Four strangers find themselves in the same grief support group each carrying a wound they have buried deep. Freya hides behind rituals, Mischa carries guilt so heavy it trembles in her voice, Victoria fights to keep tears from defining her, and Callum’s jokes are a shield covering cracks no one sees. Over weekly meetings led by Genevieve they share more than they bargained for.

The magic of this story lives in small breaks in strength. Moments when Freya’s routine falters, when Mischa’s past leaks into the present, when Callum’s laughter catches and reveals fear. Ireland does not rush their pain or pretend grief can be cleansed with a single confession. She lets it settle and hollow in until connections begin to form without promises of perfection.

What stayed with me is the reveal halfway through about why these particular people were brought together. That shift changes everything. The group becomes not just a place to unburden but a mirror where each must face the parts of themselves they hoped no one would see.

Four strangers find themselves in the same grief support group each carrying a wound they have buried deep. Freya hides behind rituals, Mischa carries guilt so heavy it trembles in her voice, Victoria fights to keep tears from defining her, and Callum’s jokes are a shield covering cracks no one sees. Over weekly meetings led by Genevieve they share more than they bargained for.

The magic of this story lives in small breaks in strength. Moments when Freya’s routine falters, when Mischa’s past leaks into the present, when Callum’s laughter catches and reveals fear. Ireland does not rush their pain or pretend grief can be cleansed with a single confession. She lets it settle and hollow in until connections begin to form without promises of perfection.

What stayed with me is the reveal halfway through about why these particular people were brought together. That shift changes everything. The group becomes not just a place to unburden but a mirror where each must face the parts of themselves they hoped no one would see.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In The Seven O’Clock Club, a group of strangers are drawn together in an unusual grief support group. As the story unfolds, surprises are revealed, both to the characters, and to the reader. This was a moving and unique read that left me thinking long after the last page.

Thank you Amelia Ireland, Berkley, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Seven O’Clock Club by Amelia Ireland

I absolutely loved this book. From the very first chapter I was drawn into the story and did not want to put it down. The premise is original and intriguing, and the way it unfolds kept me completely engaged. The author balances heart and suspense so well, giving us a story that is both surprising and deeply emotional.

What I appreciated most was how real the characters felt. Freya, Callum, Mischa, and Victoria each come to the group carrying their own pain, and while they begin as strangers, the way their stories slowly intertwine is handled with such care. I found myself invested in each of them and rooting for their journeys. The group leader added another layer of intrigue, and the questions surrounding why they were all chosen built beautifully until the reveal. I will not give anything away, but the surprise was powerful and so worth the wait.

This book is heartfelt, wise, and ultimately uplifting. It explores grief and healing with honesty, while also reminding us of the strength that comes from connection and the possibility of hope after loss. It is rare to find a debut novel that feels this polished and moving, and it will stay with me for a long time.

Without question, The Seven O’Clock Club is one of my favorite reads of the year. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a novel that will capture your heart and leave you reflecting long after you finish.

Before I fully start this review, I have to be honest and let you know that this entire thing is going to be pretty gushy. See, what made me pick up this book in the first place is that The Seven O'Clock Club deals with grief. As someone who recently lost a sibling, these kinds of books always end up on my TBR because they're a safe and relatively comfortable way to process things. I'm sure we've all been there in some capacity. Your brain doesn't want to let you process yourself, but processing through fictional characters? Totally okay. As you might expect, I did a lot of crying throughout this book.

Ireland brings together the most adorably mismatched group of humans that you've ever met. From Victoria, our older and very much no-nonsense participant, all the way down to former rockstar Callum who swears he's only there to revive his career. Each of our four participants are united by one thing: grief. Deeper than that, the inability to let go of that grief long enough to actually process it. The ask of the group is simple. Show up, share, and hopefully heal along the way.

What happens on these pages is pure magic, let me tell you. I appreciated so much that the story doesn't start straight off by telling us why each of our MCs are there. Instead, you really get an opportunity to get to know them on personal level. As the story progresses, they fight, they laugh, they bond, and there is understandably a ton of emotional dialogue exchanged. By the time that Ireland actually has the characters share their pasts, and what is holding them down, it feels like that much more real. I truly felt for every single one of these people. I wished I could be part of their group.

Then, just when you're sure that you know where things are going and you're feeling really good about their progress: a twist. A twist that I truly didn't see coming, and it floored me. That's what pushed this book from a 4-star read straight up into the 5-star read territory. I absolutely refuse to spoil this for you. However I can tell you that it just felt so right for that twist to happen. The ending almost gutted me, but man. It was so perfect. There's not a bad thing I can say about The Seven O'Clock Club. I hope that you give it a spot on your TBR.

This was not my favorite, despite my high expectations. The writing was fine, I just didn’t connect to it or the characters. The pacing didn’t quite work for me either.

THE SEVEN O'CLOCK CLUB by Author Amelia Ireland is a mesmerizing, emotional story that takes a turn I had no idea was coming. I'm glad I went into this one virtually clueless, not knowing what to expect, as I think it enhanced the overall reading experience, and when the shocking turn occurred, I was already so deeply invested in these character's lives that I couldn't turn back even if I wanted to. Without giving anything away, I'll say I'm still not completely clear how I feel about the twist in this one - maybe because it was so unexpected to me - but I do know I was riveted in my seat from beginning to end and finished emotionally drained.

Four strangers respond to different ads seeking participants for a new, experimental grief counseling group set to meet once a week a seven o'clock in the evening. The four who show up couldn't be more different except for one thing . . . all four at struggling with moving on from a personal, devastating loss in their lives. Middle aged Victoria appears arrogant and indifferent, unkempt Freya is a shell of her former self, Mischa is young, innocent and anxious to please and then there's Callum, a bad boy rocker who plummeted from the top of the music world to hit rock bottom in a pool of alcohol, drugs and careless sex. None of the four wants to be there so why are they? What drove or persuaded these four individuals to get up off the floor and seek help? And who is Genevieve - the mysterious, secretive leader of the group? As this story unfolds, each individual's story is revealed - their grief, their shattered dreams, their personal disaster - as they slowly begin letting down their guard. As weeks go by and all four continue showing up, relationships form, and hearts begin healing. And yet, there's a growing unease that Geneviere is keeping something from them. And when she finally plays her trump card, total shock ensues for both characters and readers if they've gone into this book blind. That's all I can say about the plot line without spoilers. Read the book one page, once chapter at a time, and it'll consume you. I still can't stop thinking about it a week or so later.

THE SEVEN O'CLOCK CLUB is an emotional rollercoaster that highlights grief, depression, healing, human connections, and forgiveness. Readers will find it easy to feel empathy for these characters as they are written with such expertise and depth, such emotion, that it almost feels like you're a part of the seven o'clock club too. I finished the book over a week ago and still find myself thinking about it. Highly recommended to fans of Literary Fiction and Magical Realism.

🪑For my friends who like warm-hearted character studies with a twist.

THE SEVEN O’CLOCK CLUB by Amelia Ireland

Thanks, @berkleypub, for the review copy via #NetGalley.

Four very different people come together for a unique support group addressing their unresolved grief. A dug-addled rock star, a sheltered young woman, an interior designer with a picture-perfect life, and a sharp-tongued lawyer meet each week and are surprised at the bond they form. When a surprising revelation upends all their progress, they must decide how to move forward.

I was captivated by these characters from page one, and was moved by their pain and grief. I enjoyed watching them grow and address their heartache, and learn to lean on each other for support. While the big twist didn’t completely work for me, I appreciated the effort, and will be sure to pick up whatever this debut author writes next.

This is a compelling debut novel for this author. This book was a little slow in the beginning. It took a while for me to get into the story. Once the characters were introduced, the story became more engaging. There is an unexpected twist later in the book that really picked up the pace.

This is the story of four people who are brought together by a therapist named Genevieve to explore alternate ways to navigate the grief process. The four individuals, Victoria, Mischa, Freya, and Callum, have experienced some type of trauma. As the four individuals open up to each other during their weekly therapy sessions, they form an unexpected bond and learn to trust each other. Their individual stories are traumatic and heartbreaking.

There is a fantasy element to this story that I was not expecting. I’m not a fan of fantasy, but this I could accept.

“Genuine fulfillment comes from learning to understand yourself.”

Four strangers come together for grief counseling and get far more than they expected. A great story that gets more interesting as you go. The book had an amazing unexpected twist and left you feeling good at the end. I would love to see more of the characters and even the world. A great debut for Amelia Ireland

What initially drew me to this book is the cover. The colors are so vibrant and compelling while staying mysterious and drawing you in. The premise was intriguing and so unique! It’s full of emotion and had some twists to it. A well-written debut.

This is a very quick paced story about how 4 complete strangers come together weekly m partaking in an experimental treatment group. The focus? Navigating grief and all of its stages. Things start to come together as you learn that they were chosen for a reason to be in this group.

This was a character focused story with a big emphasis on the individual human experiences around grief and coping. Everyone moves through it in their own way, which effects everyone so differently. This was very thought provoking — relating to somethings and empathetic to others.

I found once I hit the 70% mark in the book I just needed to know what was going to happen and was flying through the last chunk. I’m so glad I opened this book. It’s one of those stories that leaves you thinking long after you’ve finished.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one has an interesting premise. We begin with four seemingly random people contacted to attend an experimental therapy designed to help them deal with grief. Genevieve is the therapist and she plays her cards close to the vest until close to the end. The characters are diverse and each of them has a seemingly unrelated story, so the author leaves us in the dark about why these four were selected.

The huge twist was a shocker, and I wasn’t sure how it would all wrap up. The writing was very well done, and I would definitely read this author again. It’s difficult to believe this is her first novel.

I’m giving this one four stars.

I received a copy of the digital ARC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Four very different people come together for an experiment on how to deal with grief. No non-sense lawyer Victoria, overindulgent rock star Callum, middle-aged Freya whose marriage is struggling and young Mischa-all thrown together every Wednesday for 4 weeks in hopes this therapy helps them move past the tragic moments that have grabbed hold of their lives. At first they don't gel well but soon they form a cohesive group. I can't give what happens in this book but there is one whopper of a twist that comes that completely upends this book (in a good way!). The character development was good, the twist was great and really like the book overall. It was a pleasant surprise that I was not expecting.

3.75 Stars!

Thank you @berkleypub for this free e-copy!🫶🏼 #berkley #berkleypartner

“Sometimes it’s the ones who seem fine on the outside who are suffering the most.”

The premise for this one is around four individuals who are all suffering from grief being brought together to participate in an unconventional support group. Do know that there is some magical realism in this one, so if you don’t like suspending belief, then may not be for you.

I was not super invested in the beginning and kept going back and forth on if I was liking it or not. However, once we got about halfway through I started to enjoy it a lot more and found myself really starting to care more and more about the characters as the story went on. I felt the character development was very solid and enjoyed the themes around grief, love, friendship, found family and finding yourself.

Although maybe not a top favorite, I did overall enjoy it and found it to be a unique debut!

Four people get together for what they think is a group therapy session. They have all answered an ad and were chosen to participate. They meet once a week at 7:00pm to talk about their feelings and how to move on after a tragic incident in their lives. They are complete strangers at first, and later become friends. They know they are part of an experiment, but they have no idea what is to come after several weeks. I really enjoyed this book, and didn't think it was going to have the twist that it did at the end. At first, I was a bit put off, but then as I continued on, it really drew me in. It was the perfect ending!! I .would highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys reading about how different people with completely different lives can come together.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

What a fascinating book. I didn't find the twist that shocking, but it was well written, and absolutely worth a read. It was a really novel approach, and I very much enjoyed reading it.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are mine.

This was a plot i had never read and I found it intriguing . Nothing is what it seems in this book that follows 4 people grappling with loss Freya ,Callum ,Mischa and Victoria who meet every Tuesday at seven o’clock. But what happens at seven will either destroy them or heal them and i was gobsmacked . Well written and very intriguing.

I am struggling to review The Seven O'Clock Club. It took me a long time to get into it and then when I was the book took a sharp left turn (around 70% in) and I was then I had to shift my thinking. Once i was finally attached to the characters and heard their trauma, which took a long time to get to, i was attached and wanted a guaranteed happy ending for everyone. This one will have me thinking for awhile but definitely know going in that this book is not what you expect it to be.

OBSESSED with that ending. this book made me question what happens after we pass away. I truly felt like I was one of the characters in this book sitting at these meetings.

this book follows 4 strangers who go to meetings to heal from their trauma. some are more hesitant to open up/skeptical, while others are loud and share immediately. at first I didn't think all the characters we necessary to the plot until some of their stories started to wrap into each other and make more sense. my heart was breaking the more this went on.

such a good, quick paced, magical realism that is definitely in my top reads of the year now

What a wonderful book that deals with grief and friendship. A young psychologist advertises for people who are grieving. The group that forms are very different and diverse.
A sharp-tongued lawyer who has no intention of letting down her walls, a fragile young woman looking for a place to belong, a musician at the top of his game who's one drink away from losing it all, and an interior designer facing the crumbling of her picture-perfect life—this unlikely group slowly opens up, not only to the possibility of a happier future but to friendship, change, and even romance. As Genevieve, the group leader guides these 4 there are some surprising episodes. The twist had me gasping. Such a superb story.