened that fateful weekend, this thriller is cunning and layered.

I listened to the audio book for this one, and I thought narrator Tamaryn Payne had the perfect voice for this novel. I loved her reading, and I thought it elevated this novel, making the slower moments more palatable.

I did like The Club, but it’s not perfect. Many of the characters are unlikable, and they get more so as the story goes on and more is revealed of their choices. There are parts of the story that are a little slow, and it took me a while to really understand who was who, but once I was in, I was in. If you’re a reader who loves books about the rooms behind the velvet ropes, you might really love this book. If you love a good thriller, you might like this book. If you’re a picky reader, you might want to skip this book, or at least read (or listen to) a sample before you decide. Like an exclusive club, this book is not for everyone.

Egalleys for The Cub were provided by Harper through NetGalley, but I bought the audio book myself through Audible.

What happens when the elite are trapped on an exclusive island? You have to read the club to find out! Perfect if you’ve ever found yourself thumbing through a celebrity magazine. A lot of juicy fun along the way.

WOWZA! I read a little bit of this book and thought, ho hum, there’s not much here, but very soon I was proven wrong. This is a tense story of secrets about the hyper-elite and the not elite, set on a private island, where every important character has something to hide, which we discover as the story unfolds.

Told from not only the point of view of the characters but interspersed with “excerpts” from a long newspaper report on what happened on Ned Groom’s latest “Home” venture (“Home” is the name of Groom’s and his brother Adam’s empire of resorts so exclusive you have to be a very, very, very wealthy person to be invited to join - and then meet the brothers’s criteria for eligibility, which are teased out as the story gets darker and darker), a remote island in the North Sea, if memory serves - my apologies if I don’t remember the exact location. Here a large, hyperbolic in its conception and description, inaugural party will be held for the rich and famous intelligentsia, artists, musicians, and actors and actresses. Here we see starkly the difference between the haves and the haves not: while the guests are lodged in Uber-deluxe cabins, not one visible from another, and each one styled to fit the unique desires of the resident, while the staff is housed out of sight in what can best be described as a barracks.

I like stories where the narration switches back and forth between characters; if written well, as is this book, the reader gets a good look into the point of view of each narrator. And, while I initially thought the back and forth between several chapters and the journalist’s report was a cheap trick, again I was surprised at how effective it was as a literary device.

To describe the plot beyond my brief synopsis is impossible without revealing spoilers: I will just note that characters who appear benign are anything but, and the Groom brothers are as crooked as a very winding road.

Highly recommended.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley as an ARC. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Although well-written, I do not believe The Club is for me. I thought it was going to be something different than what it turned out to be and the celebrity aspect of it just turned me off. I thought it was going to be more action-packed than it was and maybe it just wasn't meant for me at this time.

I loved reading this!! How long can you wait until you get your revenge on someone? I don't want to give anything away... suffice it to say some can wait a long time.

This book was ok I was not as thrilled as I expected but nonetheless a solid read. I just was missing something and could not connect to the characters.

The Club includes a hand selected group of high profile individuals who want to be protected from prying eyes in order to indulge in excess and vice. The members of The Club pay top dollar to be part of this exclusive group and The Home Group offers them the secrecy that they want.

When Island Home opens on a tidal island off the English coast, The Club is invited to a 3-day launch party. During the weekend the CEO of The Home Group puts the financial squeeze on four of The Club's members. The money he is asking for is obscene but the secrets that could be revealed are even more shocking.

This book is fast paced with the first half of the book setting the reader up with lots of clues and unanswered questions. Then the authors proceed to lead the readers through a series of shocking reveals and the dots begin to get connected.

I found the previous book of this duo, People Like Her, to be chillingly captivating and interesting, and I was super excited to read The Club, since it sounded right up my alley. I love reading about rich people problems and ugly behaviours, and while I expected something even darker, it did not disappoint. Each character had some unique traits, a convincing backstory and a recognisable voice, their motives were credible and made sense. It wasn’t incredibly original, but there were still a few surprises, some smart twists I didn’t see coming, and I appreciated that. The writing was very good and it got me hooked just a couple chapters in. A good thriller with an interesting, original premise and a smart execution. It was as mind-blowing as People Like Her, but I still enjoyed it a lot and I’m definitely excited for Ellery Lloyd’s next story! Thank you to the publisher and the authors for providing this advanced reader copy! 4.5 stars.

The club is about an exclusive club that has a chain of high end hotels across the world. The newest hotel opening is called Island Home, where a three day long celebration will be held. Unfortunately, a murder happens that weekend and the story is unfolded from four perspectives. Jess the housekeeper, Adam who is Ned the CEO’s brother, Annie who is responsible for club membership and then becomes acting CEO and Nikki who is Ned (CEO) personal assistant.

The book is very well written but it has a little bit of a slow start. A lot of introductions to characters and their backstory. Once you get to know the character well, the second part of the book takes off. The second half of the book is very intense and will leave you on the edge of your seat.

For anyone who enjoys reading about the lives of the Uber rich and famous, the exotic vacations and indulgiances, and a good who did it, this book is for you. I highly recommend this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was a fan of the author’s first book so was excited for this one. Unfortunately the story moved quite slow and it was hard to keep track of all of the characters. The book could have been shorter with less descriptive text. The descriptions just seemed to go on and on and didn’t add much.

The book had A LOT of characters and switched between viewpoints. For me, it was too many characters to easily keep track of and I got confused on and off throughout the book.

There was also a lot of time spent talking about how awesome the club was rather then continuing the plot.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

“The Home Group” is opening another Celebrity Club. People are scrambling to get an invitation to the launch of the newest gem, the Island Home. Set off the English coast, it might be the best of the Homes” scattered around the world.
Staff is on high alert that any mistakes will mean termination. For thirty years, Ned and Adam Groom have ruled as the visionaries for clubs. It’s where celebrities spend days or weeks, where every need is a call away.
The brothers are practically twins but Adam has a conscious and Ned doesn’t. If Ned wants something he doesn’t care what it takes for him to get it. The expensive membership is no longer enough for him.
As the celebrities arrive, Ned has set his sights on four of the members. They each have a career-destroying secret. Ned’s price will bankrupt them but if they don’t pay, it could mean prison.
What he doesn’t know is that he may have pushed his prey into a corner, and they see the only thing that frees them is Ned’s death. Who’s standing at the end?
I liked the “Vanity Fair” articles sprinkled throughout the book. The problem is that there were too many characters. Staff members, and townspeople against the club, made the book feel like a TV serial.
Copy received from Netgalley for review
Review posted on Goodreads.

This book was solid. I didn't really connect to it very much with the characters or setting but. I was still hooked trying to figure out the ending.

For me, there were too many characters to keep track of so I think that was part of the reason I couldn't fully connect.

Really not for me the book was kind all over the place and hard to keep up with. It might have just been me but I just couldn’t keep up with the characters and I found myself going back alot

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback/review.

The premise of The Club is a super high profile, super elite club that is absolutely drenched in drugs, sex, and secrets. Add to that a sprinkling of murder and my interests were immediately piqued.

I started reading this one on a plane, and perhaps that wasn't the best environment for me to start reading as I find it easy to get distracted while hurtling through the air in a metal tube. There are so many characters in this novel that you really have to be paying attention and tracking each one (seriously, notes would help) to keep up with the plot. It bounces from person to person and timeline to timeline so quickly that I found myself lost and having to back up and re-read many times.

The intrigue of a murder at an elite club soon hit the 'meh' point for me, as I realize there were quite literally no redeemable main players in this game. That, combined with the overabundance of characters made this one a hard one for me to finish. I think if the POVs had been narrowed to two, maybe three tops, it would have been easier to become invested in the story.

It was enjoyable, but it was not for me.

It sucks you in right from the beginning then the story seems to slow down a lot with a lot of back story and celebrity gossip. An over all good slow burn mystery vibe for me, not so much the fast pace thriller vibe I was anticipating.

The plot was slow, with many characters I couldn’t see the importance of, nor care about, at the time they were introduced. As a result I was not invested in this book. The climax was meant to be thrilling, but because I lacked interest my reaction was to the twists were ho-hum. Thank you to Harper and Netgalley for the arc.