User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
The Dirty Book Club by Lisi Harrison is a 2017 Gallery Books publication.
A lighthearted and often hilarious story about the special bonds of friendship!
Now, don’t let the title of this book fool you. This is not an erotic novel, at all. Instead, this is a book about relationships, focusing on the bond between women and true, enduring friendship.
The story begins in 1962 with the birth of ‘The Dirty Book Club’. A group of friends, all of whom have a different set of circumstances to cope with, form a secret book club, replete with certain rituals, and meet by the schedule of the full moon, to discuss the latest ‘erotic’ novel.
Fast forward to present day New York, where MJ is about to see her career dreams come true after a devastating loss that has left her bereft and riddled with guilt. But, at the last minute, her boss pulls the rug out from under her by assigning her a co- editor. This is not the way things were supposed to go. In a fit of temper, MJ quits her job, and accepts her boyfriend’s invitation to come live with him in California.
But, MJ soon finds herself bored and having an all -out pity party for herself. However, she does form an acquaintance with her boyfriend’s neighbor, Gloria. But, when Gloria suddenly departs for Paris, she leaves a note behind inviting MJ to join a secret and exclusive book club - one that only reads erotic novels. Unable to resist, MJ accepts the invitation and meets the three other carefully selected members of the club.
This eclectic group of women, as with Gloria and her lifelong friends, are all going through various trials in life. They reluctantly bond with each other and soon discover the real secrets behind ‘The Dirty Book Club’.
To be completely honest, this book does not have a great deal of depth, neither in plot or characterization, but in this instance, it’s not a big deal. Why? Well, sometimes I just want to read a story that has a minimal amount of angst, that can touch lightly upon a few darker topics without becoming heavy or depressing. Sometimes I need a break from romance or thrillers and just want to lose myself in a quirky ‘feel good’ story that makes me laugh out loud and lifts my spirits.
I also found the ‘erotic reading list’ very interesting, and occasionally nostalgic. Boy, have times changed since Gloria and the gang read Erica Jong’s ‘Fear of Flying’. Even if you snub erotica, you will find this list of reading material intriguing.
I did wish a few things had come together differently, but, overall, this book was just plain fun, thoroughly enjoyable, and serves as a reminder of how friendships can enhance our lives.
* I received a copy of this book as a member of Simon & Schuster's XOXO Afer Dark street team.
Rating: really liked it
This is a
light-hearted and
humorous novel.
It follows M.J. leaving her job in New York to move across country to California with her boyfriend. As soon as she settles in she meets their lively and welcoming neighbor Gloria. Days go by and soon after M.J. learns that Gloria has moved to Paris with her lifelong friends and has left behind an invitation to M.J. to attend a mysterious club.
This enigmatic meeting turns out to be the setup for a book club with other hand-picked members and thereafter all sorts of things happen, friendships develop, marriages are discussed, and the characters question their life's choices.
What attracted me to the book was the book club theme and cover. One of the things I look forward to in my life are the monthly book club meetings I attend. The members and I get together, eat, drink, laugh, talk about the month's book and update each other about our lives. We have a wonderful time and I wanted to read about other people's similar experiences in a fictional setting.
Overall,
I enjoyed the book but did not love it. I felt the characters lacked some depth and the situations were too far-fetched at some points. At the same time, the novel was light-hearted and a good break from the suspenseful reads I usually indulge in.
Rating: really liked it
Low on book club bonding, high on ritzy girl trifles.
Rating: really liked it
Touching story about the importance of friendship and being true to one’s self.
Rating: really liked it
Loved it! A delightful, humorous, and even spicy look at women’s relationships today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hopefully we all have at lest one friend that we can let loose with and be who we really are. Just tell it like it is and say anything and everything friend. Nothing is held back and all is a sworn to secrecy friend. The strong connection is evident for those that see you together friend.
That connection is a big part of this new book. A wonderful and fun look at two sets of women’s lives. Their interactions; belief in each other; support systems when everything goes astray. Their promises to each other and the secret book club that opens their eyes to another world.
This book is an awesome read. You can tell it was a labor of love. To be able to get the sarcasm just right. The bitchiness, the understanding, and finally the unwavering support is something we all wish we had in a friend.
Plus the book club and the secrets held within is a fabulous and witty idea that just made this book a delightful and a wee bit raunchy read that just made me laugh in so many places.
The author has crafted the perfect women’s fiction read. With a bit of romance, sex chat, men talk, and strong women’s support group feel, you have to join The Dirty Book Club yourself. You may find it holds the answers to several questions you may have but were afraid to ask.
Full review - http://amidlifewife.com/the-dirty-boo...
* copy received for review consideration
Rating: really liked it
Five freaking stars! This book read like Ya-Ya Sisterhood meets Now and Then (two amazing movies). Four best friends made a pact in the 60’s and now it’s a reality. It seems like a sad ending but it’s actually a beautiful beginning for four women, Addie, M.J., Britt, and Jules. These four women become the new Fab Four of the Dirty Book Club. They read nasty books and then discuss it, but the books and the club are just a front for four women to be women and best friends and confidants. The club is something for these women to lean on when life gets crappy and shit literally hits the fan.
So freaking amazing! Needs to be a damn movie ASAP!
Rating: really liked it
Grab a double chardonnay, a calls glass of Dewars or your dirtiest martini and sit down for this fantastic read about how one group of friends brings together four unlikely women to continue The Dirty Book Club and become life long friends.
"Share everything together, share nothing when apart."
Look - we all have our secrets don't we? But don't we all have that one or two or three people that pretty much know everything or the everything that you can give that even your spouse/partner would never know? I am lucky to have two such girlfriends in my life - my ride or dies - my family. And as such, this book really resonated with me. If you look at your group of closest friends, you can see the differences in personalities can't you? It's always been fascinating to me how everyone has a role to play and how it balances the rest out. Yin/Yang. Through thick and thin and silences and misunderstandings - some judgment to no judgment - doesn't matter. Because you never leave your family... even when you don't like them, you still love them. This book exudes this and I loved every single word of every single page.
Let me just say that there were some definite laugh out loud moments in this story.... and some hilarious words of advice. "Men Come First, Men Leave First." Seriously you guys, definitely take a moment to read this book and have some belly shakes! There's one particular drunken texting conversation that I almost fell over reading.
And in case you haven't noticed from everything I've already written, this has a LOT of heart. I'm certainly missing my closest ones right now and thinking back on others who have impacted my life greatly. Everything happens for a reason. And if you're reading this review, then this is your reason to pick this book up and read it!! When you're done I'll be at the bar with a drink waiting for you so we can discuss. 😉
Thanks a million to Gallery Books for this amazing read.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars You know how you read a book that isn't the most well written, and/or the plot may meander a little bit, but it hits you in the feels anyway? Yeah. This is the book. Something about the characters, the women of this story, captivated me to the point that I may want a sequel. 🤷😀
Rating: really liked it
There are a few things I dislike:
Watching any season of American Horror Story without The Supreme Jessica Lange.
A PSL with no whipped cream on top.
Waiting for a new season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
And most importantly . . . being super excited about a book, loving the first few chapters and then . . . hating the rest.
I began The Dirty Book Club on a wonderfully quiet Tuesday night. I grabbed my pint of Peanut Butter Swirl Ben & Jerry's, put the baby to bed, took my bra off, and snuggled into my king-sized bed complete with vibrating and adjustable mattress. I pulled my iPad over to me and called up the new book I was scheduled to read and review. I'd been looking forward to this one. My last few months of reading have been mostly mid-grade novels and some dark YA thrown in, a few heavy books with even heavier content, and one superbly convoluted thriller. I needed a nice and easy chick-lit book full of steamy romance and secrets, and I was sure this was it.
The first few chapters went by so fast, it was a blur. I was on a roll. My husband popped his head in at some point to ask me a question and all he got was a grumbling mumble in response, as I was set on shoveling ice cream in my mouth while sliding the pages of this intriguing book onward, desperate to know what would happen next.
The premise : a group of girlfriends who have known each other since they were teenagers. Now in their 20's, a few are married, children are on the horizon, and life is becoming a big stagnated. The women meet as often as they can around the heavily pie-laden tables of their Pearl Beach, California homes, and they spend time catching up on the ins and outs of their lives over drinks. They share stories of grief, rejection, love, hope, and promise. At the suggestion of one friend, they begin a book club. A secret book club . . . because at the time, the 1960's were full of oppressing weights for women, and books as dirty as their martinis were seriously taboo. So, covering their dirty books with prim-and-proper jackets to hide their insides, the women vow to meet once a month at the full moon and discuss the books and effects each novel has. They also make a pact: that once the men in their lives kick the bucket (because men always go before the women), they will jet-set it off to Paris and spend the rest of their lives together among the handsomely French and eloquently decadent.
During the course of the book club's meetings, the women are forced to face issues that they've hidden just as well as the forbidden books they've been reading. It's funny how a silly book can change you, can help you delve into the deepest parts of yourself and face some serious realities. Infidelity, homosexuality, feelings of "I'm not good enough" and domestic violence are topics that make their way steadily around the table. The women all vow to share everything with one another with in the strictest of confidence, and to let no stone go unturned when it comes to their confessions.
But, this is only the first couple of chapters.
Fast-forward - and readers are introduced to M.J. She's a New York blonde living to work, instead of working to live. After the tragic death of her entire family (of which she blames herself), M.J. has thrown herself into her job as an editor of City Magazine and is looking forward to her impending promotion as editor-in-chief. The only real connection she has to the outside world is her boyfriend, Dan, who is a doctor and an adventurer . . . and who consequently lives on the opposite side of the country. After her promotion takes a turn for the unexpected and worse, M.J. follows Dan out to California and his newly purchased cottage in Pearl Beach. She's floundering in depression and anxiety, and has no idea what to do with herself.
Dan encourages her to make friends and so she travels as far as next door where she meets Gloria, a spicy Jewish housewife who enjoys a good martini and an even better slice of gossip. But soon after their meeting, Gloria hitches a plane to Paris with her girlfriends, leaving M.J. without the neighborly advice she'd wanted to become accustomed to, leaving a gift propped up on her doorstep instead.
Gloria has left her spot in the Dirty Book Club to M.J., just as her friends have left their spots to a woman of their own choosing. There are a couple of rules, the first one being -- you're either all in or you're all out, and it takes some convincing to get everyone to stay on board. But secret meetings in a curious bookstore partnered with prosecco and hidden letters placed delicately in each book means M.J. will have something to get her out of the house at least one night a month, and she's not willing to let the other girls just give up without a fight.
Addie, the promiscuous bombshell who'd rather spend her time flagging down her latest conquest really hates the idea. Britt, the real-estate agent with twins and a lazy husband dragging her down doesn't see the point. Jules, an event planner and liaison of love for a hotel, who can't seem to solidify love for herself, could be on board if the others were there with her. It takes a little persuasion and a lot of alcohol, but M.J. plows ahead.
The four women grudgingly agree to meet once a month on the full moon and discuss their books, and maybe allow their fellow girlfriends into a slice of their lives.
The Dirty Book Club is the first adult novel by famed YA author, Lisi Harrison. The self-proclaimed participant in a dirty book club of her own, Harrison is best known for her mid-grade series The Clique and Monster High.
While I absolutely adored the premise and the beginning promises of the book, I found myself so let down as the chapters began to melt into one another. The characters were at times so hard to relate to and sometimes to even like. I found myself baffled at more than a few of their choices, which were a combination of predictable and non-sensical, almost as if the author could tell that she was making the women too mundane and as a result, fruitlessly attempted to spice them up with subplots that went nowhere. I was most interested by the first group of women, the founders of The Dirty Book Club, but despite the hint that there would be more of them and a greater depth to their stories, it all fell short. Deciding to throw in unemotional and disconnected letters by way of forming relationships with their predecessors seemed silly, and at times made a mockery of real issues. The ending felt rushed and forced, which was really a shame, as I felt that there was so much to dive into with the characters and their lives were so worthy of a build, to just end it the way it did seemed strange and realistically unresolved.
In the end, so much was left on the table and to be desired, and so I was left disappointed. I have to regretfully give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I had such high hopes those first few chapters, but The Dirty Book Club didn't grow the way I so desperately wanted it to.
Rating: really liked it
This story began sixty years ago, when four school friends in sunny California decided to create their own Dirty Books Club. By that time, Dot, Liddy, Marjorie and Gloria were no longer schoolgirls, young women to whom society dictates the patterns of behavior of Stepford wives. And in the big world, the sexual revolution, Henry Miller and Anais Nin.
The secret reading and discussion of books containing explicit scenes became for them a breath of freedom, a local fronde, an opportunity to try on new roles without risking being stoned. And an occasion to talk openly about their own problems, among which sexual ones are not in the main positions. Those girls agreed then that when the last of them was widowed (for some reason they were sure that they would outlive their men) they will go to Paris and spend their old age together .
The second storyline, the conditional "today's day", seems to be twenty years away from us, when the magazine gloss was bought in paper, and not read from the monitor, phones were used for calls and SMS messages, and information about a public person who dynamites with the signing of a contract was searched not in social networks, but on a teletype line (since they do not report death, it means she is alive), and the word "smartphone" did not come into use.
Литературный аналог коктейля " Секс на пляже"Mi>- Посмотрите на этих кляч. Мы станем такими же через десять лет. Дальше что?
– Это зеркало.
– А?
– Ты смотришь на наше отражение в зеркале
Эта история началась, страшно выговорить, шестьдесят лет назад, когда четверка школьных подруг в солнечной Калифорнии приняла решение создать свой Клуб Грязных книг. К тому времени Дот, Лидди, Марджори и Глория уже не были школьницами, молодые женщины, которым социум диктует паттерны поведения степфордских жен. А в большом мире сексуальная революция, Генри Миллер и Анаис Нин.
Тайное чтение и обсуждение книг, содержащих откровенные сцены, стало для них глотком свободы, локальной фрондой, возможностью примерить новые роли не рискуя быть побитыми камнями. И поводом откровенно поговорить о собственных проблемах, среди которых сексуальные не на главных позициях. Те девчонки договорились тогда, что когда овдовеет последняя из них (отчего-то были уверены, что переживут своих мужчин) они уедут в Париж и вместе станут коротать старость .
Вторая сюжетная линия условный "день сегодняшний", похоже, отстоит от нас лет на двадцать, когда журнальный глянец покупался в бумаге, а не читался с монитора, телефоны использовались для звонков и СМС-сообщений, а сведений о публичной персоне, которая динамит с подписанием контракта, искали не в соцсетях, а на телетайпной строке (раз не сообщают о смерти, значит жива), и слово "смартфон не вошло в обиход.
Трудоголик и карьеристка Эм Джей, которая уверена была, что место главного редактора журнала City достанется ей после ухода с поста нынешней главы, внезапно в ключевой момент узнает, что это место дама зарезервировала за светской тусовщицей, а ей предназначено место соредактора. В ярости хлопнув дверью, она летит к своему парню в Калифорнию, где ее соседкой оказывается Гейл, изрядно постаревшая,но все еще очаровательная,которая именно теперь теряет мужа, а поскольку она последняя из четверых, то вот и пришло время Парижа.
Символические ключи от Клуба любителей грязных книг дамы передают Эм Джей и еще трем молодым женщинам, взяв с них слово встречаться всякое полнолуние для обсуждения очередного софт-порно с соблюдением некоторой ритуальной последовательности действий. В отличие от них самих, нынешних не соединяет дружба, они едва знакомы, но у старых дам свои резоны, о которых мы узнаем позже, поступить так.
Как бы то ни было, девушки начинают и, хотя большого согласия между ними нет, из этого вырастает настоящая дружба, в которую не слишком верится, а большинство комедийных, по замыслу автора, ситуаций рождает в читателе испанский стыд , но в целом книга читабельная, занимательная и проводит в жизнь справедливую мысль о том, что не стоит циклиться на том, чему придается статус сверхценности.
Пусть будет много вещей, способных сделать тебя счастливой: семья, муж, дети, работа, дружба, общение с природой, путешествия, вкусная еда, творчество. И эта мысль хороша. Остальное не очень
Rating: really liked it
Almost gave up on this one. It wasn’t much about a bookclub and nothing dirty about it.
Rating: really liked it
I won a copy of The Dirty Book Club in a Goodreads Giveaway.
Four modern women are invited to become the new members of a secret book club originally started by four friends back in the 1960s. Those original members decided to read naughty books in secret (hiding the naughty books underneath book jackets of more acceptable reading material) and they christened their group the Dirty Book Club, DBC for short. Jumping forward to modern day where M.J. Stark has a long-distance relationship with a doctor and she is about to get a promotion to become editor-in-chief of the magazine she works at and has made her entire life. Her boss, however, decides that stick in the mud M.J. cannot handle the necessary personal interactions with the outside world (i.e. investors, advertisers, etc.) so she’s decided to divide the promotion between M.J. and another, more outgoing person (someone M.J. does not like) so they can be co-editors. M.J. is hurt and angry and, after some quick soul-searching, decides to pack it up and move to California to be with her boyfriend.
There, she quickly meets Gloria Golden, an original member of the DBC and, lightning fast, Gloria and her DBC friends are on a plan to France. They have left invitations for M.J. and three other women to join and continue the DBC. In addition to M.J., the other would-be members are Addie, who is self-absorbed and prickly; Britt, a real estate agent with a rather lazy husband; and Jules, a “liaison of love” at hotel (whatever that is). These ladies meet at a bookstore owned by one of the original members and there they receive the rules of DBC. It’s a cold, uncomfortable, and awkward first meeting which pretty much sums of most of the interactions of this group of women during much of the book. Not only that, there is little book club in the DBC. The older ladies have chosen the first four books for the “new” DBC and each book is accompanied by a letter written by the member who chose that particular book. Those letters are the highlight of the DBC. The actual books seem more of an afterthought.
I thought The Dirty Book Club was going to be a fun read that I would happily breeze through and would turn the last page with a smile on my face. But...what a disappointment! It was a chore to read this one - I had to force myself to push through to the end. The biggest problem: the modern day characters. Yikes, what an annoying group of gals.
I could not stand M.J. and, as she is the main character, that made the book a fail for me. It felt like she was always whining about something. If she told her boyfriend one more time that she sacrificed so much for their relationship, I was going to throw the book across the room. She really had no intention of joining him in California until she got into a snit about her promotion and ran away from her problems. I found all four modern women to be on the immature side and wish the older ladies had a bigger part. And that is what disappointed me that most. I feel there was a lost opportunity by not exploring the original DBC members reading these dirty books in the 60s, 70s, etc - and trying not to get caught by disapproving husbands. It would have given so much depth to this story instead, we have a very shallow story set in a time when reading a dirty book is hardly shocking. Too bad because a story revolving around the original DBC group would have been a compelling read.
Rating: really liked it
Probably a three star book with regards to writing & plot, but I really enjoyed the female friendships so I’ve bumped it up by a star.
Younger readers may not appreciate the revolutionary nature of the older women’s dirty book club—both the claiming of their sexuality and the realization that societal expectations didn’t need to define their lives. In a world where women are told that a marriage is a greater achievement than a good career and where there is still a double standard for men & women’s sex lives, we may still require a bit more liberation.
I had great sympathy for M.J. who lost her entire family to a car crash. My parents were killed in a similar way and I remember finding refuge from my feelings at work. I was able to go in, put my head down, and not think about my personal life for 7-8 hours, a big relief. I also remember that other people were ready for me to be “back to normal” far sooner than I was. In fact, I had to build a new normal—you can’t go back to the old normal, those people are gone. So I identified with her submersion in her work and with her heel-dragging with regards to change.
This book illustrates one of my guiding principles—men come & go from my life, but my female friends are my bedrock. We don’t have to agree on everything, we can argue & fight without wrecking the relationship, but when the chips are down we can count on one another. We can talk out our problems and be sounding boards for each other. I can live without a man in my life, but I can’t live without my circle of women friends.
Rating: really liked it
The idea sounded good, but the characters were so lame that I couldn't like any of them, let alone even care about them.
Basics: 4 women are drawn together by the former Dirty Book Club members and are to carry on the tradition of monthly dirty books for their meetings. Even the characters didn't want to be there. One thing annoyed me from the start and that was that it took until chapter 9 before we even got to the book club.
All the women and most of the men had such shallow development that I finally skipped to the end to see how it resolved rather than continue waiting and waiting for it to get good.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
Rating: really liked it
This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews The Dirty Book Club is all about female friendships and empowerment, and how books may be the way to both!
Story:
M.J. thought she had it all, but living her life not fully knowing what she wanted didn't make her happy The Dirty Book Club changed all that. At first, she had some awkward interactions with some of the women her own age, but she felt like people in LA were so very different from the New Yorkers she was used to.
The Dirty Book Club followed both M.J. and her new friends and Gloria and her friends. Quite a bit of the story happened in the past, when Gloria and her friends were younger. They were rather open-minded, and they enjoyed finding books that were not necessarily readily accepted by society.
Friendships, learning to get to know themselves, and accept both themselves and others for who they are are among the important themes in The Dirty Book Club.
Characters:
M.J. was so sure she'd get the promotion she wanted. When it became a co-editor position instead, she became so disappointed she left the magazine behind to go live with her boyfriend at the opposite coast. And that's when she felt completely lost and without direction.
Gloria was still in her prime. At times, she felt like she had sacrificed her life for her husband and children, but The Dirty Book Club and her friends helped her through both bad times and good.
The other characters were side side characters, but they were still well fleshed out and were realistic.
Writing style :
Third person, past tense with lots of well-done dialogues. The narration mostly follows either Gloria or M.J.
Feels :
I felt both happy and sad for these women - in the present and in the past. I also felt a certain melancholy. So often, society, and we, ourselves, put so much pressure on women to be a certain way. To fit a certain picture. The Dirty Book Club is a way to show that more than one way can be the good way.
Their relationship was more like an arranged marriage designed to preserve a bloodline and uphold traditions. It lacked history, chemistry, passion. Still. There would be a next time."Fuck!" she said, wiping her lips on the back of her hand - her thirty-fifth birthday and the only thing in her mouth was an electric toothbrush. The night was not supposed to end this way. No night was! It didn't matter how many times she brushed, the taste of resentment was still there - metal and dirt, like prison bars - prison bars disguised as a gift from Gloria, Liddy, Dot and Marjorie.
