The Last Book Club

I absolutely loved the premise of The Last Book Club by Joanne Rock. The story follows Jordyn as she tries to uncover what really happened to her foster sister, Tara, who was killed in a hit-and-run the previous year. The novel opens with a gripping scene in which an unknown person is gagged and bound in a basement, immediately creating a sense of suspense. From there, the story unfolds through the alternating perspectives of Tara, Jordyn, and Gina across both past and present timelines.

The mystery is set up well, introducing Sophie, the book club leader, as a snobbish, self-important character, along with several intriguing supporting players, including Sophie’s unfaithful husband. As the story progresses, readers learn more about Tara’s past and uncover a handful of family secrets.

Unfortunately, the emotional core of the novel never fully came together for me. Jordyn is determined to discover who killed Tara, but the relationship between the two sisters isn’t developed enough to make that motivation feel especially compelling. Although the pages move quickly, I found the characters difficult to connect with and not particularly memorable.

The ending was also somewhat disappointing. Rather than building toward a satisfying reveal through clues and deduction, the identity of the driver is simply revealed when the guilty party admits to it. There was little suspense leading up to the confession, and the resolution felt abrupt. I would have enjoyed a stronger trail of clues, more meaningful twists, and a mystery that challenged the reader to solve it alongside the protagonist. Instead, many of the subplots felt more like distractions than pieces of the central mystery.