The Naughty Girls Book Club

by Sophie Hart

[Angie]

In one word, The Naughty Girls' Book Club is delightful! It was just so much fun and left me with a smile. It kind of reminded me of Chocolat (without the magic, and coffee instead of chocolate) in how a group of people come together as strangers, and then help each other to get more out of life. They all change in some small way thanks to their bi-weekly discussion of erotic novels. I just loved watching them all come to life, realizing what they want, and go after it. Also, the themes of being open-minded (not just in the bedroom!) and unselfconscious were great.

The Naughty Girls' Book Club all starts when Estelle needs a business boost at her cafe. She decides to try a book club, but their first selection doesn't go too well. She wanted to focus on "high-brow" classics and make the group serious, but when the members accidentally see that she's reading a Fifty Shades-esque novel, things start to look up. Everyone grabs a copy, even Reggie, the groups only male member who claims he's there for thesis research. And their eyes are opened to the magical world of erotica! Even if not all of them found it sexy, it was still a great ice breakers, allowing for great discussion and the beginnings of friendships.

The Naughty Girls' Book Club alternates POV between each of the group members. There are five of them, but the narrative never felt jumpy or overwhelming. They each have their own distinct problems to work through, and I enjoyed them all. Estelle is divorced and having trouble finding time to move on. Sue is recently retired and wants to go on world adventures, while her husband just wants to sit at home watching TV. Rebecca is a newlywed, but things are already feeling stale in her relationship, and she's the one most open to "experimenting" much to her husband's delight! Gracie is a young feminist who believes erotica sets women back 50 years(at least, at first). Finally, there's Reggie, who is a bit of a geek and worries that he's not what women want, since he doesn't even compare to the heroes in their book club titles. I loved getting to know all of them and watching them bond with each other.

I really enjoyed The Naughty Girls' Book Club. I did get a little worried in the beginning, since I couldn't really relate to the older women and their marriage woes. But that ended up not being a problem, since at the root of it, their problems were more about discovering what they want out of life and relationships and being comfortable with themselves, rather than simply their marriages. It was a really sweet and fun book, and I highly recommend it.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.