A perfect holiday read, with a great sense of place.

Four individuals, each with very different reasons for shying away from living their lives, find friendship and support in a Dubrovnik book club.

Claire has arrived in Dubrovnik to live with her grandmother for a year while she takes over the management of The Welcoming Bookshop in the Old Town. Having only recently recovered from long COVID, Claire is nervous of not just being out and about, but also of just being around other people, not wanting to risk the loss of another 18 months of her young life. Despite this, she is determined to start a book club at the shop.

Luna loves her job in the bookshop and hopes she will get on with Claire. Her job means everything to her, because if she loses it she may have to return to the small, conservative island where she was brought up, and where she has no hope of being her authentic self. Luna has a secret.

Vedran's life has been turned upside-down since the disappearance of his partner Didi, presumed drowned or worse. Public opinion has treated him harshly, despite not having been arrested. Vedran also has a secret. He is emotionally shut-down and living the life of a hermit until his cousin Claire arrives. He's not much of a reader, but he wants to support Claire's new book club.

Karmela is an academic on sabbatical, researching women of the historic Ragusan Republic. She joins the book club mainly to get an opportunity to study the ancient building in which the book shop is housed. She doesn't know many people in Dubrovnik, but as she gets to know her disturbed neighbour Rafael, her own complicated feelings about the Yugoslav Wars, in particular the siege of Sarajevo, come to the fore.

I enjoyed this story, although I felt there were missed opportunities. Each section of the book was named after the book club's book of the month, and some of these were woven into the story more successfully than others. As I'd read most of the books myself, I found this a little disappointing. But at the end, when I discovered that several of the characters had appeared in an earlier book, I was keen enough to add it to my TBR. So overall, a good read.

I chose this title as Dubrovnik is somewhere I hope to visit. The book is an easy going read but I found it very slow.

The descriptions of Croatia are beautifully written and the characters are nice enough, but there was nothing to grip me in the plot, despite the fact that it seems every character in the book has their own personal issue or trauma to be addressed, which overshadows the actual mystery.
Not one for me, I'm afraid. 3* for the delightful descriptions.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

Set in 2022 in Dubrovnik. Claire moves to Dubrovnik and is staying with her grandmother, while she manages The Welcoming Bookshop for a few months.

Claire is getting over long covid and is afraid to get close to people. At the bookshop Claire escapes to the backroom when she feels overwhelmed. Her assistant, Luna starts a book club to encourage business. Luna is trying to find a way to tell her friends and family she is gay.

Each member of the book club chooses a book that they can read and discuss. Claire gets to know the people she meets at the book club and also their back stories. The discussions they have about the books help the book club members share their fears.

Each chapter is about Claire, Vedran, Luna and Karmela and how they are able to help each other.

This was about grief, friendship, families and secrets and the after-effects of war. I loved the descriptions of the old buildings, streets and views. Throughout there are descriptions of delicious food. At the beginning there is a note describing the different foods mentioned throughout the story. Also the descriptions of the books discussed at the book club.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for a chance to read and review this E-Book.

This is a wonderful story. Every main character is trying to overcome a personal fear .... fear of illness, fear of being judged or ostracized, fear of an unknown future, fear of the brutal past, fear from surviving something horrible, fear of loss. The beauty of this book is that as each person opens up and faces their fear, they let others in and, in doing so, they are no longer alone and their fear subsides and their true personalities are able to flourish. Each person finds out more about each other and about themselves and their friendships grow and deepen. It's a wonderful book set in beautiful Croatia. The descriptions of the area and the food were as wonderful as the story!

How is it possible to have so much going on in a book but it feels like nothing really happens? I love Dubrovnik and so I jumped at the chance to revisit the city through the eyes of these characters, all of whom have a tragic backstory and they are slowly working to find their place in the world There’s a little bit of everything: long COVID, coming out for the first time, PTSD, murder accusations – and yet none of this really held my interest because it moved at a glacial pace. I thought this would focus more on the crime they were investigating but it takes a backseat to the drama in each person’s life. Interesting premise but this wasn’t at all what I had expected and I found myself struggling with picking it back up.

The Dubrovnik Club is an interesting story that follows the people who joined the book club, and we see their story and the problems which one has and how they become friends.

This book is such a great tale of friendship, acceptance, and triumph with an amazing setting of Dubrovnik, making you want to explore the locations that are mentioned throughout the story.

Overall, this is a cozy mystery that has a big focus on friendships and the problems we face in our day-to-day life. It was a nice read and I found it such an enjoyable story with a nice pace and a great setting.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

Although the book club plays a major role in this book, it is main character Claire Thomson’s life that is changed when she organizes the book club with people who each have their own issues to deal with. The author also includes some history of Croatia and the city of Dubrovnik as background information for the storyline.

The Dubrovnik Book Club is an interesting story about the people who join the book club .Each have their own story to tell and problems and they become good friends .The descriptions of Croatia are very interesting Dubrovnik being a World Heritage Site .A very good read .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

This book takes us back to Dubrovnik, the city we first visited in The Collaborator’s Daughter, author Eva Glyn’s previous masterful novel. Dubrovnik is located in Croatia and was historically known as Ragusa. It’s a tourist destination in the Mediterranean, a seaport and a World Heritage Site because of its outstanding medieval architecture and fortified old town. It’s teeming with life and history. Glyn’s vivid descriptions allow us to once again visualize this beautiful, fascinating place and some of the beautiful, fascinating people in it. The Dubrovnik Book Club picks up about a dozen years after The Collaborator’s Daughter ends, with some of the same characters featured, but it’s a standalone novel, not really a sequel or the next in a series. In fact, I have to admit that I was a way in before I even realized I already knew some of these folks because Glyn did such an outstanding job of captivating me from the very beginning of the novel with this time and this group and this set of events.

Everyone is facing something difficult or disturbing or frustrating or tragic. Vedran’s girlfriend disappeared/drowned/came to harm? When foul play was initially suspected he was questioned but then cleared. Cleared by the judicial system, but not by the townsfolk. The popular opinion is that he “got away” with murder; he’s talked about, shunned, and has been asked to work from home until things calm down. He despairs of that ever happening and has a huge fear of a secret about his life with Didi ever being exposed.

Claire is spending a few months in Dubrovnik, away from her home in London, with her grandmother Fran and Fran’s husband Jadran (the main stars of The Collaborator’s Daughter). This isn’t meant to be a vacation; Clair had Long Covid and is now afraid to venture out, to mingle with people, to return to her old life. Fran’s goal is to help her get past those fears, starting with a job at The Welcoming Bookshop.

Luna and her flatmate Ezra left the small town they grew up in and moved to Dubrovnik – Ezra to pursue career dreams, Luna to escape. Escape the disapproval and restriction and rejection. Karmela is a professor on sabbatical, temporarily in Dubrovnik doing Ragusan research, which seems to be the only thing that brings her pleasure. She’s unfriendly, judgmental, an outsider – with a shameful secret. Rafael is a self-proclaimed hero of the Creation War of Independence, full of stories that don’t always have the ring of truth, and also often full of alcohol.

A variety of people with seemingly nothing in common and no reason to interact. But they do, either as members of the book club being led by Claire or through their connection to someone who is a member. In addition to the books and the conversations and the delicious food provided by Fran, they somehow become a unit: an investigative team trying to learn what really happened to Didi and clear Vedran’s name once and for all, and then take it upon themselves to try and find a way for the bookshop to remain open when increased rent or sale of the building threaten closure. The Dubrovnik Book Club is a history lesson, a mystery and a charming story of such very different people finding common ground, common purpose, and deep friendship. It’s exciting, informative, sad, hopeful.

The first thing I did after finishing The Collaborator’s Daughter was to make a note to myself: READ MORE EVA GLYN. Thanks to Harper Collins Publishers UK, One More Chapter for providing an advance copy of The Dubrovnik Book Club via NetGalley and allowing me to do just that. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it without hesitation. I have made another note to myself to KEEP READING EVA GLYN. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Set among the historic background of Dubrovnik, Claire, Vedran, Luna and Karmela are struggling. Englishwoman Claire has ventured to her grandparent's house on Croatia in order to recover from a bout of Covid and Long Covid that nearly killed her. Vedran, her cousin, is reeling from the end of an abusive relationship that had him painted as a murderer. Luna is struggling to reconcile her sexuality with her religious upbringing and the law. And academic Karmela is retreating into history to deflect from her survivors' guilt at having fled Sarajevo at the start of the war.

All four find friendship and support from unexpected quarters, and is firmly cemented when the location of their beloved Dubrovnik Book Club is threatened by a fast food outlet.

This is a heartwarming tale of friendship, of love, of acceptance, of resolution, and of triumph. It has a deliciously satisfying ending that both wraps up the storylines and leaves openings for further tales of these four characters.

I enjoyed the setting of Dubrovnik and the smatterings of Croatian language (mostly expletives or foodstuffs) as well. Some books make you want to explore the locations mentioned, and this is one of them.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

~ Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Claire agrees to stay with her grandmother in Dubrovnik and manage a book shop for a few months. She's been hiding away from the world since Covid, having lived with the debilitating effects of Long Covid. Her bouncy young colleague Luna helped Claire tackle her fear as she helps Luna get to grips with her identity. Through a book club in the shop new friendships are forged- each helping the otehr in their own ways: Vedran, accused of murdering his girlfriend, Karmela, a stuffy professor hiding behind a shell since the Bosian war 30 years previously. Luna, afraid to come out as gay in a country where it is not yet widely accepted, and Claire hiding from the world. A story of helping each other through life's difficulties and coming together through the joint venture of saving the bookshop, this also educates on ancient history and the Bosnian war, a largely forgotten conflict. An excellent read. #netgalley #TheDubrovnikBookclub

Lovely to have a book set in a different location. This one ticks all the boxes for me and didn't disappoint.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn is a story set in Croatia and tells the story of a group of people who are all members a a book club, who all are going through issues in their lives and examines how books can bring people together,

The Dubrovnik Book Club is one of those novels that is a complete joy to read from beginning to end, with each of the 5 main characters having their own chapters.
but you never felt that you wanted one chapter to end so the story could move onto your favourite character.

The reason for this is Eva Glyn’s novel felt like an ensemble novel where each character dealing with their own issues was just as important to the novel as each other. To the point where The Dubrovnik book club could have published each character's story in the novel as an individual short story and all of them would have stood up.


Making the novel a delight to read.

Claire has been struggling with Long Covid for a long time and accepts the offer of working in the bookshop run by her Grandmother's friend in Dubrovnik whilst the owner cares for his sick wife.
She is hesitant to deal with people and afraid of getting sick again, but faces her fears.
Together with Luna, the other person working in the shop they form a book club and this is not only their story, but that of the shop and the people closely associated with it. They all have their own internal demons, some are caused by war, some by prejudice and some by fear.
I loved reading this book, not only for the story but for the history and descriptions of Dubrovnik.

A group of people find friendship in a small book group, and it alters each of their lives.

A young British woman named Claire arrives in the Croatian town of Dubrovnik to live with her beloved grandmother and try to reboot her life. After struggling to recover from Long COVID, Claire still grapples with a fear of contracting the illness yet again, and the very thought of being in an enclosed space with other people, any of whom might reinfect her, causes her great anxiety. Her grandmother is determined to help her move past that chapter in her life and has found her a job managing The Welcoming Bookstore in the historic Old Town. Working in the store with her is Luna, a cheerful young woman from a small island town who relishes having escaped the constraints of the strait laced insular community where she was raised and who is trying to summon the courage to tell the people in her life that she is gay.. As a way to drum up business in the off-season, the two decide to form a book club and pull in friends and customers to get it started. Claire’s Gran is there, as is her cousin Vedran, who like Claire has been leading a very sheltered existence after the disappearance of his girlfriend Didi (whom many have decided Vedran must have killed) and Karmela, a rather formal professor doing research in the area who may have ulterior motives for joining the group. The first book they read is a cozy mystery, which inspires some in their midst to look into the disappearance of Didi and clear Vedran’s name. Subsequent titles will help different members come to terms with something they’re going through in life, and bonds of friendship develop between them. When the landlord raises the store’s rent and it looks like the shop will need to close forever, can this band of unlikely friends work together to find a solution?
With a little bit of mystery and a great many people discovering things about themselves and the world around them, The Dubrovnik Book Club is a lovely read, particularly for readers of authors like Elizabeth Berg, Kate Jacobs and Ann Hood. As the story unfolds, the reader learns about each character, what their personal struggles are, and how they are coping with their lives. The real star of the story however is Dubrovnik itself, as author Eva Glyn describes the buildings, the history, the people and the food. It would be difficult to read this book and not want to hop on a plane and head there for a spell, or at least is was for me. If you are looking to read a story that celebrates friendship and the love of reading, be sure to pick up a copy of The Dubrovnik Book Club. Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for allowing me early access to this charming novel.

I personally did not enjoy this book very much. I think for me it had an incredibly slow start and that caused me to lose interest. It did pick up some in the middle but it wasn’t enough that I could enjoy it. I think it is well written but the actual plot seemed a little lackluster to me.

Claire has come to stay with her grandparents in Croatia after a long battle with COVID. Her grandmother urges her to take a job managing a bookstore for a family friend. Claire finds herself in a book club with her shop assistant Luna, her cousin Verdan and a visiting college professor, Karmela. They are each are fighting their own personal demons as they begin this book club.

I was attracted to this book because of the location. I had never seen a cozy mystery set in Croatia. The descriptions made you feel like you were there. This book is more than a cozy mystery, it deals with friendships, social media, religious trauma and COVID. It is a Muli-narrative story. You hear perspectives from each of the book club members throughout the story. This for me is a little confusing and it may be the reason I thought it lagged in parts. Overall, I did enjoy the story and the beautiful descriptions of Croatia.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the chance to read the story and give my opinion.

While Claire is staying with her grandparents in Dubrovnik, she meets Simeon, who employs her to the small bookshop, The Welcoming Bookshop, in the old town.
She is recovering from long covid, so being in crowds and small places is her worst nightmare.
Made even worst when her co-worker, Luna tells her she will be running the book club in the tiny bookshop.
An endearing and enjoyable read showing how Claire bonded with the members of the book club.
They become their own support group as well as a book club.
Each character had something different to bring to the story - all on their own personal journey.
It’s a layered read - beautiful, descriptive writing, that brought each character to life.
Fall in love with Dubrovnik and Croatia.
Thanks @evaglynauthor, @onemorechapterhc & @netgalley for the heartwarming read

I was excited to read this book because I had vacationed in Dubrovnik and also love the book club I am in. The description intrigued me as well but unfortunately I was not a fan of this book. I didn’t love the writing style, the characters, and I thought that there would be more drama. I was excited about the thrill of murder suspect but then it was pointless. I also love historical fiction and thought there could have been more history mystery aspect. I also felt like there were weird gaps in the book and found myself confused. Overall disappointed.