Things are just a little different in Florida

Just inland from one of Florida's coasts sits an exclusive yoga retreat called the Namaste Club, full of palm trees, bodies of water, and villas for the wealthy guests who stay there. During the yoga center's Transcendence Week yoga instructor/Instagram influencer Shakti (real name Alyssa Patterson, don't let the vaguely Indian accent fool you) is hosting a retreat for (wealthy) women from Miami who go to her power yoga classes. Jessica, recently divorced and working on creating a new life for herself, and her friend and fellow divorcée Indira are among those who sign up, as is Daniel, the hot younger man who is apprenticing with Shakti. What is supposed to be a week full of introspection and honing the mind/body connection instead is rife with drama and misbehavior, with more than a drop of scandal mixed in. Someone in the group will be a bit further along in their cycle of reincarnation by week's end, their dead body discovered with signs of an alligator having snacked upon them. Tragic accident Florida-style, or were they the victim of something more sinister?
The Namaste Club takes a look at wealthy Floridians and the sprawling wellness industry through a satirical lens, with a roster of colorful and amusing characters whose imperfections make them human. The pace of the story is quick and the reader is treated to a strong rendering of the Florida inhabited by this echelon of society. The characters...Jessica, Indira, Barbara and Carol Anne...are looking to find their best life (and grabbing an eyeful of Daniel and his toned body), and aren't expecting the week to unfold as it does. If you're looking for a funny, slightly spicy summer read this may be for you. It should appeal to readers who enjoy Kevin Kwan, Lauren Wesberger, and Candace Bushnell as well as anyone who enjoys a good rich-people-behaving-badly tale. It isn't profound, but its a lot of fun! My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for allowing me access to this engaging novel in exchange for my honest review.

—— 𝟑.𝟕𝟓 ☆ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬. 🧘🏼‍♀️

<blockquote>🚨 𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙽𝚎𝚠𝚜: 🚨

“𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊 𝙼𝚊𝚗 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙴𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝙰𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛

𝚊𝚝 𝙻𝚞𝚡𝚞𝚛𝚢 𝚈𝚘𝚐𝚊 𝚁𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝.”</blockquote>

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - -୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - -୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

<blockquote>❝ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝙲𝚕𝚞𝚋 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙼𝚎𝚕𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎. 𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚜𝚝, 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝙲𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜: 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜, 𝙲𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝙱𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚕, 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚠𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚢 𝚏𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜. ❞</blockquote>

📖┆ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐬
🏷️┆𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝔽𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕊𝕦𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕖
📆┆𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝟞/𝟚𝟛/𝟚𝟝 - 𝟞/𝟚𝟡/𝟚𝟝 𝟝
📋┆𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
「 <i>“Just inland from Florida's sun-splashed Treasure Coast is the Namaste Club yoga center; an exclusive oasis of palms, lakes, and adorable guest villas. It’s perfect for getaways where Shakti holds retreats for well-heeled Miami ladies. The Namaste Club is a place of reflection, a place of release and redemption...or at least, that's the sales pitch.”</i>」

<blockquote>❝𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎. 𝚆𝚎’𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚐𝚒𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝.❞</blockquote>

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - -୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵‿

<blockquote>❝𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚊𝚢? 𝚈𝚘𝚐𝚊 𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚖𝚊 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 . . . 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎? 𝙳𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚐𝚒𝚗-𝚔𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚞𝚌𝚑𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚜? 𝙷𝚘𝚠𝚕 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚗? 𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚍𝚜? ❞</blockquote> ❞</blockquote>

<b>ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ:</b> ★★★.𝟕𝟓
<b>ɢᴏᴏᴅʀᴇᴀᴅꜱ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ:</b> 𝟹.𝟽𝟿 ☆ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ
<b>ᴘᴀɪʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ:</b> ᴡɪʟᴅ ʙᴏᴀʀ 🐗
<b>ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ:</b> ½ 🌶️
<b>ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ?:</b> ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ɴɪᴄʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴇɴᴄᴇ

<blockquote>lıllılı.ıllı.ılılıılıı.lllııılı. </blockquote>
<b>ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ:</b> ꜰʟᴏʀɪᴅᴀ ᴋɪʟᴏꜱ ♪ ʟᴀɴᴀ ᴅᴇʟ ʀᴇʏ ]
0:25 ———♡——— 3:28
<blockquote>⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻</blockquote>
➻❥ <i>come on down to florida, I got somethin' for ya. we could see the kilos or the Keys, baby, oh yeah. guns in the summertime, chic-a-cherry cola lime, prison isn't nothing to me, if you'll be by my side</i>

‧₊˚♪𝄞࿐₊˚⊹

<b>ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:</b>
🌴 ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ʟᴏᴛᴜꜱ
🧘🏼‍♀️ ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ᴘᴏᴠꜱ
🐊ꜰʟᴏʀɪᴅᴀ ꜱᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ
🌴 ꜱʜᴏʀᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀꜱ
🧘🏼‍♀️ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀ ᴍʏꜱᴛᴇʀʏ
🐊ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇᴡɪᴠᴇꜱ
🌴 ᴛᴏxɪᴄ ʀɪᴄʜ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍꜱ
⚠️<i>TW: sexual situations, mention of sexual assault with a minor, violence, animal death</i>

<blockquote>❝𝙿𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗’𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚊 𝙲𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚐𝚘𝚛𝚢 3 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚠𝚒𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚕𝚊𝚔𝚎.❞</blockquote>

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - -୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

💬┆𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
• I’m bound to enjoy any book that starts off by saying a Floridaman got eaten by an alligator. <i>The Namaste Club</i> was a fast, fun, somewhat heartfelt, entertaining time. I was <b>not bored once</b>. I love whackdoodle ladies getting themselves into trouble. Even though I didn’t like any of these women, I still <b>had a blast</b> reading about thejr <b>bad decisions</b>. It was funny in a silly goofy, <b>don’t take this book too seriously</b> way. It’s meant to be a pool/beach side read, a <b>guilty pleasure</b> read, a doesn’t require much thought read.

• Now onto my issues: ⤹

⤷ <b>issue 1:</b><i>The Namaste Club</i> was made for either people who live in Florida or a <b>niche group</b> of people who just have a deep rooted love for Florida. On one hand, you’re going to have people who are going to <b>love it</b> because they’ll understand the ~Florida lingo~, relate it the setting, & appreciate the poking fun. But then on the other hand, you’re going to have people are going to <b>dislike it</b> because they’re not from Florida, don’t care about the <b>Florida</b> lore, therefore won’t understand a lot of <b>references sprinkled</b> through the chapters. Because I’ve lived in Florida most of my life, actually about <b>an hour away</b> from where this takes place, I loved not only the state humor, but the way she described the landscape was <b>on point</b>. The author’s writing was so descriptive, I could picture the yoga resort clearly in my mind.

⤷ <b>issue 2:</b> I didn’t like the way the author handled Daniel’s character. In the beginning, you find out it’s <b>his murder</b> that needs to be solved. He starts out a friendly, a little flirty, yoga student then towards the last 75% of the book, the authors makes Daniel act strange. It didn’t fit with his character; I wish she had <b>built up more</b> to his unhingedness because then it would’ve been more an interesting turn.

⤷ <b>issue 3:</b> I don’t mind if <b>politics</b> are briefly mentioned in a book, but in this book, it was a constant and I was getting sick of it. I understand the author was trying to describe Carol Ann’s character, and unfortunately I knew exactly what kind of <b>Florida-woman stereotype</b> she was describing, but I read to <b>escape reality</b>, I don’t want to be reminded of what’s going on in the real world.

• If you don’t want to read it, I’ll be honest, you’re not missing much. But if you do decide you want to read it for the <b>Florida-ness and messiness</b>, you won’t regret it. Personally, I’m glad I read it & watched bad people <b>get what they deserve</b> and the surprising sisterhood & womanhood of it all. But please, for the <b>love of Bubba</b>, in a world full of Shatkis, don’t act like a Carol Anne.

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - -୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

<blockquote>❝𝙳𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍? 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚝; 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙸𝚝 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚜.❞</blockquote>


♡ <i>Thank you NetGalley & William Morrow Publishing for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Be on the lookout for </i><b>The Namaste Club</b>, <i>hitting shelves on July 1st 2025!</i>

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - -୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - -୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - -୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

Asha Elias’ books are just so much fun. It’s a nice break in between more serious books but so entertaining.

The storyline was unhinged, the characters were batshit crazy, the writing was funny. It’s nothing ground breaking but some books are meant to just be fun and this was one of them.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Asha Elias’s THE NAMASTE CLUB is a fun satirical thriller with a sense of humor. Set at a luxurious Florida yoga retreat for the elite, this book brings together a cast of unforgettable characters, each one with their own baggage, secrets, and desperate for reinvention.

The sharply drawn characters are the true standout in this narrative. From the always Instagram-ready yoga influencer and her hot, man-bunned apprentice, to the wealthy divorcees and conservative tradwife, there is an abundance of slightly unhinged characters to take the retreat from zen to complete chaos, reminiscent of the series White Lotus. The guests are all unique, with flaws that are equally funny and a bit sad. Their stories unfold gradually, leading to a surprising climax.

THE NAMASTE CLUB's pacing is tight, striking the perfect balance between satire and suspense, making this book hard to put down. Elias manages to poke fun at the wellness industry while still including plenty of tension. It’s equal parts drama, dark comedy, and mystery, with twists that keep coming. This is the perfect beach read for readers who enjoy messy drama and biting humor.

Um. Meh. I love the premise behind this one, but it did not keep me engaged. It took me longer than normal to finish, and at first, I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight. Daniel had a major ick-factor. Ew. And, Carol Ann was too much. Interesting characters. A lot going on. Hard to keep straight at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
2.5 ⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and William and Morrow for the eARC.

The Namaste Club is a snarky White Lotus-esque delight of a novel set in Florida. I liked this one far better than Elias' prior book and found the characters and story to be exactly what I was looking for.

A small group of Floridians gather at the tranquil Namaste Club for Transcendence Week, seven days full of yoga, meditation, and reflection. Our cast of characters:
• Shakti – the spiritual yoga instructor
• Jessica – newly divorced and looking to move on
• Indira – Jessica’s bestie and owner of a boutique bougie jewelry business
• Barbara – a mysterious wealthy heiress taking a vow of silence
• Carol Ann – a gun-toting self-proclaimed trad wife and “Florida woman”
• Daniel – a hot man-bunned and often shirtless yoga assistant
• Bubba – the chompy bull alligator who resides on the property

This is an entertaining story with a snappy, satirical vibe. There are some subtle, well-placed pokes at the self-righteousness of the wellness industry, as well as some very unsubtle jabs at a certain type of politics. Multiple POVs make for a juicy, fast-moving read full of snark, sex, and some amusingly over-the-top moments. Recommended for fans of:
• White Lotus
• Nine Perfect Strangers (Liane Moriarty)
• Bad Summer People (Emma Rosenblum)
• Pink Glass Houses (the author’s first book)

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me an advance copy of this book.

What better setting for a darkly comedic satire than Florida? And how better to get a reader’s attention on page one than with a man eating alligator? This is exactly the right book at the right time when I was craving a deliciously decadent escape from reality.

I loved PINK GLASS HOUSES so I expected another snarky, wickedly smart book from Asha Elias and she did not disappoint. Welcome to THE NAMASTE CLUB where wellness and meditation take on whole new meanings. It’s Transcendence Week and the guests are arriving.

The cast of characters reads like a BRAVO reality show. There’s Shakti who runs the wellness program and who may not be quite as zen as she seems. Indira is recently divorced and figuring out how to spend her ex’s fortune while running her own business. Her friend and employee, Jessica, is also divorced and looking to add some spice to her life. Barbara is an enigma who has vowed to remain silent for the entire retreat, but not speaking doesn’t mean not watching. And then there’s Carol Ann, a gun toting, anti woke, trad wife who is running away from a little scene she created back in Vero Beach. Just to spice things up, we also have Daniel, the yogi in training whose hands and man bun attract lots of attention. What could go wrong with a cast like this? Just ask Bubba the alligator about his most recent snack.

Readers, sit back and enjoy this one because it’s a wild ride. Like any good Andy Cohen BRAVO show, the fun really gets going the longer the group is together.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

I really adored Asha Elias' debut novel, Pink Glass Houses, so I was excited to be approved for this book. While I don't think I enjoyed it as much as her debut book, it was still a good read worth at least 3.5-4 stars. I also enjoyed the voice cast and I thought they all did a great job! I would be definitely interested in reading more by Asha Elias in the future!

If you want a book that leans heavily into over-the-top antics of Floridians, this is it!

Five guests head to the Namaste Club for a week-long yoga retreat, and not all of them get out alive. A pair of middle-aged divorcee best friends, a gun-toting MAGA mom, an older spiritualist taking a vow of silence for the week, and a yoga bro make up our group, and conflict arises when they are put in close quarters for the week.

Elias' prior book was a masterful satire about PTA moms in a ritzy area, so I knew to expect plenty of sass and wild moments from this one. The characters are deliciously exaggerated, though authentic enough that you can see strands of real people in them. Their conflicting world views and lifestyles cause them to butt heads multiple times over the week, a week when they feel free to act differently than they might at home.

The muggy FL heat and alligators lurking in the background definitely added to the atmosphere here, and it was a perfect escapist read that I flew through.

Thanks to William Morrow for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

As a big fan of Asha Elias’s debut, Pink Glass Houses, I was beyond excited for The Namaste Club—and lucky enough to get an advance copy (thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow!).

No one captures juicy Florida drama quite like Asha. This one had Nine Perfect Strangers energy in all the best ways.

The setup? Four women, one man, and “Transcendence Week” at the Namaste Club yoga center, led by the glowing, Bitcoin-trading, tequila-sponsored Shakti—a sexy young Buddhist monk in a teeny blush sports bra and matching short shorts.

Among the attendees: Indira and Jessica, stylish, recently divorced besties from Miami looking to reset—can their friendship survive a week of soul-searching? Carol Ann, a Vero Beach realtor escaping an “incident” back home who never travels without her moral compass—or her gun. Barbara, a devout yogi backed by serious family money, on a vow of silence (don’t worry, we still hear from her). And Daniel, a former tech bro turned yoga apprentice with primal urges—“possibly the weirdest person on the yoga retreat.” Oh, and Bubba, the retreat center’s resident gator.

This book is packed with wit, tension, and the kind of juicy chaos that makes for a perfect summer read. I loved every second.

I absolutely loved this book! From beginning to end, I laughed so hard I cried at times. I don’t know what I expecting, but it wasn’t this. And I am so grateful for that because this was absolutely fabulous! I have recommended this to all of my friends to add to their Summer reading list. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this.

PS Love me some Bubba! 😂

Pink Glass Houses 2.0?! Sign me up!

I LIVE for rich people behaving badly tropes and this one DELIVERED! This was salacious, entertaining and so GOD DAMN juicy!

Asha Elias is the Queen of Snark and The Namaste Club is a wonderful choice for a summer read. Her characters are both relatable and laughable and there are also alligators, so what more can I really say?
Elias is an equal-opportunity author when it comes to snark but she also gives her characters (most of them) a chance at redemption so it is also a feel-good read and who doesn't want that right now?

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel. I imagine shrieks of laughter from many readers.

The premise of this book made it seem really promising for me — a satire of (mostly wealthy) women on a yoga retreat. Divorcées and overly earnest white yoga teachers and a trad wife — and a mystery! — seemed like a recipe for something I would love. Unfortunately, though, I couldn’t seem to get into it, and I DNFed around 20%. I think my lack of passion from this book stemmed from two things. First, I didn’t love the narration. It felt stilted to me, like it was trying too hard to be casual. Second, I couldn’t get myself invested enough in the plot or the characters, because I wasn’t clear on what exactly the “bad thing” that happened on the retreat was. As far as I could tell, maybe an alligator mauled someone? Without a tantalizing clue at the beginning to keep me hooked, I couldn’t get into it.

Like I said, I do think the book has promise, and just because it wasn’t the right book for me doesn’t mean it won’t be right for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

After reading Asha Elias’ previous novel Pink Glass Houses, I was excited to jump into her latest novel The Namaste Club.

In it, we follow five people who join the illustrious Shakti at a yoga retreat called “Transcendence Week.” It’s a week of reflection, relaxation, release and redemption…or at least that’s the sales pitch. As the five yoga students descend upon the Namaste Club, tensions grow high. Before the end of the week, Bubba, one of the alligators who lives on the grounds at Shiva Lake, will get his redemption…at the cost of one of the members.

I thought this book started out with a fun and interesting premise. The more I read is this story though, I felt I didn’t mesh well with the characters and didn’t find anyone all that likeable. I felt like the payoff wasn’t as strong as what the buildup was leading to. I also felt like the ending felt like something I’d read before, maybe even earlier this year. The author does know how to paint a beautiful setting though.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am torn!
I loved the drama but it felt very reality television-ish for me. The characters were very high school to me but that is just my opinion.

I appreciate what the author was trying to do here and I understand that this is satire but beyond that aspect there wasn’t much here for me to enjoy. I was very bored and struggled to focus on the plot. I kept thinking maybe it would be better via audio.

The Namaste Club
By Asha Elias
Pub day: July 1 2025
Publisher: William Morrow
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved Pink Glass Houses and while I was reading that one I wanted to see what other books Asha had written. I was excited to see that The Namaste Club was in the works and immediately added it to my TBR. I was ecstatic when I received the email approval from net Galley to read the is one early.

I didn’t love this one but I also didn’t hate it. It follows a group of burnout Floridians, all at different stages in their life and all with their own secrets. They enter the Namaste Club as a means to find themselves in their own way.

I love when chapters switch and tell the same story from a different POV, and this book delivered that with added snarkiness from each judgey character.

I loved the beginning and then during the middle I found myself wondering “where is this going and what is the point” however, the ending was good and a felt wrapped up the book well. There was a lot more political views embedded in this book which I could have done without, and some other parts that were a little cringey.

Overall I would say give this one a shot if you like multi POV, Real housewives of Miami meets yoga retreat, adults behaving poorly. Also….Bubba needed to be left alone!!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Willam Morrow publishing for the eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 stars.

It is written well so that is not my issue. I loved her first book and I would be willing to give another one of her books a chance! This just wasn’t as good to me.

It still had that catty unlikeable people, housewives feel which was fun at first, but it didn’t hit like the first book did.

Maybe it’s because I don’t do yoga often that I had a hard time getting into it. I’m not hard core about it like some people are, and this book had a lot of those people, so it was harder to me to relate to it. Not that I need to directly relate to a book to enjoy it, but I didn’t really care for or get attached to any of the characters, so that didn’t help either.

I was tempted to give it 3 stars for the ending because I loved it! I love seeing women coming together, and at the end of the day this is a feminist story, which is great.

It was pretty political heavy as well, so if you’re not a fan of that in books I would skip out on this.

Jessica I think was my favorite, just because I related to her in some ways, but I also really liked Indira, even though she could be very mean sometimes.

The Shakti and Barbara were fine, but I wasn’t all that interested in them either. The staff members were barely mentioned so I didn’t really see a need for their POV to be in the novel to be honest, but they were short chapters so it wasn’t all that bad.

Carol Ann was insufferable, which was the point, but it was still so annoying to read.

Daniel disgusted me the whole entire time, which was also the point, but I could barely handle it.

Slight spoiler: but I am very sad animals died in this, pretty needlessly at that most of the cases. It does happen it real life sadly, but that didn’t make it any easier to read.

I honestly would say if this seems up your alley to give it a shot! It wasn’t a horrible read and it was very quick to get through, I just got bored sometimes.