“I went on a weird drug trip to clarify/alter reality” is one of my least favorite plot devices in fiction, and it’s a shame this book chose that route because it could have been a good story if done slightly differently.

I think I would have liked this best reworked as a campus mystery entirely rooted in reality, but I also think there’s a way to use the time bending aspect of it successfully as well, and I wish the author had chosen to go more with magic than drugs to achieve that.

It’s a little hard to believe that any of these people did all this in the first place, and it’s REALLY hard to buy that they then went back and did it again. Guilt can do strange things to people, as can a need for closure and answers, but this still feels like a bridge too far and veers off into a lot of ridiculousness that doesn’t really add up.

I did like the way Harrison speaks about our time at college and friendships at that age, and I think she’s got a lot of talent as a writer. But the way this one shakes out is a bit of a let down.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑴𝑰𝑫𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 𝑪𝑳𝑼𝑩 𝒃𝒚 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒐 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏 was my work companion today. This cover initially drew me in and I love how perfect it fits the story.

This is a clever and mind bending tale with a group of people who reunite 25 years after the death of one of their Midnight Club members. They have a concoction that enables them to experience moments outside their timeline, and the goal in this reconnecting is to find answers about that night. The problem is, they all have memories that they'd like to keep private, and when the access to memory morphs into the ability to enact change, this trip can change everything.

I have to admit, I didn't read much of the synopsis when I requested this from @graydonhousebooks @htpbooks via @netgalley. I loved how it surprised me by going beyond the Dark Academia and coming-of-age, by adding some psychological suspense and time-travel aspects! This came out in September and I can't believe I waited to read this!

I definitely recommend this fun and engaging story!

I enjoyed this book. The plot was well thought of and kept me intrigued. The storyline was engaging and the characters were well developped. I was really invested in finding out who killed their friend. I wasn't a fan of the ending and it left me wanting to know what happened and it didn't provide the closure I wanted.

The novel follows a group of teenagers who form an exclusive club with a chilling tradition: meeting at midnight to tell ghost stories. Each story is more eerie than the last, but things take a sinister turn when one of the club members dies under mysterious circumstances, and the others begin to suspect that their tales may be more than just fiction.

Harrison does an excellent job of building tension throughout the book, mixing the supernatural elements with very real emotional stakes. The characters are well-developed, and their personal struggles and secrets make them relatable, which only heightens the suspense as the story unfolds. Themes of friendship, trust, and the haunting specters of the past are explored with depth and sensitivity.

One of the standout aspects of The Midnight Club is the way Harrison weaves the stories within the story. Each ghost story told by the club members serves as both a chilling narrative in its own right and a piece of the larger mystery surrounding the group's dynamics and the secrets they harbor.

The writing is atmospheric and eerie, creating a perfect setting for a book that’s both creepy and thought-provoking. Fans of psychological thrillers and ghost stories will enjoy this one, as it delivers on both thrills and heart.

Some of the mechanics in this book don't stand up to scrutiny. It was an interesting premise, enough so that I would read this author again, but the execution left something to be desired.

I really wanted to love The Midnight Club more than I did, though I still had a fun time with this one. The whole 'friends reuniting years later' trope can be very hit or miss and is one that seems hard to really nail. Unfortunately, I don't know that this was the biggest success on that front, but it still provided for an interesting overall story. This was a surprisingly riveting story that I was pretty hooked on the entire time, whether I was actively liking or not liking whatever was happening on the page, which to me is a testament to Harrison's writing. This book had a really unique and interesting premise that I enjoyed exploring with the characters we were introduced to. I went into this book pretty blind, so I was surprised by the time travel-type elements and was really worried it might derail this book. Fortunately, I found that aspect really fascinating with how it was incorporated and think it posed some really thought-provoking considerations. The ending was a little disappointing given everything that happens in the story and the build-up along the way, but overall I found this a perfectly enjoyable thriller and would certainly recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book sounded so good. Unfortunately it did not pay off for me. I would have enjoyed it more if the story slowed down and took more time to develop rather than having so many different things going on at once. I had a difficult time connecting to the characters and the writing. Overall, just felt very disjointed and hard to grasp for my taste. The overarching idea was interesting, it just didn't work out for me in the end.

The description of The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison sounds like a great setup for mysterious drama of emotions and memories while addressing broader philosophical questions. Unfortunately, I struggled with the book. The jumping timelines make it a challenge at times to follow the story and to invest in the characters. Sadly, much as I was intrigued by the concept, I find myself not the reader for this book.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/11/the-midnight-club.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher’s blog tour.

There was so much happening in this one, but it came together for a really exciting plot! I didn't connect with the characters quite as much as I would have liked to, but I'm certain this will be an easy sell in the store and I know a lot of customers are looking forward to it.

I loved this premise and how Harrison executed it. I was constantly stopping to re-read and ponder the ramifications of the decisions made and which way my decisions would go. This was unique and intensely readable.

Four friends from college reunite 25 years later. These four were brought together in college while working on a literary magazine when they discover a drug that allows them to memory travel. Their junior year, one of them is murdered. As they come back together, they revisit the past in more way than one and one of them has the goal of uncovering the mystery of their friend’s death.

I enjoyed the story, but parts of it felt a little too like other books I have read lately. The characters were a little unlikeable and I struggled with that.

Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House Publishing for this ARC.

📖: The Midnight Club-a standalone

✍️ By: Margot Harrison-a new to me author

📃 Page Count: 370 eBook

🗓️ Publication Date: 9-24- 24 | Read 10-31- 24

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House, and Margot Harrison for this ARC 🖤! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

🌎Setting: Dunstan, VT

Genre: Adult Fic, New Adult, Mystery/Suspense, Time Travel

Tropes: friendship group, murder mystery, amnesia, secret pregnancy, college reunion, alternate universe, Halloween

☝🏾POV: multiple- 3rd person

⚠️TW: cheating, drug use, suicide-mentioned, drowning, depression/therapy, bullying(h)

💭Summary: It's been Twenty-five years since the members of The Midnight Brunch Club at Dunstan College's literature magazine Dove-Cat have been all together. Sonia, Paul, and Byron receive an invitation from Sonia's college roommate Auraleigh. She wants to remember their deceased friend and fellow member Jennet. They are all introduced to a secret drug called "sog" that allows their minds to go into the past and see the future. As they take a trip down memory lane, their deepest secrets are revealed.

🚺 Heroine: Sonia -college professor in New Mexico, though her contract has not been renewed after ten years. Not married, no kids

🚹 Hero: Byron Orloff-getting divorced from wife Christa, has 2 kids Eliza and Rohan. Has a successful tech startup app. Dated Jennet

🎭Side cast

• Hayworth- did too much sog, now confused w/ past and future. He fell for Sonia and now wants to shut down Auraleigh's sog business.

• Paul Bretton-was an editor at the Dove-Cat, married to older man and writes for the New York Times.

• Auraleigh Lydgate- started a B&B in Dunstan to be closer to daughter. Blames herself for Jennet's death.

• Frances-Auraleigh's daughter who is a freshman @Dunstan. Currently not speaking to her mother who disapproves of her bf

• Jennifer "Jennet" Stark part of The Midnight Club died accidentally? at Dogssnout Falls.

• Garrett-works for Auraleigh at the memory spa. Ben Stark's son, Jennet's nephew

•Ben Stark-Jennet's brother who makes sog.

🤔My Thoughts: Most of the story was told from Sonia's POV whose memories were not very reliable. They all really had trouble with telling the truth as their memories had been altered by the drug. In the past Jennet was naive, and they all took advantage of her. Paul and Auraleigh had an elitist attitude, and it made me skeptical of their actions. I went back and forth between rooting for Sonia, Byron, and Hayworth and suspecting them of murder. This book gave 1990 movie Flatliners and Reminiscence 2021 with Hugh Jackman. They were able to go back in time and recapture memories surrounding Jennet's possible suicide or murder. I didn't get a real answer at the end, but one of them believed they were responsible.

Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄
🌶️: Spice 3/5
😭: Emotion 4/5
❤️: Couple 4/5
⭐️: Rating 4/5

This book really drew me in. I was intrigued about this drug that allows you to either see the future or go back to the past. The entire story held my attention and kept me guessing on what would happen next. I did find none of the characters relatable or likable for that matter, but maybe that's not the point. While none were likeable, the story itself still gripped me and kept me wanting to turn the pages to find out what would happen next.

These characters were SO BORING and insufferable. I didn't like any of them and I just couldn't keep pushing through the book. The time travel concept was what sold me on this but it's barely a thing and I wasn't getting enough breadcrumbs to keep on going. I took a peek at some reviews when I usually do when I'm thinking about DNFing and it looked like I was going to have the same issues as other reviewers.

I didn’t get to finish this book, I got a new Amazon prime account and my kindle deleted everything associated with my previous account including all of my downloads and I only just figured out why it wasn’t appearing whenI tried re-sending to my kindle multiple times. Now I’ve finally found the source of my problem and changed/updated the kindle email and can now download books again. It really messed up my reviews for all of the books I’d requested over the past few months, I apologize. I liked what I was able to read so that’s what I’m rating.

“The Midnight Club” by Margot Harrison is a gripping mystery that delves into memory, grief, and the need to understand how the past defines us. The story follows four college friends—Sonia, Byron, Auraleigh, and Paul—who reunite 25 years after their friend Jennet’s death, which was labeled a suicide. Auraleigh, convinced there’s more to the story, uses a drug called Sog to help the group relive the past and uncover buried secrets. As they navigate their memories, they discover how deeply their choices have shaped their lives.

The book explores the psychological impact of revisiting the past and the possibility of changing it. While the beginning is a bit slow and some characters are irritating, the story picks up in the last third, delivering unexpected twists and a satisfying ending. Overall, “The Midnight Club” is a unique and thought-provoking read that combines a good whodunit with a fantasy spin.

In the book The Midnight Club, by Margot Harrison, (an author who is new to me) four old college friends—Sonia, Byron, Auraleigh, and Paul—reunite 25 years after the death of their friend Jennet, which had been labeled a suicide. But Auraleigh, who was there that night but can’t remember what happened, is convinced there’s more to it.

Desperate for answers, she brings the group back to their old college town, using a drug called Sog that lets them relive the past and uncover the truth.

As they wade through their memories, buried secrets come to light, revealing just how deeply their choices have shaped their lives in ways they never expected. Harrison weaves a gripping mystery that digs deep into memory, grief, and the need to understand how the past defines us.

This is more than just a page-turner—it’s a story that makes you think about your own life and choices. Definitely one of the year’s standout reads.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

Time-travel drugs, Vermont in the 80s, feral friend groups, and a maybe its murder mystery.

This hit hard in some parts - the group involved lost their friend Jenet at the end of college and it impacted and wrecked them in different ways. When they come back together, they're all confronting their pasts and each other to figure out the truth. Both of Jenet and of themselves.

It also explores the psychological impact of going back into yourself in the past, and the possibility that you can change it. We all question if we could go back, what would we change, what would we want to relive again, and the emotional dangers of that experience. It's like the line between nostalgia and failing to move forward.

I was a little frustrated at the start and it took a bit to get into it as some of the characters are kind of irritating, but when it comes down to it, I was hooked for the last third. It had an ending I didn't quite expect but ended up being happy all the same.

This book was pretty difficult for me to get into from the start. However, once I learned more about our characters and the mystery behind their “club”, I started to enjoy the plot! Overall, not my favorite in this type of genre, but still a very interesting read. I loved the twist and the concept of the unreliable narrator and how it worked here.

I really enjoyed this book - the plot of this story was definitely unique and something I hadn't seen/read about before and it made the story that much more interesting to me.

The direction this book took was not one that I expected, but I did enjoy it because it showed the reality of what some people are or are not willing to do for their friends/family.