Interesting concept, but reminded me too much of “When We Were Villains” which was a lot better. The main character annoyed me a lot and the story didn’t hook me. Didn’t care that much about the characters or where they were gonna end up.

This book exceeded my expectations! I went in skeptical, got hooked right away by how different the story was and could not put it down!!! I will be recommending this in every book club I am in!!!

The story was unique, done flawlessly, and the characters drew me in…I wish I could reread it for the first time!

I picked up this book thinking I knew what I was going to experience; however, I feel confident based on many of the other reviews I am not alone with how this book came out of nowhere with it's mystery.

First and foremost, I thought I was going to read an angsty story about friends who come back together after the passing of their college friend. Those sorts of trope-ish books can be good, in their own right, but this book gives us something more with the drug that allows the taker to travel in time.

The cover art is beautiful, the story is intriguing and the characters have secrets which reveal themselves throughout the story. It's not perfect but I do love a really good dark academia with a bit of sci-fi involved. My critique is that it did start a bit slow and took some time to get into the story. This is not an action filled tale but rather one about friendships which come and go in our lives so it can be sad at times if it makes you think about people who have crossed your own path along your personal journey.

I want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I love reading these works and hope my opinions feel valid for others to make informed decisions.

Thank you, NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. This book had an interesting concept and the setting was exactly what I want in a book, however I did end up soft DNFing as I found it really hard to follow. From fellow reviewers it sounds like it picks up in the second half so I am still intrigued but I think I’ll grab the audiobook!

𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴....𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵? 👀

THIS BOOK‼️‼️ Gosh! WOW! 😱😱 Ngl I was confused half the time (the good kind) with all the "sogging" (the verb they use when experiencing the drug), because I was basically on the edge of my seat begging for the book to reveal what really happened on May 1989

I loved the characters, the plot, and the dual 3rd person POVs. Don’t mistake the two POVs as a romantic angle because once you see how they clash, I WAS LIKE, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! 🤯

This book centers around a mystery that everyone knows happened, and what better way to see if something was missed than to do a friends reunion and use the same drugs that 'sogs' you backwards (to your past) once you hit a certain adult age.

The concept is so freaking cool! The obsession with memories and how the brain handles voluntary vs. involuntary memories was a perspective I’d never considered before.

If you love solving mysteries with a touch of magical realism, this book is definitely for you!

Thank you, NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing, for the eARC and my physical copy! 📚💖

Excellent book: intriguing and gripping
A proper review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to Graydon House and Margot Harrison for this ARC.

What do you get when you combine college friends who have lost touch, a mysterious death of one of their own, and time travel? Well, this is the entire premise of “The Midnight Club,” and the combination created a story I never saw coming.

I have read a few time travel books, but “The Midnight Club” takes a fresh new perspective on the trope. Instead of physically time traveling, these four friends have stumbled on a small-town secret: a drug that mentally lets you relive moments in the past or see glimpses of the future. What then proceeds to happen is these four friends use the drug to relive their repressed memories around the alleged suicide of their fifth friend over 25 years ago.

This is one of those books that makes you think. After I was done, I literally sat in my bed contemplating the concepts that Harrison explored in this novel. It was beautifully written, surprisingly philosophic, and combined with mystery, suspense, and magical realism.

This is a build-and-burn type of book. The tension slowly creeps up, and as the plot moves along, I cannot help but become very invested in uncovering the truth.

Would I change my future if I could? As the characters in this novel realize, the answer is not as straightforward as you would first think. Changing one thing can change everything. As this book compared youth to adulthood and finding answers in the midst of grief, it certainly gave me a lot to think about. However, I was still very much entertained and loved the dark academia vibes. If you are looking for a unique novel with a thrilling mystery and an introspection on memories, try “The Midnight Club.”

Locked room mystery horror, yes please.
I read a lot of this type of book, it's my favorite scenario.

Lots of moving parts on this one, people, timelines, ND as always is there a unreliable narrator, in a book where perspective is everything?

This is a build and burn book pacing wise, Harrison let's the tension creep up as this story continues, and I slowly felt myself leaning into the book, literally!

Then let's add in that special substance that let's this group relive the past, the one where everyone is hiding a secret, but how dark are they?

Loved this book, it was a interesting twist on my usual locked room type scenario, and I'm looking forward to more.

“The Midnight Club” by Margot Harrison presents a compelling premise: a reunion of estranged college friends seeking to unravel the mystery surrounding the tragic death of their friend, Jennet, through a secret substance called “sog” that allows them to relive past memories. This concept is ripe with potential, combining elements of mystery, nostalgia, and dark academia, which makes for an intriguing read.

Harrison employs dual perspectives and shifting timelines effectively, drawing readers into both the present-day reunion and flashbacks to their college days. The dynamics among the characters—Sonia, Byron, Auraleigh, and Paul—are complex, reflecting their individual struggles with the past and their relationships with one another. However, while the narrative explores themes of friendship, regret, and the burden of memory, I found myself struggling to connect with the characters on a deeper level. Their flaws often overshadowed their complexities, making it difficult to fully invest in their journeys.

The pacing of the story is another point of contention. The beginning drags, and while the plot eventually picks up, I felt the initial slow burn could deter some readers. Additionally, the exploration of memory—particularly through the lens of a hallucinogenic experience—can be disorienting, and I found myself confused at times by the various timelines and perspectives.

While the suspense builds as secrets are uncovered, the ultimate resolution regarding Jennet's death left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. The buildup promised a grand reveal, but the delivery fell flat, diminishing the emotional impact of the story.

Despite these shortcomings, there’s an undeniable charm in Harrison's writing and her ability to weave a multifaceted narrative. Fans of mysteries and those looking for a unique twist on the coming-of-age genre may still find enjoyment in “The Midnight Club.” It’s a book that, while not flawless, offers enough intrigue and emotional depth to merit a read—just approach it with tempered expectations.

The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison is a good read that kept me intrigued with its clever use of two perspectives and shifting timelines. The story brings together a group of estranged college friends, reunited 25 years after the mysterious death of their friend Jennet. Drawn back to the Vermont town where it all happened, they’re asked to uncover the truth using a secret substance that allows them to relive their past memories. As the group delves deeper into their recollections, it becomes clear that each of them is hiding something, and the truth about that fateful night is far more complex than they ever imagined. With its suspenseful twists and layered narrative, this novel kept me engaged throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House for this ARC! I loved this story. It was so unique and perfect for fall. A drug that can make you access a part of your brain that has certain memories??? So different. Loved this one!

The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison  is a mystery story about four college friends who get together  to pay tribute to a missing member.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher  Harlequin Trade Publishing and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions):
It's been 25 years since four college students got together in a group they called The Midnight Club. They were close friends, but the death of their friend Jennet bonded them, so when Auraleigh invited Sonia, Paul and Byron to a reunion, they agreed to stay in her new B&B.

The four have become estranged, and the trust they had for each other in college, no longer exists.  They all have secrets, and memories of Jennet that they probably shouldn't explore together.  But that is exactly what Auraleigh wants.  She wants to uncover the truth as to what truly happened the night Jennet died.

Auraleigh is providing them with a drug called "sog" that will let them relive their past.  Sonia has already used this drug, back in college, but hadn't told anyone.  She fell hard for the guy that gave it to her, and still holds those feelings.  Not surprisingly, he, too, is in town.  But now he is against the use of the drug.

But the group takes the drug every night, diving deep into their memories, and discovering that they may not have remembered the past correctly.


My Opinions:
First, the book is about a drug that allows you to travel in time.  When you are young and take it, you travel forward.  When you are older, you travel backward.  Or it's all in your imagination.  You decide.  It raises the question...if you could go back in time and change something, would you?  The book is about friendship, love, regret, and letting go.  It is also about depression and suicide.  In some ways, it is a very sad book.

The story is told by both Sonia and Byron, so you get two perspectives, and it is told in two time-lines - then and now.  It was actually fairly straight-forward.

 I loved the premise, but felt it really dragged at the beginning, so I had a hard time getting into it.  As well, I couldn't stand Auraleigh or Paul.  They were both obnoxious in their own ways. 

As interesting as the characters were, I couldn't connect with them, and there was no true excitement. It dragged on, and by the end I still didn't really care what had happened to Jennet.  Overall, it was a good book, but I felt it just lacked something - for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy! This one took me a bit to get into at first but it ended up being a decent read in the end! I feel like the plot was unique and that was refreshing after reading so many books in the genre. I didn’t really connect with the characters but that’s not always a bad thing when I look for a book. I did get a little confused at times with the different perspectives and memories. Overall, it was a good read and I recommend it for anyone who wants something different! I also think it’s awesome how the story took the author 35 years to complete. I think the author did a great job and I look forward to reading more from her!

The Midnight Club has a cool concept, but I had to DNF at 20%. The characters were not very interesting and the time travel (or more accurately memory travel) made for a disjointed read. There is a dark academia quality here and a mystery that some people may enjoy.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"A twisty, nostalgic, emotionally thrilling novel about a group of estranged college friends who experiment with a secret substance that allows them to re-live their memories - and the fallout when they uncover startling truths about a dark event from their past.

"How could you leave the past undisturbed when it was hiding parts of you from yourself?"

It's been twenty-five years since The Midnight Club last convened. A tight-knit group of college friends bonded by late nights at the campus literary magazine, they're also bonded by something darker: the death of their brilliant friend Jennet junior year. But now, decades later, a mysterious invitation has pulled them back to the pine-shrouded Vermont town where it all began.

As the estranged friends gather for a weeklong campus reunion, they soon learn that their host has an ulterior motive: she wants them to uncover the truth about the night Jennet died, and she's provided them with an extraordinary method - a secret substance that helps them not only remember but relive the past.

But each one of the friends has something to hide. And the more they question each other, the deeper they dive into their own memories, the more they understand that nothing they thought they knew about their college years, and that fateful night, is true.

The Midnight Club explores that innate desire to revisit our first loves, our biggest mistakes, and the gulf between who we are and who we hoped we'd be."

I mean... Couldn't the book have picked a less well known title? Unless they named themselves after the Christopher Pike book, then that's fine. Confusing but fine.

The premise of The Midnight Club was truly fascinating story, integrating some dark academia vibes, a coming of age story, and a bit of whodunnit. The book is mostly told through two main POVs, those of Sonia and Byron, the two people closest to Jennet, a young woman who drowned seemingly alone in 1989. Fast forward 25 years, and her core group of friends are being pulled back together by their friend Auraleigh to reminisce and time travel using a backwoods brew the locals call sog. While most of the story is told in 2014, we have flashes back to the 80s and various points in Jennet's and the friends' lives. It's often a bit difficult to keep up as things move back and forth and spooky things happen.

The book is definitely perfect for the fall and spooky season, its confusing in a way only a mystery including "time travel" can be, and you're certainly left wondering.. what was real, what wasn't.. can we actually time travel? Most importantly, who actually killed Jennet? In some ways, I found the ending dissatisfying, but I think folks who love a good mystery and spooky-ish store, will really enjoy this one.

Special thank you to Harlequin Publishing/Graydon House and NetGalley for an eARC of The Midnight Club.

This book was a trip… literally🌀 The whole time, the characters are basically doing hallucinogens that allow them to time travel through their past memories and see glimpses of their futures 😅 They reunite in their college town to try to figure out the truth of what happened the night their friend died twenty five years ago.

I appreciated how unique this concept was. Our two main POVs follow Sonia and Byron, arguably the two people closest to Jennet. As Harrison takes us through many years of memories and the present day, we see who these characters are now, but also who they used to be before Jennet’s death as we try to piece it all together and figure out what happened.

I liked the differentiation between voluntary and involuntary memories: what we remember in hindsight vs. what actually happened. It made for some unintentional unreliable narrators, which was really interesting!

Truthfully, most of the time travel elements went right over my head, and the explanations just didn’t make sense until about 75% of the way in. And just when I thought I understood it, the ending left me more confused. I see what the author was trying to do, but it just wasn’t working for me. It reminded me a lot of the “dream within a dream” concept from the movie Inception. So if you liked and followed that, you’d probably do better with this book than I did!

Overall, I liked the dark academia vibes, was hooked by the murder mystery enough to continue reading, and had fun with the Halloween spooky season setting. I don’t think this book will be for everyone, but I’m glad I gave this author’s adult debut a shot! I think it will be a hit for the right readers.

If you could see your future, would you? If you could go back to the past and see it as it really was, not how you remember it, would you?
In 1989, Jennet Stark dies, alone in a cold river. In 2014, her friends reunite desperate to remember what happened. They experiment with a drug called ‘sog’ that allows them to re-enter their past selves for a short amount of time, trying to pinpoint their friend’s last moments. Meanwhile, the adults must come to terms with where their lives have gone since college.
This is part whodunnit mystery, part coming of age tale, part finding yourself again philosophical story. It’s imaginative and engaging, and ultimately a quick read as I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of the Midnight Club.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

The Midnight Club was such a strange story. It was one of those books that you need to pay very close attention to or you will be lost. There's time travel, of sorts, via a special elixir (sog?) that took the characters back into their old memories. The friend group of four comes back to their college campus to try to solve their friend's death. Was it murder? Was it suicide? Was it an accident? They're hoping these memory travels will help them to figure out what happened. Things get complicated, as things usually do and that's where it went really wrong for me. The memory travel, instead of adding an interesting element, became muddled and boring. The other issue was that I didn't care much for any of the characters. They were all flat and uninteresting and they didn't have much chemistry as a friend group either. I will say that it was a really creative idea. I just don't think it hit the mark all that well.

It’s been twenty-five years since The Midnight Club last convened. A tight-knit group of college friends bonded by late nights at the campus literary magazine, they’re also bonded by something darker: the death of their brilliant friend Jennet junior year. But now, decades later, a mysterious invitation has pulled them back to the pine-shrouded Vermont town where it all began.

This had a lot of potential but fell a little flat for me. I appreciate the attempt but I think the characters and plot twists were a little dull and predictable.