I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. First, I want to say that this cover is deceiving. Not once do the three women in this story sit in a pool together. I felt like the story could use a better cover. Regardless of the cover, I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the supporting characters. I felt like this could be an honest group on women as opposed to the Hallmark version of women and relationships often found in romance books.

Marni has had a cooking show for years and a group of friends as they change and grow. ARC from NetGalley.

This is a wonderful book about 4 women and the support and love they share. They each have baggage and dilemmas that keep them from exploring a future. Each helps the others see how strong they are alone but how friendship and motherhood can bolster that strength.

Robyn Carr's newest book, The Friendship Club, was a wonderful story of friendship, family, loyalty and more. This is women's fiction at its best. Although there are a couple of romantic relationships, it is not a romance. Widowed, then recently divorced Marni McGuire, is a celebrity cook with her own show. Her best friend, Ellen works with her as well as a young intern Sophia. The fourth woman in the story is Marni's daughter, Bella, who is married and expecting her first child. Bella is trying to convince Marni to start dating, and find a man. Marni is happily single and so is Ellen. Sophie begins dating a man, but it turns out he is abusive and when she breaks it off with him, he begins gaslighting her. Bella is worried that her husband might be having an affair. These four women form The Friendship Club and support one another as they come to a crossroads in their lives.

I really liked all four women in this story. They all had their strengths, as well as their weaknesses. Each one had a distinct personality and their own issues they were dealing with. I loved how they supported each other and found some humor sprinkled throughout the book. Dating over 60, issues of being single as you age, pregnancy and the issues women deal with during that time, grief, secrets, stalking and more. More than anything, this is a book of friendship, and women supporting women. This story deals with abuse, how it is hidden, what the police and and will do, therapy and how it helps and the aftermath of it. (there are no scenes of actual abuse) If this is a trigger for you, you may want to skip this one. I enjoyed the ending of this story, even though it didn't end the way I was hoping. All the stories were tied up nicely.

I’m happy to be part of the blog tour for Robyn Carr’s new novel: The Friendship Club. Two of the main protagonists in this story are women in their 50’s so I could relate to them, even though their life circumstances (one divorced, one widowed) are different than mine. It was an engaging and “romantic” read and focused on the power of female friendship. I think my only other Robyn Carr novel was Virgin River (now on Netflix)- and I enjoyed this one, too!

I loved this book. The bond between the four women is amazing. Going through the trial of life you could only wish for friendships the them. Laugh love and through it all a bond that will never break.

Touching story about strong women

I love stories about strong women. This was a very touching story of four women at different stages of their lives.This story is all about women building each other up, not tearing them down. It's about others coming together when a friend is in need, often around food as three of the women are involved with a cooking show. Celebration of the monumental moments and gathering strength and inspiration where you can.

This is a standalone novel that will have you smiling and crying about important moments as we are invited into a slice of their lives. They've experienced joys and heartache and pain and the older women are role models for the next generation. Many topics are touched upon including the highs and lows of divorce and death, cheating and love, karma and boundaries, and taking those experiences and delivering a great read.

What's nice about Robyn Carr books is they are so real. This could be any group of women in any town across America. We are dropped into their lives for a very small period of time, but experience all "the feels" as if we've known these characters for years. There's always a good message woven in like giving back to your community. Thank you #netgalley #robyncarr and #HarlequinTradePublishing for this ARC. Publication date is currently set for January 23, 2024. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I also purchased this book in audio format and it was a great listen, too. #TheFriendshipClub

I have read many books written by Robyn Carr and am a fan of her voice and style. In this book, she focuses on female friendships across generations and facing the roller coaster that is life sometimes. I enjoyed this quick read and would recommend it to those who like to read this subgenre of women's fiction with a slice of romance.

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

This was my first read of a Carr book, I so love her Virgin River tv show. I found Marni and Ellen to be excellent strong characters but I didn’t enjoy Bella. Bella I found to immature and I didn’t believe the pregnancy contributed to the way she acted at all. This started out slow as we got to know the main characters and then it picked up nicely with several HEA at the end. I look forward to hearing more about Ellen perhaps in a story about her next.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review

I generally look foward to reading Robyn Carr books and I was so happy when I received this one. But for some reason I just could not get into it. It started off ok but then I felt board.

Maybe this one just wasn't for me. I look foward to the next one.

the setup…
Marni McGuire is a highly successful, long-term host of cooking show who’s pretty satisfied with her life now that she’s in her mid-fifties. Her only daughter Bella is pregnant with her first child and somehow thinks her mother needs love in her life, though she’s struggling in her own marriage because her hormonal emotional rollercoaster is driving her husband (and her) crazy. Marni was widowed when Bella was an infant and is divorced from her second husband. Her best friend Ellen who’s also her show’s extremely talented producer is equally content living a single life after having been her late husband’s caretaker for years. Unfortunately, Sophia, their promising young intern is in a relationship that is scary but she’s hiding that from them and her father. When Marni and Ellen find themselves in friends-to-lovers romances, they not only keep them secret but question whether they should disrupt their contentment.

the heart of the story…
The thing I liked about this story is how all of these women were talented, successful and had strong senses of self and self worth. Marni and Ellen’s reluctance to enter into committed relationships was born from their prior histories. Why take the risks when your life is working so well? It’s when they discover Sophia’s peril with a stalker crazy man she dated briefly that the women form a bond, opening up about their pasts that provide wisdom and insights, secrets they’d not shared before. Poor Bella was going crazy and needed her mother’s guidance.

the narration…
Plummer is a wonderful storyteller and I liked the voices she gave to these four women.

the bottom line…
I enjoyed this story about four strong women who form a bond as they face new crossroads in their lives, sharing with and supporting each other without judgment and always with respect and admiration. Sophia’s issues were a frightening illustration of what so many women face today and it has nothing to do with being weak or strong. I also liked the honesty of their relationships with the men in their lives who were a reflection of their own great choices (excepting Sophia). It was all highly relevant and insightful.

Robyn Carr’s books are such comfort reads to me. Sadly, this this book lacked all those things. I felt that it dragged on and I didn't connect to any of the characters. I'm guessing this is just a one off, and I will certainly show up for her next book.

A well written story of the extended family we surround ourselves with. Lead character Marni, her assistant Ellen, daughter Bella, sister Nettie and young intern Sophia. Each woman at a different point in life, but all gathering together. Each character is well written. Some with humor, grace, a bit of crazy. We should all be so lucky to have friends such as these

I normally love Robyn Carr’s books, but with the book being told from the viewpoints of multiple characters, I didn’t feel like I was really able to connect with any of them, or their stories. It felt like a peek into the lives of a group of intertwined people, but I didn’t feel like it was building toward a main conflict, or a focal point. Not my favorite book, even though Robyn Carr has long been one of my favorite authors.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

I typically enjoy Robyn Carr’s books. I’m a huge fan of her Virgin River series and am working my way through her backlist. But I had an incredibly difficult time getting into this story. I could barely connect with the characters, and the pace felt super slow. It took me a lot longer to finish this one book than it typically takes me to finish 3-4. I know even my favorite authors will occasionally write one book that just won’t resonate with me. And this was definitely Ms. Carr’s. I look forward to her next release with a lot of eagerness.

NICUnurse’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

A cozy read about a circle of women and their friendship and relationships. Great conversations and banter, slice of life- easy and entertaining read.

From the first few chapters, I was hooked! I couldn't put it down. This is an amazing and heartwarming women's fiction friendship read. The multi layered, strong characters, each with a drama in their life were written so well. The dialogue and banter was sharp, realistic and perfect for this story. This was a wonderful book. I loved it from the first page to the last.

I have read other books by Robyn Carr (like Virgin River) and enjoyed them immensely so I was super excited to get this book. It did not disappoint! If you like Debbie Macomber, Elin Hildebrand, or Susan Mallery you will be sure to love this book. It would actually be the perfect beach read. I will be sure to read many more books by Robyn Carr in the future !!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange of my honest review!

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The Friendship Club is a story about four women who come together when dealing with some of life’s challenges. The story centers around Marni McGuire, a cooking show celebrity. She’s had two marriages and thinks she’s done with dating, but maybe not. She has a pregnant daughter Bella, and her assistant Ellen and Sophia, a young intern. Each of the women have their own story about what is happening in their lives.

The women form an informal “friendship club” to support each other through their situations. The two older women, Marni and Ellen have some life-lessons to convey, but they also just provide support to Bella who’s marriage may not be what everyone sees, and Sophia who is dealing with an abusive situation. The power in this story is in the way these women support each other and learn about themselves and each other in the process.

I enjoyed The Friendship Club and how the support the club brought to these women was so important. I like this author’s writing style, as it is easy-to-read and fall into. A satisfying women's fiction story.

This women's fiction novel features multi-generational women who are family, co-workers, and friends. They support each other through relationship problems and crises, and they celebrate when when things work out, including new connections. Cooking and food play an important part, since the main character, Marni, is a TV chef. This is a thoroughly enjoyable story of strong women who are able to face challenges and even manage to make the world a better place. Recommended.