Liane Moriarty

I read this based on a friend's recommendation. While the writing isn't as bad as, say, Dan Brown or EL James, it's not spectacular either.

The plotting and pacing are pretty good, I found myself drawn into the story and interested in the characters. But by the end, I'd stopped caring about them. I felt like an outsider. I think that's because I'm not a mother, and this book deals with a lot of themes relating to motherhood.

So, if you're a white, middle class mother, you'll probably enjoy this book more than I did.… (mais)

A very cleverly written, character-based story involving a recently retired mother who goes missing after sending incomprehensible text messages to her four adult children.

The storyline moves between the current investigation, which becomes more and more concerning, and a few months earlier when we learn about events leading up to the disappearance. The author leaves us guessing until the last moment.

I found this compulsive reading and could barely put it down. Highly recommended.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2024/04/apples-never-fall-liane-moriarty.ht...… (mais)

Joy Delaney, many years married, mother of four adult children, and previous owner of a well-know tennis academy, has disappeared. Her children are unsure what to do. Call the police? Wait it out? Meanwhile, her husband Stan does not seem overly concerned. Suspicion mounts, not only on Stan, but on a mysterious woman who spent several months in the Delaney home the previous year. Did Joy disappear of her own free will, or was something more sinister at work?

I would consider this classical Liane Moriarty. There's an alternate past & present time line, a somewhat dysfunctional family, and some mysterious past incident that the reader is gradually clued into as the story progresses. While portions of the story seem unrealistic, the dysfunctional family and character flaws seem jarringly realistic and tend to hit close to home. I tend to go back and forth with my opinions of Moriarty's novels as I'm reading, but I generally like them in the long run and this one falls into that category as well. I've just started watching the series adaptation -- only 2 episodes in, so I can't share my full opinion on it. I'm not sure I like the casting, and so at this point I'd say (as is often the case), the book is better.… (mais)