Apples Never Fall in Aussie Readers

Aug 24, 2021 PattyMacDotComma rated it liked it

Shelves: aa, fiction, kindle, australian-author, mystery-crime-thriller, arc-netgalley-done

3.5★
“She would say, Here is one possible motive and here is another, because any marriage of that many years has multiple motives for murder. Every police officer and hairdresser knows that.”

There used to be an ad for hair colouring that said “only her hairdresser knows for sure”. Well, this is what Joy’s hairdresser said after Joy went missing.

Moriarty is great at putting together an ensemble of players with identifiable voices and characteristics. The Delaneys are a family of six, parents Joy ...more

97 likes · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2021 Brenda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-read, arc, aussie-authors, net-galley, 2021-release, 5000-2021, mystery, read-on-kindle, contemporary-fiction

Joy and Stan Delaney had retired after selling their tennis school business, which had been very successful over the years. Joy found herself bored with all the time she had available and wished at least one of her adult children would give her grandchildren. When there was a frantic knock on their door late one evening, and a bleeding young woman entered their home, Joy and Stan had no idea who the woman was and what a change she would bring to their lives.

Savannah was the victim of domestic vi Joy and Stan Delaney had retired after selling their tennis school business, which had been very successful over the years. Joy found herself bored with all the time she had available and wished at least one of her adult children would give her grandchildren. When there was a frantic knock on their door late one evening, and a bleeding young woman entered their home, Joy and Stan had no idea who the woman was and what a change she would bring to their lives.

Savannah was the victim of domestic violence and Joy felt the need to care for her, even though she knew nothing about her. Joy found her spirits lifted, especially when Savannah began cooking meals for them as a thank you. When Troy and Logan, Joy and Stan’s two sons, went with Savannah to retrieve her possessions, they kept her safe. Brooke and Amy, their two daughters, were horrified at this strange young woman taking advantage of their parents, but Joy wouldn’t be swayed.

When Joy disappeared and it was over a week before her disappearance was reported to the police, Stan was immediately in their crosshairs. He was quite obviously lying – they were sure he’d killed her. Especially when they learned of a big fight between Joy and Stan just before her disappearance. With the four adult children speaking to the police, examining the long marriage that their parents had behind them, they were frightened. What was going on? Was their mother dead? And had their father killed her?

Apples Never Fall is the latest by Aussie author Liane Moriarty and I enjoyed some parts but not others. The focus on tennis was always there and I found the story overly long, too much thinking while waiting for something to happen. One example was when Troy and Logan took Savannah to her old house – the men stepped out of the car, then pages and pages passed with Troy thinking, before Savannah eventually got out of the car. I also couldn’t make much sense of the final chapter – it seemed irrelevant. A little disappointed but I know others have loved it. And I love our Australian cover with the big granny smith apple tree loaded with fruit.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
...more

60 likes · Like · see review

Sep 16, 2021 Helen rated it liked it

Shelves: review-copy-from-netgalley

This was my first Liane Moriarty book and I was really looking forward to it, I thought the story line was a great one a family saga that takes in a family of six who are all very different which is the way it normally is, families have their ups and downs but it seems that the Delaney family had a lot that was one day going to cause a lot of problems, especially when a stranger knocks on the door of retired tennis coaches Stan and Joy.

The Delaney’s have been married nearly fifty years and have This was my first Liane Moriarty book and I was really looking forward to it, I thought the story line was a great one a family saga that takes in a family of six who are all very different which is the way it normally is, families have their ups and downs but it seems that the Delaney family had a lot that was one day going to cause a lot of problems, especially when a stranger knocks on the door of retired tennis coaches Stan and Joy.

The Delaney’s have been married nearly fifty years and have retired from running their Tennis School, they are very popular amongst the community people are envious of the love they shared, top notch on a tennis court even at seventy and sixty nine years of age and retirement should be thoroughly enjoyable years but somehow it is not what Joy thought it would be.

There are four Delaney children Amy, Logan, Troy and Brooke all were very good at tennis growing up as you would expect with the parents they had but all have chosen different paths in life and they also have lots of ups and downs but Joy is hopefully going to get grandchildren.

One cool night a strange young woman knocks on their door, it is late and she is injured and Joy and Stan are more than happy to help and soon Savannah has wormed her way into the family, but does she have a secret agenda or is she really as needy as she claims.

All four Delaney children are not at all happy with the Savannah living with their parents even though she is doing a lot for them and their relationship with their parents becomes a little strained and when Joy goes missing, Savannah is gone as well and things are not looking good for Stan, and his kids are divided on their thoughts as to what happened.

This story takes in a lot about families, their different personalities, their happiness and sadness, all the emotions that make a family and the way they all cope together and the pressure to do the best you can in life when the push to do that can come close to child abuse. I sadly found it very slow especially in the beginning of the story, there are so many characters to get to know, but it is also a story that compelled me to keep reading because I needed to know what happened.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review
...more

19 likes · Like · see review

Oct 02, 2021 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-are, netgalley-reviews, aussie-author

Unfolding from multiple viewpoints, Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty is an engrossing, intimate domestic drama.

Sixty-nine year old Joy Delaney hasn’t been seen or heard from for a week before her four adult children, Amy, Troy, Logan and Brooke, notice. Their father, Stan, has no good explanation for her absence, or the scratches on his face, and the siblings, aware things have been tense between their parents for some time, struggle to defend him when the police suspect he has murdered her. Unfolding from multiple viewpoints, Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty is an engrossing, intimate domestic drama.

Sixty-nine year old Joy Delaney hasn’t been seen or heard from for a week before her four adult children, Amy, Troy, Logan and Brooke, notice. Their father, Stan, has no good explanation for her absence, or the scratches on his face, and the siblings, aware things have been tense between their parents for some time, struggle to defend him when the police suspect he has murdered her.

As the timeline moves between the present and the past, Moriarty unravels the complex dynamics of the Delaney’s, it’s disruption by a mysterious interloper, and the puzzle of Joy’s absence.

Though the intrigue regarding Joy’s disappearance is central to the story, Apples Never Fall is a very much a character driven novel. I always appreciate how authentic and grounded Moriarty’s characters are, each with distinct and nuanced personalities. I found Joy’s frustrations, worries and hopes to be relatable, while Stan is more of a traditional patriarch. Their children, despite a rather extraordinary childhood, are fairly ordinary adults, with an interesting mix of strengths and flaws, accomplishments and regrets.

As with most family’s, the Delaney’s relationships are a mix of love and rivalry, secrets and lies, resentments and guilt. I really liked the way in which Moriarty shows how each member has differing perspectives on the same incidents, and how that plays into how they define themselves, and each other. It’s with keen insight that Moriarty also explores a wide range of issues from empty-nest syndrome and domestic violence, to the pressures of elite sport, and the weight of family expectations.

This is not a fast paced story, but there are plenty of surprises in Apples Never Fall. I’ve read more than a few complaints about the ending(s) of the novel (especially with its reference to the pandemic) but I thought there was a subtle and clever implication in it.

Offering compelling characters, authentic emotion, and sharp wit, I found Apples Never Fall to be an entertaining, incisive and absorbing novel. ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2021 Nikki Sims-Chilton rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I feel very lucky to have received the long-awaited new novel by Liane Moriarty to review from Netgalley. Apples Never Fall is the story of the Delaney family – all former tennis stars in their own right. In the past, the Delaneys owned and ran a successful tennis school – training numerous rising stars including superstar Harry Haddad. The Delaney children are now all grown up and are living their own lives while their seemingly happily married parents are enjoying retirement.
One day, the moth ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 06, 2021 Rina rated it really liked it

Liane Moriarty writes the kind of hard-hitting drama that I love - with a hint of mystery/thriller on the side. This one was no exception.

Joy and Stan were the perfect couple. They had four adult children, a nice house, a tennis court in their backyard, and a successful tennis coaching business. They were also a strong couple in tennis matches, perfectly communicating silently to match each other’s movements on and off courts. Except, there was no such thing as perfect. So when Joy went missing, Liane Moriarty writes the kind of hard-hitting drama that I love - with a hint of mystery/thriller on the side. This one was no exception.

Joy and Stan were the perfect couple. They had four adult children, a nice house, a tennis court in their backyard, and a successful tennis coaching business. They were also a strong couple in tennis matches, perfectly communicating silently to match each other’s movements on and off courts. Except, there was no such thing as perfect. So when Joy went missing, the entire neighbourhood and their children were divided on whether Stan finally lost his temper and killed her.

First of all, can I say how delighted I was to find out that the main characters of this book were in their 70s? Joy and Stan Delaney were both such strong characters (and so were the Delaney kids - Amy, Logan, Troy and Brooke). Each had distinct personality, strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the book, I couldn’t help but falling in love with all of them.

This entire book was about the Delaneys; what they did right, what they did wrong, and what happened leading up to Joy’s disappearance. So it was only natural to ‘see’ the events unfolding multiple times from the point of views of the four children. With this kind of storytelling formula, sometimes it could significantly slow down the pace and readers might lose interest. However, Moriarty did this very creative approach where those chapters were written from the perspective of ‘nobodies’, i.e. non-characters/passerby’s in the story - it still slowed down the pace in some places, but it was unique enough to keep me interested in turning the pages.

I would recommend this book highly to those who enjoyed Big Little Lies. In my opinion, the style of this book was more similar to it than the other Moriarty books, such as Nine Perfect Strangers, What Alice Forgot, etc.

It was such a wonderful reading experience!

(Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan Australia for a free copy in exchange for an honest review)

See my bookstagram review. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2021 Janine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: net-galley, for-review

Meet the Delaney family - Stan and Joy for years ran a very successful Tennis academy which produced a champion in Harry. Their four children also were tennis players but not as successful as Harry went on to become. Its been a while and they have sold their business and happy to retire but one night there is a knock at the door and a young girl is there with a head injury. Joy takes Savannah under her wing and welcomes her into their home for shelter, and into their lives. Savannah becomes almo ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2022 John rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Like most of Liane Moriarty’s novels, ‘Apples Never Fall’ is a compelling novel that makes you want to keep reading (even well into the early hours) to find out how the core mystery will be resolved. Her use of alternating between the past and present is a very effective tool. Likewise, her characters are believable and interesting.

BUT I was unimpressed with how the book ended (which I will not give away). I honestly felt a bit cheated and think that the book could have gone in a different direc ...more

Like · see review

Aug 23, 2021 Cathy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this book prior to publication. I am a really big fan of Liane Moriarty and this book did not disappoint.
It was an engrossing read to discover the Delaney family. Stan and his wife Joy and their four adult children Amy, Logan, Troy and Brooke. Tennis is at the core of their family. They all played and Stan and Joy have just sold their tennis school. One day though Joy disappears and suspicions arise as to what has happened to her, as it is complete ...more

Like · see review

Apr 14, 2022 Karen rated it liked it · review of another edition

A good read as usual from this author. Former tennis coaches Joy and Stan Delaney have sold their tennis school and are retired. They have 4 adult children, who are busy with their own lives. Joy has disappeared, and no one has any idea where she could have gone. It is unusual she has not told anyone she was going away. She sent a text message to her children but it does not make sense. Suspicions fall on a young woman who turned up on their doorstep the year before, Savannah. She told lies abou ...more

Like · see review