I read Big Litttle Lies previous to reading this title and thought it was brilliant and even thought the TV series was brilliant. (Doesn't happen often).

I realise it must be so difficult for an author to write an excellent book then have to follow it, and although this book is still really good I didn't think it was as good as BLL.

There's A LOT of references to tennis and Wimbledon so if you like tennis (I hate it, through being forced to watch it when younger) you will enjoy that part of the book.

The character's are all flawed and you get to see the story from many different viewpoints which makes it really interesting and you're kept guessing throughout
The ending was a bit like "Dallas" but it kind of makes sense. Covid is brought into the story and it just doesn't flow, it's like it is done for the sake of it so I didn't like that part.

Overall a good read with a good story but lost 1 star for the reaons above. I would still definitely read other books from this author in future.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. Loved everything about it. Found the characters engaging and couldn't put it down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest reveiw.

This is a book with a missing person mystery that runs through it, but it is really about family and how the relationships within a family can dictate your relationships throughout your life. It is also about how our family can know us the most whilst also not really knowing us at all! The family in this book is one that you would love to have but also love to hate!
The dynamics between the characters are what really engaged me in this book and what drove me to give it 4 stars. I really didn't like the ending, with the nod to Covid ,as it felt irrelevant and superfluous to the book. I liked the police character of Christina and would have liked to have explored more around her as I felt she had potential to have been more integral to the story.
For me, this was a good read but didn't quite flow seamlessly enough for it to be a great one.

I usually love Liane Moriarty's books and I was really looking forward to reading her latest offering. The story and characters were superbly written about and the plot was great. I just felt that the ending was quite an anticlimax. I would have preferred a more exciting end, but the rest of the book was superb.

Sometimes with a book which has a mystery to solve, you just want to read it quickly to find out what happened. With Liane Moriarty's books you can settle down, relax and enjoy the journey. She gives you a great characters with humorous quirks and background stories and brilliant plotting which keeps you guessing and wanting to hear more. The mother reminds me of an Anne Tyler character. There are twists and surprises along the way and a very satisfying ending.

Apples Never Fall by Lianne Moriarty a twisty four-star read. If you are after a good family drama then this is for you, if you already have enough family drama in your life then you may not enjoy this as much. This is one of those stories you will be engrossed in one moment and then the next throwing it in frustration, but that’s what this author does so well.

Liane Moriarty's latest offering is an Aussie family drama featuring the renowned tennis obsessed Delaney family, the tall, handsome Stan, tennis coach extraordinaire, and his wife, Joy, the force behind their tennis business. They have 4 adult children, the unable to settle and plagued with mental health issues, Amy, the solid, reliable, handyman and business communications teacher, Logan, the slick wealthy divorced trader, Troy, and the migraine troubled physiotherapist, Brooke, struggling to make ends meet with her business. Joy and Stan have retired, having sold their tennis business, but retirement does not sit well with a couple who have led such active and busy lives, their long and happy marriage of 50 years is beginning to show signs of strain.

The 69 year old Joy is desperately repressing her resentments and desire for grandchildren, placing her hopes on Logan and his partner, Indira, and Brooke's 10 year marriage to Grant, in expectation of them having a child soon. The only problem is that Indira has left Logan, and Grant has separated from Brooke, and neither Logan nor Brooke are keen on sharing this news with their parents. The story begins with the adult children discussing their missing mother, Joy had sent them all a text saying she was going off grid for a while. The only thing is that it is so unlike their mother to go off on her own, she left no note behind, and their father's face has what looks to be nail scratches, all of which has them worried, should they report Joy missing to the police? The narrative goes back and forth from the previous September and the present, the arrival of a strange woman, Savannah, turning up on Joy and Stan's doorstep, claiming to have been abused by her boyfriend. She is welcomed by Joy and Stan, taking up residence with them, but who exactly is she?

There are many aspects of this novel that I enjoyed, particularly the complicated relationships between the adult Delaney siblings and their relationship with tennis, and the closer examination of Stan and Joy's perfect marriage and the flaws that come to be exposed, all of which lead the police to believe that Stan may be guilty of murder. I have loved all the Liane Moriarty books I have read previously, but I struggled with this one more, all the pieces were there, but the overlong story and the characters she created didn't capture my interest as much. I missed the bizarre and offbeat touches and the magical spark that usually lift her novels failed to ignite for me. What spurred me on to complete the novel was that I wanted to know what happened to Joy and to discover the truth behind the sudden appearance of Savannah in the Delaney family. I am sure there will be many readers who will love this more than me, so do please check other reviews of this book. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Liane Moriarty is a genius. I’m not sure anyone writes family dynamics as well as she does, maybe Marian Keyes, that’s why they’re both favourites of mine! This one follows a tennis playing family whose mother goes missing. Is she dead? Has their father killed her? What do they do? So much tension! I was totally gripped to the very last page. Highly recommend and can’t wait to see it on screen as I’m sure it will be there soon!
Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With their family all grown and flown and newly retired Joy is waiting for something to fill her time. Then one day Joy disappears and the speculation of her whereabouts begins – murdered, run away who knows? Enter Savannah, who spent time with Stand and Joy the year before (to the dismay of her children), whose slowly evolving back story is the catalyst for the family coming back home and slowly the background to all their relationships unfolds.
A well plotted story but had the author been Elizabeth Strout or Lionel Shriver I would not have been surprised.

Liane Moriarty is one the wittiest writers alive today, at least in my opinion. There is no-one else whose novels I pick up knowing, with such satisfying confidence, I'm going to enjoy from beginning to end. And this one doesn't disappoint. Joy and Stan, childhood sweethearts grown old, have made a life out of tennis, initially playing and later coaching it, not just professionally but also to their alpha-type, larger-than-life children. Now, in the supposed golden years of their retirement, secrets start tumbling from their closets. A stranger arrives, initially full of sunshine and recipes for apple pie, but gradually souring what is left of their fragile peace. Who is she, and what does she want? Is she really intent on revenge, as it seems, and if so what can they have done to deserve it? Whilst I could have done without the Inspector Calls echoes and denouement, I found the novel warm, funny, full of beautiful insights into the lives of ordinary people, and wonderfully moving.

Apples Never Fall works really well as a family drama- a family where tennis was always the focus even though the kids ultimately go in different directions- and where the familial relationships are all knife edge. Then Mum disappears and things start looking a bit dark.

I'm a huge fan of Liane Moriarty but this one lacked her usual BOOM. The mystery element was hugely predictable and some of it felt a bit forced. I really enjoyed the siblings as a group dynamic, in fact their bickering love was the highlight of this for me.

It is good but whereas her previous books have had that edgy feel and that really engaging sense of crazy, Apples Never Fall doesnt have any of that in my opinion. In fact it's such a straightforward process from A to B to me it felt like another author

This probably feels like a negative but it's not so much negative as different. This is a really good book but I miss the madness.

I'd never read anything by Liane Moriarty before, but Marian Keyes recommended this book and so when I was offered the chance to read it, I grabbed it. It was very compelling. I don't want to talk too much about it, because the tension and the twists and turns are the things that make it a proper page turner and it would be mean to spoil that for people.

Set in the world of tennis coaching, about which I knew very little, I thought I might find it bored me as sport is not my jam at all, but this turned out to be a brilliant setting for the book. Full of ambitious people who want to either win themselves or have their protégées or children win at any cost, it meant that there was a lot of me deciding who had 'done it' with every chapter. It was really strong on character and although the list of characters is long, you didn't get the sense that any of them were vehicles or devices, rather that they were all fully rounded, interesting human beings and that you couldn't dismiss any of them as filler or red herrings.

It has lots of delicious twists and Moriarty manages to keep the tension coming so you never really relax, right up to the last minute. I really enjoyed this.

Moriarty knows how to write excellent characters, all of her previous books showcase this talent and her newest doesn’t break the trend!! Apples Never Fall follows the Delaney family, who are investigating the strange disappearance of the matriarch - Joy Delaney. It is told through a mix of ‘now’ and ‘then’ storylines which flow well, giving us enough information to keep us hooked. Something I particularly love about Moriarty’s writing style and which she does well in this book as well as 3 wishes, is how she tells some of the story through the eyes of bystanders or on lookers. It adds an extra layer of texture to the narrative and you feel as though you are peeking into the action alongside them. I grew to love all of the Delaneys, even Stan, and enjoyed how the strands all pulled together to make sense in the end. A lovely read, moriarty and I fully recommend it!
Thank you so much for this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I completely adored this book. I picked it up and it gripped me from the very first page; I couldn’t put it down until I’d finished it. And I don’t even like tennis!

This absolute gem of a book focuses on The Delaney family. A tennis playing dynasty who have only recently sold their thriving tennis club, Stan and Joy are reluctantly retired and still worrying about their 4 grown children.

I loved all of the characters in this book. They were kind and stubborn and flawed and realistic. I wanted to be in the family. It’s cleverly written with just enough back story to keep you guessing and on your toes! I don’t really want to go into detail as I’m utterly determined not to let a single spoiler out. I loved the family relationships and how they were all anchored to each other. I can’t recommend this book more highly. It’s perfection and I’m so grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. Read this book. You won’t be disappointed!

I loved this book. I've been a fan of Liane Moriarty for a while now and I don't remember ever reading one of her books that I haven't loved.
I couldn't wait to get to the end of the book to see what had happened but I also didn't want it to end because I wanted to read more about the Delaney family.

An intriguing delve into a family of high-achievers and what caused the mother to disappear. The four siblings are all very different and react differently to an interloper in their family who turns up seeking help one night and settles in as a cook and ideal house guest. I found the two police officers to be a bit weak and watery but otherwise it was a great read with some good twists. I can always rely on Liane Moriarty and she didn’t let me down.

eally really loved this book, it had so many layers and sub plots, an it kept me fascinated throughout. It is a real page turner as we have come to expect from Liane Moriarty, and once more she doesn't disappoint. This is definitely my favourite of her books to date.

I love the characters. They are so real, and the family dynamic was really interesting. I don't know a great deal about tennnis, but it really didn't matter, the focus was on the success and dreams of the parents and it's effect on the famly and their marriage.

Throw into the mix a stranger turning up unannounced and moving in, and then the wife/mother's disappearence, and a whole new mystery is thrown into the mix, and I really didn't know which way it was going to go until the end, which was very nicely and neatly tied up.

I loved it and would really recommend it.

The story in this book was good and with lots to keep yu guessing. For quite a big part of the book, it didn't make sense why it kept flitting back and forth which made it hard work.

Fantastic! As good as little lies if not better. I could really imagine the characters and enjoyed the twists and turns

I love Liane Moriarty books, I just love her style of writing and to date I haven't read a bad one. She is one of a few authors that I will stop what I'm currently reading to read her work. I'm hard pushed to say which one is my favourite book as they all bring something different.

But ......... Apples Never Fall is now currently my favourite!

Set in Sydney the story is about the Delaney family. Stan and Joy Delaney ran a successful tennis school and have four grown up children. Their lives aren't perfect but they're a close knit family or so they thought!

The night that Stan and Joy open their front door to a sobbing petite, blonde haired girl little did they know how much their lives would change. Why did Joy disappear?

The chapters alternate from the present to the past with each chapter leaving you a little breadcrumb for you to slowly build up the picture as you get further into the book throwing in a little curve ball here and there. It's a slow burn thriller that builds up the characters and the settings and it keeps you guessing right until the end.

If you have read Liane's books before you won't be disappointed with this one and if this is your first one I guarantee it won't be your last!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph Books