This book held so much promise. The plot sounded clever, the characters intriguing and, of course, Liane Moriarty’s fabulous writing skills. And yet … it was all right. It didn’t dazzle. I found it fell a little flat, to be honest. Although there are a number of characters at the heart of the story, we get to see some more clearly than others. I felt like nothing was really gone into too deeply. Lots of subjects were skimmed over.

Then, there is the plot itself. The section where the guests are in the ‘therapeutic room’ went on unnecessarily long. I started to get somewhat bored. And I hate to say that because I’m a huge fan of Liane Moriarty. So, yeah, I was disappointed.

But it wasn’t all bad. I loved the characterisation in Masha. She is very well written. Her unravelling is brilliant. I also loved the ending where the narrator tells us what happens to everyone. I love the, “Readers, she didn’t marry him.” That made me laugh.

All in all, I enjoyed this book in the main, but it wasn’t as good as I was expecting.

A summertime read on the beach with a cold cocktail or two at hand.

The humour. There was a lot of humour, and, mostly, it worked. It was amusing, not hilarious. I also loved the character Masha. She was brilliantly unhinged.

The lack of purpose for the plot. These nine people are thrown together, each with their own issues they need to deal with. Although the issues are addressed, it doesn't feel like any of them are the real point of the plot. And, no, I didn't feel like the collective woes worked well enough to be called the point of the story. There was no main character, though Frances could arguably be called that, and I felt the story was lacking because of that.

Read a good thriller.

Disappointed. Amused. Flat.

Liane Moriarty.

It is an easy, fast read.

It left me wanting something more. It fell a little flat.

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Created Jul 15, 2022 at 5:29am • Submit your own review...