I loved this novel. One of the reasons I rounded up to 5 stars is because I know I’ll remember the plotline for a long while (memory longevity factors into my rating). The gate opens easily when Ben enters the ‘correct’ button code. “Just needed a man’s touch”, he says. Ha! I find it really interesting how Liane Moriarty’s brand has become thrillers that aren’t about the horror element, and how aware of that she is. With books like her two last, Big Little Lies and Truly Madly Guilty, she's used the thriller conceit to tell stories about the everyday horror that comes with domesticity and being a woman. I felt like she did this perfectly with Big Little Lies, but that the thriller conceit was ridiculous in Truly Madly Guilty. Here, I think she's truly leaned in to her talents for character development.

But, I must warn you. This book is not like Moriarty’s previous novels, which usually centered around the family unit, providing a taut element of suspense, blended with humor and sarcasm. This novel has the humor, sarcasm and the suspense, but the setting is not at all domestic, as you will see.

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strangers gather around an ultra expensive wellness resort suffer from different issues contain grief, marriage, career problems, addiction, loss, anger management, unhealthy living style, weight issues etc. Will those strangers find what they are looking for in their lives or is something more sinister happening behind the close doors of this place push them escape sooner before it’s too late! Nine people, all from very different walks of life, arrive at Tranquillum House, a highly recommended health resort. Each of them is coping with various life issues, from simple domestic uncertainties, or huge family problems, to marital woes, and weight loss goals. There’s an epilogue, which I ordinarily find to be unnecessary but in this case I appreciated it. There are transformations, although not necessarily the ones the guests expected. Yes, there is a small Complaint Board. You know I didn’t like the one over-the-top scene. But there are three more nits:

I LOVE a good health spa, and the remote Tranquillum House sounded absolutely breathtaking. Nine people sign up for a 10 day visit to achieve a "cleanse" and do a bit of recharging. They have absolutely no idea whats in store for them. Lets just say the rather exotic director, Masha is downright creepy and she might be a bit of control freak. At one point Masha tells her guests, "This is a health resort, not a prison." Hmm...time to worry I'd say!

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A washed up romance novelist, a family broken by tragedy, a has-been football star, a young couple whose marriage is faltering, the wife who has been left for a newer model and the lawyer who has commitment issues. Nine perfect strangers all broken in their own way looking for a make-over, a rejuvenation. Cover: Simply beautiful, natural, effective & purely Moriarty! P.S. - Do you see an outline of a woman’s body on the cover? Frances is a struggling romance novelist going for a weekend away to try and revamp her life after another bad experience with romance.

This book is weird, because it’s sort of a meta-thriller-character-exploration that has no genre and hates genre convention, and what’s perhaps even weirder is that um… this is Liane Moriarty’s brand now. Frances is 52 years old, twice divorced, a romance novelist. Her agent just gave her crappy news. Nobody wants her new book. If you like snarky humor, as I do, then you’ll find much to enjoy here. I appreciate an author who can write subtle satire and I loved the wit of the author and the sly digs into self-important authors, the publishing industry, our obsession with age, appearance and ‘wellness’, and the psycho-babble of some spirituality gurus.

"nieznajomy" in English

There are too many characters, eleven in all. And readers really get to know only two well: fifty-something romance author Frances and twenty-year-old nice-kid Zoe, who become unlikely allies as the spa experience grows weirder and more challenging. This one started out STRONG... ( of course... it's Liane Moriarty), but it didn't stay strong, and frankly, it could've been better. It was okay. Definitely not her best. Overall, this one is a bit of a departure for Liane Moriarty, but her signature style is etched all through the novel. While the plot is just this side of deranged, the story is a compulsive read, perhaps a little overlong, but otherwise compelling and highly engrossing!!

I wasn’t sure where this story was going to go. But.....the way it went was never in my wildest dreams what I imagined.Marsha, the head of Tranquillum an extremely controlling and yet intelligent seeming woman who definitely commands everyone’s attention. She constantly talks to her group of guests, monitoring them often and having individual sessions with them. Ben and Jessica are a young married couple whose relationship has definitely seen better days. All Ben seems to care about is his fancy new sports car (well, it's a Lamborghini, so can you blame him?) while Jessica has spent tons of money on plastic surgery to make herself look better (at least in her eyes), yet her husband doesn't ever tell her how great she looks. They're hoping some marriage counseling might make the difference. Plot: Intriguing, clever, thought-provoking, suspenseful, perfectly-paced, absorbing, enjoyable and highly entertaining. That being said, the payoff truly is excellent. The book ends its chosen arcs with about eight different quality character endings, including but not limited to an amicable marital breakup that subverts expectations, a sendup of romance novels & commentary on the thriller genre that ends one couple’s story, a very sweet coming-to-jesus moment for one couple, and an excellent and very feminist ending for one woman.