NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Original review written July 31, 2019)

“No one goes home early.”

Okay, I’m interested.

I didn’t really want to read this. The cover is pretty generic, and the plot based around a health resort sounded like I was going to get more of a talking to about how to live my life than an entertaining read. But as my wife read it and fed me more info, it seemed to have more to offer than I expected. And she was right.

I was immediately surprised by the solid characterization happening with each POV chapter. Moriarty nails each personality, and the reactions to what I thought would be a mundane setting make every moment oscillate from relaxed to potentially foreboding.

I want to say it’s not like anything I’ve read before, but I think it leans into genres I don’t normally touch, so I can’t say if it’s the writing or me. There are most likely some real lessons embedded in the fiction, and some legit “transformative” ideas to take away for positively changing your life. I couldn’t help but think about some of them for myself, which is a definite pro for the writing.

As all of the wellness retreat-y stuff comes to a head, things take a left turn. Not an unwelcome one for me, but one that could divide readers and may have stunted its maximum story potential. But for a story I didn’t even plan on reading to begin with, I’m feeling just fine.