Freya Sampson’s The Busybody Book Club is a charming and twisty cozy mystery that blends small-town warmth with an irresistible whodunit. Nova Davies’ struggling book club in a quaint Cornish village takes an unexpected turn when a theft, a disappearance, and a murder pull its eccentric members into a real-life mystery. With a delightful cast—from an Agatha Christie devotee to a sci-fi-loving teen—Sampson crafts a fun, fast-paced story filled with humor, heart, and plenty of bookish banter. Perfect for fans of lighthearted mysteries and stories about unlikely friendships, this novel is an absolute page-turner with just the right mix of intrigue and warmth.

If you love cozy mysteries with quirky characters and a bookish twist, you’re in for a treat with The Busybody Book Club. I had so much fun following Nova Davies as she tries to turn her struggling book club into a success—only to have things take a wild turn when money goes missing, a member disappears, and a dead body turns up. Suddenly, this mismatched group of readers has a real-life mystery to solve, whether they can agree on how to do it or not!

Freya Sampson does a fantastic job balancing humor, heart, and small-town charm. I especially enjoyed the different book club members, each bringing their own perspective (and wild theories) to the case. It’s the perfect read for fans of cozy mysteries and stories about the power of community.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The busy body book club was a welcome surprise to my weekend reading, as the cover initially made me think it was going to be a cozy, gentle read, and it turned into being more of a mystery. I really enjoyed the fact that the chapters were from the perspectives of different narrators – jumping from Nova, to Phyllis, Arthur, and more. I definitely did not like the relationship between Nova and her fiancé Craig and was very happy that the book ended the way it did. This is not my first Freya Sampson and it definitely won’t be my last!

The Busybody Book Club is a delightful cozy mystery full of humor and heart. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with all of the above, definitely consider giving this one a read.

The Busybody Book Club is a delightful cozy mystery full of humor and heart. I love.a found family book.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved that way that it was all pulled together so neatly at the end and it was truly an entertaining read! I thought the characters were put together very well, and each had their own quirks and personalities! While I was not on the edge of my seat with this one I did end up enjoying it even though it was a rather slow start for me.

Nova is attempting to fit into a new town with her fiance. She loves her job but suddenly things are putting it in risk. Luckily, her fledgling book club members are happy to put all the fictional books they have read to the test as they attempt to sort things out.

Five diverse and quirky personalities come together at a local community center for an unlikely book club. When they learn of a theft and a murder possibly involving one of their members, and things keep going wrong for another member, Nova, who is also an employee of the community center, the members band together. Though they can't even agree on what book to read, they seek to solve the crimes and make sure that the community center does not close and that Nova keeps her job.

This was a fun read due to the wacky people involved and the unexpected twists which lead to an unexpected and satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

As a bookstore owner and someone in a book club I loved the book from page one to the last page and felt like I was living in the story

I loved Freya Sampson's The Busybody Book Club. It was the perfect cozy mystery with memorable characters and events. Often these mysteries can have people that seem to be a bit over the top in terms of personality, but everyone in The Busybody Book Club feels like a real person you will encounter in your town. The beginning of the book drags a little bit, but once you get into the story it is a quick and entertaining read. There were more twists than I expected at the end, but I truly enjoyed the wild ride.

What happens when money from the community center goes missing and and the suspect winds up missing? Where's the money, and where is Michael? Nova and her rag-tag group of book club members set out to solve the case. I adored Nosy Neighbors and was thrilled to see Freya Sampson release a new book. This one did not disappoint and I loved every minute of it. Highly recommended.

The Busybody Book Club tells a type of story that is becoming more popular these days, and I for one am fine with that. A mix of people of different ages, and little mystery... it's a bit formulaic but still this one was a good one. I think there could have been a bit more depth with the characters. What is Ash's family like? Arthur's farm sounds like a place I'd like to hear more about. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

As a lover of all things Agatha Christie, senior citizen Phyllis bullies her way into just about every activity at the local community center. Known for being the village's gossip, Phyllis sees mysterious goings on everywhere she turns. But when an actual crime is committed she is determined to solve it, putting not only herself in danger, but also the new, young community center worker, Nova ,who is just a week away from her wedding to local man Craig. Feeling sorry for the lonely old woman, Nova humors Phyllis as well as the other members of her struggling book club in order to find a way to fit into this small Cornish village after her life in London imploded. Being bullied by her soon to be mother-in-law (who is high-jacking the wedding plans) Nova finds that not only is she struggling to fit in but is now being accused of more than one crime. Can she depend upon a group of senior citizens, an extremely shy teenage boy, a smelly old dog and Phyllis to clear her name in time for her wedding?

These characters are fully formed and beg to be seen and heard. It would be easy to imagine a BBC series featuring them as they go about solving crimes, discovering long-held secrets and generally creating mayhem in their small Cornish village. Highly recommended.

Freya Sampson has become a favorite author of mine. Her characters are unlikely to come together yet they do and the adventures they have are fun with a twist of mystery. Highly recommend any of Freya's books! This one revolves around a book club at a local community center bringing together five very different characters with secrets.

The Busybody Book Club is a fun, cozy mystery that's perfect for fans of Richard Osman. The problem is, it's SO similar to early Osman novels that I feel like I've read it before. On the plus side, most of the characters are likable and the plot is fast-paced. I'm sure many cozy mystery fans will love it but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m sorry but it’s a DNF for me. I can’t stand Phyllis and her know it all self and the way she looks down on LITERALLY everyone. Same goes for Nova’s future mother in law and how passive aggressive she is. Just no. I see it’s got great reviews so far so maybe I’ll come back someday for another shot.

A light, funny, and heartwarming story, a small village’s beleaguered community center, and the small book club of troubled souls that transforms into an effective investigative group solving a convoluted mystery consisting of a large amount of missing money and a dead body (or two). A cranky old bat that nevertheless is quite relatable (what does that say about me, I wonder?); a gentle, older man, caring for his badly ailing, adored wife; a shy teenager who has the confidence of a peanut; and the chair of the group — a lovely woman just days away from her wedding who suddenly seems to be making a lot of memory related mistakes. Plenty of good book references — both about loving them and the life lessons that can be gleaned from them. A pretty amusing diatribe about the superiority of Miss Marple as compared to Poirot. Overall an uplifting, if somewhat predictable, read for the season.

I was excited for this one - a book about book clubs! - and while it had some enjoyable moments, it was just okay for me overall.

The initial setup felt cozy, and I loved the main character. However, the character interactions remained pretty surface level, making it hard to fully connect with them. I really appreciated the clever references to Agatha Christie’s works and loved Phyllis’s Marple-like attitude—it added a delightful nod to classic mystery fans.

Towards the end, the plot threw in a lot of random twists that felt a bit disjointed and took the story in unexpected directions - and included some pretty heavy topics. While it had its charms, it was just okay for me. I would still recommend it, but going in, knowing it's not a cozy mystery is crucial.

Nova’s new job at the Community Center includes a sparsely attended book club, so when one member seemingly makes off with the funds for the new roof, the others pull together to solve the crime. And the crimes start piling up.

As a Nova and her crew - a busybody, a caregiver and a teenager- draw inspiration from Miss Marple, Bridgerton and Star Wars, the motley group bungles their way through in the most charming way.

This is another delightful story of mismatched sleazy there from Freya Sampson!

Like Nosy Neighbors, the Busybody Book Club follows a cast of quirky characters as they try to solve the mystery of the missing Community Center money. Nova, who has just moved from London and is about to get married works at the Community Center and runs a book club. When one of the members goes missing along with the money for the roof, the remaining members set out to solve the mystery themselves with some hilarious and entertaining consequences.

This was a laugh-out-loud and feel good book which I managed to read in 2 days flat.

Can't wait to read Freya Sampson's next book.