The Rose Code was my favorite book from last year so I was beyond excited to read the author's newest. The Briar Club was unlike other books I've read by her but I enjoyed it just as much. I was unsure how to rate it as some of the "parts" were slower and not as interesting to me, but as a whole I loved it and it had a banger of an ending.

The story is set at a women's boarding house in 1950s Washington D.C.. The story of each tenant (plus the landlady's son) is told in parts, which are essentially long chapters. In between, through the perspective of the sentient Briarwood House, we are given small parts of the present day story/mystery - a murder has been committed and it's not until the end that we find out the full story of all the tenants and what happened that fateful evening.

This was largely a character driven story with all of them being unique and endearing in their own way. I loved Thursday night Briarwood supper club night and the way all the ladies formed a close friendship. There's a lot of 1950s pop culture and world news references (I Love Lucy, Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest, McCarthyism, the Korean War, and much more) and in the author's Historical Note at the end, she explains the accuracy and/or if the timeline matched for a lot of what's included in the book.

This comes out this Tuesday the 9th! Definitely add it to your TBR if you like stories of female friendships and historical fiction with a sprinkle of murder mystery.

Tenants in a boarding house befriend one another during the McCarthy Era in Washington D.C. This novel details events that unfold in an ALL female boarding house run by a single mom with teenage children. Broken into parts, we learn of two murders and the events leading-up to the deaths in the house. The Briar Club provides perspective into life in the 50's and threat of communism in the US.

This character driven story is a slow-burn, culminating to an epic conclusion where tenants lives intersect and secrets are revealed. The level of research is impeccable, the character growth into a found family was heartwarming. Briarwood house empowers these women to stand-up for themselves, trust in others and to find their place in the world.

Thank you, William Morrow

Thank you for the chance to read this book early!

I used to count Kate Quinn as one of my favourite historical fiction authors, but I have only really loved 2 of her books, and since then they have been going downhill for me, This time period/concept didn't intrigue me as much as some of her other settings, but I decided to give it a try and just never got invested.

The way this was written with little vignettes about a murder and in between a long section following each individual character made it really hard to get invested or enjoy the reading experience. I just never got into the story and don't think this was her best book.

Briar House is a boardinghouse for women in 1950s Washington DC during the McCarthy era. The eight women residents portray the varying attitudes and mores of the time. The house itself intermittently “speaks.” Each of the eight chapters (yes, only eight long chapters) is devoted to each woman. The reader experiences the narrative through the eight vastly different viewpoints including all the discrimination of the time. The book opens with the knowledge that there is a dead body in the house. Someone has been murdered. That person is not identified until very nearly the end. The house’s “voice” is atmospheric and adds a layer. Kate Quinn has, as usual, given us historical fiction that we’ll want to talk about, even if the pace is a bit slower than usual. I was totally drawn in and look forward to suggesting this a s a book club read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Kate Quinn's work. I have read all of her more recent novels, with The Alice Network being one of my top five favorite books of all time. The was so delighted to read The Briar Club and it definitely did not disappoint.

This story takes place in the 1950's amidst the height of McCarthyism and follows each of the residents of the Briarwood Boarding House for Women. Each chapter focuses on a different tenant and tells their story while also being interconnected to the other tenants. This book reads very differently than her previous books and is considerably more low stakes (something which the author even acknowledges in her Authors Note). I love this storytelling departure and found The Briar Club to be more engrossing at a character development level. I truly feel as if I know every member of that boarding house and will be thinking about them for years to come. This book even has elements of mystery and twists, all while being true to Kate Quinn's signature writing style and voice.

This was... slightly boring. It takes a loooong time to start picking up. You'll have to slog through a ton of thirteen year old Pete's teenage fantasies and views on women before you get to the actual whodunit murder.

I was super intrigued by the mini chapters where the focus is on Briarwood House. It's a third person limited narration with the actual house as the star. I thought this was a neat, fresh concept and was a point of view I've never encountered before. It gave the book a spooky ominous vibe.

Overall, this was meh for me. Kind of boring, but since it's Kate Quinn it's automatically worth reading. Her writing is pretty yet concise, and she really takes you into characters' minds, even a house.

I always enjoy Quinn's attention to women at periods in history when they were not likely to be take overly seriously. I will say that I think I was able to figure out our main diva's role and secret fairly early in the book. She was written in a way that the reader could only be like "okay, there's been specialized training there". I also particularly liked the interstitial narrations from the house itself, and the diversity of the characters.

Thank you @williammorrowbooks #partner for making my dreams come true and sending me an early advanced reader copy.

Kate is one of my top all time favorite candidates-do-no-wrong authors that I will automatically buy no matter what. She is the queen of finding such amazing women and ideas to write about and this book just solidifies once again why I will forever read her books. This book is so rich with such wonderful people and ended up being one of my favorite tropes, found family. 🫶 I actually thought this book felt a bit different from her others that I have read over the years but different in a good way. Within the first few pages of this book I was completely absorbed and captivated by the womens boarding house called Briarwood. Each character has their own story and although there are a lot of characters in this novel, Kate flawlessly writes them so uniquely it was easy to keep everyone straight. I loved how everyone came from different backgrounds and places yet each found their place in this story! I also enjoyed how the book started out with a murder and then then slowly led up to what actually happened in between the rest of the story. Like I said, this book was perfectly executed, an easy 5 star and will keep me coming back for more. Do not miss the authors note in this one! It makes the story that much more interesting to think about!

Thank you so much to William Morrow for the gifted book!

This book started off SO WELL! It's basically a murder mystery from the first page and I was SO excited for how instantly drawn in I was. When a body is found in a women's boarding home in 1954, you know it's' going to be a crazy story!

The book starts out during Thanksgiving of 1954 and then is told mostly in flashbacks. Each flashback chapter is centered around one of the characters in the home and all of those chapters are LONG! To give you an idea how long, the book is 430 pages and there are only 9 chapters! There are very short chapters in-between each long chapter called "interstitials". Those chapters were definitely my favorite part because they dealt with the murdered woman in the house.

Of all the character's chapters, I really only felt connected to Nora and Fliss. Nora's chapter was incredibly well-written and I was CAPTIVATED the entire time. Since that was only chapter 2, I had extremely high hopes for the rest of the book. If that chapter was a stand-a-lone book (which it almost could be), I would rate it 5+ stars!

Unfortunately, all the other character's chapters dragged for me and I didn't need 50ish pages on each one of them, especially when it didn't always directly relate to the story I was most concerned with: the murder on Thanksgiving in 1954. I hate to complain about the length of a book since that's something that is easily known going into reading a book, but in this case so much of the character's background was just not necessary and could have been easily enjoyed had it been cut down to a 3oo page book.

This is the lowest I've ever rated a Kate Quinn book, but it just didn't work for me like I hoped it would! I'm still going to read what she puts out next!

A departure from a typical Kate Quinn book, but a good read, nonetheless.

In a cheap boarding house in 1950s Washington D.C., an eclectic group of women form friendships, keep secrets, and live their lives until one violent night changes everything.

Having read some of Kate Quinn's historical fiction books, I was expecting something along those lines. The Briar Club is very different. The book is more character driven than plot driven.

The book opens with a body being found in one of the rooms, but we do not learn who it is. Each subsequent chapter is told through the POV of a different character. The ladies who live in Briarwood House are an eclectic group of women, each with her own story and secret.

There were definitely some characters I liked better than others, meaning that I enjoyed some chapters more than others. The chapters were very long, as a character's story was told in each one, and each chapter also contained a recipe, which was interesting.

The setting in 1950s Washington D.C. made a good backdrop for the story. There are lots of historical references, with the main one being McCarthy's Red Scare.

If you like character driven books with a twist, I'd recommend this one.

A delectable novel set in a fascinating time in history. I love a good ensemble cast, and Kate Quinn knocks it out of the park with this one. Each section narrated by a different character, each one building on and enlightening the ones before and after it. So cleverly crafted, bringing us to a nail-biting climactic reveal. But what really sets this novel apart is the depth of character, the way their interactions change and uplift them, and the ultimate takeaway that community and friendship are what we really have in this world--no matter how divisive politics and the media can be. I loved it.

It’s 1950’s Washington, D.C. and Grace March has just moved into the tiny attic of the Briarwood women’s boarding house where the landlord is nosy and the rules are strict. Grace brings the hodgepodge group of tenants together for Thursday night suppers (when the landlord is at her bridge club) and the Briar Club is born. Each chapter, narrated by a different tenant, reveals more clues about the people and mystery at hand. Recommended for historical fiction fans who want a storyline they haven’t read before.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this story, so, at this time, I do not feel that I am able to give it an accurate review. I have seen many rave reviews and am a big fan of Kate Quinn, so I will need to come back to it.

I really enjoyed the journey of this one! The Briar Club follows Grace, Fliss, Nora, Beatrice, and Arlene, all residents of a boardinghouse in Washington D.C. in 1950. Each character had their own chapter, which kind of felt like mini books within this book. I was fascinated with their stories, and inspired by the challenges they overcame. This was a very powerful story about female friendships and I found myself loving and embracing each character even with their flaws. They were real, vulnerable, and unique and I loved getting to know all of them as their friendships blossomed. And to make this book better…I loved the thrilling mystery aspect woven throughout the story. It added a layer of suspense and the tension got REAL at the end!

Overall, I thought this book was well executed and kept me engaged despite the slow burn/long chapters. I think if you go in prepared that this is a long book with long chapters, then you will enjoy the journey. It’s not a book you can read in one sitting. Each character has her own story to tell and it was a pleasure reading about each one!

Also don’t skip out on the author’s note at the end!

If you are a fan of Kristin Hannah, be sure to add this one to your TRB!

I really enjoyed this historical fiction book about female friendships in a boardinghouse in Washington DC during the McCarthy era. The book is broken into several parts with a short chapter in between each section from the point of view of the house. It starts with a murder and many suspects and then breaks into what each had been doing up to the time of the event. It was a very entertaining story and I give it 4 1/2 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow Publishing for the digital ARC!

Kate Quinn takes readers inside a 1950 Washington, D.C. home called Briarwood House where a group of women rent cramped rooms on different floors but share one bathroom. We are shown in the first few pages a murder has happened but first we learn of the buildup to the killing. All the women have ho-hum jobs as they try to save money as the Communist Red Scare sweeps the country. When charismatic 30-something Grace March rents a fourth-floor room, she immediately forms pot-luck dinners and the women begin to bond. That said, each of the women withhold secrets about their current and past problems. This is a fine mix of historical fiction laced around a whodunit. Hint: The Briar Club would be a super choice for book clubs.

I couldn't wait to start this book and when the ARC became available I was beyond thrilled. Putting all other books aside I picked up my Nook and began reading, and reading. The beginning hooked me but, then that was it. The pacing was slow, the chapters overly long. I honestly, didn't see the purpose of the recipes being included into the story, they should have been a little extra treat at the end of the book. The different POV's were interesting but didn't grabbed my attention as much as the beginning had.


Thank you to NetGalley and to William Morrow for giving me a copy of the book.

A thoroughly enjoyable historical novel with great characters and lots of real history incorporated into the story. Loved the pages at the end that the author dedicated to each character and the real life people each was based on.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.

If you love historical fiction, you are going to want to grab this upcoming release by Kate Quinn. While it took me a short bit to become invested in the story, once I was hooked, I was all in!

This book is set during the early 1950s at a women's boardinghouse in Washington DC. You have the backdrop of McCarthyism (the Red Scare), the Korean War, and the shifting attitudes about women who are trying to find their place at work and home as life has returned to somewhat normal post-WW2. The story opens in 1954 with two murdered women in the boardinghouse. Readers do not immediately know who they are until the story begins to unfold. Each chapter/part focuses on one individual boarder, her life, and how she interacts with others. Sometimes this involves flashing back to 1950 or so.

Kate Quinn can write multiple POVs and timelines with relative ease it seems. When you get close to the end and the little twist, you see the big picture behind the book. Additionally, and I thought this was kind of clever, the house is sentient and tells pieces of the story. This device is used between parts to connect one woman's story to another's. I liked it- it worked for me, but I can maybe see where it won't work for all readers.

Great read!

I throughly enjoyed this book! I love historical fiction. This was my first Kate Quinn book and I truly adored it. I had never read a book that took place during this time period and I learned a lot. There were so many different POVs but each character had really clear voices. Looking forward to reading more Kate Quinn books.