Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

7 reviews

what_heather_loves's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"Then, as she was approaching and her heel caught a little on the edge of the Persian rug, her hand shooting out to steady herself, Ned looked up. And she saw the way he registered her stumble, an accident that might have happened to anyone. The quick glance up at her. The cruel flicker of a sneer. And it hit her that it did not matter, that an end had always been inevitable, that she could have been younger, older, quieter, louder, said too much to the press, said not enough to the press, and there would always have been a reason to get rid of her eventually. And in that moment she realised there was really only one thing left for her to do."

A psychological thriller with a number of locked room mysteries (set on an island) that only become apparent as the plot progresses. Chapters, from the perspectives of four of the main characters (all Home Group staff) are interspersed with a Vanity Fair article written after the slowly-revealed, blackmail, dramas and tragedies. The exclusive and luxury club's members are wealthy and influential and increasingly dislikeable celebrities. Chapters are short and many finish with a cliffhanger or dramatic reveal. It's fast-paced and compelling, becomes clear the situation and characters are a powder-keg where despicable people have devastating secrets and others are seeking revenge. By the end there have been deaths and revenges achieved! I throughly enjoyed reading this tense and escapist novel, which I read for this month's #TastingNotesBookClub from @the_book_taster

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Car accident

Moderate: Violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Addiction and Suicidal thoughts

annelihghh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Car accident, Classism, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Sexism, Murder, Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Dementia and Fire/Fire injury

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A good, twisty mystery that looks into the behind-the-scenes activity of an uber-exclusive club.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

emilyspex's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I feel like thrillers often miss the mark for me at the end of the novel, but this one ended on a satisfying note. It's not a perfect book; there are a few too many characters with a few too many unbelievable choices, and there are a few pacing issues. All that being said, the story is gripping, and the author reveals just enough of the characters' secrets at a time that I never wanted to stop the audiobook. I'm comfortable recommending this to anyone looking for a good mystery thriller!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Bullying, Car accident, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Chronic illness, Dementia, Death of parent, and Cancer

j_squaredd's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Murder, Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug use, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia

adrienne_d's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, and Pregnancy

Minor: Pedophilia

sophia2203's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Alcohol, Car accident, Grief, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Murder, and Violence