Published By: Hera
Pages: 384
Released On: 06/11/2025
THE FIRST RULE OF BOOK CLUB: PROTECT THE SISTERHOOD.
THE SECOND RULE OF BOOK CLUB: NO HUSBANDS.
OH, AND THE THIRD RULE OF BOOK CLUB: NO MURDERS.
Welcome to Book Club.
Emma has it all. Jules knows it all. Rosa’s seen it all. Marianne’s done it all. Lucy watches it all. And newcomer Lydia wants it. All.
When perfect wife Emma gets arrested for the murder of her husband at Book Club, the group is reeling.
But as the women turn from the murder mystery on the pages to the hidden secrets in the group, will they discover a killer plot twist that none of them saw coming?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Hera for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review
This grabbed my attention instantly!
I was concerned that I might be a bit confused as there’s a lot of characters introduced quite early on, but we only really get the POV of two of them – Emma and Lydia. And so it was manageable. By having the two POVs, it means we get two sides of a story – two very opposing sides – and it’s up to you to figure out who you believe. Having said that, the two POVs are so wildly opposite of eac other that it doesn’t really add that much tension.
It was surprisingly funny, thrilling, flirty, and fun.
Lydia is an appalling character, and written very well. She is very much a pantomime villain but I mean that in the best of ways. Emma can be a bit of a wet weekend, but I was still on her side as she felt so familiar.
I don’t mind things being unrealistic in a novel, because, well, it’s fictional, it’s not meant to be real. But there were some bits that felt just a wee bit too unreal to believe it would happen – especially in a novel that isn’t portraying itself as fantasy. And the pacing was a bit off. The start was slow, but it did soon ick up, however some things happened far too quickly to really get invested in, so that was a bit up and down.
I did think it was going to be more of a cosy thriller, something not too heavy, perhaps because of the bright cover that lured me in. But it’s not cosy. It’s not all blood and guts, don’t get me wrong, but it’s heavier and more involved than what I was expecting.
It’s not overly full of thrills and twists and whatnot. There are twists but none that came as a huge shock to me, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I have no problem seeing twists coming because, for me, it’s about the story and how it gets there rather than what the actual twist is.
It is quick to read – it took me just over a day – and it’s fun and enjoyable, but it probably won’t linger with me like some thrillers do.
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