Member reviews

4.9613 verified member ratings

Verified by the Society

Sophia M.

Chicago, IL · 3 weeks ago

Honestly? Best Zoom I get on my calendar all month. Not pretending it's for everyone but if you actually finish books it's a gift.

Liam T.

Toronto, ON · last month

On Momentum: A Memoir

I came in a bit skeptical, I've been burned by book clubs that turn into 20 minutes of small talk and 10 minutes of "did anyone finish?" This is not that. There's a reader-only conversation first, then the author joins later, and by the time she showed up we'd already done real work on the questions. Left the second call with two pages of notes and a slightly rearranged idea about my own writing.

Olivia R.

Mexico City · 2 months ago

warm. thoughtful. not a MFA seminar, thank god.

Noah B.

Austin, TX · 6 weeks ago

What I liked: the pre-discussion is where the good conversation actually happens.
What could be better: the Zoom UI could be smoother, one member had audio issues for the first 10 min.
Would I come back: yes, already RSVP'd for the next one.

Read: The Healing Heart

"Small note to Daniel, thank you for calling on me during the Emily Brown discussion. I never speak up in these things and you made it feel easy. Bringing my sister next time."

Ava S., Vancouver, BC · last week

Ethan B.

Denver · 2 weeks ago

I've been part of maybe six online reading groups over the last two years. Most of them collapse after about three months because nobody actually reads, or one person dominates the conversation, or the moderator disappears. This one is different. Daniel does a lot of quiet work you don't see, pulling in quieter members, cutting off tangents kindly, keeping the focus on the actual text. It reads as effortless which is how you know it isn't.

Isabella C.

Guadalajara · 3 months ago

As the author on the other side of the mic: they read it. Really read it. That's rarer than you'd think.

Read: Author Spotlight, my own book

Mia R.

Ottawa · last month

Working parent here. Joining after the kids are down, camera off, cup of tea, listening, this is my one grown-up hour of the week and it delivers.

Lucas H.

Monterrey · 5 weeks ago

No filler. In and out in an hour with a full page of new titles I want to read. Efficient in the best possible way.

Charlotte A.

Boston · a month ago

On Are We Having Fun Still?

I want to push back on my own tendency to give everything 5 stars but here we are. The two-part format (readers-only conversation, then author) is genuinely different from every other book club I've been in. It stops the whole "waiting for the author to bless our opinions" dynamic. By the time Joe joined he was answering questions we'd already fought over.

"Slower, deeper reading. Kinder people. Recommended without qualification."

Benjamin W., Montréal · 2 weeks ago

Harper M.

Calgary · 6 weeks ago

I've called in from three cities this year and the vibe travels. Time zones handled better than most work meetings I've been in.

"One tiny thing that mattered: my name was pronounced correctly on the first try. You don't forget that."

Priya N., London, UK · last month

Rowan D.

Dublin · 3 weeks ago