Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Club is about the Home Group, where members are the elite of the elite and can go to one of the Home Group’s many locations in order to relax and have fun without the watchful eye of the media following their every move. Ned Groom, the owner of the Home Group, is launching a new location- Island Home-and is holding a three-day long launch party to celebrate. However, tensions are brewing behind the scenes, secrets are no longer secret, and Ned Groom has something special in store for the supposed “lucky” few invited to the island before the weekend has begun.

The story focuses on Adam, Ned’s younger and often overlooked brother, Jess, the recently-hired Head of Housekeeping, Annie, the overworked Head of Hospitality, and Nikki, Ned’s personal assistant, and all of them have something to hide.

What I liked:

The structure of this book was glorious. I loved how each chapter ended with a snippet of a news article written about the events that had taken place at Island Home and having each chapter be a different time (Friday Morning, Friday Afternoon, Friday Evening, etc.) was a great touch. It was a brilliant way to build suspense and add to the mystery of what could’ve happened (and also allowed for dramatic irony in latter parts of the book, which I’m always a proponent of).

I fell in love with all of the characters through their POVs, and I liked how each chapter had one section dedicated to each of them. They were all very well-written and were the perfect ways to watch the puzzle pieces of the story fall into place. It’s strange how Ellery Lloyd can make you root for each of the characters, even when they are in direct opposition to each other at times.

I’ll also say that the mystery elements were very well-executed. The foreshadowing was on point, and the suspense had me on the edge of my seat. Additionally, when everything aligns and you can see the big picture at the end, it’s immensely satisfying (in my opinion, that’s what truly makes a good mystery).

What I didn’t like:

It was a bit slow at the beginning, despite small lines of foreshadowing to keep you invested. This coupled with the length of the chapters made for a difficult read at first. However, the pace picks up quite a bit once you get into it, and there were no issues from there on out.

Finishing thoughts:

This was an amazing mystery and an amazing book, and I can’t wait to make people I know read it so I can enjoy seeing them figure everything out for themselves. I’m very glad I chose this to be my first mystery/thriller of the year!

The club is an A-List members only book about the next up and coming selective home, built and exclusive to only those who are on the list. The Island Home is finished being built and it’s grand opening is one to die for. Ned Groom is the founder of The Homes, lavishly built homes for the rich and famous. A getaway from the getaway. This time around he’s built the biggest resort on and island and only a few are invited to party and this has tension rising amongst some of the famous not invited. And with tensions rising, some people wish they weren’t invited at all… because this is one Home you can’t escape. Once the bodies start to rise, the secret start to slip.

From the get go you’re thrown into a tense plot beginning with a death. Than we start to meet the characters, each telling their own story, which drags a bit in the build up, but than the games begin and who you think is out to get them isn’t. This is one where I can truly say I didn’t “see that coming.” It’s a rollercoaster and some characters I couldn’t stand but felt for them all the same. I love a good cat-and-mouse thriller and the mystery behind each character is worth the binge.

Everyone covets an entry into a club just called as 'Home'. The top tier membership is more elusive. But is the entry worth it? Dive in to 'The Club' to find out!
The Club builds up the momentum slowly for the story to come together at the end. Its definitely not a fast paced thriller and has more of a literary with a rock and roll sort of vibe. This is a character rich novel and every character has a role to play with a story.
I really enjoyed this novel once it hit the 30% mark and had a hard time putting it down.

I picked up this book on a whim. It is about an exclusive club on an island accessible by a road that is cover by the tide part of the time or helicopter. It’s opening weekend and the most elite of the elite are there. All phones are collected upon arrival so people can be themselves without worry about pictures. What could go wrong?

What I loved most about the book was all the twists. They just kept coming! The story is also told between chapters by a news article that interviews the guests and explains a little of what is happening after the weekend is over. This was interesting and provided valuable background. I enjoyed the pace of the book, which is easy to follow.
Thank you the the publisher for an advanced reading copy.

I LOVE this book!!! Like their last book, Ellery Lloyd wrote very unlikable characters, which I LOVE. They’re so fascinating! And a few who are very likable but I’ll leave it up to you to decide which are which! I personally am a HUGE fan of unlikable characters. There’s something about the despicable traits that just pull me in! I also love multiple POV and this book delivers in spades!
I don’t want to spoil anything but the very last sentence of the book made the entire book absolutely phenomenal!!!

Well this was a bit of a disappointment. I actually had high hopes for this book even though I haven't read their other book, the premise and synopsis intrigued me and I was really excited to read it.

This book is about an exclusive celebrity club with locations across the world that have the most luxurious accommodations you could possibly imagine. The owner Ned is opening a new location and has planned a three-day launch party to celebrate with only the top A-list celebrities on the list. But mysterious things begin happening and everyone has something to hide, including his staff. Then the bodies begin piling up and everyone's secrets are about to be exposed.

The book was told from 5 point of views which was a little much for me, I couldn't keep the character's names straight with the story that matched up with them. I had to constantly go back to see whose chapter I was on until I got used to their voices and mannerisms. All of the characters were fine but the main thing about this book that I didn't like was how much it dragged for me. It felt really drawn out when just trying to explain the smallest thing and with so many different characters even outside of the main characters, this was a difficult read.

I knew going into this book it wasn't going to be a thriller, it was more of a mystery but you have to make it through almost 75% of the book before anything starts really happening. Little tidbits are dropped here and there but for the exciting parts of the book you have to slog through a lot.

Maybe celebrity, drama-filled mysteries just aren't for me. I contemplated DNFing this book numerous times but decided just to power through and get it done. This is a book I will quickly forget I ever read even if the writing style wasn't the worst I've ever read.

*Many thanks to Harper Collins for the gifted copy for my honest review*

A twisty thriller located at a prestigious club for only the richest and most exclusive guests. I couldn't put the book down once I started (seriously I finished it in a day). The multiple POVs kept me interested. The epilogue was wonderful. 3.5/5 stars for me.

How much do you want to be part of “the club”? Intrigue and mystery surround this thriller about an exclusive and elitist club for celebrities who are just dying to join. On an isolated island off the coast of England, there is a launch weekend of the newest exclusive Island Home resort led by Ned Grooms, a narcissistic and very controlling CEO. Everyone who is anyone wants to be included. Arriving first are the A-listers of the Home Group: Keith - a voyeuristic photographer, Kurt - son of a former member, Jackson - also known as Captain Aquatic, and Freddie - a talk show host and presented with an opportunity that they won’t be able to turn down. Ned’s loyal staff consists of Annie Sparks who really is the force behind all the day to day mechanisms; Nikki, his young and dedicated PA; Jess, the newly appointed head of housekeeping; and Adam, his brother who has always done everything his brother has told him to do. But each have secrets of their own and have their own agendas. When things begin to get out of control, suddenly everyone wants to leave. But, before the weekend is out, not everyone will leave the island alive.
This story is a page turner as it keeps you on the edge of your seat and engaged. I love how the POV changes from chapter to chapter to give the reader a keen insight to the varying characters. The author has written characters who are multi-dimensional and complex. Reminiscent of a good Agatha Christie with all the suspects looked in a room, the twists at the end are a doozy. I loved this book and if you like a good whodunit, then think you will too.

Many thanks to #netgalley, #theclub #ellerylloyd for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Home is a group of worldwide resorts for the rich and famous. Run by Ned Groom and his brother Adam, they're the place everyone wants to be invited to. And Island Home is the ultimate Home getaway. But the weekend of the opening, things aren't all that they seem, and people start dying. One by one.

This book has a wonderful cast of nasty characters, a tense atmosphere, and a fast-moving plot. If you like isolated, closed-circle mysteries, this will be perfect for you. I highly recommend it.

When I walk into the club ... all eyes on ME.

This is very much how Ned Groom, owner of the luxurious, incredibly elite chain of Home clubs, feels when he walks into one of the locations. He likes to be the center of attention and when things don't go his way he can throw the biggest tantrum. Yet, if you're not at one of his clubs, then are you really somebody?

Told from different pov's we get pieces of a story that spans decades. This felt more like a heavy drama laced with mystery. The start is slow, and the pacing a bit off until you reach over the halfway mark and the ending was a bit predictable.

Jess, a girl trying to better her life and leave the past. Nikki, the PA to Ned, who is fiercely loyal when you are good to her. Adam, the younger brother living in Ned's shadow his whole life. Annie, who plays a role for Home that makes her the person to know. These characters tell us a story of blackmail, betrayal and murder!

I liked the idea here and would have liked to see it paced out differently and be geared more thriller with an active killer people are aware of. That said, if you are the type that likes to sit with some popcorn when drama unfolds, then give this one a go!

Thank you so much to Harper for the gifted copy!

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Harper for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

For me, The Club had the potential to be a great thriller with a unique premise, but it lacked the execution.

My thoughts:
-there were so many characters making it difficult to follow along.
-the buildup was a bit much. I love a whodunnit but we didn’t figure out who died until almost 75% in.
-I’m a fan of straight forward, non-descriptive writing and I felt this book had too much fluff & details
-the reveals didn’t blow my mind and the ending left me wanting more

I will admit I am very picky when it comes to thrillers and while this wasn’t my cup of tea, I know many will enjoy it! If you like, descriptive writing, a slow burn, and a unique plot then give The Club a read!

Huge amount of thanks to NetGalley and Harper publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my opinion.
The Club is exactly that. An exclusive club for the most elite celebrities. The cover says ‘everyone’s dying to join’ and the body count within the span of a few days is impressive.
The amount of twists, turns, and secrets within this story are amazing. Each one is intertwined with another secret. A little bit of a slow burn, but when it catches, it blazes.
Really enjoyed it, highly recommend picking it up on March 1

Celebrities and staff behaving badly at the opening event of an exclusive island club. There are multiple characters and POVs, and many well-plotted twists and turns. You'll see some of them coming, but in a book like this, you will still get to be surprised.

I would place this book in one of my favorite categories--what I like to call the "luxury thriller". These books are the same as a typical mystery/thriller, but with filthy rich characters in luxurious settings. Think "Every Vow You Break" by Peter Swanson, or the book this one reminded me the most of, "The Guest List" by Lucy Foley. A great book to read by the pool on vacation.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

going into this u thought that the people who were killed and who killed them would be the center of the book. instead the murders were the least interesting part of the story for me. by the time we got to the murders i forgot this was supposed to be a murder mystery. in all of the chapters we got 4 povs and a snippet from articles. it was a very slow and descriptive book and tbh i wasn’t interested in the articles at all (which i think were supposed to keep me engaged). in those 4 povs we got to see what secrets they were all keeping. ultimately the ending was a bit unsatisfying

I loved the way the Vanity Fair article was used to weave the background information in this book. At the beginning this functions as exposition and later on the details of the article help fill in the gaps to help solve this mystery. The book was slow in pacing and it took a while for things to really happen. I felt like fewer details would have allowed for the same plot to happen at a quicker pace. It wasn’t until after the halfway point that I really felt like there was enough information to move the plot along. Before that it felt like we were following a lot of breadcrumb trails.

I commend the writers for the way they presented these terrible characters. While I didn’t truly like any of the characters, I really felt that they were all complex.

The novel wrapped up in ways that I found to be anticlimactic. I expected that this would be more of a thriller and it didn’t really feel that way. If you’re looking for a novel on the complexity of social relationships and selfishness, this provides a good case study.

Rating: 3.5

I liked the premise of this book, but it fell short. It was overly descriptive in things not central to the plot or character arcs. It started very slow and continued that way, then the ending gave me whiplash with the plot twists. None of the twists were interesting enough to increase my rating of the book.

The Club is about Home, which are resorts for celebs and rich elites. This is a crazy story of an exclusive club with various locations around the world, where members pay dearly for doing whatever they want. This book is full of twists and turns. It's told from multiple points of view. The owner is awful, but the staff do what they must to cater to their members. It definitely moves slow for a bit. I would say around halfway through the book it picked up. Everything really comes together by the end. I enjoyed it. Definitely recommend!

"Because at this club, if your name's on the list, you're not getting out."

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Harper Collins for the ARC!

The book is a little slow going in the beginning. There's a lot of information setting up the background of The Home Group as well as all the details about how Island Home is set up, the interior design, the owner's temper. I had a tough time getting through that part, but I'm glad I stuck with it because things started picking up about halfway through the book. Most intriguing was a Vogue article written about that weekend, which is interspersed between each chapter. It gives you just a bit of mystery and hints at what's to come, the fact that bodies start surfacing, but you don't know who or why or how. That's what really kept me reading. I needed to know what was going on. The characters are all pretty deplorable though. There was only one or two I actually liked. Celebrities, they're definitely not just like us.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for gifting me a digital ARC of the new novel by Ellery Lloyd - 4.5 stars!

Home is a chain of ultra-exclusive clubs set in the best locations (including Upstate NY - love that!). The launch party at the newest Home on a very remote island off the English coast is the event of the year. Ned is the CEO, whom the staff alternately awe and fear; his brother, Adam, mostly does his brother's bidding. The staff is handpicked and all sign an NDA. Then there are the hand-picked guests. Everyone has a secret - and now someone - or maybe more? - is dead.

This is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie, locked room murder mystery - which I'm a huge fan of that concept. This is a bit of a slow burn, but I loved how everything unfurls to reveal all the secrets and lies - it was all excessive, over the top fun!

Home - a swanky club who only allows elite as members. It started in London, but now has many all around the world. The newest, Island Home, is having a grand opening and only the best of the best are included.

Everyone involved with Home - from the members, to the employees, to the owner - seems to have secrets. And they all seem to know secrets. Things seem to escalate quickly over the course of the weekend. Secrets are revealed. People go missing. And then things take an even more horrible turn. And not everyone who arrived at the launch will be going home alive.

I loved the multiple points of view and seeing things from different angles. I'm not sure I actually liked or trusted ANY of the narrators. But that just made it all the more interesting. Many of their stories, secrets and lies overlap. And the morals of everyone involved are questionable.

This is my first read by this duo, but I will definitely be checking out more from them.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!