As with the vast majority of books that cover celebrities, the rich and famous, and how they spend their leisure time, this is trope and stereotype full, and doesn't really show any real evidence that the writer Ellery Lloyd is a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. This book feels like an OK daytime TV movie with no real surprises but with interesting enough (stereotype) characters that make it worth watching/reading. 4 out of 12, Two Star read... time to walk... Emmy, aka “mamabare” the wildly successful “Instamum” influencer. You will not like her, which is, of course, the point. The story follows the fictional Home Group, a producer of exclusive celebrity clubs found across the world. This gives celebrities the chance to party hard without fear of the media or social media watching their every move.

Home is a luxurious club only for the rich and famous. Run by Ned Groom, The Home Group has celebrity clubs all over the globe, London, Lisbon, Malibu, Manhattan, Paris, Shanghai, Venice, and Cannes. The Home Group is launching its newest and most spectacular Home yet on an island off the English coast. The new opening launch party is the most coveted A-list party of the year. But as the first guests arrive, the weekend soon proves deadly – because it turns out that even the most beautiful people can keep the ugliest secrets and, in a world where reputation is everything, they’ll do anything to keep them… This is a British book so I think whether you're going to enjoy this book depends on whether you like and understand British humor, which is subtler than a lot of American humor. I actually prefer it and watch a lot of British mysteries, which tend to feature these unlikable, hit-too-close-to-home sort of protagonists. If you don't like unlikable protagonists, you probably also won't enjoy this book. Personally I do, as long as they are the fun kind of unlikable, in the "love to hate them" sort of way, especially in thrillers where that dislike can remove the emotional stakes and make the book feel less intense. His fans love her for the truth as she tells things as they are. Her novelist husband understands how creative Emmy can be using the fact. She has become the breadwinner due to monetizing vivid and intimate information about her marriage and family life. I actually thought it ended quite well. Sometimes mysteries don’t fully wrap up all the narratives but I think this one did for the most part. Overall, a complete story that is worth a read on a lazy Saturday afternoon.I was fascinated by the Jekyll and Hyde aspect of fame—the famously charming and erudite actors who remained mute, the enfants terribles singers who were actually adorable, the strong, moody silent types that turned out to be chatty and warm, remembering the name of every single person on set. Lastly, and then I'll be done with my rant on this horrible book, the prologue is unnecessary and pointless because we can just figure out on our own that there is a stalker coming. And speaking of the stalker, at least the parts I read, her parts are unnecessary as well. The book can go through from Emmy and Dan's point of view and still have readers understand there's a stalker without their point of view. The pacing was great. You are in the middle of the problems between Dan and Emmy and at the same time there’s someone WATCHING. Oooof! It tingles. This masterly thriller from the pseudonymous Lloyd effectively delays revealing who among the large cast of characters has died violently...Lloyd (husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos) makes the reader care about even unappealing characters, and the payoff is completely satisfying. Fans of Ruth Ware's One by One will be riveted." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) The story is told from multiple POVs using the third person narration. There is Jess, who is among the housekeeping staff. Adam, who is the CEO’s brother (Ned), Annie, who is responsible for memberships and later becomes the acting CEO, and Nikki, the personal assistant of Ned. The book has many other characters and needs some focusing so you won’t feel lost. For the size of the book, I do think that there were far more characters than required.

When you really think about it the whole concept is unsettling, which I do think this book highlighted well. It’s a reminder that someone’s opinion whether they have 100,000 followers or 100 followers is worth the same. And that it is just an opinion. Not expert advice and should be taken with a grain of salt. Overall, it has a very good second half. I'd class this as a good slow burner mystery but not so much a thriller. 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.Dan, Emmy’s husband, is a struggling writer. His first novel eight years ago was quite a success but his second novel has been in progress ever since. For as much as his wife’s career troubles and annoys him, he can’t deny it pays the bills and provides them with lifestyle that he cannot. In People Like Her, we are introduced to a UK family: Emmy, Dan, Coco, and Bear. However, Emmy has an unusual job--she is a social media personality! She has a large following and plays into her fans, crafting a polished story to be portrayed and offering placating support. One fan is not that happy with Emmy which puts her entire family in danger. How will this story end? The Club is a wholly addictive thriller, a clever blend of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and murder. The husband-and-wife writing team known as Ellery Lloyd follows up their smart and savvy debut thriller, PEOPLE LIKE HER, with THE CLUB, an all-expenses-paid, eye-opening trip into the world of celebrity clubs. But as the first guests arrive, the weekend soon proves deadly – because it turns out that even the most beautiful people can keep the ugliest secrets and, in a world where reputation is everything, they'll do anything to keep it.

She becomes more vulnerable and gets herself into a real danger closer to her family, whom she cares about. The author has raised critical questions about social media, technology, and celebrity life in this novel. Wait it's so hot outside that these people are all standing outside in the heat, on the pavement, which is no doubt putting off probably the most heat compared to, I don't know standing inside where the air conditioning was? Or in the shade on the grass? Wtf is this?! How the two sides of social media were explored. The influencer life vs the fan who might harm the influencer they look up to. The Club seems to be receiving fairly positive hype, so you might just take my review and opinions with a grain of salt and give this one a shot. Everything being said, I'm still cautiously a fan of Ellery Lloyd, and may give their third novel a read before I make a final decision on them. Did you find Nikki’s story sympathetic? Let’s talk about the revelation that she is the one who killed Ned.

Featured Reviews

The Club’s head of membership, Annie Spark, who knows everyone and their business, has been tasked with keeping the guest list at a small but exclusive number, which means playing her cards right and keeping the right people happy. And then there’s the Club’s new head of housekeeping: hard-working but totally out-of-her-league Jess Wilson, who has more than one good reason for taking this highly coveted but equally demanding job. I came to understand that there is a unique set of pressures that public scrutiny exerts on a person over time, how intense the need to not be seen—to go somewhere you wouldn’t be judged for not being the fictional version of yourself a fan had their head—must be, especially in the age of the camera phone.” Collette Lyons (one half of Ellery Lloyd) – Reese’s Book Club Blog From the author of People Like Her comes a smart and sinister murder mystery set in the secretive world of exclusive celebrity clubs.