Book Review: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

I’m not one to get caught up in too many book trends. I tried it once with The Fault in Our Stars, and I let the hype cloud my judgment about the book. Yes, I cried and I loved Gus and Hazel, but I burned out so quickly I didn’t even see the movie when it came out. To this day, I still haven’t seen it. Disclaimer, I do still like John Green’s storytelling and Turtles All the Way Down is top of my reading list. Anyway, I decided then that I wasn’t going to get sucked into big reading trends. That is, until Big Little Lies. There was something about Liane Moriarty’s storytelling that I couldn’t stop thinking about, so I’ve been picking up her books here and there when I need a little funny drama and suspense.

When I first read the synopsis for Nine Perfect Strangers, I knew I would get hooked. I waited for the paperback, supplementing my time with other very good reads (some of hers, of course), and finally it was time. I didn’t want to over-hype this story for myself, and I usually don’t look at reviews prior to reading so as to not skew my thoughts. This was a story with a lot of characters and a lot of secrets. Nobody was going to have their influence on me before I could immerse myself in the drama!

Let’s just say I wasn’t disappointed.

While this story does have quite a few heads you have to get inside, Moriarty did a pretty good job, in my opinion, of differentiating between all these strong personalities. Frances appeared to be the main protagonist, having a few more chapters in her POV, if I’m remembering correctly, but I’m not sure what made her more than the rest of the characters. I thought a lot about her after reading that last page, and I think it was because she was the most honest, in a way. Yes, she had her secrets and denials, but she was always the most blunt, always catching the attention of every other character. She was also maybe the most relatable of them all. She was pretty hilarious and reminded me of my favorite shopaholic, Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood)—you’ll hear about her when I read Sophie Kinsella’s latest.

I will say I expected a murder and was a bit bummed I didn’t get one. But, friends, this is why I always do my best to go into books (and movies) with little to no expectations. I really enjoyed Nine Perfect Strangers even though it didn’t have the aforementioned murder plotline. There was enough wildness to go around, so I didn’t end up missing that plot line too much.

It was slow to build, which, after reading some reviews, wasn’t a favorite among readers. I think it needed a slow burn to delve into these characters, and it made the climactic scenes that much more exciting to read. I was wondering so much what was going to happen, trying to guess the code to the studio padlock, Masha’s secrets, and who was going to crack the most under pressure, and while it wasn’t shocking necessarily, it still felt right. I did feel like I was in Tranquillum House, sweating in the basement right along with everyone (and not just because it was still over 80 in October here).

The ending was satisfying, despite the “bad guy” not really getting their comeuppance. Kind of made me curious about what she got up to next—sequel, anoyone? I loved the melodrama, the slightly predicable romance subplot (thanks, Frances), and the closest thing to closure the Marconi family could get.

4/5 Stars