Beneath the Book Club: It’s May and we’re diving into summer beach reads! It’s time to vote on our next book.
Updated: May 1
It’s time to choose Beneath the Book Club’s May read.
And with summer on the horizon, we’re turning our attention to angsty and thrilling beach reads (with a few good romances sprinkled in).
Vote on the book you want to dive into in May.
Book 1: Love Unscripted by Denise Hunter
Just released March 2024, 4.2 on Goodreads
WHAT AMAZON SAYS: “Fresh off the heels of a bad breakup, Chloe Anderson poured her heart into penning the perfect boyfriend - and the result was an off-the-charts debut beach read that resonated with women worldwide.
“Now, Chloe’s scripted hero is headed for Hollywood, with her book destined to become a major motion picture.
“When Chloe gets wind that silver screen bad boy Liam Hamilton has been cast as the ideal-in-every-way hero of her novel, she’s horrified by the film director’s choice. How could a player like Liam possibly do Chloe’s perfect hero justice?
“Unafraid to speak her mind, Chloe lets her executive producer know she’s one hundred percent opposed to the casting. And oops - the call is on speakerphone, where the annoyingly attractive Hollywood star hears Chloe’s unbridled outrage firsthand.
“With Liam’s reputation already on the rocks, his agent concocts a PR plan to upgrade Liam’s image while putting the story - and the film - in the spotlight.
“The catch? During the movie’s filming in Chloe’s cute hometown of Stillwater, North Carolina, Chloe and Liam will fake a wholesome, committed relationship.
“Both stand to gain something from the arrangement. Liam’s fans will see him in a new light, while Chloe can boost her struggling social media following and further her writing career. What could possibly go wrong?
“As author and actor navigate the waters of the PR relationship, they’re unprepared when their professional agreement turns into an actual friendship. And when serious sparks start to fly—well, that’s an unread chapter for both of them.”
Book 2: None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
New York Times bestseller, Amazon Editor’s Pick in best mystery, thriller and suspense
WHAT AMAZON SAYS: “From the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author known for her 'superb pacing, twisted characters, and captivating prose' (BuzzFeed), Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.
“Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.
“A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
“Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.
“But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.
“Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?”
Book 3: The 5-Star Weekend Elin Hilderbrand
Amazon editor’s pick in best literature and fiction
WHAT AMAZON SAYS: “Hollis Shaw’s life seems picture-perfect. She’s the creator of the popular food blog Hungry with Hollis and is married to Matthew, a dreamy heart surgeon.
“But after she and Matthew get into a heated argument one snowy morning, he leaves for the airport and is killed in a car accident. The cracks in Hollis’s perfect life - her strained marriage and her complicated relationship with her daughter, Caroline - grow deeper.
“So when Hollis hears about something called a ‘Five-Star Weekend’ - one woman organizes a trip for her best friend from each phase of her life: her teenage years, her twenties, her thirties, and midlife—she decides to host her own Five-Star Weekend on Nantucket.
“But the weekend doesn’t turn out to be a joyful Hallmark movie.
“The husband of Hollis’s childhood friend Tatum arranges for Hollis’s first love, Jack Finigan, to spend time with them, stirring up old feelings. Meanwhile, Tatum is forced to play nice with abrasive and elitist Dru-Ann, Hollis’s best friend from UNC Chapel Hill.
“Dru-Ann’s career as a prominent Chicago sports agent is on the line after her comments about a client’s mental health issues are misconstrued online. Brooke, Hollis’s friend from their thirties, has just discovered that her husband is having an inappropriate relationship with a woman at work. Again!
“And then there’s Gigi, a stranger to everyone (including Hollis) who reached out to Hollis through her blog. Gigi embodies an unusual grace and, as it happens, has many secrets.“
The Five-Star Weekend is a surprising and captivating story about friendship, love, and self-discovery set on Nantucket. It will be a weekend like no other.”
Okay book clubbers, which one will we read?
Vote on the Facebook post now!
We will host our discussion on Wednesday, May 29.
