Ellery LloydReseñas

Not being on Instagram or Facebook, I was amazed that influences exist! None of the characters were likable. While not a real "whodunit", it was an interesting look into the downside of social media.

This was a BOTM selection. While I don't think it was awful, I am surprised that this would be included in what has always had such a longstanding, influential reputation.

I was pleasantly surprised. From the premise I thought it would be lame, but it ended up being quite entertaining and I really didn't see a lot of the twists. It isn't quite a thriller, but it was worth the read. If you want some good intrigue and mystery where everyone has a secret- this book is for you.

Also, I don't really watch movies, but I would like to see this turned into a film or show. It has a bit of a cinematic quality to it.½

A good concept and well written modern novel. Too slow for me to rate higher but great plot!

Loved this book! Fast paced and loved how it was written. the style of writing kept me turning the pages as it highlighted each character's individual story that built the overall story.

This was a fun ride book with some interesting ideas and settings. Didnt totally guess the ending

Loved this book. Could not put it down. Kept me company through a solo meal out and pub night.
I loved the life of the rich , I enjoyed the stories of the main characters . There is a list of the front of the main characters who each take turns narrating their stories which was very helpful. One heart stopping moment that I had to reread several times. Knitted throughout is a ( fictional ) article from Vanity Fair magazine which slowly puts the pieces of the stories together and reveals things. Fastest read for a while.
And the cover picture is sublime.

Not sure why I couldn't get into this book. It wasn't the many characters since I've read many before like this.

Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it or the British-ishness of it. It had a good plot. My first DNF for August.

I liked this, didn't love it. A bit overwritten in parts.

Loved the storyline of the rich and famous seeking exclusive VIP status to an opening party of Home’s getaway on Butchers Island. Home is an exclusive multi property private getaway for only the most fabulous celebs in the business.

Cell phones and cameras aren’t allowed at Home and it’s a place where the celebs can be themselves without any chance of anyone ever seeing or hearing about it.
This book shows the ultimate twisted portrait of how wealth and power can lead to a very dark and evil side in people.

Highly recommend this scandalous sensational read.

A fascinating yet very realistic look into being a social media influencer. Loved the look at the various aspects that came alongside--Emmy's "pod" of Instamums, the commentary on how Instamums are different from the US to the UK to Aus, the moments where Coco broke from the mould, and of course the dark side. And it's incredibly creepy to realise that this book was written by a husband-and-wife duo!

Don't mistake this book as fluffy: it gets very gritty at points, and has a constant element of creepy vulnerability running right through it. There's a slight twist to this at the end that might be less of a twist and more of a bow tied neatly around the package to keep the main plot nicely together, though I wished that a subplot had also been pulled in. Though I felt at moments that it focused too much on the more dramatic elements and not enough on the more personal elements, like Emmy's backstory, this was an easy read to run through.

Cute & quirky story, love the way the magical world was embedded into modern day. The complexity of the mystery was also great.

There were a few plot holes that weren't resolved or followed up on so that was a bit disappointing. Some of the ignorance in the town was also a bit over done. Like the sheriffs personality.

The very last twist didn't really make sense, and left me with an ugh feeling, with how divorces work it was really a moot point but seems to now be made into a plot twist.

I would continue in the series & recommend it to cozy readers.

Pretty good psychological thriller, although there are a ton of characters to keep straight. Ned and his brother Adam open another exclusive resort. Members are carefully selected. What they don't realize is that they are secretly filmed in their rooms and Ned keeps the records to blackmail members for more money. His extortion finally reaches a limit and the members and the staff turn on the brothers in strange and deadly ways. Just enough twist and turns to keep you listening!

“The Club” is the one club you wouldn’t want to be a part of even though any one who is anyone wants in. Exclusive parties reserved for the elite. The perfect staff catering to your every want and need.

Sounds good until you realize everyone around you has an alternative motive and is harboring murderess thoughts.
Who will make it out alive. Who will survive with their secrets still hidden?

While the story was interesting and drew you in the chapters were incredibly way too long. Even though I read a lot when reading I still like the chapter breaks - something to break up the mundane.

Tedious and pointless. Two stars is generous

Do not bother. This was easily one of the worst books I have read in a long time.

Thank you Goodreads FirstReads for my ARC.

Don’t believe everything you read and/or watch online!

Emmy is an influencer, a British Instamum. Her Instagram, @the_mamabare, has a million-plus followers. Married to Dan, a has-been novelist and mom of Coco(3) and newborn, Bear. As is the case with many influencers/bloggers, her real life(much of it, according to Dan, exaggeration or outright fiction), was fodder for her posts.

Of course, there are risks to exposing one’s personal life online. Most followers interact via likes, comments, and shares. But there are also those who are…pathologically obsessed. Unbeknownst to her, Emmy has one such follower.

And there’s also the detrimental effect on family dynamics and lack of privacy. Every special occasion is an opportunity to organize an event. Publicity and spectacle become the priority. Gone are sentimentality and the creation of cherished memories with loved ones. Marital and family conflicts no longer remain behind closed doors.

Despite the risks and personal costs, Dan admits that being an influencer is a 24/7/365 job. Emmy works hard at it and excels at it. And it’s not like he and the kids don’t enjoy the rewards.

This book took me longer than expected to read. I liked it enough to finish. The end was, in a word, …ironic. I feel it could have been shorter. Too wordy for me. The blurb, trendy topic, and alternating perspectives appealed to me. It opened my eyes to the pressures and drawbacks of being a social media influencer. There is a high price to pay for all the perks of free stuff.

This book has a few things that are a little unusual but that is also what makes this book so entertaining. It is a little slow to get going but once everything starts it is definitely worth sticking with. I also liked the added clips from articles of what really happened on the island. The author did a great job of bringing all of the layers and connections together. Definitely a slow burn mystery with some nice twists and turns!

Thank you Harper for sharing this book with me!

The plot was slow, with many characters I couldn’t see the importance of, nor care about, at the time they were introduced. As a result I was not invested in this book. The climax was meant to be thrilling, but because I lacked interest my reaction was to the twists were ho-hum. Thank you to Harper and Netgalley for the arc.

Welcome Home! The Club where you have to kill to get into. This was a real slow-burner of a thriller. In some ways it reminded me of locked-room mysteries from the Golden Age of Detective fiction. But in others it was a book full of homicidal maniacs, narcissist and misogynists. The book starts out slow, as all the odious people are introduced. This is a select group of the super-rich and/or super famous that shows up at a little island just off the shore of Britain. The only way in is by helicopter or a road that is only available during low tide. No expense has been spared in this sumptuous Home location. Home is the name of all the club houses throughout the world; all run by Ned Broom and his brother Adam. As the setting and characters are slowly revealed, the back story of Ned and Adam's very successful Home club and of all the protagonists is slowly revealed. There are lots of meltdowns, arguments and fights, and lots of drunken, heinous behaviour as the backstories are slowly revealed. The action takes place over the space of a weekend, and by Sunday morning the whole situation has imploded with violence and mayhem. This is what happens when you get a bunch of greedy, rich and self-important people together with unlimited alcohol and drugs. All of the seven deadly sins are displayed in one way or another and I'm sure there are a few more added to the list as the story unfolds. I can't say that I enjoyed the book. The people were too odious, and it was like watching a train wreck as it all unfolded. I also felt like I had to have a shower whenever I put the book down. The pace of the book picked up as I read, and when I finally closed it, my first thought was that it wasn't too bad a story. Well-crafted and set at a pace that kept me reading. Do I recommend it? I'm not sure, but if you like mysteries that are a little off the wall, you may enjoy this one. This is a Reece's Bookclub book.

A fun, murder mystery thriller set on an island. This one was perfect on audio and reminded me so much of The Guest List. Hollywood stars belonging to an exclusive club have secrets and sordid histories that complicate the opening of a new location. It was just what I was in the mood for and I loved each twisty reveal. The different POVs and red herrings made for a fast and entertaining read!½

The Club by Ellery Lloyd is a recommended locked room murder mystery set in an exclusive resort off the English coast.

Ned Groom is CEO of the Home Group, which has several members only clubs across the world. They are known for catering to their very elite clientele, so when the Island Home is opened up off the coast of England, the three day launch party is a coveted invitation. Island Home is located on a private island and is accessible by car only by a causeway at low tide. In the prologue two unidentified people are driving on the causeway when, as the tide rises, they realize they are not going to make it. Naturally a death on this island is big news, so more than one is unthinkable.

The narrative is told from the third person point-of-view of four characters: Jess, a new housekeeping manager; Annie, the head of membership; Nikki, Ned's personal assistant and one of the founding members; and Adam, Ned's younger brother and a co-founder. Additionally excerpts from a Vanity Fair article are inserted at the end of each chapter.

This follows the formula for a classic locked room mystery. While very well-written, after the opening car scene the pace slows way down and readers will have to have patience for being introduced to fictional celebrities, background information, and gossip. And there is a plethora of background information and characters to learn. For the purposes of a mystery following this closed-room structure, it might have behooved the husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos who are Ellery Lloyd to make the introduction of the characters and their stories more succinct to keep the plot moving along which would assist in holding a readers interest.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/03/the-club.html

The Club is an exclusive resort run by Ned Groom. His brother, Adam Groom, owns a small stake in the company, which they call HOME. They are planning to open a new resort and anyone who is anyone is invited to attend. It is an exclusive invitation. The staff includes Annie, Nikki, and Jess.
When the high profile guests are summoned to a dinner by Ned, they are told of a proposal - which is more of an ultimatum. When bodies start turning up, the party of the year has turned into the murder of the decade!
This is a tale of excess, of secrets, of blackmail, and of revenge.
I thought the story was slow to start, but then picked up. Once you understood what the guests and the staff were hiding, the story became much more interesting. Yet, none of these people were likeable!
Be careful what you wish for - is it really great to be a celebrity and have your life on view 24/7? Who can you trust with your secrets? Does everyone have an ulterior motive?
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC, all opinions are my own and freely given.

The Club by Ellery Lloyd 🛥 If you like murder mysteries, reading about celebrities and books told from multiple characters’ points of view, this book is for you. 🍸I liked this unique story and setting. It takes place at a super-exclusive British celebrity resort and although you hear a lot about the celebrities and their wild antics, the story is mostly told through the eyes of the resort employees (housekeepers, personal assistants, and staff). Ellery Lloyd is a husband/wife writing duo. First I’ve read of theirs and was a unique and entertaining murder mystery. Thanks for the advance copy, @harperbooks !

Sometimes a thriller, sometimes a commentary on social media, it works, I wanted more thriller, the influencer parts might be out of date quickly

3.75 stars. This is not the usual genre of books that I read but I was mostly drawn to it because I recently quit Instagram. I quit because it has turned into a toxic wasteland of fake lives and trolls and this book captured it to a 'T'. I actually detested the main characters in the book and was rooting for the antagonist to ruin them.