I wanted to enjoy this book, but it just didn’t do it for me. The characters were okay but I just didn’t feel invested..

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a beach read. All guilty pleasures: fame, murder, blackmail. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, so you definitely need to stay focused on the characters and how they fit into the story.

3.5

I did not finish the novel and I couldn’t push myself to do so. The characters were unlikeable and I couldn’t get into the story.

This was great fun! It’s an entertaining romp into the lives and lies of the rich and famous, with a murder mystery that keeps it coming! When Hollywood is taking itself so seriously, I loved this in-your-lying-face novel! Well done to the authors and thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy. I loved it! 4.5 stars

Oh Reese . . . .

Your book club selections often leave much to be desired : (

I really dug People Like Her, but this one was just crap. The premise here is about – you guessed it – a club.
The grand opening of the newest branch of “Home” – an exclusive getaway for the rich and famous – that ends up with a body count.

Sounds okay, right? Like a yummy trashy mindless sort of vacation from your problems? Yeah. Well, it sucked. It lost me immediately when the “island” this new supposedly fabulous resort was set on was off the coast of Jolly Ol’ England. WTF? It never stops being winter here. I wanted a sweet escape to the tropics. But setting aside, notes to myself included . . . .

“Meh. Who cares? All of these people can get killed at this point”

and

“Lame”

and

“Snore. This could have been pizzagate – not this boring shit”

and

“Duuuuuuummmmmmmb”

and

“So stupid”

Obviously your mileage may vary. The cover sucked me in, but I thought the content was just turrrrrrrible (™Sir Charles Barkley).

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the gifted copy. I adore the cover of this book!

Unfortunately, I was never able to fully get into the The Club. I may not have liked this book as much as I would have hoped, but I think the idea of a murder at a celebrity club is thrilling. I went into this book without reading the reviews or the synopsis, so The Club was a complete mystery to me. I found the multiple POVs/narrators a bit overwhelming at times.

Thank you to Harper and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

The Home Group is easily the most exclusive club in the world. With locations all over the world, the most elite of the world are eagerly waiting for the newest club to open. Island Home is being opened on a small island off the coast of England. While the ultra-rich are making their way to the Island Home, there is a tense undercurrent running through the staff. The owner, Ned, is difficult to work for, but that doesn't stop the best talent in the hospitality industry to seek jobs working for him. Including Jess, a young lady who was a last-minute replacement for the Head of Housekeeping. She has her own reasons for wanting to be at Home. Nikki and Annie have both been with Ned for decades. They both have their reasons for putting up with his tantrums and his manipulations. Adam is Ned's brother and has lived in his shadow for far too long. His role is perfunctory at best, but Adam had a desire for something more. And here it is, opening weekend for his most ambitious property to date and Ned has gone missing. Did Ned really just decide to leave the island or has something more sinister happened to him?


I really enjoyed The Club. Island Home, as described by the author, appears to be one of the most luxurious resorts on the planet. There is no one "main character." The story is told by multiple narrators, Jess, Annie, and Nikki. And even Adam takes his turn at being a narrator. Each of them has a different interpretation of Ned, but it is clear that Ned is a dick. As the story continues, it revealed more about why each of them is still with Ned. And some of those are secrets so dark that they would destroy lives if revealed. When the truth is revealed, it is equally shocking and heartbreaking. But definitely satisfying. I thought the end was well done.

Bottom Line - Just because someone has wealth and power, it does not mean that they have happiness. The Club is the perfect example of what happens when people forsake all for pursuing wealth.

Details:
The Club by Ellery Lloyd
On Instagram
Pages: 320
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: 3/1/2022
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley!

I wanted to love this one because the premise had me so interested! Unfortunately, I felt like the plot fell a bit short for me. I did love the descriptiveness of the characters, Lloyd does a great job of really bringing a character to life.

I loved the premise of the story and thought it had potential. I sadly couldn’t finish this story. Makes me very sad because again, it had potential. I kept losing interest and had to put the book down for a bit. I hope that Ellery Lloyd’s next book is better at taking the reader through the story and not stay stagnant.

This is the first book I've read by this author's, and honestly I was expecting more. I definitely enjoyed reading this one, but I think my expectations were a bit too high. I did like the idea of places rich people could go for anonymity, it's a very interesting concept.

I really like the descriptive writing style associated with the characters. The multiple points of view helped me get more invested into the characters, than I would have been otherwise. I feel like most were written to be characters you love to hate, and that worked well.

I can see this book being for fans of seeing how the "other half" live. I found the plot wonderful, though a bit lacking in certain parts. Overall I enjoyed this one and would give this author another go.

Ellery Lloyd does it again. Not quite as strong as her debut, but definitely still a worthwhile read!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Club. Unfortunately, this one was just not for me. I tried to be interested in any of the characters but for whatever reason I just did not connect. I gave up at about 20%.

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for my gifted DRC!

Ned Groom is the CEO of Home Group- an exclusive members-only club with locations around the globe that caters to the elite. The latest (and most expensive) iteration of his vision has come to fruition in Island Home, and Ned has spared no expense for the new location’s weekend launch party. Despite his best efforts, however, chaos reigns supreme at Island Home, and not everyone will make it out of the weekend alive.

This story is told through alternating viewpoints of four of the main characters, as well as a news article that chronicles the occurrences at Island Home. While it was fun to read about the glitz and the glamor of the club, I had a difficult time delving beneath the surface and connecting with any of the characters. They aren’t that great of people, which usually doesn’t bother me, but I couldn’t find anyone to root for. I also felt as if I were treading familiar ground with this one; I kept getting NINE PERFECT STRANGERS meets THE GUEST LIST vibes.

I most enjoyed the portions of the book dedicated to the news article. I think I would have found an epistolary approach to this novel more exciting/interesting.

An elite club where only members can travel to and it is difficult to get to- who wouldn’t want to be a member? The only problem is that now there are people dead and no one knows who has died. There are so many secrets that come out and the story has many twists. My only problem with it was that it was confusing at times, otherwise a great read.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

It's a club you wouldn't want to join....

There's something mysterious hidden in the club that every members is willing to pay a fortune just to renew their memberships but little did the others know that there is a rotten reason why they had to.

I like how the characters are somewhat connected to each other and I kind of predicted who were the missing persons. The book was slowly revealed what were their reasons and what they can do in order to protect their own reputations. It was definitely a great read and it was time first read from the author, I look forward to more of their works.

Okay WOAH. The absolute twist and turns this book took, I was not expecting it at all. Not at all what I thought the outcome of this thriller would be! My only critique is that some chapters felt really heavy on fluff that wasn't necessary to further the plot in my opinion. But overall, I really enjoyed this thriller and would recommend it. It gave me a similar feeling as Daisy Jones and the Six or Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the sense that these characters felt like real celebrities that I know.

I was beyond excited to dive into The Club as I did enjoy their previous book. This one kinda lost me. SO many characters and I didn’t really like or care about any of them. That being said I thought the premise was fun and if you line twisty Hollywood vibes, this one could be for you.

I was surprised by some of the crazy twists but just didn’t love it by that point so wasn’t totally invested. I would def read more by this writing duo for sure though. Not every book is for everybody.

It was still a fun ride.

The Club took me a few chapters to get into. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and the overall story of secrets from the past / getting revenge seemed to be overplayed. Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of this book.

The club was a suspenseful tale, told in multiple point of views and flashing back between past and present. The plot was interesting, holding my attention captive, with multiple plot twists, including ones I didn't see coming. I immensely enjoyed the flashbacks and I could not put this book down.

This book is my second by Ellery Lloyd and I am so thankful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Club.
Unfortunately, the premise of the book is more exciting than the actual story as it unfolds. When you combine celebrity obsessed culture with a spin on Agatha Christie, it seems foolproof! In this novel, however, the suspense wasn’t there. I never felt connected to the characters and had a hard time getting into the story.