The Calamity Club is set in 1933 Mississippi in the depths of The Great Depression. This book centers on three female characters – Birdie, Charlie, and Meg – who are down on their luck.
I’m excited to announce my FAVORITE book of 2026, (yep, even though 2026 isn’t over yet). Dare I say this was a masterpiece? This one is truly worth the hype!
FIVE BIG, BEAUTIFUL STARS!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
OMG, this book was EVERYTHING. I was desperately looking for a 5-star read, and so many of you recommended this one… and you were absolutely right. It was SO worth the hype!
I highly recommend listening to this one on audio. The dual POV narration was incredible and really brought the characters and their personalities to life. And yes, it’s LONG — like 28 hours long (faster on 1.7) — but somehow it completely flew by.
Every time I had to put it down, I immediately wanted to get back to the story. I was so invested in these characters, and now that I’ve finished it, I genuinely cannot stop thinking about them. I MISS THEM.
Birdie and Meg were easily two of my favorite main characters. They had SO much personality, and I loved watching their stories unfold. I also adored all of the side characters — Flossy, Frances, Tom, Esmeralda, the other girls… basically everyone.
I went into this one completely blind, and I honestly recommend doing the same. The synopsis doesn’t give much away anyway, which I actually loved because this book is NOT what you expect in so many ways.
If you love:
- character-driven stories with lots of character growth
- historical fiction that isn’t focused on war
- strong, complicated female characters
- learning about history, especially the way women and children were treated
- characters who feel incredibly real and full of personality
- plots that constantly keep you guessing
- multiple POVs and dual narration
- emotional books that still give you a satisfying ending
…you NEED to read this one.
My one real complaint? I WANTED AN EPILOGUE. 😭 I need to know where all my girls ended up!! I especially wanted just a little more of the ending for Meg and Birdie/Frances.
That said, maybe a super neat, perfectly wrapped-up ending would’ve actually bothered me because that’s kind of a pet peeve of mine. So maybe it was for the best… but I still wanted MORE.
I kept wondering how the author was going to keep me invested for 650+ pages, and somehow she absolutely did.
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