In a Book Club Far Away by Tif Marcelo
Delightful must read book for anyone who has ever been in a book club or anyone who ever wanted to join a book club. For some of us book club is about reading books we would never have picked ourselves. For some of us it is about reading the books and for others of us it is about the relationships with the friends at book club. Would you answer an SOS call from someone in your Book Club years later?  Grab this book and discover if Regina Castro, Adelaide Wilson-Chang, and Sophie Walden are still best friends 8 years later and see what happens next.
I received an ebook copy from NetGalley.  All thoughts are my own.

An adorable book. Regina Castro, Adelaide Wilson-Chang, and Sophie Walden were best friends. Their husbands are in the military, and for a time, they were at Fort East. When they were in this place, they created a book club. This club allowed them to get to know each other more and thus be able to form a wonderful friendship. However, an unimaginable betrayal happened in the group, and they ended their friendship abruptly. Eight years later, Regina and Sophie are shocked to receive a call for help from Adelaide. Adelaide's husband is abroad. She is in Alexandria, Virginia, and no one else can help her take care of her young daughter. Adelaide needs to undergo a medical procedure. It might be the opportunity Adelaide, Regina and Sophie have to rescue the friendship they had. I liked the book because it shows the importance of friendship. I don't know many women who are married to soldiers, but I'm sure it's not easy. This book gave me an idea of what the situation is like from the spouses' point of view. The author narrated from different points of view, which I found enthralling.  I was also delighted that the story had different timelines. The book made me feel part of their story. Sometimes I laughed and even felt like I was listening to the voices of the characters. I thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Three women, Regina, Sophie and Adelaide, create a deep bond as their husbands’ unit is on a 9 month deployment overseas. A core element of their connection is the book club that Adelaide founded. As each woman faces the loneliness associated with being the “support” person for a military spouse, they draw on each other’s strength and realize that they have become family – one of choice, not DNA. The “sisterhood” is fractured by a betrayal and the subsequent miscommunication leads to a ten year rift. It is only when Adelaide needs her friends as she faces surgery that she sends out the “Book Club SOS” and the women reunite to address the past.

The book alternates between their initial meeting in 2011 and the present. Additionally, alternating chapters reveal the perspectives of each of the three women as they navigate their lives and their friendship.

When I began reading this book I found it intriguing.  I have minimal experience or knowledge about military families and the challenges they face – not once, but each time one member is deployed and/or relocated. I have a greater appreciation now for the strength and dedication it takes to weather the strains created on a marriage/family by a military career. That said, I found this a very slow read. The pace crawled along and I kept losing interest as the story and the illusive details of the betrayal were alluded to, but not revealed, until well into the last half of the book. The promotional blurb refers to the author’s “enchanting prose,” but this was sorely lacking for me.

My thanks to the author, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This book, sent to me by Netgalley (Kindle) for free...to review...is about friendship-that of three different women.  Diversity...military...marriage...children...helping others.  The going back and forth to various times in their lives is quite confusing...I prefer a linear timeline...However, the story is intriguing at times...sometimes it is slow moving...a fun read for an afternoon-a quick read.

This is a lovely telling of friendships gone awry, but when one needs help, the other two come to the rescue. I enjoyed the themes of a book club and military lives. Unless one has lived in a military family, you cannot appreciate the hardships wives suffer and how important those friendships are.

This was a heartwarming book about friendship gone wrong! The trio of friendships was relatable. The military aspect was a nice touch and really opened up a new viewpoint on military families and the struggles they face. I have a new appreciation for these families and what they go through! Watching the women work through their problems and find their way back to the sisterhood was wonderful. The addition of books and the characters love for them made my bookworm heart happy. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

This book is about friendships, family relationships and all the dynamics that go along with it. Throw in military deployment and things get even more complicated. The main characters are all strong females with interesting back stories. I really enjoyed this book!

This is a wonderful book of friendship. Regina, Adelaide, and Sophie were the very best of friends. They are Army wives and they became friends during book club. When the women have a falling out, they lose contact with each other. Eight years later, Adelaide reaches out needing help from her friends. Can they work out their past differences and become friends again? The book is told in the past and the present so you get the entire story of what happened and what is happening. I enjoyed the characters in the story and loved their interactions with each other. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

This book is about friends, relationships and family. Throw in military deployment and things can be more complicated. The main characters are all strong females with interesting stories. I enjoyed the book!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

I enjoyed the alternating storyline of this heartfelt novel and treasured the friendships within.  I also am a total sucker for a book with an underlying book club theme that includes other book recommendations.  I definitely increased my already large TBR list by reading this book. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a solid chick lit read.

In a Book Club Far Away, Tif Marcelo brings her amazing ability to help characters heal to make a wonderful book. Three military spouses met at a book club near the time their husbands deployed. Fast forward 10 years and the two of the three do not talk with each other. The third woman tries to bring her friends back together.

I loved that this book was told from the present and also 10 years in the past to provide the background for the story and the event that broke the friends up. The timing of the back and forth was perfect to tell the story.

I related on some level with each character. The woman are very different, coming from different backgrounds and having different personalities. I couldn’t fully relate to some of the experiences they had gone through, for example I am not a military spouse but have family in the military. I loved reading about about their lives.

I also loved how each chapter started with a book from the quote the book club would read in that chapter. I found some great book recommendations! Don’t worry though, even though there is a book club in the book, they actually spend very little time on the book club in the story. It is more of the vessel that brought the women together.

I loved this book and am excited for it to publish on 6April20201. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy in change for my honest opinion. If you had enjoyed Tif Marcelo’s books in the past, you will love this one as well.

Regina Castro, Adelaide Wilson-Chang and Sophie Walden were all army wives years ago stationed together in the same area (Fort East) from 2011-2012.

In modern times (2021), the three of them live in completely different areas and there was a significant tear in their friendship (resulting in Sophie/Regina splitting but remaining (individually) friends with Adelaide).

In 2021, Adelaide sends an SOS message to her best friends, they both come running (and are mutually shocked that the other was there).

Adelaide has a two-year-old daughter, her husband is overseas and she's scheduled for an essential surgery.

She needs Sophie to take care of her (Sophie is a nurse) and Regina to take care of the two-year-old...And Adelaide secretly hopes her two friends would resolve their differences but after ten years, is there any relationship worth saving?

This book is told through alternating perspectives ("modern" day (set in 2021) and the past (2011-2012)). As the book progresses, we get to see what drove their friend group apart and how that affected their current lives.

I normally don't go for contemporaries but this one was an exception. Well written, well-fleshed out main characters. I enjoyed the flashbacks and forwards.

I did think the ending was a little rushed (not by a lot, but a little) but other than that, I really enjoyed this one!!

This book is a sweet story of friendship.  The friendship between the three characters Regina, Sophie, and Adelaid is told with alternating storylines ... when they first met and the present day.  I really enjoyed reading the past ... because that was when the Book Club began.  The book selections were really interesting.  The present day deals with how the three characters come together after being apart years later after a terrible argument.  Each of the women are dealing with issues with their personal life ... and being together again ... and forgiving each other for the past ... helps them overcome their struggles.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.  This was a sweet read that was a quick one for me.  While there isn't anything that drastically stood out to me, I still enjoyed this book.

Mark your calendar for this title’s release date if you enjoy women’s fiction. I found myself looking to spend time with Sophie, Adelaide and Regina (and their dual timeline) whenever I had a few minutes or more to spare.

There are many books about female friendship, marriage, new relationships, family history and conflict. What made this one a bit different was that the protagonists all are connected with the Army. Readers are there as partners are deployed and those left at home are expected to cope with matters big and small. Where are the needed supports through everything from miscarriages, to unexpected pregnancy, to graduate school, to parenting twins and much more? Readers will hope that the three women successfully navigate their stresses and joys of their lives and that they are able to maintain their friendships.

There is a book club theme in this title as well. This adds some fun to the novel with the different meetings and suggestions of what to read. I left with some new ideas for my TBR pile. All in all, a good read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

This was an easy to read, entertaining book following three old friends who have fallen out a decade ago after a big fight and try to reconcile while one of them undergoes surgery.  There are two timelines, one when they were all Army wives (one who was also in the Army herself) and they meet at a very suspect book club (the book club is really not about the books) and also current day as they attempt reconciliation.  I enjoyed this book but I also found it overly dramatic at times and I didn't feel completely connected to the characters.  This is a book easy to read quickly and might provide a much needed escape.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this book because I like anything about military wives. This is my first book by this author so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Well I read it in two days and thought of the characters when I wasn’t reading. This book has so much to offer, military wives and what they do while their husbands are deployed, friends that you can count on any time and then book club, which is a must. I look forwards to reading more by this author!

A truly touching story. Sometimes we are forced into making friends as a necessity to survive and even thrive., leaning on people who you would never have, in a normal situation ( grounding somewhere for many years or even a lifetime) SItuations throw us together where our personal beliefs or character preferences have to be pliable and accepting to exist. Perhaps that is where the strongest relationships are forged. These strong women characters lay bare all their faults, hatred, and fears along with their hearts -forging friendships that last & haunt for decades.
Being from a military family albeit retired, we really need to praise these families who give so much of themselves to defend our country, uprooting every couple of years to go where they are needed.. Heartwarming and raw.

In a Book Club Far Away is a  story of friendship and learning to forgive. Three friends, Sophie, Adelaide, and Regina met in 2011 at a book club when they all lived in the same military town. Due to a disagreement they lost touch. When Adelaide contacts both of her old friends for help they both show up,  but are not happy about the fact that they are both at Adelaide's together.  The book alternates between the past and present telling each of their stories and how they mend their differences. This is the first book of this author's that I have read but it won't be my last. Thanks to the author, publisher Gallery Books, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Sophie, Adelaide, and Regina share a book club bond and military life as spouses/active duty personnel. But an act of betrayal rips the trio apart.

Years later, Adelaide sends an SOS. She really does need the help for her upcoming surgery, but she’s got another motive: to bring Sophie and Regina back together so they can heal and move their friendship forward.

In a Book Club Far Away shifts to each woman’s point of view in both the past and the present. I really enjoyed the book club and military aspects, and Marcelo’s writing shines. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting and staying into the book, as it moves a bit slowly and it takes awhile to get to the actual reason the trio started fighting in the first place.

Overall, a nice read, and I appreciate Gallery Books and NetGalley making this available for me to review.