Overall, what did you think of The Forgotten Book Club? (no spoilers, please!)
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it would be a light and easy read. While it was, I also found it much deeper than I thought it would be.
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I loved the focus on community and on book clubs. But overall I did not love the book. The ADHD theme was just too heavy handed for me.
I hadn’t considered the heavy handedness of the ADHD theme. In thinking about which of my friends to recommend this book to, it’d help to understand that theme a bit more in terms of whether it was the amount of time devoted to ADHD and whether the ADHD seemed to take away from the characters’ development or shifted the focus away from the book group discussions?
Overall, I liked the book a lot - much more than I thought I would. The author stayed focused on a small group of characters, weaving in nuggets of information about each character’s life within the group book group as well as a little bit about their life outside of the book group. She wound other book titles throughout the book that piqued my curiosity and sometimes derailed my reading for a few minutes while I sought out more information about a specific book. It’s a book I’d definitely recommend to others in part because it is a book that can make you pause and think, or if you prefer, you can consider it a light right and breeze through to find out what Grace does as she reignites the silent book group in honor of Frank.
I really liked this book, but I agree that the focus on ADHD was a little heavier than I wanted. I liked experiencing the different characters and enjoyed the warm and accepting feelings between them.
Jodi, I thought the author was trying to make the book more imortant than it is by bringing ADHD into the story. It was a bit of fluff- much like her last book, The Memory Library, which I also read. Predictable.
The book seemed like a light read, but tackled some heavy themes - grief, loss, depression, ADHD, addiction, divorce, among others. The characters helping one another with their different struggles is what community is all about.
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I enjoyed The Forgotten Book Club and learning about the ways that books bring us together and help strengthen our connections to others. The book club provided a place for its members to develop a sense of community and belonging. The topics of loneliness, grief, friendship, neurodiversity, depression, and a sense of purpose are included in this story. Although, it seems counterintuitive that a silent book club could encourage community and friendship, it is fun to watch them unfold and to watch the members work as a group to achieve some common goals.
I liked the book and would read more by this author. However, I agree with previous comments..there was too much ADHD and depression information given. It sometimes took away from my interest in the characters. Felt a bit like a public service announcement at times.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. It did tackle subjects other than what I was expecting but I felt they were woven nicely into the story.
I found the book slow at the beginning. I agree that there was too much focus on ADHD. I did get to like it more as I read on. It is not a book I think most people would gravitate towards.
I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy the book. I found Grace’s character to be uninteresting and really difficult to take seriously. When she makes a comment regarding Joan Didion’s book - something to the effect that she didn’t know there were books like this written about grief ! I just almost tossed the book aside. I did not find her engaging, nor did I want to spend time with her. Her closed mindedness regarding many issues but especially books and the bookshop made me wonder how her husband an especially avid reader, could tolerate her. I also felt a bit beaten over the head by the ADHD theme.
I absolutely loved it! It’s one of my favorites of 2025. I look forward to reading more by this author.
I agree with you Laura. Franks wife was hard to like in the beginning but I felt like the author built her character well. Maybe she’d been happy (and lonely) for a long time and found joy in this book club with members who became her friend.
It’s probably a three out of five stars for me. I could relate to the grief aspect of Grace’s live, the friendship and support of the reading group, and the family dynamics of Grace’s family. It a nice story but I could put it down and not be in a hurry to return to it. IF a book’s a five star, I can’t put it down!
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I started reading The Forgotten Bookclub on Tuesday and finished earlier this morning. I enjoyed the book, however with mixed feelings I have reviewed the answers to most of the questions and have responded with likes to other readers’ comments with whom I agreed.
In the future I plan to to offer my own comments.
I enjoyed the book. I loved how the book club members grew to connect with one another and become so supportive. I enjoyed Grace’s journey through grief into finding new meaning to her life.
I agree with several of the comments that the author’s handling of ADHD was too much, she kind of hit the reader over the head with, over and over. I appreciate her bringing the issue to light in her book, but it was too much. Overall, though, I did enjoy the book - I liked the various characters and how they banded together to promote their book club. And the idea of a silent book club was a unique one. Grace’s growth throughout was encouraging, and I thought the author handled the topic of her grief very well.
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Gerrie had some very good points. While I found the book to “wear rose-colored glasses,” the character Grace learned a lot about the value of books from her reading. I think this book definitely has a healing aspect because each character gets explained in an unconventional way. We each handle grief differently; Grace’s method might not resonate with everyone. The book was a quick read and was worth reading for insights but I didn’t find it very believable. My opinion only.