Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (★★★★★)
Man, I loved this book so much. It was the kind of book that was so easy to sink into, even if most of the characters weren’t totally likable. There’s Stan and Joy, a married couple settling into their golden years. They’ve retired from their tennis coaching academy, but things are starting to feel a bit stale for them. Their four children are all grown up with their own lives and barely remember to call or come by. Joy’s desperate for a grandchild, but none of her children seem interested in giving her one. And then Joy disappears, and all signs point to Stan’s guilt. Half of the Delaney siblings don’t believe their father had anything to do with their mother’s disappearance, but the other half aren’t so sure. The story takes us back and forth in time: a few months ago when everything was normal but Stan and Joy had a stranger living with them for a while, and then present day when Joy is missing and there’s an investigation into her disappearance. I found the whole story propulsive and just plain fun. I enjoyed this family, even if they are kinda awful, too? It’s hard to explain. But I loved the story very much. (hardcover from Book of the Month, 2021)
Just My Type by Falon Ballard (★★★★☆)
I enjoyed this contemporary romance and bonus: It counted for the “J” category for my A-Z reading challenge! The story is about Lana and Seth, high school sweethearts who broke up during their first semester of college. Seth suddenly shows up at Lana’s job where she’s a dating and relationship columnist for an online magazine. They haven’t seen each other in 12 years and it’s a shock to her system. And then the two of them are pitted against each other in a competition for the magazine, with the winner getting a coveted columnist job. The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites in romance, and this one was excellent. I enjoyed Lana and Seth’s banter, and the way they slowly began to mend fences as they went through their competition together. This story was also a sweet love story to Los Angeles, and I thought the ending was perfection. (library e-book, 2023)
Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi (★★★★☆)
Food has always been Kwame Onwuachi’s great love, and that’s why he has spent his whole life working toward his goal of being a successful restaurant owner. He has competed on Top Chef, opened his own catering company using money he raised selling candy bars on the subway, and even opened a talked-about restaurant in Washington, D.C. that eventually failed in a spectacular fashion. In this memoir, Kwame details his life growing up, including the time he was sent away to live in Nigeria for a few months when he was in sixth grade, which is also where his love for the culinary arts grew. From there, Kwame talks about all the different jobs he juggled as he tried to make his cooking dreams a reality: working as a chef on an offshore drilling rig, working in a kitchen with a toxic work environment, and more. Kwame also touches on a lot of racial issues and how the way he looks has affected his own life and career. I thought this was a well-paced memoir and I learned a lot about a chef I know very little about! (library audiobook, 2019)
What are you reading?
Programming note: I will be taking the month of August off blogging. I’ll still be around, commenting on your blogs and such. I’ll be back on Monday, September 4th!
I really enjoy all of Liane Moriarty’s books. I started reading them after watching ‘Big Little Lies’ on TV. Glad you enjoyed this one, I did too!
I’m listening to ‘Demon Copperhead’ by Barbara Kingsolver, and reading ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ by Betty Smith. Also re-reading ‘The Hours’, by Michael Cunningham. I’m enjoying all of them!
Enjoy your break from blogging!
I’ve read the majority of Moriarty’s work – and I was excited to find out that Apples Never Fall is going to be a miniseries. Big Little Lies was SUCH a good miniseries, so I’m excited to see what this adaptation is like.
I like Liane Moriarty’s writing and characters and plots. I’ve not heard of the other two books, but will look for them. I just started Chemistry Lessons, so I’m never reading the newest. Have a good time not writing blog posts but commenting in August.
I’m not usually reading the latest and greatest books either! I like having a good mix of backlist books and new releases in my stack. 🙂
Oh! A blogging break! I will definitely have to take one of those. Someday! Enjoy your time away!
You will have definitely earned some time off when you’ve finished your blogging project!
Enjoy the time away! I go back and forth between feeling like I don’t have the space for blogging (so I take a bit of time away) and then missing it so much because it’s such a good outlet for me to process life.
I have only read one Moriarty book and loved it and had this one on my e-reader but didn’t get around to reading it before it had to be returned. Boo. Maybe this fall? Right now I am only reading ATGIB because life is just too crazy to fit in reading, sadly. This happens to me every summer so I know I’ll get back on the proverbial horse and read again <3
Same – blogging sometimes feels very overwhelming but I’m already sad I don’t have any blog posts planned for next week. HA. I’m trying to enjoy the time to just relax and not write out my every thought!
I’m sorry that summer is such a busy season that it doesn’t leave time for much reading. But at least you have ATGIB!
I like Liane Moriarty’s books a lot. I began reading them after watching ‘Big Little Lies’ on TV. I’m happy that you enjoyed it too! Currently, I’m listening to ‘Demon Copperhead’ by Barbara Kingsolver and reading ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ by Betty Smith. Additionally, I’m re-reading ‘The Hours’ by Michael Cunningham. I’m enjoying all of them!
I loved Apples Never Fall, in fact, I loved all her books EXCEPT Nine Perfect Strangers.
Enjoy your blog break! I hope it’s restful and restorative and I’ll see you on the other side!
Ooo! I really want to read Apples Never Fall now! That sounds right up my alley!
I think I would really like Just My Type too! Enemies-to-lovers is a fave trope of mine too, I’ve discovered. And I’ve wanted to read more novels set in LA now that I am familiar with it!
I am reading The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.
Enjoy your August off!
I think you would enjoy Apples Never Fall and Just My Type! They were both fun in very different ways, haha.
I read Notes from a Young Black Chef last year and was so impressed by Omuwachi’s hustle and drive.
The only Liane Moriarty book I read was Big Little Lies, which I thought was gripping.
I’m currently reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Keepers of the Lost City.
Hope you have some lovely August adventures! I look forward to reading about them in September!
Big Little Lies was SO GOOD! Did you watch the miniseries on HBO? It was an excellent adaptation.
Enjoy your much-deserved break! Looking forward to more writing in September and thank you for these reviews!
i love all of Liane Moriarty’s books. Apples Never Fall was a good one- maybe not my favorite of hers, but it was still great.
Soon I’ll be done with my summer project of reading the Ender Saga 9Orson Scott Card) and I’m looking forward to reading something else! i have a couple of your books (from your last What I’m Reading post) on my TBR!
I have never read a Moriarty book. Which one would you recommend for starters?