I picked this up because of the new show... I can tell you this book is nothing like the show.
Rating: 2.5/5
Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever?
These nine perfect strangers are about to find out...
Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.
Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer—or should she run while she still can?
It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.
I picked this up because of the new show that was created based on it. Before starting this, I hadn’t seen it yet, just the trailers. And just from the trailers, I can tell you this book is nothing like the show. Since finishing this book, I’ve now seen the show and I still agree with that initial statement, this book is nothing like the show. It was loosely based on the book. Seeing this was a bit disappointing because the show was really good. Dare I say it… I honestly think the show was better…
I picked this up because of the new show... I can tell you this book is nothing like the show.
The premise is simple enough. We follow nine perfect strangers who arrive at a health resort to transform themselves. Some of them are there to detox, some to lose weight, some to destress and unwind. Each of them has their own reason for being there. Right from the start, this resort seemed off, not being just any resort. It’s got some unorthodox methods of transforming their clients.
From the start, I had no idea what I was reading. It felt like nothing really happens in the entire first half of the book. We’re just bouncing between the characters getting to know them through their thoughts as they spend their days at the resort. I wasn’t bored because some of the characters’ stories were intriguing and I was curious what else might come out. But the pace was painfully slow. It felt like we weren’t going anywhere for most of the book.
From the start, I had no idea what I was reading. It felt like nothing really happens in the entire first half of the book.
I eventually decided to take a break shortly after I started and read others’ reviews of this book to see if it gets better. At this point, I was considering DNF’ing this because I found the pace way too slow. And I found some very mixed reviews. I found several feeling similar to me in terms of the pacing. But I also found a few pointing out that there was a big twist, which also had mixed thoughts on whether it was shocking enough. I decided to hold out for this big twist.
The twist was definitely shocking, for me at least. I literally said “what the fuck” out loud when I got to this part. Luckily I was alone and didn’t receive any weird looks. This twist was extremely unorthodox with what was going on at the resort. It left me confused and disturbed. However, for me, after we pass the initial shock of this big twist, we’re basically back to where we were before the twist. Not a whole lot happens afterward. And then it just sort of ends giving us short little chapters of where our characters end up after they leave the resort. It felt a bit anti-climatic. Honestly, this whole book was very anti-climatic. I expected so much more.
The twist was definitely shocking, for me at least. I literally said “what the fuck” out loud when I got to this part.
This was my first Liane Moriarity book. I had planned to read more of her books, but now I’m a bit wary. I wasn’t very impressed with how this played out. Though there were a handful of “WTF” moments within this. And I am impressed how well it kept me captivated. I mean, I ended up staying up until 3:30 am finishing this book. After I got to the twist, I didn’t want to stop, I wanted to see how it would end. Even though the ending wasn’t all that great.
If you enjoy Contemporary books filled with drama and a little suspense then you might enjoy this one! But if you’re put off by slow pacing, this might not be for you. I will also say, if you’re solely interested in picking this up because of the show, I think you’ll be very disappointed. This is nothing like the show and I honestly would say, you might as well pass on reading this if you’ve already seen the show. Keep reading for my thoughts of the show compared to the book.
Warning! Light Spoilers :)
For the most part, I usually think the book was better. I can count on my fingers the times I’ve said the show or movie was better than the book. Though, I’m slowly running out of fingers. And Nine Perfect Strangers is one of them. I regretfully say, I thought the show was better. I found the show to be much more interesting. There was a lot more interaction between the characters and relationships explored. Plus there was more than one major twist. The pacing wasn’t nearly as slow.
However, there were a lot changes between the show and the book. The only key thing kept from the book was the backgrounds of the characters for the most part, except for the resort owner, Masha. Her background was wildly different. There were some details kept from the book besides the characters and their backgrounds, but even these details were so different from how the appeared in the book. And for the most part, I actually enjoyed the changes more.
I will say though, between both the book and the show, I didn’t love either of them. Though the book was more of a disappointment, I expected much more. And while I enjoyed the show to an extent, I found the whole series to be weird and a bit deranged.