The Club by Ellery Lloyd
Meet Authors Ellery Lloyd:
Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for London-based husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos.
Collette is a journalist and editor, the former content director of Elle (UK) and editorial director at Soho House. She has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.
Paul is the author of two previous novels, Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day is Like Sunday. He is the program director for English Literature with Creative Writing at the University of Surrey. ~Amazon
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“Are you ready for the roller coaster ride that is The Club? . . . A beautifully written, densely plotted murder mystery that takes place at a private club off the coast of England. Read about a luxurious, celeb-only island during a weekend of partying and ultimately murder.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club March ’22 Pick)
From the author of People Like Her comes a smart and sinister murder mystery set in the secretive world of exclusive celebrity clubs.
Everyone's Dying to Join . . .
The Home Group is a glamorous collection of celebrity members' clubs dotted across the globe, where the rich and famous can party hard and then crash out in its five-star suites, far from the prying eyes of fans and the media.
The most spectacular of all is Island Home—a closely-guarded, ultra luxurious resort, just off the English coast—and its three-day launch party is easily the most coveted A-list invite of the decade.
But behind the scenes, tensions are at breaking point: the ambitious and expensive project has pushed the Home Group's CEO and his long-suffering team to their absolute limits. All of them have something to hide—and that's before the beautiful people with their own ugly secrets even set foot on the island.
As tempers fray and behavior worsens, as things get more sinister by the hour and the body count piles up, some of Island Home’s members will begin to wish they’d never made the guest list.
Because at this club, if your name’s on the list, you’re not getting out. ~Amazon
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it/skip it
2: it was okay/it wasn't for me
3. liked it/worth a read
4. really liked it/loved it
5. it was amazing/must read!
Ned Groom has inherited his grandfather's business along with his brother Adam. His share of the hospitality company is much larger, and as a result, he takes his role as the face of the company very seriously. This leadership position gives him access to the most famous clientele as he takes his the business of Home to a whole new level.
Celebrities want an invite to the exclusive club. Private getaways all over the world that have security but no cameras and where cell phones aren't allowed. It's a wonderful place to relax, enjoy like-minded individuals, and maintain all the comforts of home without actually being there. Hence the title of Home that each club is given. Island Home is no exception.
Given the royal treatment, Island Home's grand opening caters to the wealthy and elite. Those who have enough clout to make it onto the invited list, and those who don't end up on the "waiting list." A list they could be sitting on for quite a long time. Anyone who's anyone will be there, and everyone wants their name to be on the list. However, those who get into the club might find it more difficult to get out.
Ned might be the face of the company, a wine-and-dine personality with a playboy grin, but he relies on a staff of individuals who help keep the ship afloat. Like his brother, Adam, who helps smooth ruffled feathers and makes all the right connections. Or Nikki, who's been his assistant for years. She keeps him informed, talks down the staff, and organizes everything. Then there's Annie, the head of membership, who spots the up-and-coming talent, has an instinct for those who will make it, and keeps tabs on everyone. Last is Jess, the newest addition, who has taken over the lead housekeeper role. Her job is to make sure everyone has exactly what they want or need.
This weekend proves to be the tipping point for each of these individuals. Tempers flare. Mistakes are made. And the dead bodies tend to add up.
Secrets are revealed as the story unravels. Reasons and backgrounds and personalities erupt off the page. This story brings its own unique twists, and what I appreciate the most are the character's rotating points of view. Another part of this story that I love is how you see the murders from the eyes of these four characters. Each twist is unexpected and quite brilliant in its buildup and execution.
I really enjoyed the progress of this plot and the transformation of each character. It was wonderful to see how they perceive themselves and how they perceive each other. There were a lot of sneaky revelations which keep you interested throughout the later half of the book.
And while I appreciated all of these things, it took me quite a few chapters to feel hooked. I knew all of the characters had secrets, but although I appreciated seeing each of their perspectives, I didn't connect to any of them for a long time. It was more than halfway through that I finally started to feel more interested into Nikki and Jess's lives in particular. Annie and Adam didn't strike any chord with me. I'm afraid that this lack of partiality for either of them led me to check-out on their sections a bit.
All in all, I thought this was a decent introduction to Ellery Lloyd. My rating/review reflects the good build-up, the character development, and the interesting twists along the way. The ending is satisfying in a sense, and it does make you think twice about what you think you know along the way. My rating/review also reflects the language and slow start to the story as well as the characters I couldn't relate to or like. Hopefully, the 3/5 "liked it" will allow readers to read it and decide for themselves.
1: didn't like it/skip it
2: it was okay/it wasn't for me
3. liked it/worth a read
4. really liked it/loved it
5. it was amazing/must read!
Meet Adam, Nikki, Annie, and Jess. They each have a story to tell, and by the end, you'll find out who ends up murdered and who is the murderer.
Ned Groom has inherited his grandfather's business along with his brother Adam. His share of the hospitality company is much larger, and as a result, he takes his role as the face of the company very seriously. This leadership position gives him access to the most famous clientele as he takes his the business of Home to a whole new level.
Celebrities want an invite to the exclusive club. Private getaways all over the world that have security but no cameras and where cell phones aren't allowed. It's a wonderful place to relax, enjoy like-minded individuals, and maintain all the comforts of home without actually being there. Hence the title of Home that each club is given. Island Home is no exception.
Given the royal treatment, Island Home's grand opening caters to the wealthy and elite. Those who have enough clout to make it onto the invited list, and those who don't end up on the "waiting list." A list they could be sitting on for quite a long time. Anyone who's anyone will be there, and everyone wants their name to be on the list. However, those who get into the club might find it more difficult to get out.
Ned might be the face of the company, a wine-and-dine personality with a playboy grin, but he relies on a staff of individuals who help keep the ship afloat. Like his brother, Adam, who helps smooth ruffled feathers and makes all the right connections. Or Nikki, who's been his assistant for years. She keeps him informed, talks down the staff, and organizes everything. Then there's Annie, the head of membership, who spots the up-and-coming talent, has an instinct for those who will make it, and keeps tabs on everyone. Last is Jess, the newest addition, who has taken over the lead housekeeper role. Her job is to make sure everyone has exactly what they want or need.
This weekend proves to be the tipping point for each of these individuals. Tempers flare. Mistakes are made. And the dead bodies tend to add up.
Secrets are revealed as the story unravels. Reasons and backgrounds and personalities erupt off the page. This story brings its own unique twists, and what I appreciate the most are the character's rotating points of view. Another part of this story that I love is how you see the murders from the eyes of these four characters. Each twist is unexpected and quite brilliant in its buildup and execution.
I really enjoyed the progress of this plot and the transformation of each character. It was wonderful to see how they perceive themselves and how they perceive each other. There were a lot of sneaky revelations which keep you interested throughout the later half of the book.
And while I appreciated all of these things, it took me quite a few chapters to feel hooked. I knew all of the characters had secrets, but although I appreciated seeing each of their perspectives, I didn't connect to any of them for a long time. It was more than halfway through that I finally started to feel more interested into Nikki and Jess's lives in particular. Annie and Adam didn't strike any chord with me. I'm afraid that this lack of partiality for either of them led me to check-out on their sections a bit.
All in all, I thought this was a decent introduction to Ellery Lloyd. My rating/review reflects the good build-up, the character development, and the interesting twists along the way. The ending is satisfying in a sense, and it does make you think twice about what you think you know along the way. My rating/review also reflects the language and slow start to the story as well as the characters I couldn't relate to or like. Hopefully, the 3/5 "liked it" will allow readers to read it and decide for themselves.
Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!! :)
~Rebecca Reddell, Author
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