Most book clubs do not fail because people stop liking books. They fail in month four, for reasons that are almost always logistical rather than literary. This is the long version of everything that keeps one alive.
Why book clubs fall apart
The failure is nearly always the same shape. An enthusiastic start, an ambitious second pick, one month where three people have not finished, and then a meeting that gets postponed and never rescheduled. Nobody quits. The club simply stops being scheduled.
The December problem
Choosing a long book in a busy month is the single most common killing blow. A 900-page novel in December is not a reading challenge, it is a scheduling one, and scheduling always wins.
Pick a pace before you pick a book
Decide how many pages a week your group can genuinely manage, then choose books that fit. Sixty pages a week is a sustainable number for most people with jobs. That is roughly one 300-page novel every five weeks.
Fix the slot, not the date
“First Tuesday of the month” survives. “Some evening that works for everyone” does not. A recurring slot converts an ongoing negotiation into a default, and defaults are what keep groups alive.
Make the books shorter than you want to
A club that finishes a short book feels successful. A club that half-finishes a masterpiece feels guilty, and guilt is the emotion that stops people opening the group chat.
Have a spoiler rule and say it out loud
One line is enough: nothing past the agreed chapter without flagging it first. The rule matters less than the fact that it exists, because it gives slower readers permission to still show up.
Somebody has to nag
Every club that lasts has one person who posts the reminder. It is unglamorous and it is the entire job. Rotate it if you like, but do not leave it to nobody.
What to do when it stalls anyway
Do not restart with something ambitious. Restart with something you can finish in a fortnight. Momentum is worth more than the reading list.