Liane Moriarty’s Apples Never Fall Book Review

I didn’t really enjoy my last Liane Moriarty books, but the idea of Apples Never Fall intrigued me. There’s also the fact that Peacock recently released a mini series based off the book. I always like to read a book before I watch the movie or television series, so I decided to read this book recently in anticipation of watching the show.

Although it wasn’t as bad as Nine Perfect Strangers, I did have some issues with the story. But there were also some things I enjoyed. The thing about Liane Moriarty books is that they’re so damn long and there are so many twists. You may feel one way at one point, but your opinion might complete change in 20 pages.

So keep reading for my full Apples Never Fall book review, because I have a lot of thoughts. And if like today’s book discussion, you can read more of my reviews here.

What is the story behind Apples Never Fall?

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. (from Amazon.com)

Who is Liane Moriarty?

Liane Moriarty is an author from Australia. She’s written many books but might be best known for Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, which were both on the New York Times Bestseller list. Moriarty’s books often feature complex characters who are dealing with serious and troubling situations in their daily lives. Through her writing she really gets into the characters’ psyches. She also alternates between the past and present day to tell the story which is helpful in better understanding the characters and their motives.

Some of her other novels include What Alice Forgot, The Husband’s Secret, The Hypnotist’s Love Story, Truly Madly Guilty, and more. Apples Never fall is her latest novel which was released in 2021.

What are the kids names in Apples Never Fall?

Stan and Joy Delaney have four children in Apples Never Fall. They have two daughters named Amy and Brooke. They also have two sons named Troy and Logan.

What did I Like about Apples Never Fall?

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this review, there were things that I liked and there were things that I didn’t like. It’s a long book and a twisty read, so I had a lot of feelings throughout. So here are some of the things that I did like about this story.

• I always enjoy a good family drama. In a way it kind of reminded me of my real life family, with retirement age parents and grown children that are still trying to figure things out. All of the characters were flawed in different ways which made it feel very realistic.
• This story was funny at times. The way that the siblings sometimes squabbled with each other. The way that Joy wanted so desperately for a grandchild. Amy’s whole situationship with her younger male roommate. It was so funny how Amy was known as the wacky sibling and everybody remembered her for making friends with her uber drivers. And even Savannah made me laugh at times with her obvious manipulation of the Delaney family.
• Having the Delaney’s be a tennis family was such a interesting idea. I loved all of the backstory behind Stan and Joy’s local tennis school and how all of their kids grew up on the court. The fact that all of the kids had different memories of their tennis experiences definitely tracked. My siblings and I all have VERY different memories about our childhoods as well.
• The story touches on the fact that Joy may have buried feelings about gibing up her future career as a tennis player for Stan and their family. And I feel like that’s a very relatable thing because many women put their careers and future on hold when they start a family and are raising the children. I can’t even imagine how exhausting it would be to have 4 kids!

What I Didn’t Like about Apples Never Fall

• First of all, I felt this way about Nine Perfect Strangers and I felt this way about Apples Never Fall. These books are just way too long. The premise is interesting but there’s definitely some editing that could be done to make the story more succinct.
• Joy Delaney felt way too trusting. I mean, this book came out in 2021 so not that long ago. I understand that she wanted to help a victim of domestic abuse but it felt a little unrealistic that she would just let a mysterious young woman into her home indefinitely.
• The whole investigation process was a mess. The police investigators did not really seem to be doing a good job. Sigh. I don’t know how Australian policy systems work but it just felt mishandled.

The Mystery

Although it was revealed in a slow and meandering way, I did enjoy the mystery of this story. Joy was having a hard time in her life so when she bonded with Savannah, it made sense. She just needed a friend to have fun with and as a sneaky person, Savannah knew that and was able to manipulate that. It was an easy task for her. So Joy’s disappearance was a huge shock for her family, and of course they came to the conclusion with Savannah missing, that Stan must have done something to her.

I liked how the story flipped back and forth between the investigation in present time and the previous September, when Savannah first entered the lives of Joy and Stan Delaney. It really made sense for Stan to be the primary suspect because he had no alibi. There were a lot of things working against him.

The Ending

I am very meh about the ending. After investing so much time into this book, I expected something better. And I felt that way about Nine Perfect Strangers too. There’s a whole lot of build up for a mystery but at the very end, you’re just like ok… I guess this is it. In the final chapter I realized that this book just wasn’t the juicy tale that I wanted it to be.

Is Apples Never Fall a Good Book?

I probably wouldn’t call it a good book, but instead describe it as an average book. I’m looking forward to checking out the Apples Never Fall television series on Peacock to see how it compares.

Discussion of Mental Health

Although I had trouble telling Logan and Troy apart, I felt that the rest of the characters were very developed. Liane Moriarty touches on mental health with Amy’s character. And as the story progressed, Joy suspected different illnesses that Savannah may have had. Joy is a very caring mother and just wants to help so I appreciated how compassionate and sympathetic she was to Savannah once she started discovering her true personality, and personal issues.

In Conclusion

Is Apples Never Fall a Good Book? Eh, probably not. But it is an average one. If you are in an airport or on vacation and have nothing else to read, I think it’s a book that many people would enjoy. I don’t know if I’d recommend it to my friends though. It’s just so long and while the mystery does make it a page turner because you want to find out what happens next, the payout in the end just isn’t worth it.

I hope I was fair in my review! My goal is to never bash a book or an author, but to be honest and share the good and the bad of every story.

But wait, there’s More!

If you enjoyed today’s book discussion, you can read more of my review here.