Reading Liane Moriarty’s new book was a bit like meeting with an old friend, realising how much you missed them! The wit, the humour, the quirky characters, the wonderful flow of the story is again playing part in this novel as in all Moriarty books, but I didn’t love this book as much as I loved some of Moriarty’s other work like Big Little Lies or What Alice Forgot.

In this novel that’s basically takes place in a few weeks, we follow a group of strangers who arrive to a retreat in a luxury hotel. All these people have their own problems, some more on the surface, some hidden in depths of time. Frances, the menopausal and extremely funny romance writer is kind of the main character. There is a young and handsome couple who seem to be extremely rich, a distraught looking family of three, an unhealthy looking old man, a very handsome divorce lawyer, and Carmel, a mum of 2, obsessing with her weight… While the strangers expect to relax, lose weight or step towards being healthy in this luxurious resort, the hotel’s owner Masha has her own agenda!

“Men often used that phrase: “drop some weight.” They said it without shame or emotion, as if the weight were an object they could easily put down when they chose. Women said they needed to “lose weight,” with their eyes down, as if the extra weight was part of them, a terrible sin they’d committed.”

I love the way Moriarty writes. I really enjoyed the first half of this book. But in the second half I was kind of wondering how many tragedies can fit in 9 strangers? I think the number of characters and their troubles had me feeling that there was too much going on in the book. I find the ending  a bit abrupt as well. A Moriarty book is still a good read though! And I cannot wait to watch the TV series which will be made out of this book!

For me the highlight of this book is Frances, she’s a super fun and unforgettable character. I wish I had a friend like her ❤