Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out…

This was a fantastic Christmas present – a signed edition of the book – which I saved until now to read so that I could really dedicate some time to getting stuck in. I knew once I started reading it I wouldn’t want to stop until I had finished and so it needed to be something I picked up for the weekend.

Firstly, let’s talk about the Moriarty’s. Liane has become much more of a household name since the production of Big Little Lies (season two coming soon!) But did you know that there are FIVE Moriarty sisters? Three are writers – so as well as Liane there is Nicola Moriarty (author of the Fifth Letter) and Jaclyn Moriarty (author of A Corner of White.) Unique in their own ways, each have books that will have you hooked.

Now, on to the book! Nine Perfect Strangers promised to be good from the outset. The description, the hype, the reviews…everything indicated to me that it would be another great read from a Moriarty. And it truly was to begin with. The characters were built up slowly and carefully, little bits of information were dropped in to highlight why they were at the health resort in the first place and what they hoped to get out of it.

As the book progresses, the mystery behind what drives Masha (the owner of the resort) to seek perfection is carefully unravelled. Everything about the start and middle of the book is perfectly Moriarty in style and finesse. It’s just the ending that fell flat for me… I felt that it was rushed. The book is marketed as Psychological thriller but really it’s not.. it’s just wrapped up without any real reason behind it and they journey that the main characters go through to get to the end is just… unjustified. What was the real message throughout all of this…? Was it the little dig towards book reviewers at the end…?!