"The Twenty Seven Club" is a huge (and humorous) dose of 90s nostalgia, with some anxiety awareness too. Lucy Nichol's conversational writing style makes for an engaging read.

I would highly recommend this. I loved the setting and the character development of all the characters. I loved the huge amount of pop culture references and how the ending tied everything up.

I really loved this novel! Sharp, clever, super nostalgic and so well written. Also, the way in which anxiety is portrayed is just fantastic.

The Twenty Seven Club could be a serious read given the subject matter, the death of Kurt Cobain. but in fact, it's a humorous but introspective look at the music scene and social culture of the time. A must-read for music fans.

It’s 1994. The music industry is mourning Kurt Cobain, Right Said Fred have re-emerged as an ‘ironic’ pop act and John Major is the country’s prime minister. Nothing is as it should be. Emma, a working-class rock music fan from Hull, with a penchant for a flaming Drambuie and a line of coke with her best mate Dave down The Angel, is troubled. Trev, her beloved whippet, has doggy IBS, and her job ordering bathroom supplies at the local caravan company is far from challenging. So when her dad, Tel, informs her that Kurt Cobain has killed himself aged 27, Emma is consumed with anxiety. Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix…why have so many rock musicians died aged 27? And will Emma be next to join The Twenty Seven Club? The Twenty Seven Club is a nostalgic, often humorous, drug and booze-infused tale of friendship, discovery and anxiety as Emma tries, for once, to focus on life, rather than death.

This was a great read, full of 90's nosalgia and well-drawn characters. It was fun, witty and didn't shy away from dealing with anxiety, albeit it in a realistic and senstive way. I was initially drawn to the book as I, like our protagonist Emma, lived in Hull during the 1990's and have fond memories of nights spent in Spiders nightclub in my Dr Marten's. Lucy Nichol really captures that whole time around the death of Kurt Cobain and how young people reacted. There were lots of references to the popular culture of the time and it was an absorbing read.

A fantastic, insightful and funny novel about a young girl's love of music and her hero. Poignant in some areas as Emma comes to terms with her own mortality. I'm an early 90s baby so wasn't at the same age as Emma was at the time. but living through the 90s again was still wonderful to see.

‘The Twenty Seven Club’ is by Lucy Nichol.

It’s 1994. The music industry is mourning Kurt Cobain, Right Said Fred have re-emerged as an ‘ironic’ pop act and John Major is the country’s prime minister. Nothing is as it should be. Emma is hurtling towards her 27th birthday, riddled with anxiety that her idols Joplin, Hendrix and Morrison all died aged 27, and now Kurt Cobain has gone too. Will Emma be next to join The Twenty Seven Club? Emma, a working-class rock music fan from Hull, with a penchant for a flaming Drambuie and a line of coke with her best mate Dave down The Angel, is troubled. Trev, her whippet, has IBS, and her job ordering bathroom supplies at the local caravan company is far from challenging. So when her dad, Tel, informs her that her music idol, Kurt Cobain has killed himself aged 27, Emma is consumed with anxiety. Why have so many legendary musicians gone aged 27? Is there a link between the members of the so-called Twenty Seven Club? Is this why her mum had an affair and left them? And could Emma be about to join The Twenty Seven Club too?

When Kurt Cobain takes his own life, this sets Emma off into a spiral convinced that possibly she could be next. A punk and rocker lover, all her heroes have been part of the 27th Club and she fears as her 27th birthday looms closer that she could be joining it.

Seen through the witty dialogue of a young woman from Hull, this book follows the journey of Emma and Trevor, her irritable bowel suffering Whippet who has recently become a new father to Afghan puppies. Working in admin in a company selling caravans, Emma lives for nights out with her best friend Dave, where they dance the night away, but when Dave is diagnosed with testicular cancer, Emma fears that it will be Dave joining the 27 Club and not her after all and is determined to do everything to be there for her best friend.

Set in 1994, Lucy paints a vivid picture of the era from the fashionable Doc Martens to D:ream being on repeat with their smash hit ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ which seems to be constantly on repeat putting Emma under pressure to make a better a life for herself. After her mother left her dad, she’s suffered from anxiety and stress and seems to always be on the cusp of a heart attack. She’s used to the doing the same things and the possibility of losing Dave terrifies her and having to cope with change. But when she meets John, the owner of the Afghan that Trevor impregnates, Emma falls in love for the first time and realises that sometimes change is good.

A relatable story about the struggles and fears of life, ‘The Twenty Seven Club’ is a dark, witty and cleverly written story about the power of friendship and the strength of hope against a 90’s soundtrack.

You can buy ‘The Twenty Seven Club’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

This was a really good read that was gifted from the author. My dad is a huge fan of Kurt Cobain so I found this book really relatable.

I really enjoyed The Twenty Seven Club. It’s steeped in a lovely 90s vibe that is a real joy to read. Told from the point of view of Emma, a young woman from Hull who enjoys rock music, beers (and the occasional Drambuie or a little something… extra) with her best mate Dave down their local. She’s shaken by the untimely death of her rock hero Kurt Cobain at 27, and is filled with worry that she’s approaching that age.

The book follows Emma’s daily life, the highs (literal, in some cases) and lows of life in Hull in the nineties and her existential crisis following Cobain’s suicide. The music forms a backdrop to Emma’s life and story, and as someone who was there (though slightly younger than Emma in 1994) is pitch-perfect for the time.

I read this book in two sittings, staying up far too late one night and getting up early the following morning to finish it off. I enjoyed spending time with Emma and Dave (and her whippet Trev), and following their adventures over the course of the book. It’s warm, often funny, and a delightful dose of 90s nostalgia.

'The Twenty Seven Club' by Lucy Nichol is a story that is dark, comical and nostalgic all at the same time. A story that highlights mental health while captivating the reader while doing so.
We meet Emma a young woman who lives in Hull. She is deeply affected by the death of Kurt Cobain one of her idols at twenty seven. She is affected to the point that she starts a journey of researching into the deaths of other rock idols at the age of twenty seven.
She is almost twenty seven and she starts to question everything, from her choices to her way of life and her lifestyle and the way she behaves. Her research soon becomes an obsession and she is convinced she will die at twenty seven too. This knock on effect makes her not want to be interested in anything and it could almost be a self-fulfilling prophecy you could easily say.
I found this a very compelling story, the fact that mental health can impact on a person such as Emma, and it all began with one person dying at twenty seven. Just proves how easily triggered a person can be and almost everyone is one step away from experiencing mental health issues. I really could understand Emma and really did empathise with this woman who begins to dig into things that created bigger issues for herself than she could imagine.
The other side of the story I was so at home! As soon as I started reading, being set in the North and the 1990s! The waves of nostalgia hit me! All the memories of my own came flooding back from being a twenty odd year old (same as Emma). Loved it , although it is really a serious subject Lucy Nichol has woven the story with humour, maybe a dark humour but a laugh is a laugh...isn't it? She has managed to weave everything into one great story that really tackles anxiety and that is something we will always need in life. She has done it in a way that we can empathise and even recognise ourselves within this book. A superbly written stort about a sensitive subject.
Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours, Lark and NetGalley for the copy of the book.

I loved this book. It is so full of ninties nostaglia yet the themes and emotions explored make it feel incredibly relevant and timely for right now. The characters are beautifully written and perfectly rounded and the exploration of mental health within the book feels natural and not stuffed in or shoved down your throat. I loved the 90's setting but the time period is so well depicted that I don't think you have to have lived through it to enjoy and relate to the book. As long as you have stood in a sweaty club and listened to a band you love you will get what is happening here. I loved Emma, I loved Trev, I loved Dave and I loved the life that they showed me. Also, this has one of the best and most enjoyable last lines that I have read in a very long time. Highly, highly recommended.

Oh wow! This book is simply awesome! After reading the blurb, I knew I was going to enjoy it but I didn't expect so many laugh out louds, gasps of shock and eyebrow-raising nostalgic reminders.

Lucy Nichol's writing is very fresh, raw, honest and edgy and, with an underlying sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll beat, it reminded me of Irvine Welch's Trainspotting but with nicer, funnier and more relatable characters. Emma is such a multi-dimensional character that it is impossible to keep her on the page; I felt like she was talking to me and she could have popped out of the book at any moment, especially if I had any Drambuie in the house (which I don't).

As we follow Emma's life as she struggles with anxiety in the period after Kurt Cobain died, it's like being inside her head and walking in her shoes. I loved reading about her drunk nights out with her friend Dave but her whippet Trev provided the best entertainment; his shenanigans providing many laugh out loud moments. It's probably not a good idea to be drinking anything while reading this book as I frequently couldn't contain my laughter and there would have been drink spurting everywhere if I'd been drinking and reading.

Set in 1994, I expected some nostalgia but my eyebrows virtually shot up into my hairline when Emma meets John, a Geordie who reminisces about nights out at the Mayfair in Newcastle. Although it wasn't part of my Friday night out, I knew all about the infamous rock club at the Mayfair and having been demolished in 1999, it's almost obligatory (for anyone old enough to remember it) to say: 'eeeh remember when this was the Mayfair' when visiting the cinema or restaurants at The Gate. I didn't know that the Mayfair was such an historic music venue until I googled it following Lucy Nichol's reminder. Although it's my local city, and I knew it hosted The Tube in the 80s, I didn't realise Newcastle had such a renowned music scene but then again, any excuse for a party in the toon.

Nostalgic, hilarious and surprisingly feel-good, The Twenty Seven Club is an absolutely fantastic read. You will read it and weep, both tears of laughter and sorrow as a full rollercoaster of emotions is experienced in this awesome book. I really can't recommend it highly enough; just buy it, immerse yourself in the 90s music scene and get a guaranteed smiley face.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I really enjoyed The Twenty Seven Club by Lucy Nichol - I read it in one day, even staying up past my bedtime to finish it! I loved being privy to Emma’s stream of consciousness over the course of the story. Her voice is so funny, endearing and human, as you can see when her best intentions repeatedly go awry. There were so many moments where I laughed out loud at things that happened, as well as things Emma thought or said.

But the reader is also witness to Emma’s fraying mental state. While the primary trigger point is Kurt Cobain’s suicide, there are a few other events in the novel that signal big shifts in her life, and all of this brings anxiety and unresolved issues from her childhood to the surface. The reveal of what Emma had been pushing down for so many years is breath-taking and heartrending, and it explains so much about her.

I could really relate to Emma’s thought patterns. Seeing her getting bogged down in black-and-white thinking and obsessing over the negatives while disregarding the positives (for example, thinking of all the artists who died aged 27, and not the ones who hadn’t), which I also tend to do, was so validating. I found the conclusions she was working towards at the end of the novel comforting and reassuring.

The ’90s setting of the book was something I also found comforting. Even though I was a bit young at the time for the music Emma listens to, the pop culture references took me back to a period when the world felt safer and more predictable. I appreciated the Right Said Fred cameo because I was randomly obsessed with them for a short time when I was five!

The feelings of comfort The Twenty Seven Club evoked in me might be because at that time I wasn’t aware of current affairs, and hadn’t yet encountered any real/insurmountable adversity, though. Nichol doesn’t paint the ’90s as a halcyon period by any means - Emma would probably quicker to realise that it was panic attacks she was experiencing today, being gay is still something to hide, and sexual harassment goes largely unchallenged. There’s no love for the Tory government, although at least then they were more dreary than dangerous. I very much enjoyed the wry nods to subsequent developments!

The Twenty Seven Club is an insightful, comforting and funny novel that I adored.

As a child of the nineties, this novel peaked my interest when I saw it available for review. Lucy Nichol is not an author I have heard of before and after further investigation I found out this is her first work of fiction, I feel I may need to keep an eye out for her. The Twenty Seven Club is dark where it needs to be, funny where it needs to be and just brings a sense of nostalgia for me, I have often wondered about some of the most famous musicians and their untimely deaths at 27, I almost feel like Lucy read my diary entries from way back when as I questioned why the god ones always go so early. Drugs, friends, booze and a time capsule back to one of the most influential periods for rock music, I enjoyed every moment of this read and highly recommend it. Rumor has it this story is set to be adapted to stage as well, so keep on the lookout for that. Overall I give the Twenty Seven Club a 5 out of 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s very different from the stuff I usually read and was exactly what I was looking for. It’s set in 1994 when I was teenager, so I was familiar with the world in the book; the cultural references and setting. Some people will really love this book if they were into the music and bands featured. I wasn’t so all of the references didn’t mean much to me. I didn’t enjoy this aspect as much as I could have. However, I really enjoyed the other aspects of the book such as the way the author explores friendship, love and mental illness. I can relate to being obsessed with a band or singer and how the death of an idol can highlight your own mortality. This is a very enjoyable read.

This is undoubtedly one of the most unique stories I have read in quite some time. In The Twenty Seven Club we meet Emma. She is a young woman who, after being deeply affected by the death of Kurt Cobain, who is one of her biggest idols, finds herself jumping headfirst down the rabbit hole of information available at the local library as she begins researching the deaths of other rock idols who also passed away at the age of twenty seven.

As Emma’s twenty seventh birthday is fast approaching, she finds herself questioning everything in her life, from her own behaviours and her life choices. As Emma becomes more obsessed with the deaths, and almost convinced she could meet the same fate, suddenly everything seems rather unappealing to her.

This was such a complex, interesting story that highlighted the huge and incredibly life changing consequences mental illness can have on a persons life. I know I could certainly relate with Emma on several occasions, as I am sure many others will too.

The author has such a fascinating writing style that really draws the reader in and keeps them well and truly invested to the very end. I thought the attention to detail was marvellous, and really allowed me to picture the scenes vividly within my mind.

The voice that is given to Anxiety is exactly what we needed. So often people will play down the affects of it, however when you live with it yourself, you will come to relate to so much the character experiences, and the battle to just get through the day. A marvellous read that really deserves so much credit for tackling subjects that so many will steer away from.

I enjoyed my trip back in time to the nineties in the north of England. I was younger than Emma is in the story, but enjoyed the reminders of Diamond White alcopops, Findus crispy pancakes and referring to non students as ‘townies’.

Emma is struggling with the thought of dying at the age of 27 and worries that her lifestyle isn’t helping her, living on ready meals, alcohol and cigarettes. This book is the story about how her life changes as she faces up to her past and helps her best friend Dave through a health scare. There is a mix of humour and heartbreak, all wrapped up with rock music references and reminders of the nineties. Loved the dog and cystitis stories – if you read the book, you will know.

It did take me some time to warm to Emma , but I did enjoy reading this book. The book tackles some difficult topics well and as we get to know Emma better, we begin to understand why she is feeling so anxious about turning 27.

As soon as I read the blurb of The Twenty Seven Club I knew I had to read it, I knew it was going to be a ‘me’ book and I was absolutely right!

This book held so much nostalgia for me, it really captured the mid-90s and what it was like back then. I’m a bit younger than Emma, the main character, as I was 15 in 1994 but I could still identify with her so much. I remember the shock and devastation on finding out that Kurt Cobain had died (I was a huge Nirvana fan), and wondering why so many rock stars seemed to die aged 27.

I didn’t know when I picked the novel up that it was set in Hull and this was a brilliant surprise trip down memory lane for me. I lived in Hull for a while in my 20s and prior to that had grown up fairly near by. The references to Spiders night club brought back so many memories for me. I loved going there, some of the best nights out ended in Spiders and I still miss it now. Also the Adelphi, I loved going to gigs there. Oh and American chip spice – it’s never the same when you try it anywhere other than Hull!

Emma is a great character and I found it so easy to identify with her and the things that happened to her. I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of the moments in this novel and it’s rare for a novel to make me properly laugh like that. Emma is so well-rounded – I could certainly relate to her constant anxiety and over-thinking, her worrying about everything and never feeling quite sure of herself in a situation. I loved her fierce loyalty to her closest friend and her dad, she really cares for them and will do anything to keep them safe and make them happy.

I didn’t see where the novel was ultimately taking me but when I got to the end I was in tears because it all makes sense of why Emma is the way she is. It spoke to me personally as well because I have the similar fears for similar reasons and it made Emma all the more real to me.

The Twenty Seven Club has everything you could want in a novel – nostalgia; humour and warmth mixed with existential angst; and a protagonist who cares a lot and feels things deeply and is just so relatable. I adored this book more than I can say! I finished reading it a couple of weeks ago and I still keep thinking about Emma and wondering how she is now. I know she’s not real but she absolutely feels real when you read this book.

The Twenty Seven Club is my favourite read of 2021 so far and I already want to go back to the start and read it all over again. I’m so happy that I got to read this novel and I highly recommend it!

I noticed The Twenty Seven Club while browsing Amazon’s new books. The cover caught my eye first, of course, I love stories involving music. Then I’ve read the description and I knew this book is for me; protagonist nearly my age, the anxiety we feel when thinking about our life, whether we are doing the right thing, the music, the rock-n-roll, the job that is not enough…

I requested the book on Netgalley and then was also lucky enough to win a physical copy! Thank you, Lucy.

When Kurt Cobain dies aged 27, Emma, our protagonist, obsesses over the idea of 27 Club. Why are music legends dying at 27? Is Emma going to die at this age too? She has a best friend Dave who she knows since they were children, with who she enjoys going out and having a good drink or two and some drugs, sharing their taste in music. He’s like a brother to her. She lives with her dad, and a dog. She has a basic job that does not challenge her enough. It’s a good life, but ensured the end is coming, she tries to make some significant changes.

Stopping taking drugs that make her heart race? Good idea.

But going to a pop club neither her nor Dave like? Not such a good idea.

I really enjoyed Emma, she felt realistic and the author did not try too hard when writing her, which created a fun, caring, normal character. The book felt like a diary especially at the beginning, not having many dialogues, mostly being told what was said or happened by Emma. I do think it could have used a few dialogues here and there, because it felt a little slow sometimes. But the book soon picked up the speed because while Emma struggled to understand or name her panic attacks, one dog got sick and put her in hilarious situations, one man reminded her that he was still having sex in the most awkward way, another man dropped a bombshell on her that terrified her, another popped up and made her swoon. Plus she had a few twats at work, but who doesn’t? Luckily she also had a hilarious female friend.

I did understand where Emma’s anxiety came from before her, and I have to say that the explanation why the ’27’ was nicely done at the end. I really enjoyed her conversation.

I often read books where characters do not experience basic, raw, awkward situations, so this book was a breath of fresh air – Emma and her intimate problems or that awkward sex moment, reminding us that it happens and it is normal. Side effects of drugs were showed, but the author did not suddenly turn the characters into addicts. It also smoothly gave a good representation to the church through a priest that made me laugh, and the importance of mental health and seeking help. What I adored was how easily everything was done, instead of creating horrifying situations for dramatic/shock purpose – we can seek help when we start experiencing problems, not after the worst happens. Sometimes someone just needs to help us put it all together.

I also enjoyed how Emma was surrounded by good men and how her boyfriend turned out to be a normal, fun guy. So often male love interests can end up so unnatural in their ‘perfection’ which sometimes actually does not have much to do with it. All the characters were realistic.

It is a fun novel with depth that was not overwhelming to read. I recommend it to everyone, especially us in our twenties!

Night x
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I was lucky to receive an advance copy through Netgalley, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It took me right back to the 90’s, so nostalgic and such a reminder of my 20’s. I’d definitely recommend :)