nine perfect strangers | The Audioblog

We’re back with our Book Clubbin’ blog feature where we provide you with some questions that you can take to your next book club meeting and spark some great conversations. Whether your book club is meeting virtually or in-person, these discussion questions are sure to get the conversation going!

Today’s pick is the latest release from Liane Moriarty, author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers. Since both of those titles were widely popular and were adapted into completely addictive TV series (I would know, I’ve binge-watched them both), we just had to jump into Apples Never Fall.

In Apples Never Fall, Stan and Joy Delaney have just sold their tennis academy, all of their children are grown and moved out, and Stan and Joy are ready to start the next chapter of their lives. Then, one night, a stranger shows up on their doorstep covered in blood. The Delaney’s offer her their assistance. Shortly after this, both the stranger and Joy go missing and are presumed to have been killed. Stan is the main suspect. The Delaney’s four children are divided on what they believe happened—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.

If your book club is picking up Apples Never Fall this month and you’re in need of some discussion questions, we’ve got you covered! Keep reading for our discussion questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!—————

1) Would you have offered shelter to Savannah as Joy and Stan did when she showed up on their doorstep?

2) Do you think Stan and the four kids appreciated Joy before she went missing?

3) Why do you think there was such a divide between the kids who believed their father’s innocence and those that did not?

4) Moriarty has said that the mystery part of this book was inspired by the true crime podcasts she’d been listening to. Do you think Joy’s disappearance felt more real because of this?

5) The timeline in the past is told from the perspectives of different family members. Which family member’s point of view did you enjoy listening to the most?

6) According to Stan, none of his kids had what it took to go all the way in tennis. How do you think tennis played a part in the relationship between the Delaney family?

7) Do you wish that Moriarty had spent more time on the mystery aspect of this listen rather than the family dynamics?

8) If Apples Never Fall is made into a TV series like Moriarty’s other books, who do you think each family member would be cast as?

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Title: Nine Perfect Strangers
Author: Liane Moriarty
Narrator: Caroline Lee

How much can 10 days at a remote health resort really change you? Nine perfect strangers are about to find out when they embark on what originally sounds like a dreamy experience. It sounded dreamy to me, at least — but not for long.

In Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers, nine people gather at an Australian resort to lose those last 10 stubborn pounds, revamp their lives, and face their demons head-on. Despite being in a luxurious resort that practically oozes mindfulness and meditation, everyone is expected to put in hard work in order to return home a better version of themselves.

When Frances Welty, a formerly best-selling romance novelist arrives at Tranquillium House, she is suffering from a bad back and a broken heart. The reviews she’s read of the resort are either full of praise or threats to sue the resort for ruining their lives. With a cast of characters that have little in common besides their painful pasts and high hopes of transformation, Nine Perfect Strangers is Liane Moriarty at her best — chock-full of suspense, tension, and unwavering wit.

There’s little I love more than a book that’s so cleverly written that I struggle to press pause, and this book certainly falls into that category. In fact, I was so enthralled in the story that I sat in my driveway for an extra five minutes after my commute home because I needed to finish the chapter I was on.

Caroline Lee does a fantastic job of narrating the story and left me hanging on every word. Her Australian accent made the story more authentic, and her storytelling abilities made this tantalizing listen even more addicting.

Nine Perfect Strangers will make you question every character, relationship, interaction, and motive. Throughout the book, I questioned whether Frances’ doubts were an overreaction or whether she should’ve made a run for it, wondering what I would’ve done if I were in her position. As the characters come to realize, no one truly knows what their lives can be until they are pushed to the brink.

Tag Archives: nine perfect strangers

Book Clubbin’: 8 Discussion Questions for ‘Apples Never Fall’ by Liane Moriarty

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!—————