Another novel from Liane Moriarty that I couldn't put down! The mystery of Joy's disappearance definitely kept me turning the pages, but I also was engrossed in the family dynamic of the Delaneys. This isn't a quick novel, but it's worth the time you'll invest in reading it.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Henry Holt & Company for the advance e-copy!

Liane Moriarty is back! I absolutely adored three of her previous novels, but found myself disappointed in her last couple of novels. Luckily this one won me back to being her biggest fan. Great read!

This newest book by Liane Moriarity was very well done. This is a story about a tennis pro couple who get married, have 4 tennis pro children, and open a renowned tennis school. After many successful years and a mostly happy marriage, they settle into retirement and await the grandkids that must be on the horizon. Little do they know, none of their adult children are in a prospering relationship. Then, one day their doorbell rings, and standing on their doorstep is a young woman, bleeding, who needs their help. She seamlessly inserts herself into their life and the lives of their children. And then one day, the wife goes "off-grid" and isn't heard from for long enough that the police get involved. And we all know the husband is to blame. But Moriarity isn't known for your average storyline. This one had me guessing until nearly the reveal.

I really love Liane Moriarty's books! They are always entertaining and mysterious, which I love, especially as a Summer read. Thanks to Netgalley, I got to recieve a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and it was worth it! I loved how the story starts out with the reader knowing that Joy goes missing and then the story backtracks, leading up to what finally happened. It was such a page turner. I kept wanting to read another chapter to get closer to finding out what happened to Joy. I also loved getting to know the grown children more and yes I have a soft spot for Stan. He's hard on the outside but soft on the inside. I would highly recommend this book to people, especially for book club!

pples Never Fall is a tale of family ties, secrets, and tennis out the wazoo. I loved the character development of the siblings, and their backstory, but overall found the whole disappearance and explanation of Mom, Joy Delaney, off the plausibility charts. The father's obsession with coaching Harry Haddid - really bothered me, but maybe I just don't understand the quest for a champion. The more disturbing part of the story for me was the story of Harry's sister, and the revelation of "the key" and what it symbolizes - I don't want to say much about that to spoil the story and the surprise, but it knocked my socks off. And while I'm on the subject of believability, how many of you would let a total stranger stay in your house after she knocks on your door late one night, battered and in a state?
I did enjoy learning about the Delaney family - and how their mother's disappearance began to fracture the family when their father was considered a prime suspect. It was also interesting to see how the family's obsession with tennis affected each of the siblings, in both positive and negative ways. Also interesting to see how a case could be built against a person without a body.
An entertaining page turner, but a little convoluted for me. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.

What Alice Forgot is one of my favorite books and has stayed with me in many different ways. Loved Big Little Lies as well. I felt let down by Truly Madly Guilty and even more so by Nine Perfect Strangers (though I am enjoying the TV series).

Moriarty makes a comeback for me in this one. It is a pretty slow start and I really didn’t find it unputdownable until the last third of the book. The adult children and their relationships to eachother and with their parents was interesting and complex, making it feel authentic. I liked the way the author keeps us wondering about Savannah and Stan, too. I have to admit I just loved Stan.

Loved the mystery reveals, particularly the reveal about Stan’s absences! I found the ending to be satisfying and touching.

My favorite quotes hit in all the best ways:

“Move on. Once you’ve hit a ball there’s no point watching to see where it’s going. You can’t change its flight path now. You have to think about your next move. Not what you should have done. What you do now.”

Golden. And this one even more so:

“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.”

Moriarty has a way of describing familial relationships in such a beautiful way, just like in Alice. This one is a winner.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

4.5 stars
A total page-turner- written in present and the past- that will keep you wondering what exactly happened to Joy Delaney. Would love to see this as a mini-series.

Apples Never Fall doesn't disappoint. Moriarty keeps up the suspense until the very end of the book. The characters are immensely relatable in their humanity with all their strengths, quirks, and faults, The Delaney family is a typical family; they love each other fiercely although they have no lack of confrontations or disagreements.
When Joy goes missing, the past is unraveled and motives are uncovered. Moriarty keeps you guessing and wondering to the last few pages.

This was more of a slow burn book for me but kept my interest throughout. I enjoyed the Delaney family dynamic and got sucked into the drama surrounding the appearance of Savannah. Already anticipating the tv series this is sure to inspire!

I love Liane Moriarty, but she's trying too hard, both in this book and in Truly, Madly, Guilty, and Nine Perfect Strangers i could not even read. This book is too long, the middle needed editing, but it was better than her last couple of books. She is a really, really natural writer very easy to read. Too long a build up with the back stories of the Delaney kids. Some people will hate the ending i thought it was great. A great summer read!

Like the rest of Liane Moriarty’s work, I enjoyed this book! All of her books take a bit for me to get into, but it was good!

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. In Big Little Lies you know from the beginning that someone died at the school fundraiser, but it takes the rest of the book to find out who and how. In Truly Madly Guilty you know from very early that something bad happened at the neighborhood BBQ, but you have to find out what after going back and forth in time (before and after) to find out just what happened. Ms. Moriarty has done it again, and though you'll know right away that Joy is missing, you'll spend decades following the family's journey, on and off the tennis courts. Best described as a family drama, you'll get to know all four grown children, their partners and exes, and who could have been the next Agassi or WIlliams if they could have only overcome their individual challenges or character flaws. Come for the mystery, and stay for the realistic family angst. The people you love the most can hurt you the most, and those you think you know well might be someone else entirely...

This is a really engaging family drama, and it's so interesting to read along as family secrets and resentments are dug up along the way. The conclusion drags on quite a bit, but other than that this is one that I think fans of the author will really enjoy.

Let me start by saying YESSSSSS!!!!! I’m feeling allllll the emotions after finishing this book! I’ve read everything Liane Moriarty has written, some several times! This one blew me out of the water!!! Such a clever and interesting premise and such a unique way that Moriarty spins a tale and still manages to shock the heck out of me at the end! I loved the surprises and delicious details and little revelations scattered throughout like nuggets! I love this perfectly imperfect family. I’m so sad that the Delaneys live in her head (and now mine!) because I would love to go hang out with them sometime! Even as twisty and as raw and as REAL as they are! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this book, Liane!!! I’ve been waiting AGES for your next one and now that I’ve finished this one, I’m sadly back at the spot where I’m waiting again. *sigh* Oh yes… and this book gets ALLLLL the stars!!!

I have enjoyed Liane Moriarty's books for the fun of finding all the little clues that connect the big reveal together. This one sewed all the details together brilliantly to create an ending that I really didn't see coming but thoroughly enjoyed with how hard it has been during the pandemic. I loved getting glimpses into each member of the Delaney family's lives and how their personalities played off of each other. I really enjoyed this book and was very satisfied with the ending.

I appreciate the opportunity to preview this book - another good read from Liane Moriarty! The story finds an adult family in turmoil - Mom is missing! The relationships, family history and interpersonal dynamics are shared at a good pace. The story kept me thinking and trying to figure out what happened to Joy. The stories between couples, choices made, mistakes and betrayals add depth to the characters in believable scenarios. Without giving away the end, I’m still pondering….

On the surface things look fine with the Delaney family but when the mother of the four grown Delaney kids goes missing, things start to unravel. This will be another surefire hit by Moriarty but I didn't feel like it was her strongest. Some of the siblings weren't flushed out enough (or maybe it was that I didn't understand some of their adult choices). It was also quite long. Still I'm glad that I read it and am thankful to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy.

The matriarch of a tennis dynasty goes missing after sending a cryptic text. All suspicion points to her husband. Or, was it the mysterious young woman who showed up on their doorstep and insinuated herself into their lives? Strong characters, red herrings, and a solid plot will keep you turning the page.

When Joy Delaney, of the famous Delaney tennis school goes missing her four children can't believe their dad is the prime suspect. But new carpet, new paint, and a bloody shirt do point to him, not to mention the cryptic text message their mom sent just before everything happened about going of the grid for a while see them soon, and the fact that Joy's phone was found under the bed of her house. But if their dad didn't do it what did happened, how does their one up and coming tennis star fit into this and what about the mysterious Savannah?

This a book so full of suspense and twists and turns you really won't know what happened until the end when all is revealed, if you can wait that long. This is a book about family and how sometimes you need to see it through someone else's eyes. This was a good book and had me totally hooked by half way through it just to see what happens.


This review will appear on my blog Sept 14th.

Liane Moriarty’s newest novel centers around the Delaney family. From the beginning we are aware that the mother of the four grown Delaney siblings has gone missing and their father is under suspicion by the police. The story then alternates back and forth in time and the reader becomes aware of the events leading up to the disappearance.

This was a quick read in spite of the fact that it is a long book. The chapters that alternate between the perspectives of the various siblings kept the momentum going and I really appreciated that. Each of the characters had a distinct voice which can be tricky to pull off in a book with so many major characters and I felt like I related to each one in a unique way.

The mystery of the mother’s disappearance is what propels this story, but this novel is about much more. It’s about a family and their own very specific dysfunction. It’s about the events that occur in our childhoods shape our psyches and how each child processed and reacted to the same events differently. Their dysfunction is believable and probably not that different from most families.

My only negative with this book was the ending. I felt like it went out with a fizzle and I wanted it to go out with a bang. To say much more would give too much away, so I’ll just say I wanted a little more drama. Overall though this was a successful and entertaining read.