Book Review #63: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Hey Guys x

I had never heard of this book before I bought it. I recognised the name of the author, but hadn't read any of her books, so it never stood out to me. The only reason that I bought it was because I happened to pick it up when I was in Waterstones one day, and one of the employees came over to tell me what an amazing book it was. Then, when I was buying it, a different employee also told me how good it was, which made me really excited to see if I agreed!

According to the Tranquillum House Luxury Retreat, 10 days is all it takes to change your life. But when nine people sign up for this retreat, each for a variety of reasons both simple and complicated, most of them are sceptical. For the next ten days, these nine strangers are going to be tested in ways they never expected, and as they discover the secrets behind the 'success' of the resort, they start to wonder - Should they put their trust in the resort's unconventional methods, or should they leave before it's too late?

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I did.

One thing I do with all my books is to read the first few pages, to get into the mindset of the main character. The fact that it's written from multiple point of views put me off, and as such, I moved it down my reading list, because I didn't think it would be my kind of thing. Nevertheless, the blurb intrigued me so much that I put aside my reading preferences and got stuck in.

The premise of the book is really original, and that originality carries on throughout the story. Each of the nine people's stories are really unique, and because of that, it's so easy to get sucked into each one. The reason that the differing perspectives and points of view actually works is because you really do want to hear the inner thoughts of each of these characters. In fact, I found that there were even more people that I wanted to hear from!

In addition to this, there are so many twists and turns within the book, that you get really excited to read the next chapters. And some of the chapters are so short that you have that 'just one more chapter' mentality until you look up and realise that it's three in the morning, and yet you still can't put it down.

One of the criticisms that I saw of this book on Amazon was that it was too unrealistic, particularly towards the end. And while reading the book, I was waiting for this unrealistic bit to come. Actually, I was looking forward to it - usually in movies some of the best bits are the bits that people complain about being 'unrealistic'. However, when I got to the bit, I did see where the criticisms were coming from.
Near the end, when everything is culminating, you're reading it and wondering how much crazier it could possibly get. But when it actually continues on, more than anything, it gets a bit disappointing. I didn't think it would end the way it did, but I thought there would be more surprises and shocks up until the very end - and while shocking things did happen, they weren't what I thought they would be, and I was disappointed.

What was good?
As mentioned, the plot is great. And it is written amazingly well. Moriarty teased out secrets and hidden details in such a way that you don't notice something, but in 100 pages that thing comes back around, and it's like something is stored in the back of your mind that makes everything make sense. Each story is created so beautifully that when they come together, it just enhances the novel.

What was bad?
Other than what I've already said, the other thing that I didn't necessarily like about the story is something that I'm also guilty of doing in my own writing. I hate ending things and leaving characters behind, so I write epilogues and time jumps and things so that I can ensure the audience knows that these characters are okay. And this book does the same thing. It's nice to see how the retreat changed these people, but we don't need to see 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 1 year, 5 years into the rest of their lives - I think one year would have been enough.

Overall
I couldn't put it down. There were things that I didn't like, but at the end of the day, I couldn't stop reading it, and if you're reading this, give this book a chance!

3.5/5 Stars!

Lou