Thriller

The Book Club

The Book Club

  • Downloads：8597
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-11 03:18:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：C.J. Cooper
  • ISBN：1472129679
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Can you trust the woman next door？

_______________

The book club was her idea， of course。 Alice's。

It was her way into our group。 A chance to get close。

I knew from the day she arrived that she couldn't be trusted。

And I was right。

Because Alice didn't come to the village for peace and quiet。

She came for revenge。

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Reviews

Jordan Cummins ，

Brill！

Caroline ，

Extremely creepy。 Very clever。 Well written。 Enjoyed this one

Siobhan Weir ，

I would say this was a 3。5 for me。 I found the number of character and all their stories confusing at first but eventually got into the rhythm。 I did really enjoy the book however feel the ending fell a bit flat！！

lauren。with。the。books ，

This book follows Alice， who has moved to the Cotswolds to get revenge on her new next door neighbour， Lucy。  You know from the outset this is plot so the mystery is 'why'？ What has Lucy done to Alice， without realising it， to push Alice to such extreme measures？ I found this book average， at best， in all honesty。 The pacing was pretty slow and I didn't really find any of the characters particularly likeable。 There seemed to be a lot of fleshing out with stories/sub plots for the other character This book follows Alice， who has moved to the Cotswolds to get revenge on her new next door neighbour， Lucy。  You know from the outset this is plot so the mystery is 'why'？ What has Lucy done to Alice， without realising it， to push Alice to such extreme measures？ I found this book average， at best， in all honesty。 The pacing was pretty slow and I didn't really find any of the characters particularly likeable。 There seemed to be a lot of fleshing out with stories/sub plots for the other characters which just seemed to be there for the sake of making up pages and they didn't really have any kind of influence on the final outcome between Alice and Lucy。 I just didn't feel fully invested in the story so when the final little twist came I didn't get that "oh my gosh" moment。 It was terrible but just not great。 。。。more

Rebecca Patrick ，

I wasn’t a fan of this one I’m afraid。 I found myself feeling confused by all the different characters and what was going on with them， the writing I didn’t gel with and it wasn’t as fast paced as I usually like。 Don’t get me wrong， there were parts of the book that had me eager to know who Alice was， but I wasn’t overly bothered about anything else。 Although I did like Lucy， Liz and Tom！When I did find out who Alice was， in my opinion it was a bit flat and not very exciting and I expected somet I wasn’t a fan of this one I’m afraid。 I found myself feeling confused by all the different characters and what was going on with them， the writing I didn’t gel with and it wasn’t as fast paced as I usually like。 Don’t get me wrong， there were parts of the book that had me eager to know who Alice was， but I wasn’t overly bothered about anything else。 Although I did like Lucy， Liz and Tom！When I did find out who Alice was， in my opinion it was a bit flat and not very exciting and I expected something much bigger from the ending。 It did seem like it could have been set up for a sequel maybe？Credit where credit is due though， Alice was a very conniving and calculated character and I wouldn’t like to be her next door neighbour！⭐️⭐️/5 - I think for me it just didn’t grip me enough or have me on the edge of my seat。 Remember though， you might like it！ 。。。more

Diane Warburton ，

Well what can I say？ Clever， clever， clever。 Loved it。I bought the paperback from Amazon after reading the blurb which intrigued me and happened to notice that quite a few reviews （which I don't normally read before I've made my own mind up） were not that positive。 More intrigue。。。。The book was sooo tense。 Edge of the seat reading。 I always fancied staying in a small village in the Cotswolds。。。well not anymore！ The setting was perfect for the story。 Creepy， really creepy。 I loved the characters， Well what can I say？ Clever， clever， clever。 Loved it。I bought the paperback from Amazon after reading the blurb which intrigued me and happened to notice that quite a few reviews （which I don't normally read before I've made my own mind up） were not that positive。 More intrigue。。。。The book was sooo tense。 Edge of the seat reading。 I always fancied staying in a small village in the Cotswolds。。。well not anymore！ The setting was perfect for the story。 Creepy， really creepy。 I loved the characters， they were all so weird。 A book club is formed， a small group of neighbours and an 'incomer' complete the members。 Lucy has not lived long in the village herself but she welcomed the 'incomer' with open arms， so did everyone else。 Cosy eh？ How neighbourly， how friendly。。。。how blind！Dark and menacing。 I could see exactly what was going on but couldn't do a darn thing about it apart from turn the page again， again and again， wondering how evil someone would get。 Who amongst them could murder？ And who already has？This is terrific story telling and had me glued to my chair throughout。 Top marks。 。。。more

KEYS ，

Enjoyed it。 Not much more to say really。

Mary ，

Fantastic thriller kept me gripped right to the end

Corinne Lyons ，

I thoroughly enjoyed this book， it certainly kept my interest。 Lucy was a bit slow on the uptake and she paid for that。 A bit freaky to think that some people out there are just like Alice。 Highly recommend。

Ella Ford ，

I enjoyed this one but it was very predictable。 I got frustrated with the characters。。 I just wanted them to talk to each other！！ Everyone has their secrets and this book reminded me of that fact lol I am going to be wary of my ‘friends’ for a bit hahaI must admit， I didn’t like the ending。 Endings like this one always leave a sour taste in my mouth。 I won’t say much more as I don’t want to ruin it for everyone else who hasn’t yet read this。

BookswithChantal ，

I really liked the premise of this book， the synopsis was very vague， so you didn't have a lot to go on and there were definitely no spoilers going into the book。 The premise of this book was very interesting， it's all about a group of friends in a village， all of which have their own little secrets that a newcomer begins to uncover。 The plot of this book is very slow paced， I thought that it built a very good atmosphere and I can see why people really enjoyed the suspense。 However， for me， this I really liked the premise of this book， the synopsis was very vague， so you didn't have a lot to go on and there were definitely no spoilers going into the book。 The premise of this book was very interesting， it's all about a group of friends in a village， all of which have their own little secrets that a newcomer begins to uncover。 The plot of this book is very slow paced， I thought that it built a very good atmosphere and I can see why people really enjoyed the suspense。 However， for me， this was just a little bit too slow， which in turn made the ending very predictable。 The only thing I didn't predict was the very last chapter， so that was a nice surprise。The characters in this book had a nice relationship， which was quite nice to follow and see unfold as secrets started to be shown。 Every character was written in a way that gave you the bare minimum about them as a person， so that their secrets and pasts were more shocking。Overall， I would recommend this book to someone that is new to mystery Thrillers， I feel that this would be right up their street， but as someone that reads mostly thrillers， it was just too predictable。 。。。more

Barry Lillie ，

I was looking forward to this book， especially knowing that classics and their themes featured in the narrative。 Sadly it just didn't grip me or keep my attention so took a little longer than normal to read。 The characters are all predictable as are their lives and motivations。The plot works well even if the text is rather plodding - great chunks of writing with very little colour to break up the monotony of word after word on paper。 The idea although a good one is implausible as it's written。 I I was looking forward to this book， especially knowing that classics and their themes featured in the narrative。 Sadly it just didn't grip me or keep my attention so took a little longer than normal to read。 The characters are all predictable as are their lives and motivations。The plot works well even if the text is rather plodding - great chunks of writing with very little colour to break up the monotony of word after word on paper。 The idea although a good one is implausible as it's written。 It would be impossible for Alice to have discovered so much about the other characters from across the road， through a wall etc。 E。G。 She is in a bedroom at a spa and discovers Maggie had an abortion just by sitting listening at the wall， but how was this possible， Maggie wasn't in her room shouting out 'I had an abortion，' she was just alone and crying etc。Tom is a bit of nonsense character， the token male with a secret that really bears no relevance to the plot or storyline。 Also I couldn't figure out what medium he painted in， one minute he's using a pallet knife （oils/acrylics） and the next described as a watercolour artist。 Also why did Ferdy attack Alice， just saying that 'dogs don't like her' made it jar and didn't tell us why it happened， maybe we are supposed to assume she kicked him or hit him， I don't know。Liz appears， sees something and dies - she adds nothing of any value to the story frankly。 And how could Alice predict that her silence （death） would be guaranteed？ Liz could easily have realised her tyre pressure was low， pulled into a garage on the way home then finished the book off for us。 Also we're on more than one occasion told about Nat， unaware for most of the book if it's a sister or brother。Also Alice's motivation （dead baby） was evident almost as soon as we knew she was pregnant so the reveal was pointless to the reader， yes Lucy needed it but trying to keep us in the dark was futile。Finally the moving of the point of view from 1st to 3rd person became muddled at times and led to moments where I was unsure whose head I was in。 This just didn't hit the spot for me， too many holes can be pulled in the plausibility。 。。。more

Thereasa O'keeffe ，

Not sure what to make of this bookNot sure what to say about this book。i struggled to get into it and found it confusing ， I have to say was disappointed with this book and was hoping for more 。it didn't start getting interesting till a good way through it 。if you have patience the you will be fine with this book I only stuck with it as had paid £2。99 if it had been 99p then properly not bothered finishing it 。Hoping her new book is way better Not sure what to make of this bookNot sure what to say about this book。i struggled to get into it and found it confusing ， I have to say was disappointed with this book and was hoping for more 。it didn't start getting interesting till a good way through it 。if you have patience the you will be fine with this book I only stuck with it as had paid £2。99 if it had been 99p then properly not bothered finishing it 。Hoping her new book is way better 。。。more

Lucy Sims ，

This was a great psychological thriller。 Had me gripped from start to finish。

J Lucas ，

I really enjoyed this， was a great page turner and was actually a book club read， am pleased it isn’t my book club and would highly recommend。 I was left wondering if the main character would make an appearance again in a further book。。。。。！？

Darci Harding ，

You wouldn’t think book clubs could be dangerous， well after this read you may be more cautious。 Set in a small Cotswold village， Lucy moved here to escape her life in London。 She quickly becomes friends with Tom， Maggie and Rebecca。 Each one is harbouring a secret about their past and present。 Enter Alice， who moves in next door to Lucy。 Alice knows everything about Lucy and wants to get revenge。 She instigates starting a book club， whereby she chooses the books set each week on a crime that th You wouldn’t think book clubs could be dangerous， well after this read you may be more cautious。 Set in a small Cotswold village， Lucy moved here to escape her life in London。 She quickly becomes friends with Tom， Maggie and Rebecca。 Each one is harbouring a secret about their past and present。 Enter Alice， who moves in next door to Lucy。 Alice knows everything about Lucy and wants to get revenge。 She instigates starting a book club， whereby she chooses the books set each week on a crime that they each have committed。 Chaos occurs and life will be very different。 The book goes between past and present and the plot was done very well and had a good build up to it。 Alice was suspected earlier on as the newcomer of the group but you still wanted to read on to prove it was her and why。 A great find。 。。。more

Rachel ，

I kept finding that I was losing interest， I found it a bit too long winded for me but with that said the story was good。

Irene ，

Lucy has just moved to a small village in the Cotswolds to make a new start。 Shortly afterwards another newcomer arrives who soon makes her presence felt。 Lucy’s new friends are all harbouring their own secrets， so sparks soon fly。 Despite how interesting the blurb sounded， the reality was different。 There was no mystery so reading it was like going through the motions to see how it would pan out。 I don’t really like books which are so predictable early on and then waiting for the characters to Lucy has just moved to a small village in the Cotswolds to make a new start。 Shortly afterwards another newcomer arrives who soon makes her presence felt。 Lucy’s new friends are all harbouring their own secrets， so sparks soon fly。 Despite how interesting the blurb sounded， the reality was different。 There was no mystery so reading it was like going through the motions to see how it would pan out。 I don’t really like books which are so predictable early on and then waiting for the characters to catch up。 If only they actually spoke to each other then it would all have been done and dusted much earlier！ It was well written and it was， if not engrossing then interesting enough to finish。 I was given this ARC by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Kirsty ，

Although I really enjoyed I was disappointed with the ending🙈

Pin de Lis ，

I almost gave up after the first several chapters。 It was very slow and wasn't very exciting。 Though， I gave it a few chances and pushed through until the end。 It got more interesting after half way through。 The ending wasn't so bad though。 Actually， the whole story was quite good and interesting。 I Found it confusing and didn't capture my attention regarding the style of writing。2。3 stars for a good plot ***SPOILER***I thought Emily was related to the girl Lucy saw falling in the pub the night I almost gave up after the first several chapters。 It was very slow and wasn't very exciting。 Though， I gave it a few chances and pushed through until the end。 It got more interesting after half way through。 The ending wasn't so bad though。 Actually， the whole story was quite good and interesting。 I Found it confusing and didn't capture my attention regarding the style of writing。2。3 stars for a good plot ***SPOILER***I thought Emily was related to the girl Lucy saw falling in the pub the night of the fire。 And that man who got hit by an ambulance？Clearly， Emily needs professional treatment in terms of her mental state， but she really wasn't pregnant？？？ 。。。more

Angela ，

Engaging an well plotted。 The Book Club is a pacy thriller about the characters in a book group in a small village。 The literary allusions in the books chosen by the characters was an engaging plot device。 I liked the way the story was told from different points of view so it felt like you were in the mind of both the murderer and the victim。 I think the book group setting makes this a very appealing choice for book group readers。

Melissa ，

This book sounded good， however like many of these books they can be slow paced and then be so good at the end。 I couldn’t connect with the characters and every chapter was someone different and it doesn’t say who is talking so that was annoying as I had to find out as I was reading it。 The whole story was crazy in itself。 The ending was very good and sad。

Sian Rosé ，

I LOVED THIS。 But the ending was just so underwhelming。 Where was the huge twist？ What became of the other main characters？ Hence only 4 stars。

Vienna Love ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Honestly one of the worst “thrillers” I’ve read in a while。Not a lot is “thrilling” about this book and relies on lack of communication between “friends”。 If they had all spoken to each other then a lot of drama could have been avoided。We learn a lot about the friends Tom， Maggie and Rebecca， one by one their secrets are revealed， and you become invested in their stories， however there is never any follow through。 Once the secret is revealed the author just moves on with little regard to the fal Honestly one of the worst “thrillers” I’ve read in a while。Not a lot is “thrilling” about this book and relies on lack of communication between “friends”。 If they had all spoken to each other then a lot of drama could have been avoided。We learn a lot about the friends Tom， Maggie and Rebecca， one by one their secrets are revealed， and you become invested in their stories， however there is never any follow through。 Once the secret is revealed the author just moves on with little regard to the fallout。 The story focuses on Lucy and Alice， and the suspense the author builds is tangible， however this ultimately results in a very disappointing conclusion。 The ending feels rushed， the “revenge” is pitiful for the vehement hatred Alice supposedly feels， she drugs her and leaves her to burn alive， but doesn’t succeed。 It left me with more questions than answers。 How could Alice get hold of paralysing drugs and why did she let Lucy go rather than be sure she had succeed with the revenge she had plotted for so long。 How on EARTH was Alice allowed to walk free when Tom had so many suspicions about Alice？ It just makes no sense。 There would have been a trail because the drugs obviously would have been obtained illegally。 There isn’t even a passing comment from Alice about having to talk to police， apparently no one suspected anything （even though Lucy was drugged and accelerant was used for the fire） she just moved somewhere new as if nothing happened。 Additionally when Lucy opens her eyes at the end I wish there was more of a conclusive ending。Finally there is the “plot twist” that Alice was never pregnant。 This plot point was glaringly obvious very early on - from the instant knowing she had conceived to the reaction from the woman in the baby shop bemused by her behaviour。 This in addition to the fact that much of the plot was trivial， the lack of any conclusion and any founding in reality has led to my low star review。 。。。more

Sarah ，

Disappointing read

Laila ，

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review。 Thank you for the opportunity。Some good ideas behind this story but the reality wasnt great as it fell quite flat。 The writing was confusing at times and went in circles frsutratingly。An OK read。

Victoria Wilks ，

The description of this book really caught my attention so I was certainly Intrigued to start reading it。 This book is told from various perspectives， which certainly adds extra layers and detail to this story。Each of the characters are different and have their own flaws， and the way in which these varying traits affect their relationships with one another is interesting to follow。The storyline flows well and the suspense and tension in which you feel really does keep you engaged throughout。An i The description of this book really caught my attention so I was certainly Intrigued to start reading it。 This book is told from various perspectives， which certainly adds extra layers and detail to this story。Each of the characters are different and have their own flaws， and the way in which these varying traits affect their relationships with one another is interesting to follow。The storyline flows well and the suspense and tension in which you feel really does keep you engaged throughout。An interesting read。 。。。more

Claire Snook ，

A really gripping story with lots of twists and turns。 I loved it！

Mellisa ，

Unfortunately another book that sounded so much better than it ended up being。 Honestly， how none of them worked out Alice was turning them against each other is just beyond belief。 I mean， someone new enters the friendship circle， gossip is being thrown about and suspicions are being made that were never there before - and yet they didn't think it could have been because of someone new。 It literally took over half the book just for Lucy to begin figuring it out， and the only person after that i Unfortunately another book that sounded so much better than it ended up being。 Honestly， how none of them worked out Alice was turning them against each other is just beyond belief。 I mean， someone new enters the friendship circle， gossip is being thrown about and suspicions are being made that were never there before - and yet they didn't think it could have been because of someone new。 It literally took over half the book just for Lucy to begin figuring it out， and the only person after that is Tom and that's closer to the end。 Another thing - why Liz？ Liz had sort of recognised her， but the way she said it was that she had a vendetta against Liz。 It then turns out she doesn't。 So why Liz？The secrets coming out were pretty good， and there was some pretty good twists。 Just not enough that made me really gripped by the book。 It's worth a read， but probably not one I would read again。 。。。more

Tara O’Malley Hughes ，

Absolutely loved this book！ I loved the way the plot ties in all together and the depth of Alice’s character。 I love authors such as Dorothy Koomson and Jodi Picoult， and CJ Cooper is definitely going to be added to the list after this book。 Would highly recommend for a thrilling read。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Book Club

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Book Club&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Book Club&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0