Book Review: The Club by Ellery Lloyd

Published in 2022, The Club by Ellery Lloyd follows The Home Group, a collection of celebrity members clubs dotted across the globe, from London to Lisbon, Malibu to Manhattan, envisioned as a luxurious home-away from-home for Very Important People, 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.

The most spectacular and exclusive of all is Island Home–a sprawling, closely-guarded complex of faux-rustic guest cabins, spas, bars and restaurants just off the English coast. To mark its opening, Home’s mercurial CEO Ned Groom and his team have planned a glamorous three-day launch party, easily the most coveted A-list invite of the year.

But behind the scenes, tensions are at breaking point. Years behind schedule and vastly over budget, the project has stretched a long-serving and long-suffering team to their limits. There’s Ned’s trusted PA, who has over decades maneuverer her way from coat-check girl to Home’s inner circle; Ned’s younger brother, who has sacrificed his marriage and morals to be Ned’s right-hand man; the Head of Membership keeping the world’s most spoiled and jaded individuals entertained using any means necessary; the Head of Housekeeping, who plays silent witness to the guests’ very worst excesses. All of them have something to hide – and that’s before the beautiful people with their own ugly secrets even set foot on the island.

As tempers fray and behaviour worsens, as things get more sinister by the hour and the body count piles up, some of Island Home’s members begin to wish they’d never RSVP’d at all. Because at this club, if your name’s on the list, you’re not getting out . . .

Rating:

Well written, memorable characters, and I enjoyed how the story played out in the end. It just wasn’t the kind of thriller for me. I just find rich people so annoying, and their arguments so petty. I couldn’t get invested in their drama, but I feel like they get what they are deserved.

More of a slow burn mystery than a thriller, but other readers are sure to enjoy the twists.