Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsA lot to unpack
Reviewed in Australia on 27 January 2022
This was my first Liane Moriarty book. It was different than I thought, a little more intense on one hand and yet sometimes the conversation was boring / ordinary. I did enjoy it though and couldn’t stop reading to see what happened with the characters. There was definitely a lot to unpack with all the different storylines and characters and crossovers. Occasionally (especially at the beginning) I found it chopping and changing so much it was hard to keep track of who was who and what was going on. However once you get it into it, it wasn’t bad.
I guessed the secret fairly early though Moriarty did a good job trying to throw me off. Occasionally I got a bit bored by the banal conversation / thinking, however pushing through that I enjoyed the story.
Lots of characters and subplots that connect together as the story goes on and all culminate in a shared ending though obviously with different outcomes for everyone. I didn’t really feel satisfied at the end or that everything wrapped up fully, though I understand they were real and flawed characters and it was meant to leave you thinking. I didn’t overly love the ending for Tess, Liam and Will and particularly felt that not everything got wrapped up there though I know I am being finicky but even little stuff like Liam’s schooling, their agency and the plane hand holding etc. I think if something is introduced to the reader it needs to be wrapped up. Also I liked Tess so was disappointed with her ending.
I liked the sliding doors epilogue to give you ideas of what else could have been.
I did feel that Janie’s ending was flawed, considering she had a doctors appointment, I think that would have been investigated more.
A good read though with lots to unpack.
