The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
chyde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Sexual content, Infidelity, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Murder, Alcoholism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse
emilyspex's review against another edition
- 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
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
arthur_ant18's review
- 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
3.0
Like I said, though, The Club drew me in once the second half started. Fitting, since thatâs when the threads of everyoneâs individual subplots intertwine and you really begin to learn what messed-up crap the complicated characters are hiding. Aside from Nedâs personal assistant Nikki Hayes and Island Homeâs head of housekeeping Jess Wilson, the only ones I truly rooted for (and kept mixing up until the second half, which apparently happened to other readers as well), almost everyone else belongs on varying levels of the slimeball scale. And thatâs not a bad thing. Lloyd executes the trick of pulling you into a locked-room mystery thatâs full of well-written douchebags without causing you to feel like theyâre so unbearably unlikable that you have to DNF the book.
The somewhat predictable climax is enjoyable nevertheless, while the denouement isnât nearly as tidily wrapped up as I would have expected for a thriller. This latter point was probably a deliberate choice, considering a passage near the end that contrasts the murky and incomplete conclusions of real life with the clean and final answers of fictional murder mysteries.
Overall, The Club wonât knock your socks off, but if youâre a Lucy Foley fan, you can stand the first halfâs slowness, and you want a thriller that thrives on the glitzy and shady facets of its characters, I recommend adding this to your TBR pile.
Graphic: Car accident, Drug abuse, Murder, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Cursing, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Dementia, Vomit, and Death of parent