I love a good domestic thriller and this book was just that. It was a great read from the get go and I really enjoyed how it all unfolded. If you love domestic thrillers, I recommend this one.

Another page turner by the magnificent Fiona Lowe. Money is a thing that Izzy and her husband are never short of until he disappears. A elect group of characters to meet.

This was a slow burn domestic mystery novel with a cast of horrible characters!

I thought the way Lowe focussed on three particular women and their relationships was an interesting concept, with some eventual development between them all.

The Australian small community setting was good too, because it helped to feel more authentic - like anyone could fall for this con!

Loved this read thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley.
Izzy is packed and ready to leave her fiance, she is just waiting for him to get home so she can break the news to him. But it's not his car that arrives, it's the Police and Brad is missing after stealing millions from family and friends leaving Izzy to face the music.
Trying to get her life back on track, Izzy finds strength in new friends but could that be placed in further jeopardy when Brad is found?

This book is beautifully written, with heart and family front and centre! A perfect reminder that money is never more important than family and friends!
I loved the mix of old and young, all faced with their hopes and dreams falling apart as life savings are stolen. How do we cope with tragedy and loss, we find help where we least expect it!
The characters are all likeable and stronger than they ever knew, helping each other and forming unlikely bonds. Fiona Lowe is fabulous at revealing the high emotions, the strength that is within us all and the warmth of a listening ear!
A truly heartwarming story, I highly recommend this book and author!

My thanks to Harlequin, Netgalley and the fabulous Fiona Lowe for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is another awesome, brilliant story from master story teller Fiona Lowe, this story is set in the small town of Glingilly where the residents know each other and mix at the local club, Izzy Harrington lives with her partner Brad Quinn, Brad has grown up here and is well known and is very popular with the residents, until, he isn’t.

Izzy can feel their relationship changing as Brad jet sets around the world and insists that she dresses to the nines as she runs the events for The Elite Club he runs, nothing but the best, but Izzy is waiting with her bags packed and ready to leave him he was due home an hour ago but the only arrivals are very angry men pounding on the door and the police, they want Brad and Izzy has no idea where he is.

Many families including Birdie and Mike Essen, their son and daughter in law Jack and Lucy Essen along with lots other residents have been members of the Elite and Fortune Club and now the money is gone, these people have lost everything, and they are after their money with Brad’s parents Judy and Bevan out of town they go after Izzy.

Fiona Lowe has dug deep into the lives of these people who have lost everything they had been working for, some might say it was greed others doing their best to make sure they had the best in life and retirement, health is affected, friendships and family as the people of Glingilly struggle and search for answers to where their money has gone, the stress levels are high and you can feel their pain every turn of the page.

This is compelling reading, a book that was so hard to put down, I felt so close to these characters the emotions running high, you could feel the pain as people’s hearts were broken but it also shows the strength and determination to go one and find the truth even if they might not get their money.
I do highly recommend this book but make sure you have nothing because you won’t want to put it down once you have picked it up, MS Lowe you rock this story is excellent. The ending is so very good.

My thanks to Harlequin AU and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review

Izzy’s husband, Brad, doesn’t return home one night after work. With the police getting involved and multiple others hounding Izzy about money Brad owes them, Izzy doesn’t know what to do. As secret after secret is revealed, Izzy comes to realize her husband isn’t at all who she thought he was.

WOW is all I have to say about this book! I was hooked right from the start and had my jaw drop several times throughout. Entertaining til the end, this was a great read. I’m excited to explore Fiona Lowe’s backlist now, as this was my first book of hers.

Reading this book at the start was a bit like waiting for a train wreak to happen, I was quite uncomfortable with it all. Knowing how suddenly things go can go awol and just maybe, that old saying ‘If it looks too good to be true, it probably isn’t’ should be something we all remember.
This story starts with a group of people learning that their investments have suddenly disappeared, as has Brad, the person who was investing their money and someone they had all trusted. The group is varied including a couple close to retirement and their son and his wife, who have taken out a personal loan to invest and Brad’s fiancée Izzy.
The story centres around these people as they grapple with their new tenuous, financial situation. Life is turned up side down, health suffers, relationships are put under strain.
I really enjoyed this book, once again Fiona Lowe portrays community well. I really felt for these characters, who put their trust in friends. A very satisreaf.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

The Money Club is  another thought provoking book from Fiona Lowe. To some extent we all like money, but how far would we go to grow our money, how much risk would we take. And what about if it looks too good to be true! Some of the people in this book find out.

Izzy is a wonderful character, taken for a ride by her fiancé Brad who has red lights flashing all around him. He is promoting a scheme for lots of local people to invest with him, but what happens when it all goes pear shaped? It brings a lot of distress and questioning from those who were involved in giving their money to Brad.  And of course the police are knocking on Izzy's door, because Brad has disappeared.

There are characters I didn't like at the beginning but as they began to re assess their values and what they really wanted out of life, I began to think differently of them. I liked the small town feel, the relationships that built and the ones that broke.

I was engrossed in the story and found it well paced and engaging. I was happy with most of the book but had questions about the those who had engineered the scam. I wanted more about the ugly goings on in the background that stayed in the background.

However ultimately I felt this was a book about victims standing up for themselves and getting on with their lives rather than wallowing in the bad things that happened to them.

Fiona Lowe is an auto read for me, so I was beyond excited to receive an early reading copy of The Money Club. I was instantly taken down the rabbit hole of fraud and Ponzie schemes. The Money Club had me wrapt around it’s little finger for the duration as we saw the fallout of families involved in this financial crisis.

I was intrigued by the whole scenario of this book and loved the way the story came together and how from a tragedy such as this there can be light at the end of the tunnel. The character development was next level but I would not expect any thing else from Fiona Lowe, it is an art she has perfected! I felt their pain, I lived their lives with them, and I felt like I knew each and every character.

The Money Club was a thought provoking read and had me eager to pick it up again every time I put it down. This situation can happen to anyone, and I think that is what made it so relatable. A must read and one I highly recommend, 5 big stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia and of course Fiona Lowe for this advanced copy.

This book was SO hard to put down, I was in pretty much from the start.
Set in South West Victoria (apparently based on Koroit) the fictional town of Glingilly is a thriving little community. However, when a group of people from this community opt into a financial scheme run by a local financier that promises great dividends it almost seems to good to be true.
Brad Quinn lives a jet setting life, fast cars, big house, international holidays and a beautiful fiancé, Izzy. But is this a facade? The story starts with Izzy planning to leave Brad when the police show up. It then goes back a few months to look at Jack and Lucy a young couple working hard to discharge their mortgage so Jack can give up his FIFO job and stay home. Jack's parents, Mick and Birdie who are saving hard so that when Mick finally retires they can enjoy a long planned trip around Australia as grey nomads.
When Brad disappears, savings are lost, loans are forfeited, health suffers and a community is left very, very angry with each other.
Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the opportunity to read this digital ARC,

Thoroughly enjoyed this story about friendships, betrayal and new beginnings. It is a story of a group of friends who are duped in a ponzi scam. They lose their life savings and have major changes and challenges to face as a result.
The characters are well rounded and although frustrating at times behaved in a manner that was realistic of the experiences they were having. Lucy and Birdie in particular had the most stressful circumstances to deal with.
Would have loved a bit more of a comeuppance for Bevan at the end of the story but otherwise I love the way it wrapped up.

Izzy Harrington lives with her fiancé Brad Quinn in Glingilly, he’s a successful entrepreneur and businessman. Izzy is waiting for Brad to come home, he’s late and Izzy has her bags packed and she’s going to tell him their relationship is over. Izzy hasn’t been happy for a while, Brad refuses to go to couples counseling, she feels like a beautiful ornament and Brad likes to show her off, and he doesn’t take her seriously.

Suddenly, people are knocking on the front door demanding to see Brad, when the local police arrive and a city detective, Izzy braces herself for bad news. It’s not what she’s expecting, they think Brad has done a runner with his client’s money, and because Izzy has her luggage sitting by the door and they assume she’s going to meet up with him?

Izzy has nothing to do with Brad’s business dealings, she’s offered to help him and he always gives her the brush off. Brad’s running two investment schemes, Elite and Fortune, and Brad’s family, childhood friends and their parents have all invested. People are waiting out at the front of Villefranche, with no sign of Brad and they hurl abuse at Izzy and she’s scared. The search for Brad is ramped up, his parents Bevan and Judy have no idea where he is and they were away at a health retreat when he disappeared? Izzy starts looking back at her extravagant lifestyle with Brad, she trusted him with her own money as well and she’s a victim.

Caught up in the scheme are, Mike, Birdie, Jack and Lucy Essen. The Essen and Quinn families have been friends for decades, Mike and Birdie have lost their superannuation and Jack and Lucy’s house is on the line. When people are faced with the pressure of financial ruin, they go through stages and the stress has drastic consequences. Their future is no longer secure, retirement plans are cancelled, for the first time they have trouble paying their utility bills and mortgage, and it has a major impact on their mental and physical health and relationships.

I received a copy of The Money Club by Fiona Lowe, from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review. Once again Ms. Lowe has delivered an interesting, thought provoking and relatable story, it makes you consider the awful position the main characters are in, do they have any chance of getting their money back and I felt so sorry for them. A narrative about money, greed, lies, loss, deception, pressure, conflict, blame, get rich quick schemes, a mysterious disappearance and is Brad the only one involved? Five stars from me, I highly recommend The Money Club, it's packed full of drama and the authors previous book, A family of Strangers.

I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down.
The events in this book happen in real life and it was interesting to see how these characters coped with the fallout.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

Sneak Peek
The Money Club

By: @
Out: 03.05.23
Buy: https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781867246985/the-money-club

Synopsis
Swipe for Synopsis

My thoughts
I really enjoy Fiona’s books as they cover interesting and difficult topics well, have very engaging characters, explore messy family dynamics and have friendships between different women of different generations. The Money Club doesn’t disappoint.

The story follows a couple of different families and the fall out of a Ponzi scheme. We get to see the affects on two couple- one approaching retirement and the other a couple starting out and trying to keen on top of their mortgage repayments for their dream home. It was particularly interesting to see that prices have risen so much that even smaller towns are becoming unaffordable. Both couples (who are related to each other) were portrayed as honest, hardworking and likable. You really felt bad for them. I admit I’m fairly conservative when it comes to money and investments and there were times I was telling them not to get involved!

I also liked that the other side of the coin was shown with Brad’s fiancé and parents. How much did they know, were they involved and is there more to the story? I ended up liking all three of the main female characters. I was instantly drawn to Lucy and found her very relatable. It did take me a bit longer to warm to Izzy and Birdie and I enjoyed seeing Izzy’s change over the novel. The support and friendship that developed over the novel was lovely. Without going into spoilers there may be some parts of the plot that people find triggering.

You’re drawn in immediately with the prologue and continues to be engaging the whole way along. It was nice to revisit the characters a couple of years later in the epilogue. Another fabulous read from Lowe.

This was a bit of an emotional roller coaster! The story opens with Izzy finding out her fiancé Brad is missing, and so is the $23 million that their family & friends have invested with him. We then get to see the build up to this - seeing how he sucked people in & fobbing them off when they asked questions. I knew the crash was coming but it was still a gut punch seeing it play out. I was drawn into the lives of everyone in Glingully, especially the three main characters. Izzy, Lucy & Birdie are strong women, and this has lead to clashes in the past. However, I really enjoyed seeing their relationships change over time, and how they came to support each other. This book in many ways is understated, but I found it to be a well crafted story about people just wanting to get ahead financially and having the misfortune to get involved with someone who did not have their best interests at heart. Come for the story of a Ponzi scheme affecting a small community but stay for a story of strength, survival & friendship in the same community.

“The Money Club” is another outstanding novel from Fiona Lowe. Lowe specialises in putting her characters in slightly unusual – but usually not outrageous – positions, and using that to explore relationships in empathetic depth. I often find that the over-arching feeling of her novels is warmth.

Izzy’s partner Brad is an entrepreneur, a successful one who likes to show off the material benefits of his success. Izzy doesn’t really mind; the house might be a bit big for them, and the entertaining a strain, but she loves the designer clothes and the travel. However, it’s become clear that the emotional side of their relationship isn’t working for her any longer. Izzy is planning to leave.

But before she can, the police are on her doorstep. Brad is missing, and so are millions of dollars. The police and their neighbours are labelling him a scammer, and they’re looking at Izzy as if she actively participated. Izzy is frantic; she needs to find Brad.

While not many people are going to have to deal with this exact scenario, the feeling of being ostracised from your community, or blamed for someone else’s behaviour, or of being blind sided by a scandal, are all unfortunately far more common. Izzy is a very sympathetic character, in part because we realise very early that she’s innocent of pretty much everything she’s being accused of. She’s in an awful situation, and there doesn’t seem to be any way out.

The novel also focuses on a number of Brad’s victims. In particular, Birdie and her daughter in law Lucy. Birdie and her husband Mike were about to embark on a long and lovingly planned retirement when Brad disappears with their life savings. Her son Jack and his wife Lucy are also ruined. Birdie has always considered Lucy a spendthrift, and blames her (not Jack) for the loss.

Birdie is, frankly, a pretty unattractive character. She’s judgemental, unkind, and often rude. Still, Lowe draws the reader to have considerable sympathy for her by showing the enormous impact of her loss: a loss that goes far beyond money.

Lucy is far more sympathetic. She’s also imperfect, but her problems seem less self inflicted: wages that don’t match the cost of living despite constant hard work; the challenges of parenting; a FIFO husband; and a difficult mother in law.

To me Izzy and Lucy are the centre of this novel: victim and victimiser, or is it victim and victim? Their explorations of who they are and what they want in life, and how they plan to get there are what makes this novel compelling. Each is entirely understandable to the reader (although Lucy’s problems are a little more everyday than Izzy’s).

As you would expect from Fiona Lowe, this is well written. It flows smoothly, the action is well paced, and my interest never flagged. Each character is vivid and life like, with their particular strengths and weaknesses well drawn.

I always anticipate an entertaining, thought provoking read from Lowe, and she hasn’t let me down here. This is a great read with enough meat to engage your mind as well as your heart. If it isn’t clear: strongly recommended.

This is a somewhat gripping tale of greed, money and what goes wrong when the high life isn't as high as you expected.

But at 508 pages it is far too long and drawn out and would have enjoyed it much more if it was a bit shorter. The story itself is good and interesting, and for the most part kept my interest. The characters you can imagine being real and money of course has its good and its bad...

There is a lot in this book and it does take time to read it all and get your head around it. It is entertaining and interesting and I liked the ending (when I finally got there.

A good book but not a favourite for me as it took far to long to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am a fan of Fiona Lowe and I thought this novel was very intriguing and engaging. Set in a small Australian town, it tells the story of several average families involved in a money making horse racing syndicate. There is a young family trying to get ahead , retirees trying to make the most of their superannuation and the couple running the syndicate. Through the giddy ups and the terrible downs they learn a lot about themselves and each other. This is a great read. Thanks to Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

As someone with an avid interest in this Melissa caddick case- this was right up my alley!! Izzy Harrington is regarded as a “princess”, pampered by her fiancé Brad and his enormous wealth, all brought in by his investment scheme. Brad, has recruited all their friends and family in, promising huge returns on their hard earned cash. Brad’s nearest and dearest are reaping the rewards of their choices enjoying the finer things in life, more and more, even taking out loans to maximise their stake.

It isn’t until someone wants some of their money back, that it all starts to unravel. Izzy is waiting at home for brad to return, to tell him that they are over and she’s leaving, when the police arrive questioning her. Izzy is confused, where is brad and why are they checking if he has taken his passport??

A story of wealth, betrayal and small town antics, proving that sometimes money can make or break relationships.

Fiona Lowe never disappoints, you can immerse yourself in her story without realising hours have gone past and it’s now 3am!! Well worth the read.