Apples Never Fall

Title:  Apples Never Fall

Author:  Liane Moriarty 

Publisher:  Henry Holt and Co.

Date Published:  September 14, 2021

Genre:  Adult Fiction, Mystery

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Stan and Joy Delaney have recently retired from running a prestigious tennis school. They have four adult children with very different and distinct personalities. Each of them could have become famous tennis stars, but they left the sport to pursue other things. One day, Joy disappears, and the only thing she left was a text message that is absolute gibberish. Her family is very concerned, but they are hesitant to call the police. After various clues and evidence start to pile up, Joy's disappearance is considered a murder, and the number one suspect is her husband. 

-    Moriarty is an expert at dangling that carrot in front of the reader. She lets us smell it and get a little taste, and we continue to chase that carrot on a stick with eagerness and anticipation. I love it!

-    I was hooked and obsessed with the story from the very beginning. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the story and eager to return. I was so enthralled with the family and their individual lives. 

-    I love the humor that Moriarty sprinkles in between the suspense. I was giggling out loud during certain parts. The family dynamic and the relationship between Joy and Stan is so relatable, and I love that Moriarty makes it so real and something we can laugh about. 

-    I wish I could talk more about the story without giving anything away. The ending! Oh the ending! It was hilarious, heart warming, and angering all at once. 

-    Spoiler Alert! <Savannah is a total psychopath! She needs to go to prison and be away from society. There are no excuses for the things she is doing.>

Trigger Warning: Heavy Language, Child Neglect, Divorce, Infertility, Sex (nothing explicit), Domestic Violence

The Hypnotist's Love Story

Goodreads Synopsis:    From the author of critically acclaimed What Alice Forgot comes a wonderfully fun, insightful novel about the crazy things we do for love.

Ellen O’Farrell is a bit unusual. She’s a hypnotherapist. She’s never met her father. And she can’t seem to keep a relationship going (okay, that’s more normal that we want to admit). When Ellen meets Patrick, she’s hopeful nevertheless. But when he says he needs to tell her something, she fears the worst. However, when Patrick reveals that his ex-girlfriend is stalking him, Ellen thinks, Is that all? Actually, that’s kind of neat. She’s more intrigued than frightened. What makes a supposedly smart, professional woman behave this way? She’d love to meet her. What she doesn’t know is that she already has.

My Thoughts:

-    This wasn't my favorite Moriarty book, but the writing is so tantalizing that I kept reading.

-    It was interesting that the book is told from Ellen's perspective and the stalker's perspective. I kept feeling bad for Saskia, but I didn't want to because she is crazy! 

-    I didn't like Patrick. He seemed like a jerk most of the time, and I don't think he was ready to get married again. 

-    I loved the setting!

-    I kept thinking some twist was going to happen, or some major event would happen, but no. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but I also was okay with the ending. 

-    I thought the whole idea of the story was very interesting, and Moriarty's writing is addicting, but the characters and story weren't as great. 

The Husband's Secret

From Goodreads:    At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be read

My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died...

Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .

Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.

Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses—and, ultimately, ourselves.

My Thoughts:

-    Holy crap!! Wow! This book is just. . .wow!

-    This is my third Liane Moriarty book, and each one has blown me away! 

-    This story is filled with heart wrenching situations, and you don't know what the character should do, and neither do they. I kept asking myself what the right thing to do would be, and I don't know. I still don't know. I have no idea what I would do in Cecilia's situation. It would be awful.

-    It took me about 80 pages to really get into the story. I was struggling to figure out who was who, but once it got going, I couldn't stop!

-    I love all the Aussie lingo, like the petrol station. 

-    This book gave me a huge craving for hot cross buns. I'm going to figure out how to make them and have them for Easter. 

-    I didn't know Easter was held during Australia's autumn season. Anyone know more about this?

-    I'm not sure how Tess was effected by John-Paul's secret, and I'm not sure she was even needed in the book. Tess and her husband and cousin were ridiculous. I still enjoyed reading about them, but I thought they were ridiculous. 

-    The ending! It is an ending that will keep you thinking for a long time. I darn near cried! 

-    There is a lot of heavy profanity in this one, more than the other Moriarty books I've read. There is a lot of deity swears and f-bombs. 

Big Little Lies

Goodreads Synopsis:    Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:

Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).

Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.

New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

My Thoughts:

-    Whoa! This book is packed with so much! It was crazy and amazing all at the same time. 

-    So many forms of abuse were covered: sexual, verbal, physical, etc. It was like an overdose of terrible things, but the writing is so good and every issue was handled so tactfully and realistically. 

-    The kindergarten moms were crazy! I'm scared to get involved with parents at school now. 

-    I loved the mystery aspect of the book. I knew there was going to be murder, but who was going to be and why and how? Trivia Night could not come soon enough. 

-    The language was pretty heavy. There were a lot of f-bombs, and there was even a use of a four letter word that is very degrading to women. I was pretty shocked it was in the book.

-    My heart just ached for poor Celeste and Jane. I had a lot of sympathy for Madeline too. What Abigail did was nuts! Yikes! I don't know how I would handle the situations these ladies were in/were in. 

-    I loved that all three women came out stronger and better because of their experiences, and I love that certain people in the community became closer and better as well. Even though all these horrible things were happening, the ending was filled with hope and happiness. 

-    This is my second Liane Moriarty book, and I can't wait to read more. Her books are like crack. 

What Alice Forgot

Goodreads Synopsis:    What would happen if you were visited by your younger self, and got a chance for a do-over? 

Alice Love is twenty-nine years old, madly in love with her husband, and pregnant with their first child. So imagine her surprise when, after a fall, she comes to on the floor of a gym (a gym! she HATES the gym!) and discovers that she's actually thirty-nine, has three children, and is in the midst of an acrimonious divorce. 

A knock on the head has misplaced ten years of her life, and Alice isn't sure she likes who she's become. It turns out, though, that forgetting might be the most memorable thing that has ever happened to Alice.



My Thoughts:

-    A-MAZ-ING! I loved it! I devoured it! I couldn't put it down! 

-    The writing and the story were so addicting. I couldn't stop reading, and when I did, I couldn't stop thinking about it. 

-    I was so immersed in the story, and I loved the characters. I feel like Alice and I are good friends now. We have gone through a lot together. 

-    The story really makes you think about life and the relationships you have with different people, like spouses, children, siblings, friends, etc.

-    I loved how the story tackled several issues, and it was real, and it was hopeful. It was so tactful and sensitive. 

-    The ending was perfect! 

-    Read this! All the hype is deserved!