Liane Moriarty | NINE PERFECT STRANGERS

Plot (via Goodreads):

Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out...

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.

Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can?

It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.

Review:

I need to preface this review with one fact - I LOVED Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and it is hands down one of my favorite novels of all time. I didn't read Truly Madly Guilty yet, but I loved the synopsis of Nine Perfect Strangers when it was announced and just had to get my hands on it. While I'm glad I got to experience this story and Moriarty's writing again, this was just not the novel for me. 

Nine Perfect Strangers started off great; Moriarty has a knack for writing fantastic three-dimensional characters that I find myself loving and hating. Nine Perfect Strangers is no exception to this gift. The story started off well and kept my interest, but I just felt like it took too long for the novel to get going anywhere. I was enjoying the characters and I thought they were written well, but I was getting breadcrumbs of information to keep me interested and honestly, those tidbits of information were few and far between. About 200 pages in, things started to kick up and I found myself loving the novel. I loved the interaction between the characters, I didn't mind the far fetched story-line, and I was eager to see how this would end. 

At about 75% in, the novel took a turn for the worst and the only way I can describe it is thanks to my dear friend Cindy who told me "this just took a turn and kind of feels like I'm reading the movie Saw." I couldn't agree more. It was even more far fetched and too unrealistic on top of a plot that already felt a little too unreal. There were times that I felt like skimming the pages, but I didn't because that's just not the kind of reader I am, but the temptation was there. I went back and forth so much between enjoying it and really disliking it and I felt really let down. Moriarty turned it around within the last 50 or so pages and gave me endings that were satisfactory and that I actually really loved. She did a great job of wrapping up each and every story-line with characters that I went back and forth with loving and hating. 

A strong beginning, a rocky middle, and a perfect ending - I was kind of conflicted with this review. I'm glad I read it and the novel was okay all around, the good was fantastic and the bad was not enjoyable at best. My recommendation is to go into this one with no expectations and borrow a copy from your library because I borrowed a copy from a friend and while I don't regret reading it, I would have regret spending $20 on a copy. Hopefully Truly Madly Guilty as well as Moriarty's next novel keep my attention more than Nine Perfect Strangers. 

Rating: 2/5