Scan barcode
madeleinebay's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Vomit
Minor: Body shaming and Eating disorder
definebookish's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
For me, Supper Club hit somewhere between Melissa Broder’s Milk Fed and Daisy Buchanan’s Insatiable – but with less sex than either, and more friendship. I liked both of those, and I liked this even more.
Roberta is in her late twenties, working in a job she’s indifferent to, starting to suspect she’ll never have a proper relationship. What she does have is hunger, a love of cooking, and best friend Stevie, who she’s (mutually) obsessed with. Together they launch an underground supper club where women can take up space and indulge their appetites.
This is a dual-timeline type situation, moving between the sometimes hedonistic present and Roberta’s earlier, more subdued life at university. If anything, I expected more hedonism; the supper clubs see Roberta, Stevie and guests gorging on multiple courses, taking pills, and eventually breaking into venues, but that’s a relatively small amount of the narrative. There’s a lot more time spent on Roberta’s relationships – with Stevie, with her well-intentioned but irritatingly rule-following boyfriend, and with her family – and working through the past experiences that trained her to make herself small.
On a couple of occasions, the transition between timelines did lose me a little – cue me rereading five pages to clarify whether the protagonist was having a flashback or just casually cheating on her boyfriend with an ex. For the most part, though, this one hits the spot. It’s witty and poignant and gloriously messy, and the food descriptions are next-level. Special mention to the passages on spaghetti alla puttanesca.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Vomit, and Self harm
bettydraper's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
this one was a tough read. i honestly don't even know if i enjoyed it but it definitely raised interesting questions for me. i think this is the type of a book that i need to parse out with someone else!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Body shaming, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Transphobia
lilkstew's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Meh. This book has such a great cover and premise, but the content falls flat. I thought that the sections that described recipes and dishes in detail were great; they made me so hungry. However, the plot was underwhelming. I didn't like how the theme and purpose were stated so blatantly multiple times throughout the novel. I don't like it when that happens! It's like the authors don't believe that their audience is capable of discerning the point just by reading, which is kind of how books should really work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Vomit, and Drug use
happyladyjadereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I heard so much hype about this book and to be honest, I wish I hadn’t because it really set me up for what I thought I would find. It frankly made me feel disgusting, sickened and ruined my appetite, but I wish I had given up because I didn’t get the ending I was hoping for – as in any kind of satisfaction at all. Didn’t connect with the characters and didn’t really care by the end what happened to any of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Vomit
Moderate: Drug abuse
eleanor_333's review against another edition
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Vomit, Sexual assault, Rape, and Panic attacks/disorders
graceve's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
In the vein of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Supper Club explores lost women in their twenties. The book is well paced and well-written although I felt I'd read similar stories before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Vomit
More...