Apples Never Fall

My favorite Liane Moriarty is Big Little Lies for it’s humor and realistic characters. Apples Never Fall also has great characters and is more of a family drama then a mystery. The plot drags a bit and the addition of the pandemic at the end came across as an afterthought that didn’t add anything to the story.

This was really way drawn out and took forever to read.. I just never fully got into this one. It had a few chapters that were cool, but overall, it's just not my type of read!

I've read many books by Liane Moriarty and loved them all (except for Nine Perfect Strangers). Moriarty knows how to write about complex families, flawed personalities, secrets and lots of drama. She knows how to write about the human emotions and dynamics of each family member. I felt like I knew each of her characters in this slow burn family drama. There are so many things I loved about this book, the details, the family, the mysterious stranger and the minor characters sprinkled throughout, the snarky humor.

The Delaney family is a tennis family, a tennis dynasty in their younger years. From the moment Stan and Joy meet, the chemistry is undeniable. They are killers on the tennis court and start a tennis academy where they coached many hopeful athletes, including their 4 children. After 50 years of marriage, they have finally sold their tennis academy and are embarking their golden years, only they don't quite know what they means for them. Then suddenly, one day Joy goes missing. Stan doesn't seem too concerned, but his children are. Two of them even file a missing person's report. Does the stranger who turned up on their doorstep have a hand in any of this? And where has that stranger gone?

The writing was great. The story was told through multiple points of view (so you get to see everyone's perspective and thoughts) and different timelines (past leading up to Joy going missing and present day going forward). Far distant past is also sprinkled in to develop characters even more.

I really enjoyed this family sage but is was a tad too long for me; hence the 4.5 stars.

OK. I am a fan of Moriarty. She is a fav. But, this one dragged a little for me. Kinda like 'Nine Perfect Strangers'. The first half of the book could have been shortened. And tennis isn't my thing. Mother goes missing, father is a little clueless. Kids are dysfunctional. Typical starting plot for any good Moriarty book. Really wanted to like this one, but three stars for writing well... And well, for being Moriarty.

the characters just kept being revealed little by little...the ending was a bit of a surprise for me but it made sense...