The Club: A Reese's Book Club Pick

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Emmy was a successful influencer with her own brand. Her husband Dan did not like the children's pics on social media, but couldn't do much in the force of Emmy's personality. Entered the darkness which soon followed Emmy and laid down its claws onto her. Destruction was the foregone conclusion. I know for a fact that being triggered by this book plays a big role in my mostly ambivalent but overall negative take on it. Being in the throws of my own fertility battles, this book was a difficult one to read without getting choked up in anger and in sadness. I could write an extended social commentary piece about this thing to rival an old college paper, but alas, I will save you all the long-winded pretentiousness and outright boredom and just say this: The second half is much better than the first and some things you learn pull you up sharply and make you reevaluate what you think you know. There are some excellent, dramatic and almost surreal scenes towards the end and a couple of those are doozies! I like the end-justice served.

Add to these five beleaguered characters some colorful, quirky celebrities and an island setting, and you have the makings of a perfect getaway. Or murder. The big twist and person/reason behind it all was also so crazy. Though, it does highlight a very real issue of society putting ‘influencers’ on a pedestal and taking their word as gospel even though everything they’re posting and saying is due to a big pay cheque and staying ‘on brand.’ The second narrator is her husband, Dan, a washed-up writer who is quietly resentful of his wife's success but nonetheless claims the moral high ground in his narration. He thinks the whole thing is ridiculous even though it's clear that he'd like to be the one in the limelight. He mostly plays the role of stay-at-home-dad/voice of reason, and the constant push and pull between him and Emmy is clearly leading to some strain. As tempers fray and behavior worsens, as things get more sinister by the hour and the body count piles up, some of Island Home’s members will begin to wish they’d never made the guest list.Emmy and Dan both are manipulative and seem to use each other while unaware of how deep each other's deception, self and otherwise, runs. It makes for fascinating reading, especially as People Like Her is all about how we try to create ourselves and our lives. And throwing the creation of a perfect life online adds even more complexity. So there are some people dead on an ultra exclusive island getaway for celebs. We spend the whole book learning what led up to these deaths and why they occurred. In the end I determined that I absolutely didn't even care, even a tiny bit, about any of them. Welcome to The Club which the wealthy would kill to join. The Clubs are dotted around the world and are the brainchild of Ned Groom. The latest addition the the impressive portfolio is the Island Home (Boucher Island) in Essex where a three day long party will celebrate its grand opening. This is one opening the well heeled guests will never forget as what they think is a publicity stunt may well turn out to be the murder mystery of the decade. The story is told from four perspectives. This book had one of the strongest beginnings-I was laughing so much that people were asking me, "What's so funny?" When I was at university, it was funny to see people taking these over-the-top and extremely fake pictures for social media, obviously trying to prove to someone that he/she was much happier than actuality. Additionally, this book raised some great points for discussion. What do you post online? What are the rules/guidelines? How do you safely post material online? What are the rules with kids and the Internet? This book really would have been great to read in a book club. This book also provided additional information about social media--apparently, the social media personalities can have agents and can receive all kinds of free stuff. This story gets pretty dark, even more than I expected. But there’s also a bit of a satire aspect to it; almost like the authors were having a bit of fun torturing many of the ridiculously-behaved people. Verdict

Set in London, Emmy is a successful influencer, a mummy blogger who is showing the world all the struggles and challenges as a mom –the good, the bad, and the ugly. But mostly the ugly, which makes her much loved and relatable among moms over the world. The Club is begins introducing us to the set of narrators and other characters. Some of the characters are more likeable than others and most are morally grey at best. You soon learn about the complex history between the characters. You will not see a lot of action in the beginning but the second half is much more intense and will leave you on the edge of your seat. I thought the ending was satisfying and it concluded the entire story. Still, nothing compares to Ned’s latest venture: Island Home, a four-square-mile island only 90 minutes from London and covered in acres of woodland, beaches, five-star restaurants, top-of-the-line spas, tennis courts, swimming pools and even a helipad. At a price tag of 5,000 pounds a night, Island Home has been booked for a solid year before it has even opened. That’s where the trouble comes in.The author dove into the human psyche to show the workings of the damaged mind. Emotions came through while reading. I was always wary of social media, post reading this I was petrified. I came to understand that there is a unique set of pressures that public scrutiny exerts on a person over time, how intense the need to not be seen—to go somewhere you wouldn’t be judged for not being the fictional version of yourself a fan had their head—must be, especially in the age of the camera phone.”

The Home Group is a collection of ultra-exclusive private members' clubs and a global phenomenon, and the opening of its most ambitious project yet – Island Home, a forgotten island transformed into the height of luxury – is billed as the celebrity event of the decade. Followed by millions, stalked by one" really does sum this book up so well. I had heard such great things about this book and I couldn't wait to dive in. The hype is real people, this is one book that you do not want to miss. It is a clever story, told from multiple points of view that ramped up the suspense. Moving on, this was most likely my favorite thriller of 2020, and I absolutely recommend anyone looking for dark, edge-of-your-seat entertainment, go out and get this ASAP! I was literally enthralled and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning New Year's day reading this to completion. That's saying A LOT, because I love my beauty rest!! Her husband is tired of her behavior of exploiting their family, but since he relies on Emmy’s income before his next book is published, he has no say. When Emmy’s advice negatively affects a follower known as Grace, her mother decides to take matters into her hands, and Emmy has to pay the price for her fame and popularity. Lastly, and then I'll be done with my rant on this horrible book, the prologue is unnecessary and pointless because we can just figure out on our own that there is a stalker coming. And speaking of the stalker, at least the parts I read, her parts are unnecessary as well. The book can go through from Emmy and Dan's point of view and still have readers understand there's a stalker without their point of view.

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She becomes more vulnerable and gets herself into a real danger closer to her family, whom she cares about. The author has raised critical questions about social media, technology, and celebrity life in this novel. Dan, Emmy’s husband, is a struggling writer. His first novel eight years ago was quite a success but his second novel has been in progress ever since. For as much as his wife’s career troubles and annoys him, he can’t deny it pays the bills and provides them with lifestyle that he cannot. In People Like Her, we are introduced to a UK family: Emmy, Dan, Coco, and Bear. However, Emmy has an unusual job--she is a social media personality! She has a large following and plays into her fans, crafting a polished story to be portrayed and offering placating support. One fan is not that happy with Emmy which puts her entire family in danger. How will this story end? This masterly thriller from the pseudonymous Lloyd effectively delays revealing who among the large cast of characters has died violently...Lloyd (husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos) makes the reader care about even unappealing characters, and the payoff is completely satisfying. Fans of Ruth Ware's One by One will be riveted." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) However, there’s a reason why we mainly follow those perspectives—it definitely helped to paint a larger picture of what was happening, as they slowly reveal clues to the several different mysteries. Some characters are more likable than others, and several are certainly unlikeable, which is kind of the point. I will say the authors do try to give motivations to much of the behavior exhibited.