Ok, so I have to say it took me way too long to finish Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. Not because it wasn’t good, because throughout the whole thing I would have told you it was. It was hard to read. It was very slow going, and that is unusual for me to run across in a book. If I find a book that’s difficult to read, I will usually just quit reading it and move on.
This book was different. Even though reading it felt like slogging through mud, it was good enough that I didn’t want to give up on it. I finally just finished it today, and I will admit that it was a good book overall.
Will I read it again? Doubtful. But I was glad for the experience of reading it simply to say I was able to make it through the entire book.
Frances, our main character I guess you could say, is a romance author. She is 56, and just got her first truly bad review on her latest book. It hits her harder than usual, so her publisher advises her to visit a “health retreat” for 10 days. So, along with 8 other people, Frances sets out on the journey that will supposedly change her life. The retreat, “Tranquillim House,” has received rave reviews, and the lady that runs it, Masha, truly seems to want to help.
The problem that I had with this type of book, is that in order to give the viewpoints of all the guests, instead of just our protagonist, each chapter gives the viewpoint of a different guest. This makes it hard to keep everything intact in my head. I frequently got confused about who I was reading.
Each guest is at Tranquillim House for a different reason, but Masha’s approach seems a bit “across the board.” She ends up giving each of them LSD, without their consent. This, honestly, is where the story begins to pick up a bit. Each guest has a different reaction to the drugs, and because of this, they are able to relate to each other in a new way. I won’t get too much into detail here, because honestly this is where the twists and turns happen, so I don’t want to ruin your experience. It definitely has a few surprises I wasn’t expecting, and a few I was.
I will say this: I’m glad Frances stopped complaining about her paper cut.
Have you read Nine Perfect Strangers? What did you think? Let me know below!
Update: Nine Perfect Strangers is now a Hulu Original, and I still haven’t watched it. Once I do, if I ever do, I’ll update again and let you know what I thought.
If you enjoyed this review, I would love for you to share with your friends on social media, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a post!
Until Next Time, Friends!
