Apples Never Fall: The #1 Bestseller and Richard & Judy pick, from the author Nine Perfect Strangers Paperback – 14 September 2021

This was my first Lianne Moriarty read and it's not even her the most successful one so definitely planning to read more of her

🌟 🌟 BOOK REVIEW🌟 🌟 💫You wouldn’t be faulted for comparing the latest Lianne Moriarty “Apples Never Fall” to one of the year’s earlier releases TJR’s “Malibu Rising”. While both had a world of broken people and a dysfunctional family with siblings fighting their own battles, surfing and glamorous Malibu formed the backdrop of the latter while Tennis and Sydney is at the core of this one. What Moriarty gets right though is revolving the multitude of characters around the central plot, which assists in taking the investigation forward.The plot is centred around patriarch Joy and Stan, an eccentric couple who have built a tennis empire along with 4 kids. The Delaneys family which doesn’t know how to take vacations, find retirement tough to handle. The story oscillates between the past where they bring in a domestic abuse shelter less girl Savannah who randomly appears attheir doorsteps- and the present day where Joy has “disappeared” after a message to everyone. Suspicious scratch marks on Stan prove otherwise. The family is divided on the suspect and motive and characters move in and out of the narrative, giving useful clues of Joy’s whereabouts. Add to the multiple layers which keep peeling off Savannah’s character revealing her true motives. The epic Father’s Day lunch is a treat.The world building is Liane Moriarty’s forte- Stan, who vanishes mysteriously to avoid confrontation, and Joy, with her own share of hidden secrets, take the pie as far as characterisation goes. Savannah is possibly the most twisted character with a hint of Annie Wilkes vibe- I still can’t figure out if she was Pathological liar or Con artist?The 4 siblings have interesting back stories- Brooke- father’s favourite though craving for their love after losing a chance to pursue tennis as a professional career due to migraine issues- broke up with her partner-a laid back Logan struggling with a breakup from Indira- Troy, a gambler, investor and trying to patch things up with his ex by agreeing to part with his sperms for her desire to be a mother- and the eldest, Amy suffering from her own mental issues. Added to this is a subplot featuring Stan’s former protégé Harry Haddad — a Grand Slam champion on the comeback trail who is about to release a memoir.This story of 7 individuals with their lives affected by their relationship with their parents to an extent justify “Apples never fall far from the tree”. With strong characters, a plot which kept me engrossed throughout and an author who knows how to weave together all open subplots, “Apples never fall” is a nearly perfectly written domestic thriller though calling the book an out an out thriller with twists and turns would be misleading. An enjoyable 4.5 ⭐️

The structure is strong- the story excellent- characters well drawn, real, endearing. The end chapters before the last chapter r too long drawn. Kills the joy of a fabulous book

Well crafted with layers of the plot coming off with each chapter. Since I am studying the craft of writing, I was able to see many things I learned about keeping the reader engaged. It works in this novel. I was hooked. I wished to find out what next is going to happen. Without this urge to know, the reader won't be willing to go further. Relevant information is sprinkled all over the book to let the reader know as much as necessary at that point. This requires hard work and dedication for months or years.The alternate timeline is hard work and well done by the author.Since I enjoyed the web series Big Little Lies, I can't wait to read the book by the same author.I would have liked the book way better without the last 20 pages or so. It seemed like an unnecessary stretch.4/5

Basic story - Mom disappears, everyone makes up their own version of why and confuses the hell out of each other. Oh and yes, moral of the story is that, if you encounter pathological liars then invite them in for tea and a sleepover! Doesn't make sense, yeah that's how I felt too when I read this book!What started as a good mystery that could have had deeper meaning and insights into a family turned into a daily soap with rubbish reveals. I am just so annoyed with this book and it's story. It has this scatter-brained approach to the entire story telling that it tested my patience more than once.I haven't read Moriarty's other works but I do hope they are better than this one.

I was expecting much from this book as it had received good reviews. However, it disappointed me. Although the book was written very well and the story was well defined, the end ruined it all. I felt absolutely betrayed. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who is looking for a crime, mystery.

This book has two timelines and while the past is in Joy's pov, the present is told through third person. And some of it was in pov of people who end up hearing snatches of conversations of the kids. And it's just so fun! I love when authors try new things like this. I'm not sure if this is a controversial opinion or not but I had a lot of fun with this⁣⁣Though there was a downside and it's that I couldn't keep track of the children and who's the oldest etc or their names for that matter. ⁣⁣The journey was amazing. I was glued to this book but the ending made me question if the journey was worth it. It could have been a productive day instead ⁣