The Secret Supper Club

by Dana Bate

[Leah]

When I first heard of The Secret Supper Club, I was excited. I’m not a big foodie – I like eating food, but I can’t cook and overly complicated food is not for me as I am a massively fussy eater who firmly believes fish fingers are the best food, ever – but I adore books that feature food, and I love to watch shows like Come Dine With Me. Books like that are always a winner because food is pretty much something everyone loves. Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like food? No. I didn’t think so! I was really, really excited to receive a copy to review and after a very busy two weeks at work, this was the most perfect read for me to sit and relax with.

The Secret Supper Club is about, believe it or not, a secret supper club! A secret supper club is basically where a bunch of people attend what is essentially a dinner party, and they pay for the privilege. It’s something Hannah has wanted to do ever since she heard about them, but boyfriend Adam has always said no. But, when he breaks up with her and she moves into the basement of the brilliant Blake, she realises there’s no time like the present to begin her own secret supper club, and so, the Dupont Circle Supper Club is born. However after realising just how small her own kitchen is, she and best friend Rachel decide the only way they can pull off this illegal venture is to host it in Hannah’s landlord’s ridiculously large & beautiful house when he’s away in Tampa due to work commitments. As the secret supper club becomes more popular, though, Hannah has to make sure no one knows its of her doing and has to make sure it stays underground, but as she and Blake become closer and closer, will Hannah’s secret operation ruin absolutely everything?

The Secret Supper Club blew me away; I loved everything about it. I loved Hannah, I loved the idea of a secret supper club, I loved Hannah’s best friend, Rachel, I loved to read about the food Hannah was making even though none of it ever made any sense to me (fish fingers, folks, fish fingers), and I loved Blake. I thought it was one of the most enchanting, enjoyable reads I’ve read in ages. It was so good that I raced through all 480 pages in a matter of hours, the writing being so good that I could barely put it down to walk my dogs or eat some lunch (the lunch bit is necessary because this book doesn’t half make you hungry). The idea is genius. I had never, ever heard of such a thing as a secret supper club until this novel, but I think it’s great. Obviously, illegal, but fabulous nonetheless. Hannah was such a brilliant lead character, I absolutely adored her. I was a bit worried at the start there, that she couldn’t see what a total and utter jerk Adam was, but she wised up sharpish, and she turned out to be one of the warmest, wittiest characters I’ve read in a while. I loved the secrecy of the supper club, but most of all, I liked the friendship that began between Hannah and Blake. It was a slow-burner, but it was slow in the best possible way. To paraphrase the wonderful Blake, it had me hooked!

I can hardly believe this is Dana Bate’s debut novel. It seems so unreal, because it is just SO good. It’s a totally magical novel that kept me enchanted the entire way. Dana’s writing is out of this world, she really gets you into Hannah’s head and I just loved it. She’s easily one of the best first-person writers out there. She knows her stuff and The Secret Supper Club is a pure triumph. This is an author to watch, no doubt about it. I adored everything about the novel and it made me feel so warm and happy inside, which is always the mark of a good book. Right from the off, Hannah is a character you instantly love, she’s the kind of character you instantly want to be friends with. I know I did. Her kitchen skills are ace, and she blew me away. The whole novel blew me away, it’s such a clever novel, and it just has a bit of everything – humour, romance, characters to root for, utterly brilliant writing; it had everything I ask for in a Chick Lit read, and if there’s one debut author you need to try and one debut novel you need to read it’s this one, because you won’t forget it.