4 out of 4 stars
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Lydia Phillips chose to give up her fast-paced career as a journalist to raise kids. Now that the kids are older, her husband, Bill, is begging her to stop accepting volunteer positions and contribute to the household financially. Bill is particularly irritated by her involvement in running their neighborhood's country club, Meadow Glen.
With the summer season ramping up, the club is busier than ever. Lydia is in over her head with member complaints, employee scandals, and an ongoing lawsuit against the club—that's just scratching the surface! She promises her husband that she will resign as the board president after the summer, and it will be someone else's problem.
Things go from bad to worse when a suitcase full of money is found near the dumpster at Meadow Glen. Lydia, being unable to pass up a good story, finds herself entangled in a criminal investigation.
Will her unrelenting curiosity put her in a dangerous position?
Summer Club by Katherine Dean Mazerov has all the ingredients necessary to cook up an immersive plot—a cast of colorful characters that like to stir up drama, thrilling suspense, scandal, and laugh-out-loud antics sprinkled on top to keep the reader engaged. The novel is written from the third-person perspective. It follows Lydia Phillips as she tries to salvage what is shaping up to be a nightmare of a summer.
My favorite part of the book was the disastrously funny situations Lydia had to endure as the club's president. The cringe-worthy antics of the Meadow Glen members had me in stitches. There was the projectile-vomiting incident in the pool, the diving board sexcapades, and the constant aroma of marijuana permeating the air. These were just a few of the hilarious scenes in the book. The author quickly reeled me into life at Meadow Glen; I couldn't wait to find out what other ridiculousness would ensue.
I also loved the novel because the author included a wide array of personalities—it reminded me of high school cliques. There were tennis and swimming fanatics (jocks), the uber-nosey gossipers, the keeners, and the ones who felt misunderstood. Belonging to Meadow Glen meant that these individuals with virtually nothing in common were forced to socialize, and the results were hysterical!
While the author did an excellent job of capturing my attention, it did waver on occasion. I had some difficulty reading the parts that were heavy on legal jargon—this is what I disliked most. As someone who has limited knowledge in that area, I found myself looking up some of the terms. Still, overall, it didn't hinder my reading experience.
The book had no spelling or grammar issues and was exceptionally well-edited—in fact, I couldn't find a single error! I have happily chosen to give Summer Club a rating of four out of four stars; it continually held my attention and was filled to the brim with giggle-inducing scenes.
I would highly recommend the novel to anyone who loves character-driven stories; Meadow Glen members are a diverse group that tends to find themselves in outlandish situations. For anyone craving a little bit of mystery, the book would also appeal to readers who enjoy crime stories. Due to some profanity and adult content, I would not recommend the novel to younger readers. Summer Club was a pleasure to read and review—now go and grab a copy!
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Summer Club
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