Cover Image: Nine Perfect Strangers

Nine Perfect Strangers

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Member Reviews

Really enjoyable book. Quite unique and different from other psychological thrillers but kept my attention from start to finish.

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I must admit I am a huge Liane Moriarty fan and have been for years so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this early via NetGalley and it didn’t disappoint. I found this to be much funnier than previous novels of hers and it was a lot lighter than the last one - I felt like she had a lot of fun writing it. It almost started to drag at the very beginning but as soon as the story was under way the pace improved considerably and switching between the different characters is a great way to keep the reader turning the pages....and she is so good at writing warm, authentic characters who you really come to care for. The only misstep for me and why I’ve given it 4 rather then 5 stars was the caricature (rather than character) of the retreat manager who, while funny, I couldn’t take seriously at all and this jarred slightly against the investment I had in the others. A good fun read nevertheless and I feel like this would appeal to fans of Marian Keyes and, perhaps surprisingly, Sophie Hannah, for those who haven’t discovered her already.

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I really enjoyed this book. I'm a fan of Liane Moriary's books. They have the right mix of humour and character development, with just the right amount of emotion and drama thrown in. This book was no exception. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing them grow during the time at the retreat. I could really see them all in my mind, trapped together in the meditation room with crazy Masha coming apart at the seams. I totally felt where they were coming from when they all parted, promising to keep in touch. It really conveyed how those all too familar scenarios feel. This was a nice, easy paced winter book, not too taxing on the mind but still with plenty going on. I am now reminded how long it's been since I had a spa day!

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Nine Perfect Strangers is very much a slow burner and that caused me some confusion at the onset.

Each character is introduced with the minimum of information, then when all nine are lined up we move on to receiving just a little more substance and so it progresses. It works out fine in the end as this is exactly how you form friendships but early on it was difficult to remember who was who.

We observe their interactions as the story moves on and nothing much happens in the way of action, we just continue to learn more about the nine's background, how they interact with each other, their personal thoughts on the situation they find themselves in etc. and then all of a sudden, the rug is pulled out from under your feet and you now have a rather gripping thriller! Now it becomes more exciting!

All in all a perfectly enjoyable , if somewhat far fetched. read.

Thank to Netgalley for my ecopy.

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I really enjoyed this read; health and well-being retreats, body image, social media and the need for a 'perfect' life are all packed between the pages of a book with its tongue poked firmly in cheek. Ms Moriarty really does have a keen eye for observing the mundane and everyday, and then a true skill at creating a witty, at times emotional and always intriguing story.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

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I've never read anything by Liane Moriarty before, but was intrigued by this book after the massive success of Big Little Lies.

The basic premise is that, for a variety of different reasons, 9 people (some related, some not) turn up at a very strange health resort and are under the control of Masha, the owner, and her unusual methods. As the story develops, various secrets are revealed and we find out more about the back stories of the clientele.

I really, really struggled with this book - more so that I have done for a very long time. It seemed like a chore. The characters are introduced in pretty much subsequent chapters, which makes it difficult to remember each group. The only character which is really fleshed out from the start is Frances; everyone else seems like an extra.

I celebrated getting to halfway through (nothing had really happened by this point either) and was completely relieved by the time I reached the end. I don't know whether Liane Moriarty books are an acquired taste or not, but why do they have to be so flipping long?! Pages and pages were going by and the characters were still 'settling in' to the resort.

Reader, I hated it.

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For me, a slightly confusing start where I struggled to remember who was who. A good read, but unbelievable and far fetched. A slightly toned down version would make a great film or tv series.

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I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!

Liane Moriarty's latest is a gripping novel about a group of nine people who attend a ten-day-long treatment at a health & relaxation facility. The facility's manager has just come up with a new and improved programme whose consequences for her clients should be truly life-altering. 

While I had some issues with the book's pacing (it's a slow starter), once things got going, I couldn't put the book down.  Moriarty's strength lies in her empathy and the way she writes her characters. They are all unique, each troubled in their own way, from mundane problems to more complicated ones. Is Tranquilium House the way to solve those problems? 

It's a funny, engaging book, occasionally turning into a thriller. There is an amusing subplot concerning a novelist whose career is flagging -- and Moriarty uses this subplot to poke fun at herself and expectations the readers might have of her writing, as well as various genre conventions. 

So this is a recommended read for an autumny evening with a cup of tea and a candle at your side. And now I'm already wondering what Moriarty's next book will bring...

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I really wasn't sure what to expect, I haven't seen or read any of Liane Moriarty other stuff, but a friend raved about this, so I went for it.
It's a great country house suspense that manages to be tongue in cheek about itself the whole time.
There's a motley crew of characters, a plot that bounds along (narrated primarily by the wonderful Frances) and enough twists, turns and suspense to keep you from guessing what's next.
Worryingly, it really made me want to go away for a spa break - not sure what that says about me.

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I received an early copy of this book for my independent honest review.
Nine people make the decision to book themselves into a residential retreat for some rest and recouperation. Each having their own reasons and reaching a time in their lives when they feel it would benefit their wellbeing. It soon becomes apparent that they have signed up for more than they realised!
I quickly became engrossed in the plot and didn't want to put this book down.
The characters are so well introduced that it is easy to believe you know them all personally. This adds to the growing tension of the plot which becomes more psychological as it progresses as it becomes apparent the owner of the retreat is not what she seems.
Each person has to work on their fears and inner strength to cope with the increasing stressful situations thrown at them. This made this book so much more interesting for me.
The reason why I didn't rate this a full 5* is due to my disappointment with the wrap up at the end. All these people had been through a nightmare and trauma and the end didn't fulfil behaviour that felt in keeping with this for me.
A must read for its drama. Once started it has you hooked.

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I received a free ebook version of this from Netgalley. Thankyou to both Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this! My review is still honest.

I'm so pleased with this! After a fantastic experience with Big Little Lies and an average experience with Truly Madly Guilty from this author, I wasn't sure what to expect-but this was a really good one.
This book follows 9 people who all go to a health resort with some rather...extreme methods. These people all have their own stories and issues that they need to work through, from suicide and feelings of guilt to failed careers and body issues. It combines complex, emotional life stories with sinister thriller and mystery, and does it very, very well.
I really enjoyed reading about these characters and I was genuinely invested in all of their lives. While some had more difficult issues than the others, they were all worth reading about and sympathising with. I really appreciated that we got nicely tied up endings for all of them, and they all seemed to end up in good places for them. It was an edge of your seat plot where I never knew what to expect, and a health resort can be surprisingly creepy.
I do have a small issue, and that is that the ending was a little confusing. It talks about a couple of events and I'm not all too sure what it's meant to hint at. I think a little more could have been done with that, but overall it was very satisfying.

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Nine Perfect Strangers
Just finished reading this book which I thoroughly enjoyed. The story started slowly, introducing a couple of characters and the start of their back story, and the reason for their ‘journey’. It gathers pace as it moves to the ‘spa’ Tranquillium House and the rest of the characters appear including the rather strange owner Masha. My interest was kept throughout as you are fed more snippets of information which intrigue you. The characters are portrayed very well and I found myself caring about them and their situations. Through a series of surprising events (no spoilers here!) you discover much more depth about each person and their journey here and their secrets.
A good easy book to read, the second half certainly picked up pace and kept me gripped. The ending wraps everything up neatly, maybe a bit too neatly? Not quite as good as some of her other books but definitely enjoyable.

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Tranquillem House is an exclusive health resort situated away from the stresses of everyday life. It promises that ten days there can change your life.

Nine people arrive. All have different reasons for being there, some want to lose weight, some want to get fitter, some want to de-stress & some want to forget. None of them are prepared for the regime they have signed up for. At first the whole idea seems somewhat odd but everyone goes along with the healthy smoothies, the silence, the meditation. Then things take a turn for the weird- how are these days going to change lives?

I loved this book! The characters are interesting- I really loved Frances the romance author! OK it's pretty far fetched at times but that doesn't stop this being acracking enjoyable read that I devoured in a day.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read & review this book.

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⭐️⭐️ 2 stars

Big Little Lies is one of my favourite books however every other book by the author that I have read since has been a disappointment. This one is no different, in fact if anything, it’s my least favourite by Lianne.

The characters are in the main, unlikeable, I had nothing invested in any of them so never really cared where the story was going. I kept waiting for something to happen but it ready is just a ploddy book about 9 strangers who go to stay in a retreat.

The last third got slightly more interesting hence the second star but overall so slow, disappointing and not recommended sorry.

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The nine strangers of the title meet at a health retreat. Of course, they are not perfect. Each is flawed in different ways, and each brings lots of problems along with them.
I thought we were being set up for an Agatha Christie typed murder, but the book veers off in an entirely different direction. From here on it became much less credible and I found some events very difficult to believe.
Good but not her best
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

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I am such a fan of Liane Moriarty and I have read all her books and love them all. However if I were to make a list of best to least good this one would be low down. Her characterisation as always is brilliant but the substance in Nine Strangers just wasn’t there for me in the same way it is in almost all of her other work.
I love the reveals and connections in her books and they were few and far between in this one.
That said I did very much enjoy it and would heartily recommend it. Just not quite her usual five star rating from me.

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This book has got to be one of the best books I've read this year. It follows nine people who go to a health retreat for enlightenment. The stories were easy to follow yet intriguing. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments adminst the theme exploring the pain of grief. Have recommended to family and friends. A real page turner. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

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Is it just me?

Having read the blurb and knowing that Liane Moriarty is a popular author, I was looking forward to reading the book. Unfortunately, I found the whole storyline impossible to connect with.

I didn’t like any of the characters. Nor the reasons why they decided to go off for this “retreat”. In fact, the whole thing just went against the grain for me.

Judging by the number of five-star reviews, I’m in the minority here. A shame, as I was honestly looking forward to reading this book.

Bluebell

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

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I really enjoyed this book, thank you for much for my copy.

Nine Perfect Strangers would have quite a slow start. The introduction to the many characters and their subsequent introductions to each other...it takes up a huge chunk of the early book. However, Moriarty is such a skilled writer, each character reels you in, and she writes in a way that is insightful, emotional and humorous. There are laugh out loud moments.

What then transpires, once we know the characters, is a health resort that goes from strange to stranger. There are a lot of POV characters to keep up with, but their voices are so distinct, and their personalities so strong, that it's easy to keep up with them all.

I thought it was a brilliant read, and I enjoyed the ending too, which is hard for a book this intricate to pull off. Great book!

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I just loved this book and its amazing set of characters from the endearing Frances to lonely Tony. I warmed to all of them in different ways. The author has the knack of digging deep into the human psyche with all its hang-ups, desires, self-delusion and self-obsession. In particular, she is not slow in condemning the pressure women put upon themselves in relation to what they see as the demands of society. She encourages the reader to have wry look at her or himself.

The nine perfect strangers are at a health resort/retreat run by the enigmatic Masha (for enigmatic, read daft as a box of frogs) who is convinced that she can save people from themselves. As the novel progresses we hear the backstories of all the characters which are mostly sad or tragic and explain how they have found themselves at the retreat. Having said that, there is plenty of sly humour and wit in this story of madness and mayhem at a health resort.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

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