This almost felt like two books in one - in a good way.

Four unlikely strangers meet for group grief counselling in an unorthodox session. As they tell their stories, they all start to feel connected in ways they couldn’t have expected.

I was SO into all four stories and thought all the characters were extremely well thought out. I honestly even cried a bit, there were a few parts extremely shocking and moving. I think it’s a good idea to go into this book as blind as possible, let the story take you in.

Incredibly compassionate, emotional, and immersive. Amelia Ireland is a very intelligent writer that understands humanity and I can’t wait to read more by her. Great for fans of Matt Haig and Fredrik Backman.

It was a good depiction of how grief can manifrst itself in different ways. It was a bit unexpected, which was nice as well. I'm always happy when books can surprise me in a positive way.

This is a beautiful story of four broken beings that comes together processing their loss through the stages of grief. If you have experienced loss, this book will definitely bring out the water works in you.

The author really captures each stages of grief accurately. Here I was wondering when Sci-Fi comes in, and boy did it come in with a plot twist!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the author, Amelia Ireland for this beautiful read and for letting me give my honest review on this ARC.

This was an engrossing and emotional debut with a unique mix of heartwarming content and surprising twists. It was a wonderful tale of grief and the healing process, and the author dealt with it with sensitivity and depth without using the typical character portrayals. I loved how it was an entire group going through the grief process, and each one was different. It set up the various stages of grief in a uniquely profound manner. This group needed each other, and it just proves that connection, community and shared experience can mean a lot and can make a big difference.

The character development was easy to see as the book progressed; they were richly drawn and relatable. I found myself completely invested in their journeys of self-discovery and healing. The relationships between the group members are well crafted and clearly show the power of human connection. The plot twist was both unexpected and impactful, it added a layer of depth and complexity to the storyline. The narrative itself is well-paced, gradually building tension. I was emotionally invested in the story when the twist came along, so it made it more effective.

The author’s writing style is very expressive and insightful as well as thought-provoking, making it a very immersive read. It made me think of my own experiences of losing loved ones. But don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom, the book does an excellent job of mixing very heavy emotional moments with times of happiness. Amelia Ireland has written a moving and unforgettable story that will hit home with anyone who has lost a loved one.

I found myself on an emotional rollercoaster, navigating the lives of Mischa, Freya, Victoria, and Callum. Each character's perspective opened a window into a soul burdened by grief, their stories so raw and real that I couldn't help but feel a profound connection. Their pain became my pain, their journey my own.

Ireland's storytelling? Nothing short of masterful. She weaves these individual threads into a tapestry so intricate, I found myself gasping as the patterns emerged. And just when I thought I had it all figured out – a twist so shocking, it left me reeling, questioning everything I thought I knew.

But here's the real magic of "The Seven O'Clock Club": amidst the heavy themes of loss and sorrow, there's an undercurrent of hope that bubbles up in the most unexpected places. Watching friendships blossom between these unlikely companions was like witnessing a flower push through concrete – improbable, beautiful, and utterly captivating.

This book challenged me to suspend my disbelief, to embrace the extraordinary lurking within the ordinary. For those of us who love our fiction with a dash of magic and a hefty dose of emotional truth, "The Seven O'Clock Club" is an absolute must-read.

Thank you, Berkley and NetGalley, for my free books for review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amelia Ireland, and Berkley for this advanced reading copy of The Seven O'clock Club in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed reading this book.

The Seven O'clock Club is an intriguing story about four strangers in a therapy group for grieving people. Each one of them has different reasons for being there and comes from a different background, but they all have one thing in common. Finding out what that one thing was blew my mind!

This book is told from the viewpoints of the four strangers and the therapist running the group. It was interesting to read the logic of each person and why they were grieving. It was interesting to see the characters develop friendships outside of the therapy sessions too.

I loved how unique this story is, and the ending is very clever. I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time. I love the take on the stages of grief and how there are more than just the usual stages.

If you are interested in books with a bog plot twist, multiple POVs, and learning about grief, I think you will enjoy this book.

The Seven O’Clock Club by Amelia Ireland is a stand-alone novel centered on four strangers who are brought together in an experimental treatment to fix broken hearts. This was a powerfully emotional read. Genevieve Dempsey promises a different approach to healing, and four participants are selected, with all four showing up every Wednesday night at 7 O’Clock. Genevieve, the group facilitator, who poses questions to be answered by each participant in a round-robin style.

We meet the four participants;

Victoria: a lawyer, who is 41, and strong, independent, taking no nonsense in openly dealing with others.
Freya: 31 year old, very nice, struggling in her marriage, also suffering from panic attacks.
Mischa: 20 years old, sweet, quiet and sensitive, giving up much of her life to care for her mother.
Callum: 29 year-old, successful musician/rock star, who is spiraling from drug and alcohol abuse.

All four of these have experienced loss, bereavement, tragedy, grief, despair and anger, with us learning about each of the alternating POV’s, during their weekly sessions. As they learn more about each other, they become closer and friendships grow; with coming to terms with their grief. There were so many heart-warming stories, with love, sadness, forgiveness, drama and remorse.

About three quarters into the book, a shocking revelation changed everything, which was a fantastic twist that I did not see coming. This twist blew my mind. Rather than reveal anything, I will say that the twist was a shock, and did enhance the story.
The Seven O’Clock Club was a fantastic and different story line. I really enjoyed this book, as well as the amazing twist. The Seven O’Clock Club was so very well written by Amelia Ireland. Loved this story, and plan to check out Ireland for future books.

Four people meet for a group therapy session with a psychologist to help with their grief. Victoria is the oldest at 52, is happily married, a top lawyer, and well off. She seems to be dealing with her grief the best. Freya is in her early 30s and is having a hard time. She has a panic attack during the session and has barely left the house. Mischa is the youngest and seems very sad and lonely. Callum is in his late twenties and is a famous musician. Genevieve is their psychologist. At first, the participants aren't interested in the therapy sessions, but as they answer Genevieve's questions and get to know each other, they can finally face their grief. The participants weren't chosen randomly; they all have something in common besides their grief. The beginning half of the book moves slowly until you find out why these four particular people were chosen.

3.5 stars

This was a unique and clever take, and I really enjoyed it. The reveal wasn’t unexpected for me, but I still enjoyed the ride.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4 ⭐️

A captivating read with a twist I didn't see coming! I will admit that at first you're thrown into the story, which I liked, but it made it a bit hard to keep track of who was who at the beginning. As the book went on, I didn't even realize the connections I was making to the characters until I was almost tearing up towards the end. Please know that this story is heavy at times, and be sure to check the content warnings. If you liked the vibes and unique take of <i>The Love Of My Afterlife,<i> this book may be for you! (Please note that this one is not as romance-heavy and not as light and comedic as <i>The Love Of My Afterlife.<i>) What a strong debut!


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC 💓

United States Publication: April 15, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Genevieve Dempsey works with grieving people. Her work explores the stages of grief, supposing they go beyond the traditional five and that there are seven or more to work through. A handpicked group has been assembled as Genevieve's first group with whom she wants to test this theory of seven or more stages as she assists them in working through their grief. Victoria, Mischa, Freya, and Callum meet with each other and Genevieve every Tuesday night at seven o'clock to participate in this new kind of group therapy. The four participants have each experienced a profound personal loss that has literally stopped them from living their lives any longer. They can't function, and their friends and family are at a loss as to how to help them. This grief group is, in many ways, the end of the road. If they can't find a way to move through their grief with the help of Genevieve and each other, the lives they hope to return to might be lost to them forever.

This was a fascinating examination of how people can move through grief and the idea that grief isn't limited to stages. Ireland creatively brought these strangers together and threw a twist in that was so subtle that it was delightful when, as the reader, everything became clear. As the reader, you have no idea that the story isn't straightforward until Ireland introduces more of the story. I appreciated Ireland's creativity and ability to tell such an interesting story. I'll look forward to other stories she chooses to share.

It was 2:00 in the morning by the time I reached the “WHAT?!” moment of The Seven O’Clock Club- no one to turn to, no one to stare at in disbelief…all I could do was keep reading!

Freya, Callum, Victoria, and Mischa come from different walks of life, but they all have one thing in common: grief. Once a week at 7:00 PM, the group meets with their therapist, Genevieve, to discuss what their lives looked like before and after the death of a loved one. Through this “group experiment”, the members not only showed tremendous growth as individuals, they came together to form inseparable life-long bonds.

The prologue immediately captured my attention; I was anxious to learn more about Genevieve and the project she was creating. I found myself curious about each character and couldn’t wait to hear their story- to find out why they were at these group sessions in the first place. The novel was written through multiple characters’ POV; I find this to be confusing sometimes, but Ireland’s writing made it easy to keep track of each character.

I enjoyed this novel a lot more than I anticipated. I fell in love with the growth of each character, it was so heartwarming to see the bonds created, especially Mischa with Victoria and Callum with Freya. I found myself grinning with each final chapter; I was so worried how Ireland was going to end the novel!!

Thank you Berkley, Amelia Ireland and NetGalley for allowing me access to this ARC. I absolutely recommend The Seven O’clock Club.

[I have rated this book 4.5 stars on app/platforms that allow half star rating increments]

It’s not very often that something completely captivates me, but this book did just that.

It was the kind of story that gets into your head and re-evaluate how you live your life. While the subject matter is different, I had a similar feeling when I read A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

I fell in love with every single one of the main characters. However, Freya resonated with me most. I saw pieces of myself in her character, and the story behind her grief broke my heart several times over.

This isn’t the type of book that I reach for very often, but I’m so glad that I read it. It felt like a giant breath of fresh air that left me with tear-stained cheeks and a smile on my face.

Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Read if you like:

✨A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman
✨Forced proximity
✨Stories about grief
✨Multi POV storylines

The Seven O’Clock Club by Amelia Ireland
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Four strangers who couldn’t be more different meet for a new kind of grief therapy. As each strangers goes through a stage in the grief process, they find that they share a little more of themselves with the group, which draws them each to the next session.
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What I liked:
-I loved that this book wound up being a journey that I was not anticipating! It’s always so much fun when books surprise me.
-Getting to know each of these individuals was touching. They each had their own background and personality, and their grief was so heavy for them.
-It was wonderful to see them form bonds with each through therapy and outside of it.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really enjoyed this touching debut.

This book follows four strangers who meet in a grief therapy group, each carrying their own pain and skepticism. There's a tough lawyer who refuses to let anyone in, a lost young woman searching for connection, a famous musician battling addiction, and a designer who's perfect life is falling apart. Slowly, they begin to open up - not just to healing but to friendship, change, and even love.

At first, I found the story a little slow, but then that twist happened, and I was completely hooked. I did not see it coming at all! It changed everything. Once the reveal hit, the book became so much more interesting, and I couldn't put it down. I really liked it, and if you enjoy character-driven stories with surprise turns, this one is worth picking up.

Debut author Amelia Ireland scores with a clever and surprising novel, The Seven O'Clock Club. Four strangers, ranging in age from 20 to mid-4os and with occupations from a clerk to a rock star, are participating in a weekly counseling session designed to help each of them move on from a tragedy. Their counselor, Genevieve, has told them it is an experimental treatment and encourages each to finally reveal the calamity that robbed them of their former lives. They start by recalling a positive experience from their childhood, then progress through a roller coaster of emotions to finally come clean about why they can't shake their overwhelming guilt and grief.

At that point, 70% through the novel, everything changes. I mean, EVERYTHING. And although I knew from other reviewers that there was a twist, I was gobsmacked to discover that the final 30% of the book was my favorite--the most revealing, the most emotional, and ultimately (for me) the most satisfying. The characters of Callum, Freya, Mischa and Victoria, as well as Genevieve, were well portrayed throughout the book, and after a somewhat slow start, the plot galloped toward the final resolution. No spoilers--you have to read it yourself. I'm looking forward to more from this new author.

My thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Most of my selections on NetGalley are done quickly and once I start reading a title, I don't always recall what drew me to it but I dive right in anyway to see what the book has to offer me.

This novel is very thought-provoking and it uses a set up which brings people together who don't know each other at all and lets their responses and reactions direct the action. In this story, the people are brought together to work through their grief over something that happened in their lives, each unique to the person.

Each person's story is heartbreaking at times, once they are ready to reveal the true details of the event. The ending was very unexpected to me.

I applaud the unique storyline and felt sad when it came to an end. The romantic bit was a bit rushed and didn't connect for me, but I loved the story and found myself wishing for more about each character. Such a sad story.

This book tells the story of four strangers brought together to process their grief using an experimental strategy. Instead of the traditional five stages of grief, this book follows the characters through a seven stage process: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Testing, Acceptance and Transition. It was engaging and compelling before the major twist and fascinating afterwards. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships with each other. The book brought up some thought provoking issues related to grief and afterlife.

Such an immersive plot and character driven book that really explored all stages of grief. This was uncomfortable in the sense that it talked about grief's nasty side effects while also maintaining a sense of comfort and easiness. Absolutely enjoyed.