NINE PERFECT STRANGERS might be the most amusing book of Liane Moriarty’s. Not to say that the entire book is funny, but certainly some of the characters are pretty quirky. Nine people, known of whom know each other, set out to go on a ten-day retreat at a health spa, each with their own various reasons of what they hope to attain. There is a sense of mystery about the spa that they have chosen. It is in an odd location, nobody has been there before, and they are not sure what to expect. What they find when they get there is not what they anticipated. At all. The story has all the makings of a reality TV show – who is the weakest link, who is the darling, will the couple be able to sort out their differences, who will be the first couple to lock lips, you get the picture.

Frances Welty, popular romance writer who'd just felt her first rejection, had thought her career and future were assured at fifty-five years of age. The impulsive booking at Tranquillum House, a health and wellness resort (which was expensive), had her questioning her own decisions on the long and tiring drive from Sydney. Her arrival showed her a beautiful old home built in the 1800s, renovated to within an inch of its life, with a staircase reminiscent of the Titanic (in the film with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet; which made Frances smile) – perhaps she might enjoy it after all.Meeting the other eight guests – Carmel, Tony, Lars, Napolean and his wife Heather and daughter Zoe, Jessica and her husband Ben – felt strange. But even stranger was the fact the course started with five days of silence. Not a word to be spoken; no eye contact – five days! Frances knew that would be difficult. Within that period, there were meditation classes, walking, massage therapy, smoothies and meals, plus free time to swim in the luxurious pool. All to be done in silence.But each and every guest had a secret – and who were the people in charge of the resort? Were the guests comfortable with all that was happening to them? Some were – some most definitely weren’t…Nine Perfect Strangers is the latest by Aussie author Liane Moriarty and wow! How different, how intriguing, how bizarre – how fabulous! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and even with it being almost 500 pages, I flew through it. I can see this one being made into a movie – it would be fantastic on the big screen. I have no hesitation in recommending Nine Perfect Strangers highly.

This is the story of Nine Perfect Strangers who get a little more than they bargained for at a wellness retreat. Each person comes for different reasons and they leave with new understandings and even some new connections. Once again, Moriarty’s story and characters take you to places you weren’t quite expecting...

Love Liane Moriarty books!!

Nine guests come to stay at a health resort, each of them having reached a difficult point in life - recovering from divorce or bereavement or career downturn, and/ or simply dealing with the effects of ageing. The health resort is a blend of draconian strictness and blissfully therapeutic - hidden alcohol is confiscated from the guests' luggage, but if you're secretly feeling down about your age, you'll be magically whisked off for a rejuvenating facial. Yet the resort owner has a sinister secret agenda, and the guests must bond together to extricate themselves from some bizarre challenges. Every one of the guests uses this time at the resort to come to terms with the past, reassess their identity and find the strength to face the future.One of the great achievements of this book is the way Moriarty gradually introduces all the characters, so there is no confusion between them. No mean feat when you are dealing with nine guests, and at least 3 members of staff, all flung together.For some reason, this book reminded me of Agatha Christie, with the different characters bonding in an artificial environment. However, there is no real comparison, I'm just curious whether anyone else saw this as well!