Alright folks, grab your emotional tennis rackets, because I’m about to serve up my review of a real whopper: Apples Never Fall. If you’re into family secrets so juicy they might stain your white shirt, mysterious disappearances, and siblings who argue more than my friends on board game night, then you’re in the right place. This review will hit all the big things you want to know—characters, pacing, twisty plots, and whether ambition and tennis mix any better than peanut butter and pickles. Game on!
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty: A Quick Peek
In a nutsheel
Apples Never Fall is a twisty family drama from bestselling author Liane Moriarty. This book mixes mystery with a good helping of real-life tension. The story spins around the Delaney family, a bunch who love tennis almost as much as they love making things complicated. When the mother, Joy, goes missing, every family secret starts surfacing like my socks after laundry day.
You’ll find themes like trust, ambition, sibling rivalry, and the messiness of family life. It’s not just about finding out what happened—it’s about seeing how everyone handles the pressure. If you like books that mash up a bit of suspense with some good old family drama, this one serves it right up. And don’t worry, no tennis skills needed to keep up!
The Juicy World of Family Secrets & Drama in ‘Apples Never Fall’
Family secrets and drama are like that one stubborn apple that never quite lets go of the tree. In Liane Moriarty’s Apples Never Fall, the Delaney family is a prime example. They look normal enough at first glance: tennis-loving, a bit too competitive, and just as awkward as anyone at Thanksgiving dinner. But let me tell you, this bunch carries more hidden baggage than my aunt Maureen’s purse at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The secrets in this story are like onions or, since we’re in apple country, like a bushel of Granny Smiths—layer after layer of surprise. I was reading with my own family, and we all started to think about what weird things we might be hiding from each other. (Nobody confessed to eating the last donut, but grandma did hint at a mysterious trip to Vegas.)
I have to say, Moriarty does a good job of dropping hints while keeping us guessing. Sometimes the drama feels a little much, as if the Delaneys are auditioning for a soap opera. But hey, that’s half the fun. The secrets never felt cheap or out of place—they fit right in with those awkward, too-honest family talks we all dread.
Even if you think your own family is dull, just remember: everyone has apples that refuse to fall. Next, let’s peel back the skin and look at how these characters bump and bruise against each other in their tangled relationships!
Character Relationships and Dynamics in ‘Apples Never Fall’
You know, reading ‘Apples Never Fall’ often felt like sitting at a packed family dinner, except at this table everyone has a different flavor of drama on their plate. Liane Moriarty has this way of making me feel like I’ve been adopted by the Delaney family, which is honestly sort of scary but also fun. The parents, Stan and Joy, run this tennis academy that seems more like a pressure cooker. Their four grown kids? Well, they are the real wildcards here.
What’s cool is that the siblings act just like, well, siblings do in real life. There’s messy love, sibling rivalry, and yes, a little bit of ‘who stole my pudding from the fridge’ energy. Amy is all over the place, Troy has issues that would fill a whole therapy office, Logan is the supposedly chill one (but just wait), and Brooke can’t seem to sort her life out no matter how many spreadsheets she makes. Each of them brings their own baggage—possibly enough for an entire airport carousel. I loved how Moriarty makes them real. Their fights and hugs never feel fake. My friends and I actually started guessing which Delaney we each were (I claimed Logan, for the sake of my blood pressure).
If you love stories where family ties are both comforting and suffocating, you’ll get a kick out of reading this book. Now, tie your shoelaces and grab a snack—next up, I’ll chat about the book’s pacing and plot twists (spoiler: hold onto your apples).
Pacing and Plot Twists in ‘Apples Never Fall’
If you like your books with a little suspense and a lot of “wait, what just happened?”, then Apples Never Fall will be right up your alley. The pacing in this book is like a game of Red Light, Green Light. Sometimes it barrels ahead, and sometimes it just stops out of nowhere. I used to read a chapter over coffee, and at times, I’d get so hooked I’d forget to eat my toast (unforgivable, but true).
Now, the plot twists. Oh boy. Author Liane Moriarty brings a basket of surprises. Just when I thought I had everything sorted out—who did what, why everyone was sulking—bam! She throws in a new curveball. I caught myself sitting up in bed, whispering, “No way,” at least three times. She’s sneaky with her clues. Some twists hit like a dropped apple (ouch), while a few felt a bit far-fetched. There was one in particular that made me roll my eyes so hard I saw my bookshelf. But hey, that’s half the fun. Not every twist is a slam dunk, but most of them keep you guessing and flipping pages faster than I flip pancakes on Sunday.
The book jumps between timeframes, which can be a bit confusing if you don’t keep your wits about you. Stick with it, though—the reward is a juicy plot that keeps on giving. Next up, get ready to put on your tennis whites and chase your dreams as we talk about tennis and personal ambition. Spoiler: I’m better at reading about tennis than playing it.
Tennis and Personal Ambition in Apples Never Fall: Game, Set, Life
Let’s have a chat about tennis. Yes, the actual sport with fuzzy yellow balls. In Apples Never Fall, tennis is not just a hobby or a filler between plot twists. It is the heartbeat of the Delaney family. These folks eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with their rackets basically glued to their hands. I play a little tennis myself (badly, let’s be real), but after reading about the Delaneys, I can confirm: I have the reflexes of an elderly cat compared to these people.
The book uses tennis as a sneaky metaphor for personal ambition. Each family member wrestles with their own version of winning and losing, both on the court and off. The parents are former coaches, and you can tell their kids spent more time practicing backhands than watching cartoons. Sometimes their drive is inspiring. Sometimes it is the reason everyone in the house wants to throw apples (or tennis balls) at each other. Ambition here is a double-edged sword. It brings the family together, but also drives some pretty big wedges between them. I once tried to coach my nephew in ping pong—we didn’t speak for a week after. I get it, Delaneys.
If you love stories where sports are more than sports—where ambition, pride, and family drama do laps around each other—then Apples Never Fall is worth picking up. Not every serve lands, but the game is entertaining enough that I’d still recommend this book. Just don’t expect it to improve your actual tennis game.
Conclusion
Alright, that’s the end of my review for Apples Never Fall. Liane Moriarty gives us a family drama stuffed with secrets, tennis rackets, and plenty of arguments you probably don’t want at your next reunion. The book has strong characters and keeps you guessing, but sometimes the story does zigzag all over like my old dog chasing squirrels. If you love messy families and mysteries that don’t hand you all the answers, you’ll have a good time here. Just don’t expect to finish it in one quick sitting. Thanks for sticking with me through it all—now go read, and try not to start a tennis match in your living room.
