I have read three of Liane Moriarty’s books and have been a huge fan of her books, so I was excited to receive an advanced copy of her newest book coming out next month. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as wild about this one as her previous books.

The book is set at a health and wellness resort called Tranquillum House where nine people have come to improve their lives in a 10-day program of renewal. One of the participants is a successful romance author who is devastated by her latest review, declining book sales, and the realization that her boyfriend was a scam artist who stole from her and broke her heart. A wealthy couple is attending to try to revive their marriage. A family is there dealing with the suicide of a son and brother. There also is a wife and mother of 4 who is struggling with the loss of her marriage when her husband leaves her. The remaining 2 participants are a former star football player and a gay lawyer whose partner wants to adopt a child.

The House is run by a gorgeous Russian, Masha, who has had a near-death experience and a paramedic she met during her accident, and a physician’s assistant.

After they arrive, they find that the program is not what they expected as Masha unleashes a new and very unusual protocol for the program.

What I have loved about her previous books is the great stories and excellent insight into human nature. This book did not have any of that for me. I found I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters, and they were fairly stereotypical. The story also dragged for me, and I frequently just felt I wanted to get to the end soon. It may be that my expectations were too high starting the book because it was one of the top 10 books recommended for November by Library Reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flat Iron books for the advanced reader’s copy.

My Rating: 2.5-3 Stars

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get hooked into this book. I've read all of Liane's books previously, and loved them all. I especially loved Big Little Lies. However, I had a hard time connecting with the characters in this novel and it didn't really capture my interest so I moved on to another book.

This is another great book from Liane Moriarty. I love the way she gets inside her character's heads. This was an odd predicament. I found it hard to put myself in the action as I usually do. But her characters are very real and full. I really felt like I got to know them and was wanting to encourage and support and defend each one in turn. I really appreciated the epilogue since I had become so attached to these folks.

I expected to like this book since I've enjoyed others by the same author, but Nine Perfect Strangers has actually been the best so far! 9 individuals (including a family of 3 and a married couple) sign up for a 10 day retreat for their own reasons - ranging from weight loss to coping with stress and anxiety to marital discord. They do not find what they expected, yet their time spent (almost captive!) in the remote retreat completely changes their lives in completely unexpected ways. Highly recommended; excellent writing, pacing, and characterization!

I was not able to read this book because of the poor quality of the e-galley. There often no spaces between many of the words. (Long sentences were the words just ran into one another.) Too hard to read an entire book like this. Very disappointing!

I was in the mood for something fun, and Nine Perfect Strangers did not disappoint! Will ten days at a health spa transform your life? Nine people each sign up for a stay at Tranquillum House - a health spa located in a very remote part of Australia, and give up their alcohol, sugar, electronic devices and more to try and transform their lives. We have Frances Welty, a former best-selling romance author, who has now hit the skids after a scathing review and a broken romance - will she actually give up her soft cushy life and change? How about Ben and Jessica? an uber rich young couple that are now experiencing a crumbling marriage. Also staying are Carmel, a wife whose husband has dumped her for a new trophy wife, Tony, a former Australian football superstar, Lars - a gay lawyer who is struggling with his partner's need to have a child, and family that has been traumatized by the death of a child.

Tranquillum House is run by Masha - a stunningly beautiful Russian who has experienced a "near death" transformation, and Yao, her devoted assistant. When Masha delves into some highly unregulated and drastic means to transform her current patrons, the book gets really interesting. I almost felt it went over the top, but all ends well. At first I was a little annoyed by Frances, but in the end, she really redeems herself. This would make a great vacation read, and book club choice. Lots to discuss with Masha's tactics for improvement. Thank you to Netgalley and Flat Iron books for an advanced reader copy.