Nine Perfect Strangers

Not sure where to begin with this review. Don’t want to give too much away. The building of the characters was well done. The story took some strange twists and turns.

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be. Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer—or should she run while she still can? It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.My Thoughts:As Nine Perfect Strangers gather to meditate and deal with their emotional and physical stresses, this reader felt that nothing good could come of this little retreat. After all, none of the guests really know the resort owner/director, and that could be their biggest mistake.Each guest is introduced to the reader with some back story, and we are hoping for good things, in spite of our misgivings.My favorite character was Frances, an author, whose last book was rejected, and her love life has definitely gone bad. She will probably be seeking for something she won’t find here.Masha had so many red flags swirling around her, and the guests did wonder. But perhaps what they see is just the authority she carries with her.I have had this book since 2018, but I eagerly devoured it now because of the upcoming Hulu original series. I am glad I read it.Throughout the tale, we come to know more about each character, but less about Masha, and by the end, we wish they had all done more “due diligence.” A twisted story that left me with more questions than answers, this one earned 4.5 stars.

The characters were interesting, but just get to the point the story dragged in and on

Every time I read a Liane Moriarty book, I think it is my favorite. Then, I read another and it becomes my favorite. She has such a gift for telling improbable stories about improbable characters, sometimes making you laugh, and other times making you cry. This is no different, just enjoy the ride.

Nine people check into a deluxe health resort and spa for various personal reasons. They are promised dramatic results by the resort’s owner, but no one anticipates the morally-questionable things they’ll have to do in order to achieve them. Buckle up, y’all, it’s about to get weird…Our cast of characters:* Frances, a (dare we say, washed up?) former bestselling romance novelist, is feeling frantic and perhaps just slightly too dependent on her daily allotment of wine and chocolate.* Ben and Jessica are a married couple who can’t quite seem to connect after winning a significant sum of money.* Napoleon and Heather, along with their daughter Zoe, are trying to deal with overwhelming grief after a devastating loss.* Carmel is obsessed with her weight after her husband dumped her for a woman half her age.* Tony is a man’s man who’s in a rut. He fully acknowledges that he needs some help—but he’s not exactly thrilled to be at such a frou frou resort.* Lars is a playboy. Also a wellness junkie. He does what he can to keep his body beautiful. You’re welcome.The resort is run by Masha, an eccentric and luminous Eastern European woman who had a wake-up call to wellness in her former life as a business executive. She literally died from a heart attack at her desk and was resuscitated back to life. One of her senior resort assistants, Yao, is the paramedic who brought her back.If this seems like a lot of characters to keep straight, well, it is. Author Liane Moriarty takes pains to develop each of their stories, and it’s a lot of info to absorb. But it’s doable.Each of the characters is unique and appealing in their own way, though not all are created equal. Frances is supposed to be our anchor, our main, and though I warmed up to her over time, she still annoyed me. I wasn’t impressed with almost all of the male characters either. I kept feeling like I was watching them through frosted glass, never fully getting to know them or understand their true motivations—they were mysteries even to themselves. The only exception was Yao. His backstory (and his weird little obsession with Masha) intrigued me.By far, the strongest characters in the book are Heather and Zoe, the grieving mother and daughter—which I guess should come as no surprise. Creating believable and lovable, yet troubled and mysterious female characters is where Moriarty excels. Big Little Lies is the perfect example of that.I had so much hope and expectation for Nine Perfect Strangers. After Big Little Lies, I think we all did. I wouldn’t say that this book is a total disappointment, but it wasn’t all it could have been either. Too many characters and such an outlandish plot meant that the story didn’t hit as deeply as I wanted it to. The book is quirky, fun, and entertaining, yes, but it left me feeling dissatisfied and wanting more. Oh well. I’m still excited for the next one.

This book was great fun. I really enjoyed reading about all the different characters and how things evolved. Is the spa good? Is it bad? How will it end. Great entertaining reading.

I’d heard a lot about this book but went into it without any preconceived notions and enjoyed it! The book spotlights nine people who spend 10 days at a health resort where they receive unconventional treatment by an unconventional woman (no spoilers here but woah). I loved how the author slowly uncovered who each of the characters were, their reasoning for being at the health retreat and their inner dialogues during days of silence and while enduring strange activities and practices. Somehow it was a lively page turner with no dialogue for much of it! I found the book to be dark but humorous for the most part and there were also times of insight as folks had awakenings throughout the process. I would recommend.

I was a bit doubtful going into this because I find when authors have a whole cast of characters, some of them end up being flat or parodies of stereotypes, but I was pleasantly surprised! Not only does each character have an engaging personality and history, they are all well developed and relatable! The story is great and I really enjoyed the balance of light-heartedness with the other heavy moments. Overall it was a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend!

Nine Perfect Strangers truly deserves its status as a best seller. The author's simple yet engaging writing style makes it accessible to readers of all levels. The storyline effortlessly combines intrigue and grip, making it a compelling read. The author's talent shines through, earning this book a solid 5-star rating. I'm eagerly anticipating diving into the author's other works after being thoroughly impressed by this one.

Eine spannende Geschichte bis zum Schluss.

A great bunch of people, all very different from one another... Funny and quite stressful too. Great novel! Can’t wait to watch the movie...

This book was easy to read, it was entertaining, although a bit predictable. I liked the characters, although Jessica is very stereotyped, she could have been made a bit deeper and more interesting. It was a nice, easy read.