Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

Book Review

Well this wasn’t quite what I expected…

Reading the description for Apples Never Fall, I expected it to fall into the thriller genre… However, I definitely wouldn’t classify this as a thriller. I would say it’s more of a family drama/character study/mystery. Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed it (as I do most Liane Moriarty books).

Told in dual timelines, Apples Never Fall tells the story of the tennis-loving Delaney family and the strange disappearance of Joy Delaney, the matriarch of the family. After Joy goes missing and her family files a missing person’s report, her four adult children each have their own theories. One involves their father… Another involves the mysterious girl who randomly showed up on their parents doorstep a year prior.

As the story alternates between the present and the previous winter, we see Joy struggling with retirement, boredom and a lack of affection from her husband and children. However, things take an interesting turn for Joy when Savannah shows up on her doorstep bleeding and hungry. Despite never before having met Savannah, Joy and her husband invite her in, clean her up and offer her a place to stay. As Savannah makes herself comfortable in the Delaney’s house, Joy’s children begin to question the stranger’s intentions.

While I wouldn’t necessarily call this a fast-paced story, the author sprinkles plenty of breadcrumbs throughout the story to keep the reader guessing. She also dives deep into the backstories, thoughts, feelings, and struggles of each of the Delaney children, which I found quite interesting.

If you’re a fan of family dramas and/or character-driven stories with a mix of mystery, secrets & lies, I definitely recommend this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

What’s your favorite Liane Moriarty book? My favorite is a three-way tie between Big Little Lies, The Husband’s Secret and What Alice Forgot… all 5-star reads for me!