Apples Never Fall: Book Review & Series Trailer

I finished Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty just in time for the series on Peacock! Read my review and watch the teaser trailer!

I’m a huge fan of Liane Moriarty. When I found Big Little Lies, I read anything and everything she’d ever written up until that point. And it didn’t stop with the books! When the Big Little Lies series aired on HBO, I was obsessed. It’s the same with Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu. I’m crossing my fingers that I feel the same way about the upcoming Peacock series, Apples Never Fall. Check out my book review and watch the teaser for the upcoming Peacock series below.

What is the book about?

The Delaney family love one another dearly—it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .

If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?

This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.

The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?

The four Delaney children—Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke—were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.

One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.

Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light. [GoodReads.com]

My review

In Liane Moriarty’s latest drama, Apples Never Fall, secrets linger just beneath the surface of a seemingly average family. While Moriarty’s well-rounded characters and clever storytelling make for an entertaining read, the novel’s pacing leaves something to be desired.

Set in a suburban neighborhood near Sydney, Australia, Apples Never Fall follows the tennis-obsessed Delaney family as they navigate marriage, parenthood, and sibling dynamics. When Joy Delaney vanishes, her family is left with unresolved questions and hidden truths that begin to come to light.

Despite an engaging plot and compelling characters, Apples Never Fall is too drawn out. The story felt exhausting at times, causing me to lose interest. While the plot always picked up again, the lulls disrupted the flow of the story. Still, Liane Moriarty expertly connects each family member’s secrets and brings the book to a satisfying end. While this isn’t Moriarty’s best work, I enjoyed this story of family deception and definitely recommend it to fans of the author.

Upcoming Peacock series

Peacock is producing a new series based on the book set to premiere on March 14th. The adaptation stars Sam Neill, Annette Bening, Alison Brie, and Jake Lacy. Watch the teaser below and mark your calendars!

Find me on GoodReads.com!

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