The group of strangers that arrive at Genevieve’s flat have been selected to trial a new form of grief therapy. Each, for their own reasons, is sceptical but we follow them through their sessions and see them open up to one another about the reason they are there.
Each of the characters is a lot more vulnerable than they first appear. As they open up to each other we learn more about their lives and what has led them to this place. Observing this process was intriguing, and it certainly raised a lot more questions than we are given answers to.
Eventually we, and they, find out why each of them was chosen. It is not what I expected, though the details may not surprise all readers. Though it strays into territory that could have been mawkish, it felt more life-affirming. It was certainly unique, and a book that encourages reflection after the last page has been turned.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.

An original idea but it didn’t work for me. The subject matter is depressing but if you overcome this and start to feel invested in the characters the whole thing then gets turned in its head.

The Seven O'Clock Club is a good debut read dealing with different types of grief, found family, and learning to move on. I will be interested in reading the author’s future books.

This book was running along nicely. Until it wasn’t. The first part was a sensitive exploration showing four strangers being brought together to share and subsequently find healing for their grief. All were damaged by their suffering but it was impossible not to become engaged with their stories. The totally unexpected twist in the plot where the characters are suddenly placed in a surreal alternative reality feels momentarily disappointing, as if the original story had run out of steam. Luckily, strong , empathetic characters carry it through and you actually find yourself rooting for them to succeed in their next world. Worth reading just to see how this works.

What a depressing book - it encompasses the various stages of the four human guinea pigs to a new way of counselling. Initially I was drawn to this novel by the good reviews, but sadly the more I read the less certain I became. It’s certainly not a novel for anyone questioning their own mortality and emotions. The four people, Freya, Mischa, Victoria and Callum, from different walks in life and with different experiences, form a shared bond as they struggle through their demons during the group therapy sessions. The concept was good, but the delivery didn’t meet the mark.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC for an honest review

An interesting read - not at all what I expected!

Four strangers are brought together for grief counselling. Wary to start with but as the weeks go by they find themselves returning and exposing more of their back stories and building up bonds of friendship.

Victoria - a hard hitting lawyer; Callum - a rock star; Mischa - a career and Freya. All very different but all struggling to move on. Their therapist, Genevieve, needs to succeed as they have not been selected at random and they need to work together if they are to achieve happiness.

As the story develops through alternating POVs you realise that this is not an ordinary therapy story.

I did not expect the ending and was surprised at several points by the story.

One I will be recommending.

The Seven O'Clock Club by Amelia Ireland is a heartfelt and thought-provoking debut that delves into the complexities of grief, healing, and the unexpected connections that can arise in the most unlikely of circumstances. The story centres around an experimental therapy group where four strangers are brought together to heal broken hearts under the guidance of a therapist, Genevieve Dempsey. Each member of the group is grappling with their form of loss, whether it's the collapse of a career, personal identity, or a significant relationship.

The characters couldn’t be more different, yet they all find themselves in the same room on Wednesday nights at 7 PM, reluctantly participating in a treatment designed to guide them through the five stages of grief. There's Freya, the sharp-tongued lawyer determined not to open up; Mischa, a fragile young woman searching for belonging; Callum, a musician on the verge of self-destruction; and Victoria, an interior designer whose picture-perfect life is starting to unravel. Through alternating perspectives, readers witness their emotional journeys as they begin to unravel their pain, confronting not only their past but also the possibility of new beginnings.

The therapy sessions are where the true healing begins, but they also reveal more than the participants expected. While each person struggles with their stage of grief, they begin to form bonds with each other—slowly uncovering shared experiences and, in some cases, developing unexpected friendships and even romantic connections. However, a shocking revelation about their selection for the therapy group shakes their trust and forces them to confront whether the therapy is truly about healing or something much more profound.

The book touches on themes of vulnerability, healing, and the unpredictability of emotional journeys. As the characters navigate their grief, they learn that healing is not linear, and sometimes the most significant breakthroughs come from the people around them. The story is beautifully written, with short, engaging chapters that move the plot along quickly, making it a compelling read.

Ultimately, The Seven O'Clock Club is an exploration of human connection, the struggle to overcome personal pain, and the courage it takes to open oneself up to the possibility of happiness once again. The pacing is brisk, and the emotional depth of the characters makes this book a truly rewarding and impactful read.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I was enjoying this story, invested in all the characters and the development they were making…until I wasn’t. Now if you e read the book you’ll know at what point it lost me and you’ll either feel similarly disappointed like me or you’ll accept it. I couldn’t accept it and only finished due to there not being that much left to get through. A turn I was not expecting, and didn’t want.

I loved how this book showed how friends, love and hope can get you through the dark periods of life. They feel like real people which adds to the relatability.

The Seven O'Clock Club
By Amelia Ireland

A group therapy story with four participants who are stuck in their grief. Their therapist, Genevieve, is attempting to lead them towards Acceptance through an experimental model. Much information about the nature of the experiment and the individual grief stories are initially withheld, presumably to elicit a sense of tension, but as in a puppet show, the strings are showing.

The story is told through rotating narratives by the for participants initially, but the voices are not actually distinct from each other (apart from Callum's F*Bomb laden chapters) and the interiority and perspective shift you'd expect from that device don't emerge.

For a story about loss, grief, emotional growth, and acceptance, it is not very convincing. So many details ring false, so many choices make no sense. As the reader, I want to feel connected to the journey these characters are experiencing but it's a case of telling and not showing.

The addition of Genevieve's POV in the last quarter of the book brings a spectacular "twist" to the story that is probably the most interesting and most irritating thing about this book. My first reaction was aversion. "O no. Not .........( insert genre)!!! But actually it explains a lot of plot bumps that were chipping away at my subconscious rateometer. I tried to relate it to a certain 90s blockbuster movie that ventured into similar territory and did my best to open up to what the author offers, but she chooses to explore a sentimental romantic element rather than a thought provoking speculative one.

This book is categorised as "General Fiction (Adult), Women's Fiction, Literary Fiction" by the publisher. It really is not literary fiction. It relies too heavily on a structure that doesn't work, undeveloped voices, emotional indifference and a sensationalist promise that doesn't deliver. Remove the literary label and the expectation that goes with that, and this book will find its audience.


Publication Date: 4th March 2025
Thank you #Netgalley for providing a review copy.

Wow! This book covers all emotions and very quickly you are engrossed in the characters and the different events that have shaped their lives. To start with some of them were easier to warm to than others but as the story carried on it was easier to understand what they had been going through. It raised many talking points and thoughts which is a good thing. A great story that stays with you

Thankyou to Netgalley, the publishers and Amelia Ireland for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.


WHAT AN AMAZING BOOK! My easiest five stars so far this year, this is a sit down and devour it in one sitting book, stays with you afterwards book.

We meet five characters, Genivieve, Victoria, Mischa, Freya and Callum and get to view what's happening from each of their perspectives as they all attend a once a week therapy session on grief... but the twist towards the end I could have NEVER seen coming.
I felt like I was in there with them, got to know them and love them, all of them were so incredibly human and real with flaws and strengths.

This is a book that will make you laugh, think, cry and reflect on your own life and choices.

Cannot recommend highly enough!

The Seven O'Clock Club is an emotional and very moving book that analyses grief and different kind of emotions that someone might go through in life. I loved like half of the book even though some characters weren't that likeable and I just couldn't feel too much empathy for her. Anyway, when I got to the big reveal I was quite surprised and I liked the turn the book took still the end and all the other ideas that follow death felt a bit flat to me. Overall, it's good talking about grief and all its stages but also about death too

For a debut novel, this book absolutely knocks it out of the park. Following the story of four individuals who are strangers to one another, they all agree to take part in experimental group therapy lead by the unconventional Genevieve, the counselling's purpose is to help them overcome their recent bereavement whilst also learning about themselves, each other and the grief process

Told from multiple perspective of; Genevieve, Callum, Freya, Mischa and Victoria, this is a story of exploration surrounding the concept of grief and the power of human connection and love. Each chapter is relatively short, making the book feel more up-tempo than the content is. Despite this book having a heavy content the author has done a brilliant job of writing the story and characters so delicately and well, that you really start to grieve alongside them. Each character has their own difficulties in processing their own stories of loss, and each one of them pulled at my heartstrings, Mischa’s and Freya’s especially caused me to break down in tears, and I had to take a moment away from the book for those.

I really like how the author has named each part of the book after parts of the grief process (anger, denial, acceptance etc) and feel this was a lovely little easter egg to the storyline. This is a book that provided a really intriguing and unexpected plot twist – no spoilers but I was literally gobsmacked, it was not a path I was expecting to go down, but it really made you question everything about life, it made me think about life, death, the afterlife, relationships and spirituality.

It is such an imaginatively and delicately written story, with a lovely found family vibe, in which all four characters have strong connections between each other. This is a book with huge emotional depth, it provides a rollercoaster of emotions, I was heartbroken, crying, laughing and just completely encouraging each character in my own way.

It is fascinating and brilliant how the author has managed to personalise each character and make them relatable and connected in different ways. The way that the story unfolds and each character's ARC develops over the course of the book is so well thought out, it just proves that every individual views and experiences relationships, grief and loss in a variety of different ways. Either way the four main characters have been brought to life so perfectly, that I could easily meet any of them on the street and want to hug them!

Now despite the cover giving off summer vibes, this is quite a difficult book to read at times, predominately due to its content being around dealing with grief and coping with the loss of loved ones – therefore I would recommend checking the triggers before diving into this one: death of a child, death of a parent, drug and alcohol abuse, addiction, suicide, vehicle death, serious road traffic collision and a character with Alzheimer's

i loved the whole concept of this book. a group therapy session for four people living in the same building brings a set of people together each bringing their own grief and torments. coming together and bonding changes, heals and helps them in ways they didnt think possible.
i really liked getting to know the characters from each of their Pov. so each chapters is handed over to them. and so their story unfolds from their own point of view and it really helps you feel what they've been through and what they are going through now. it add new layers and care for each character.
i was mystified at first. would you do this? just trust to go to such a meeting!? but then again, when desperate or in pain i guess it means you'll try anything?
i really enjoyed this book and the little gasp of the plot twist was great addition.

It's a good concept, but I found the writing too bland and the characters too cliched to give the idea the depth it needed. It definitely has a feel-good factor, but not a lot of emotional bite.

A clever, well-written and unique debut from an author I will look forward to seeking out more reads from in the future.
Genevieve brings together four very different characters to her 7 o'clock weekly group therapy sessions . Each character has their own grief story and we are invited into their worlds as they reveal their stories as the trust and support develops between the group members. Then, we get a mega twist which I really did not see coming!
Emotional, poignant and very cleverly plotted.
I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this highly recommended debut book.

Super interesting book with a great background concept. Great group of characters and a real twist that I did not see coming. Good writing and very thought provoking. Recommended read.

What I think I loved the most about this book is how when each chapter takes on the perspective of a character, the whole voice and narrative is completely convincing of that character to the point where you can feel and live their expressions and mannerisms, I felt this really brings the characters to life in 3D and I felt such a close affinity with each of them for this.
It is a really great concept for a book and as you start to read more and the deep secrets and emotions of the group meetings are revealed, I still wasn't prepared for the bonds that are formed within the group and also the truth of their connection.
Be prepared for it being a slightly slow start as you get to know the characters and the foundations are laid, as it is completely worth it.

Thanks to Bonnier Books and netgalley for providing a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book missed the mark for me on several points. It was enjoyable, and although it's made clear right in the prologue that there will be a plot twist eventually, I'm quite pleased to report that I did not guess it correctly. After the reveal, I got through the rest of the book quite quickly but up until that point I found the narration quite lacking.

There are 5 different POVs and one of my pet peeves is having indistinguishable character voices which was definitely the case here. With the exception of the character of Callum who swears all the time, there wasn't really enough in terms of verbal quirks to know who was speaking at which time.

It was also incredibly irritating how many of the narrators' feelings were accompanied by "for some reason": for some reason, I felt X. I found this so sloppy and redundant. Either the character knows why they feel X and tells us, or they can just say "I felt X" and omit the for some reason part, because that's kind of the point, people often don't know why they are feeling a particular way.

Out of the 4 main characters, I found two to be extremely caricaturish and lacking depth, one very bland and only one somewhat likeable.

I feel like this concept could have been developed a lot better if the author had chosen to lean into a slightly creepier/more gothic direction, instead of fluffy pseudoscience.

For a book that's meant to analyse grief and its impact on human beings, it didn't really make me feel a lot of strong emotions, except for one scene near the end involving Freya's husband Joe.