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Mar 23

Apples Never Fall By Liane Moriarty

Apples Never Fall‘Apples Never Fall’ is the latest book by Liane Moriarty.

The Delaney family love one another dearly – it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other. Joy Delaney and husband Stan have done well. Four wonderful grown-up children. A family business to envy. The golden years of retirement ahead of them. So when Joy Delaney vanishes – no note, no calls, her bike missing – it’s natural that tongues will wag. How did Stan scratch his face? And who was the stranger who entered and suddenly left their lives? What are they all hiding? But for the Delaney children there is a much more terrifying question: did they ever know their parents at all?

I actually read this book back at Christmas and it was another great thrilling story from one of Australia’s greatest authors and in true, Liane’s style, the story starts right at the pivotal moment of major change in the Delaney family’s lives.

The story is written in and past present tense and is seen through the narrative of Joy Delaney and her children, Brooke, Amy, Troy and Logan and how their lives dramatically changed when a stranger called Savannah appears in their parents lives and fits seamlessly and replaces them. One day, both Joy and Savannah disappear and Savannah’s husband Stan is seen as the main culprit in her disappearance despite his protests.

I loved this story, the multiple narratives and dual tenses made for gripping reading. I found Savannah to be a fascinating character, she appears in Joy’s and Stan’s lives one evening in complete distress and they take her in knowing nothing about her. Joy treats her Savannah like the daughter she never had as her relationship with her own daughters is quite strained at times, as they were brought up in a competitive family and this upsets both Brooke and Amy and are immediately suspicious of Savannah.

The Delaney family are a complex group of people. Both Joy and Stan are tennis instructors and their children were brought up to be tennis champions but sadly that wasn’t the case and that’s left a sour taste in Stan’s mouth and this causes friction in the family. They try to live up to their father’s high standards but are constantly letting him down. Stan is a petulant man with a temper and is prone to leaving when the going gets tough. All the children, now grown ups have their own issues in their lives, separation, mental health as well as fertility and their troubles make for relatable reading.

Joy is at a standstill in her life, she has spent her years coaching and bringing her children up and now Savannah has come into her live and exudes excitement and mystery, but she also shows an interest in Joy, something that she’s been missing for years.

The present tense are seen through the narrative of the police investigating Joy’s disappearance, her friends and children as they all wonder about the mysterious Savannah and what caused Joy to disappear.

‘Apples Never Fall’ is another rollercoaster of a suspenseful domestic noir from Liane, packed with drama and intrigue from the first mysterious text from Joy to her children to the final scene that hooked my attention throughout. Cleverly and wittily written, ‘Apples Never Fall’ is an observational story about family dynamics and mishaps, that was a complete guessing game!

You can buy ‘Apples Never Fall’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Feb 9

Liane Moriarty Reveals New Book Called Apples Never Fall

Liane MoriartyExciting news for fans of Liane Moriarty as it has been announced her new book for 2021 is called ‘Apples Never Fall’ and will be released on 14th September 2021.

‘The Sunday Times’ and ‘New York Times’ Number One international bestselling author’s eagerly awaited novel will once again take us behind the closed doors of seemingly tranquil suburbia.

What the back cover says –

From the outside, the Delaneys appear to be an enviably contented family.

Even after all these years, former tennis coaches Joy and Stan are still winning tournaments, and now they’ve sold the family business they have all the time in the world to learn how to ‘relax’.

Their four adult children are busy living their own lives, and while it could be argued they never quite achieved their destinies, no-one ever says that out loud.

But now Joy Delaney has disappeared and her children are re-examining their parents’ marriage and their family history with fresh, frightened eyes.

Is her disappearance related to their mysterious house guest from last year?

Or were things never as rosy as they seemed in the Delaney household?

The author of ‘Big Little Lies’ and ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ expertly peels away the layers of a family to reveal heartfelt truths, deeply felt wounds and moments of humanity with her signature wit and expert observational powers.

‘Apples Never Fall’ is set to be one of the biggest books of the autumn – 3 million copies of Liane’s books have sold in the UK and over 14 million worldwide. Her previous novel ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ has sold nearly half a million copies since its release in 2018; the paperback spent 20 consecutive weeks in the top 10 and was the biggest paperback fiction title released in 2019. The TV adaptation, starring Nicole Kidman alongside Melissa McCarthy and Luke Evans, recently finished filming and is due to be released this year by Hulu.

I’ve loved all of Liane’s books and eagerly look forward to this release.

You can pre-order ‘Apples Never Fall’ from Amazon and will be available to buy from good bookshops from 14th September 2021.

Sep 19

Truly Madly Guilty By Liane Moriarty

Truly Madly Guilty‘Truly Madly Guilty’ is the latest book by bestselling author, Liane Moriarty.

Despite their differences, Erika and Clementine have been best friends since they were children. So when Erika needs help, Clementine should be the obvious person to turn to. Or so you’d think. For Clementine, as a mother of a two desperately trying to practise for the audition of a lifetime, the last thing she needs is Erika asking for something, again. But the barbecue should be the perfect way to forget their problems for a while. Especially when their hosts, Vid and Tiffany, are only too happy to distract them. Which is how it all spirals out of control.

Just like Liane’s previous books, ‘Truly Madly Guilty’, begins right after an unfortunate incident occurs at a barbecue.

The story is seen primarily through the eyes of childhood best friends Clementine and Erika and deals with the after effects from the barbecue.

Clementine and Erika have best friends for years, Clementine was always there for Erika and was the sister that each other never had, so when Erika asks for her help, to help give her the one thing she has longed for, Clementine begins to wonder about their relationship, as well as question her own marriage, as her and her husband Sam drift apart.

Erika is a calm and controlling force, having had a mother who hoards, she likes to keep a strong grip on her life but sometimes things don’t work out and you have to look for help. As she turns to Clementine, the balance of their friendship changes and having to deal with this shift as well as come to terms of the barbecue, things are strained between the friends.

The story flows between the past and present and sets the story up perfectly for the big reveal of the barbecue, as the vagueness and the intensity of the situation did make for quite gripping reading.

I’m a huge fan of Liane’s books, she’s a fantastic storyteller and has a clever style of writing engaging and compelling books with interesting characters with a plot line that constantly keeps the reader interested.

There’s a great mix of characters in this story, from the strained relationship between Erika and Clementine and Erika’s neighbours Tiffany and Vid who add an injection of humour to the tale, there’s also plenty of small sub stories throughout the book that all tie up neatly at the end.

An insightful and suspenseful tale with an intricately written plot line that keeps the reader engaged, ‘Truly Madly Guilty’ is another genius of a story from Liane.

You can buy Truly Madly Guilty from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Feb 16

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The Last Anniversary By Liane Moriarty

The Last Anniversary‘The Last Anniversary’ is by Liane Moriarty.

Over seventy years have passed since sisters Rose and Connie Doughty found an abandoned baby near their home on the island Scribbly Gum. With no one to take care of it, Rose and Connie took the baby in as their own. Since then the ‘Munro Baby Mystery’ has brought fame and fortune, putting Scribbly Gum on the tourist map, especially for the island’s annual celebration. But now, with Connie dead and outsider Sophie Honeywell about to move into her home, Rose begins to wonder if they made the right decision all those years ago. How much longer can they cover up the lie that has sustained their community for generations? And what other secrets are about to be revealed?

Liane Moriarty has become one of my favourite authors over the last couple of years. So when, I received a copy of ‘The Last Anniversary’ I was eager to get stuck in but upon finishing it, I was disappointed to see that it lacked her usual hook that pulled the reader in, instead I found the book travelled at a slower pace and dragged along.

The story is a strange one and has the potential to a gripping tale with the strange island with few habitats and the mystery of the disappearing couple who left their baby behind, but the book failed to delivered.

Seen from the perspective of the women of island after the death of Connie, a strong and well respected woman. Over seventy years ago, herself and sister, Rose discovered an abandoned baby who they called Enigma. The little baby attracted a lot of attention and became the ‘Munro Baby Mystery’ bringing tourists and trade to the small island, to hear the tale of Enigma and to visit the house she was left behind in.

After Connie passed away, she left her house to Sophie, an outsider who broke her nephews heart much to the disgust of other family members who think they deserve the house more. The story follows on through the eyes of Sophie, Rose and Grace, Connie’s niece on the lead up the annual anniversary of the Munro Baby Mystery, which is day and night of festivities where Enigma becomes the centre of attention and recall her memories of that farewell day.

I think one of the reasons I didn’t particularly enjoy this book was the characters, the majority of them I disliked. Sophie played quite a big part in the book, having been left the house with an opportunity to start her life over but she is obsessed with love and not becoming an old spinster and it seems that she will stop at nothing. But it’s when her attentions begin to focus on a married man, I began to dislike more. Although she battled with her emotions, it was very evident her attractions for Callum. Callum’s wife, Grace was the only character that I liked in this book and that was because I felt sympathy and a sense of protection towards her as she battled with self worth and post natal depression. And finally there is Enigma, the principal character of the story, having lived a life of being the centre of attention, she sees herself as a celebrity who everyone wants a piece off and unfortunately, I just found her annoying and self absorbed.

Although the book was written in the authors sharp concise style and had an interesting twist at the end. I felt the story lacked pace and Liane’s usual page turning intensity. Regrettably, ‘The Last Anniversary’ was not as enjoyable as her other two books, but as Meatloaf says “two out of three ain’t bad”.

You can buy The Last Anniversary from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Sep 19

Win A Copy Of Little Lies By Liane Moriarty

'Little Lies?I am delighted to be having a giveaway on the website where I am giving one lucky reader an opportunity to win of my favourite books of 2014 and that is Liane Moriarty’s new book ‘Little Lie’s.

I first became aware of Liane last year with her other book ‘The Husband’s Secrets’ which was the winning book of Richard and Judy’s Autumn 2013 Bookclub.

The story behind ‘Little Lies’ is –

Jane hasn’t lived anywhere longer than six months since her son was born five years ago. She keeps moving in an attempt to escape her past. Now the idyllic seaside town of Pirriwee has pulled her to its shores and Jane finally feels like she belongs. She has friends in the feisty Madeline and the incredibly beautiful Celeste – two women with seemingly perfect lives . . . and their own secrets behind closed doors.

But then a small incident involving the children of all three women occurs in the playground causing a rift between them and the other parents of the school. Minor at first but escalating fast, until whispers and rumours become vicious and spiteful. It was always going to end in tears, but no one thought it would end in murder . . .

Wonderfully intriguing, this book is a compelling read that I was unable to put down!

To be in with a chance of winning this book, simply answer the question below by leaving your answer in the comment box.

Which book club did ‘The Husband’s Secret’ win?

The lucky winner will be revealed on Wednesday 1st October. Good luck!

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