Liane Moriarty offers another keeps-you-guessing mystery, this one mired in family drama. The Delaneys looked one way to the world, but operated differently behind closed doors. This was a riveting story that covered more than a generation of one family, and the repercussions and secrets they carried.

I was excited to get this ARC. I loved some
Of Liane Moriarty’s earlier books. The last two left something to be desired, especially Nine Perfect Strangers, which was a disaster. This book sounded more like her earlier works, and partially, it was.
I liked the basic mystery of the book. There were a couple actually. What happened to Joy, and who is Savannah, and how did they relate to one another. I also liked the device she used where she used the POV of people overhearing things happening, so you’re never quite getting the whole story.
The beginning and middle of the book dragged a lot. Lots of long scenes of nothing but dialogue or reminiscing. A bit past the halfway point, we find out who Savannah really is, and things pick up a bit. We find out what happened to Joy with about 100 pages left in the book. Can’t say that I felt it was a shocking twist. The explanation of how no one knew, was pretty unbelievable. Then the book continues on with what happens for about 6 months after, including the Pandemic, which I really wish had been left out. It didn’t help the story at all, and why couldn’t it have been another year?
The final chapter was interesting but kind of felt out of place. Overall a 3 star read. Definitely better than the last two, but not up to her earlier standards.

Apples Never Fall is the latest family drama by Liane Moriarty. Joy Delaney is the matriarch of this tennis-obsessed family. She and her husband, Stan, raised their four children in the competitive tennis world while also coaching multiple students. Joy has now disappeared after sending a cryptic text to her children. Stan is the suspect in his wife's disappearance but the children are torn about whether or not he could be guilty. Long-buried secrets are revealed while the family tries to figure out what has happened to Joy. Read and enjoy!

As I read this it reminded me about the missing mother in Connecticut. In this case the children are older and there is the added factor of a strange woman that came into the household. Of course the hubby of fifty years is the prime suspect..
We see in the window of the character lives from a year ago and then to the present .Showing us a lifetime of their experiences, flaws and secrets.. the ending is jaw
It is a rather long book but a gripping family drama with an amount of mystery, suspense and anticipation. I enjoyed every page of it and looking forward to her next one.

This book was excellent! I could barely put it down. I’ve always like Moriarty’s books and this did not disappoint! It was suspenseful and kept me guessing, which doesn’t often happen.

Liane Moriarty's newest book is a treat. The story centers around retired Joy Delaney who is missing. The story involves her husband, her four adult children and a mysterious young woman. I love way Moriarty makes her characters come alive, they always feel authentic. The thread of humor throughout makes the read so enjoyable. A family drama along with a puzzle make for an enjoyable read.

This was much much better than Moriarty’s last book which I thoroughly disliked. It took me awhile to get into this one but in the end it was enjoyable and had the twists I have come to expect from her. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This family drama has many layers to dissect as you read through. It is a Murder mystery about a missing mother; the four children’s lives exposed bare; a marriage in trouble and changing timelines. You have different points of. View from the children as they decide whether or not to report their mother missing and just how much to disclose to the police. I must ad it that I had a hard time getting through the book, but glad I did.

I truly love Liane Moriarty, but I DNF this book. I just couldn't get into it. Who invites a total stranger into their home like that? I also couldn't get into Nine Perfect Strangers, but I LOVED her other books.

Phenomenal mystery of a family and the relationships that mold our minds and hearts. A wonderful and suspenseful story about a family of tennis talent, the Delaneys. When Joy Delaney goes missing, her family and the police begins to suspect, Stan, her husband. Moriarty explores why our family secrets shape our relationships and how memories can be subjective. When a mysterious woman arrives on the Delaney's doorstep, they show her kindness, but what is her history? I loved the balance between the plot and showing the reader how the family's secrets changed their relationships. It is a fantastically written book with compelling characters.

Moriarty excels at crafting contemporary fiction that explores family relationships and allows us to reflect on and examine our own experiences. She gives possible scenarios and clues for us to determine what happened to Joy, adding red herrings. I love the way her characters come to life. Joy, mother of four adult children, is pining for grandchildren and hiding secrets in her marriage. Moriarty has a talent for insightful comments on human relationships: “Sometimes their children would do everything exactly as they’d taught them, and sometimes they would do all the things they’d told them not to do, and seeing them suffer the tiniest disappointments would be more painful than their own most significant losses, but then other times they would do something so extraordinary, so unexpected and beautiful, so entirely of their own choice and their own making, it was like a splash of icy water on a hot day. Those were the glorious moments.”
The balance shifting between before and after the main event is a trademark of Moriarty’s style. Likewise, the time switches reveal how the family’s secrets change their relationships. Each sibling has a secret that is connected to the family’s miscommunications and dysfunctions. Apples Never Fall is a fantastically-written book with compelling characters that explores what families understand and what they often miss.

I enjoy Liane Moriarty and Apples Never Fall was no exception. There is a lot of characters and activity going on is this book, but overall I feel it was well done. Four adult children and their mid sixties parents. The mom disappears and evidence points to the dad as murdering her. The children feel a young lady who stayed with the parents is the key to solving the crime and the story unravels in flashbacks. I appreciated the opportunity to read Apples Never Fall. We have purchased this novel for our library.

The formidable Delaneys are famous in Australia for one thing above all else-tennis. But when Joy Delaney-the petite but strong family matriarch-goes missing, the rest of the family starts to fall apart. Could Joy have been murdered by her husband, Stan? Could it have something to do with their mysterious and unexpected house guest several months prior? Could she have just gotten sick of it all and ran off? As the mystery unfolds, the messy lives of the Delaneys and their four children are untangled and laid out, as they too become wrapped up in the search for their mother.

This novel was a little faster paced than some of Moriarty's other novels, but it still didn't compete with <u>Big Little Lies</u>, which is the main reason I stuck with three stars.

First time reading Moriarty, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The story centers on the Delaney family: parents Stan and Joy, former tennis players who fell in love and started a tennis school, and their four grown children, who all played tennis in their youth and gave up the sport. They all have a love-hate relationship with tennis, their parents, and one another. Joy and Stan recently sold their school and retired. As they struggle to find focus in retirement, they take in a stranger who shows up at their door one rainy night, Savannah, who stays longer than Stan or the kids are comfortable with. Who is she and what does she want? One day Joy goes missing after leaving a cryptic message with her kids, and the mystery deepens. Stan insists he has no idea where she's gone, but he has those scratches on his face and admits that he and Joy had argued the last time they spoke. It doesn't look good, and the kids are divided as to whether to report Joy's disappearance to the police.
Well written and riveting. I appreciated the timely entrance of Covid-19 to the story, as well as the many tennis references.
Recommended

Liane Moriarty is back! She has always been one of my go to authors to read and suggest to others and this book is no exception. Her character development while untangling the mystery is so entertaining to read. I was invested in each character and their struggles, while also trying to figure out what happened to the missing mom. I played college tennis, so I also loved the inner view of tennis aspect. Overall, this was a great book and I'm guessing it will be picked up for a made for streaming limited series soon!

A stranger moves in with an older couple despite their children's objections. Several months later, the mother disappears and suspicion falls on the father. But what of the strange girl who lived with them for many months?

Things are not as they seem in this novel and there are several twists and red herrings. It is a complicated novel with many different issues being tackled. Marriage and motherhood, sports and competition, child abuse and abandonment. I felt as though the author could not quite make up her mind what was most important. There were too many things going on in this novel to make it and enjoyable read. for me.

Apples Never Fall is an excellent character-driven family drama with a mystery involved. The mother of the family goes missing, but it isn't the main part of the story. The bulk of the novel is the character dynamics within this family and how the relationships have changed over time. It's all really quite fascinating. Readers of Liane Moriarty's past novels such as Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers will be thrilled to find Moriarty's writing remains incredibly readable. I enjoy the way she develops her characters. Highly recommended!

I don't understand why people love this so much. Yes, parts are good and entertaining, but there are vast chunks that literally bored me to sleep. It had potential but needed to lose about 150 pages. Several chapters at the end didn't need to be there. Disappointing, sadly. I really wanted to love this more.

I've received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was too long. It wasn't my favorite Liane Moriarty title, but it was still a good read. The book was entirely character-driven, so to readers who prefer action by way of the plot, I would not recommend it.

Liane Moriarity is sort of a hot commodity these days, following the success of several books and subsequent TV versions of Big Little Lies (a friend called it “real estate porn”) and Nine Perfect Strangers. So I couldn’t pass up the chance to read a copy of Apples Never Fall from Henry Holt and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

The central focus is the Delaney family…and THEIR central focus is tennis. The parents, Stan and Joy, after fifty years of what looks like a happy marriage, sell their tennis academy and get ready for their golden years. “Joy had time to wander about specialty supermarkets looking for unusual ingredients, except she wanted to cry with boredom at the thought.” Her opinion is that there is a “…secret of a happy marriage: step away from the rage.” So are they REALLY happy?

Their four adult children, two men and two women, are all strong competitive tennis players, and are all doing well despite never attaining the level of success their father dreamed of. And it seems Joy has spent years tiptoeing around Stan often at the expense of their children, particularly daughter Amy, as the “…risk of upsetting Stan outweighed the risk of upsetting Amy.” Joy has been on the edge for a looooong time: “When the kids wer little her mood remained set at a permanent low level of irritability.” Now, years later, it becomes evident that “…she’d never wanted his gratitude, just his acknowledgement. Just once.”

So, life is quite unsettled when a stranger named Savannah knocks on their door late one night, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. They invite her in, and she ends up staying….and staying. After Joy disappears, Savannah then goes missing, and the police begin a serious investigation. Stan claims innocence and ignorance, but he sure seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the adult children think their father is innocent, while the other two aren’t so sure. It’s a classic domestic drama with well-developed characters, clever plotting, and a solid ending. Four and a half stars, but since I can’t split stars, let’s call it a solid four. Another solid effort from Ms.Moriarty,

Love a book about sibling dynamics and a book that keeps you guessing until the end. This new Liane Moriarty book does not disappoint!