Member Reviews

Didn’t love this book… felt it was a little boring and dragged on for me. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to my followers. I think there are much better books to read if you are looking for a summertime read!!

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This short book had a lot packed into it. Set at a New England country club, it follows the stories of two families - one of which includes the President of the club and the other a new family to town that doesn’t quite mix well with the first family. There are some deeper social issues along with some lighter moments. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me a chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I was hoping for a good summer read, but I don't think The Summer Club hit the spot. I didn't feel truly drawn in to the characters at any point, and as a result, I felt like it was a slow read. I figured out what was going on with Darcy fairly early on, so it was a bit of a slog to finally get to the last few chapters to have it officially "revealed."

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I loved the theme and setting of this book. However, I was not as interested in the plot like I thought I would be.

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The Summer Club by Hannah McKinnon, Neds love for Mayhaven is instilled in his bones every day he walks into work he feels Pride for this historic place that nourished his love of golf and that same love in his daughter 17 year old Darcy. Golf was something Darcy excelled at and right when it was going to pay off with college scholarships, she abruptly quit the game and although it made Ned and her mom Iris sad they knew it was something she had to get through on her own. Many things are changing in her small town and at the May Haven Association she has a new neighbor who her dad seems to not like in Ned likes everyone but he plays his music loud he’s crass and over the top a real Italian ball buster. His name is Stan and we get to know him through his son flick who gets a job at Mai Haven in the kitchen and who has a crush on Darcy but she starts out having a crush on Mayhaven‘s poster boy for white and privileged Spencer DeLanscy. flick loves his job and his mom but hates living in Massachusetts and except for the staff he doesn’t like the people at Mayhaven. There is so much more to this book then I put in this long review including Darcy coming apart her dad stressors at work being the new president Flick’s extreme loyalty to his friends and her brother Adam who is autistic and on the spectrum who got fired because Mr. DeLancey for some reason doesn’t like him. There were many things I loved about this book especially Adam, Josie and flick. I loved the whole conclusion to the “issues“ not the ones Darcy went through but the retaliation for that. I just thought that whole thing was just prolonged for too long it just in my opinion wasn’t a big enough issue to keep it going that long but having said that the characters are wonderful and although the book was a tad bit too long I still really enjoyed it for the most part. The ending of a book really helps me decide the reading because the ending was so good that is why I’m giving it three stars in the beginning I thought I would give it more but it was just too long. Having said that this is a book I do recommend and unlike a lot of reviewer‘s I do think it is a fun summertime read. Also who knew the thief was the thief that blew my mind lol!#Atria/EmilyBesslerBooks, #NetGalley, #HannahMcKinnon, #TheSummerClub,

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There was a part of me that continually questioned if this novel was really for young adults. I found the theme and characters too immature for me to relate too. The story was predictable and the characters were not very deeply explored. I honestly didn’t relate to any of them.

I will not be recommending this novel to adult readers.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

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Thank you to Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley, for the free copy for review.

I am drawn to stories about family, and "The Summer Club" by Hannah McKinnon fits the bill. As a reader, I am privy to the lives of the Birch family members. A new neighbor and a feud between the Birches and the Creevys add entertainment and some humor. The mystery of the missing silver at Mayhaven Country Club is an engaging hoot when the whodunnit is revealed. The characters are not only relatable but engaging.

The Mayhaven is not just a setting in the story, but a symbol of sorts for each of the characters. For Ned Birch, it represents something nostalgic and a dream place, while for Darcy Birch, it's a place she abhors due to a troubling experience. For others, it's a symbol of status in the community to be a member.

This book strikes a happy medium between a light and deep read. It's an enjoyable and thought-provoking exploration of family dynamics and community relationships.

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Better than expected. A little more to it than most beach reads. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

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I enjoyed this book. The writing was well done and the story was touching. I enjoyed the characters and I was interested in learning how the story unfolded.

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The Summer Club is a great read with all the New England summer vibes! This story is focused around an exclusive Massachusetts beach club called Mayhaven and its members. It's told in split POV's from that of Ned ( club President), Darcy, his teenage daughter who has quit golf(a sport she loved) and Flick,( the boy next door). They are all battling their own inner conflicts that center around the club.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-arc.*

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I expected to enjoy this book a lot more than I did. It has all the components of a great summer read but just never manages to put them together.

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I didn’t love it. But I think it had more to do with me than the book itself. It’s gave me Babysitters club meets Dirty Dancing vibes. The writing was good, by it moved so slow- at 35% I still wasn’t sure where the story was going & I had trouble keeping the characters straight. I love a good dual/multi perspective book, but there were too many perspectives.

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3🌟 TLDR; I enjoyed this one but had some quibbles. Easy summer beach read that will not likely stick with me but that I wanted to pick up while reading it. Some trigger warnings.

The Summer Club was a good summer book. I liked the characters and thought the prose was funny at times and relatable. It explored important themes like class and power and coming-of-age without diving too deep, which I think could be a criticism but I didn’t actually mind because I still wanted this to remain a lighter summer/beach read. I would say there is one main plot point that is more explicitly explored at the end for which sensitive readers should look up trigger warnings on StoryGraph (it would be a spoiler to list here). Nothing is super explicit but is still mentioned and discussed. Speaking of this plot point, I didn’t really think it was explored with the care and nuance I would have liked.

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Happy to include this title in “Dive In,” a recent round-up highlighting a variety of summer reads, in the Books section of Canadian national culture and lifestyle magazine Zoomer. (see column and mini-review at link)

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This is a good summer book but there is not a lot that stood out to me. I could kind of tell what was going to happen a quarter of the through. There are some good themes in the book and there is drama so it was a decent read.

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Great summer beach read. The dynamics of the “haves” and “have-nots” in. A country club setting. Rivalry, love, and friendship are the main themes of his novel.

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Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

This was my first book by Hannah McKinnon. It was an enjoyable, light read, but nothing exceptional that stands out in my mind. As a light read, it's good. If you're looking for something with a bit more substance, your might be a bit bored.

3 stars for 'I liked it'

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Oh, Net Galley, I have such a love/hate relationship with you. Admittedly, I hate you when you turn me down for the majority of my requests. But then I love you again when you toss me a bone with a Jennifer Weiner or Ruth Ware book. And then there are all those books you offer up, thinking I might like them. Sometimes you get it right, but in this case? Hoo boy, this one was a stinker. It was so simplistic, I thought maybe it was geared to a YA audience. Anyone who saw Dirty Dancing would immediately figure out who the thief was. Likewise, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who was leaving the anonymous notes in the suggestion box, nor why the daughter quit golfing. I realize this was an ARC, but still….so so many editing errors in this one. Disappointed with this one.

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A book about summer romance with some deeper themes running through it. Overall it’s a Really sweet summer book. I flew through it and really enjoyed it.

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This wasn't bad but wasn't real good either, I found it a little boring and nothing really stood out for me or grabbed my attention. Darcy is having a bad summer, as is Flick who has moved from NY to Massachusetts and now they both work at a beach club. There seems to be some questions left unanswered. Almost felt more like a YA drama book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ARC

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