My review of another mainstream book I picked up, my curiosity having been sparked by Amazon turning it into a TV series
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane MoriartyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Frances is the author of nineteen romance novels, but she’s twice divorced and had just been duped by an internet scammer. She wants to make some changes in her life – including losing a little weight here and there – so she has booked into a health and wellness retreat for a 10-day ‘cleanse’ that promises to ‘change her life’.
One of a group of nine, which includes a family struggling to deal with emotional issues, a lottery-winning young couple being torn apart by their unexpected wealth, plus some singles with their own varied issues, they put their lives in the hands of Masha, who promises they will leave the retreat as ‘different people’.
Not wishing to give any spoilers, as a large part of the enjoyment of this book is in discovering the secrets each individual is hiding, including Masha, I will say that for me this went in a totally unforeseen direction, and I was left amused and satisfied by the irony of the endings for each of the nine. Different? Definitely. Quite what they were expecting? Not so much.
I really enjoyed the writing. I hadn’t passed page 1, before this description made me smile: ‘She wore a tailored business suit like a punishment, the jacket uncomfortably tight across her shoulders’. My only surprise was the over-abundance of exclamation marks! Frequently several to a page! After a while, I got used to them, I just found them unnecessary and a little distracting.
Overall, an enjoyable, if somewhat unrealistic, read.
View all my reviews
I see a rake of recent 1* reviews, largely based on how unbelievable the second half is. I can understand that – I had a fair few ‘Oh get real!’ moments, but it didn’t destroy my enjoyment – as a reader of SFF I’m well used to suspending disbelief!
Have you read it, or seen the series on Amazon Prime? What did you think?
deborahjay 
I have to say, I loved the people in this book. The plot was a bit thin, but wow–the characters were awesome. I see very little television, so I most likely won’t see the show, but I am curious to see how the characters are portrayed and who is chosen to play them. I was quite disappointed with the way Matrim is written for the Wheel of Time Series, as he is not true to the book. Still, I now have a grandson named Matrim, so there you go. Hopefully, Yao will be played the way he is!
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I agree, the characters were what made the book for me, especially Frances, because she’s an author! I’m not sure if I want to see the series or not.
Wheel of Time is one I’ve managed, somehow, not to read, so the TV adaptation is all I know, but I’m going to delve into the books soon, as I really enjoyed the world building. I fear it may destroy my enjoyment of the series.
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I love your reviews, Deborah. They’re always so real. 1 star reviews–you wonder why people spend the time! Well, I did it once… twice… OK, I get it now.
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Thanks Jacqui.
I find it hard to get my head around giving a 1 star review – if I hate a book that much, I don’t bother finishing it. If I’ve managed to finish it, I feel it’s worth a 3 star even with its faults.
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I started watching the television series, Deborah, but didn’t stick with it. I’m glad the book held your attention. Interesting note about the exclamation points! Lol. Thanks for the review and recommendation. 🙂 Have a lovely week.
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Interesting. You are the first person I know who has tried the TV version – I don’t think I will bother with it now I know the ending.
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Books are usually so much better anyway. The show wasn’t bad; it just didn’t seem to go anywhere. Great cast though. 🙂
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I can believe that – the story is very slow to go anywhere in the book too, it’s the characters that keep you reading.
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Hmmm. Maybe I should go back and give the show more time. Lol.
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At least you can do that with streaming these days. When it eventually kicks off it gets truly crazy very fast, but of course I don’t know how they will have translated that to the screen.
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Great review Deb. I did see the series on Prime. As I’m a diehard once I get invested, but as some have said here, the plot was thin. I’m going to think the book was better than the series. And Nicole Kidman played very weird Masha, lol. 🙂 xx
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Ooh, I can imagine she would!
It’s definitely one of those books where you read it to find out more about the characters, who are all hiding at least one thing, and not the plot, which is a little fantastical even for this fantasy author!
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You nailed it. There’s no real plot, all character driven 🙂
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That’s why I’m surprised the book is such a big seller. That, and the over-abundance of exclamation marks!!!
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I suppose many are interested in other people’s lives and problems 🙂
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I know I was!
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