“She found that the less she thought, the more often she found simple truths appearing right in front of her.”
Suppose you’re a fan of Liane Moriarty’s Apples Never Fall. In that case, you’re likely a fan of books that delve deep into family dynamics, uncover buried secrets and deliver twists that keep you guessing until the final page. Moriarty has become renowned for weaving intricate plots around seemingly ordinary lives, bringing out the drama, mystery and heartache lurking beneath the surface. Apples Never Fall combines the complexity of familial bonds with the suspense of a gripping whodunnit, leaving readers hooked from start to finish. But, where do you go after finishing a book like this? Thankfully, we here at What We Reading have you covered with this list of books like Apples Never Fall! From fractured families, and relationships under pressure to jaw-dropping mysteries being revealed, these are the domestic thrillers and nuanced dramas you need to read if you loved Liane Moriarty’s novel!
Nine Perfect Strangers – Liane Moriarty
First up on our list of books like Apples Never Fall is another one of Liane Moriarty’s best works, Nine Perfect Strangers. Frances Welty is a formerly bestselling romance novelist who arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart and an exquisitely painful paper cut. Immediately, she is intrigued by her fellow guests. Despite Tranquillum being known as a luxurious spot for mindfulness and meditation, none of them look in need of a health resort whatsoever.
But the person who intrigues her most of all is the strange and charismatic owner of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was looking for? Should Frances put aside her lingering doubts and immerse herself in all the estate has to offer – or should she run while she still can? It isn’t long before every guest at Tranquillum finds herself reckoning with the same dilemma.
The Paper Palace – Miranda Cowley Heller
It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother awakens at the ‘Paper Palace – the family retreat she has visited every summer of her life. However, this morning is different. The night before, Elle and her oldest friend, Jonas, snuck out of the back door into the darkness and slept together, all whilst their spouses socialised inside.
Over the next twenty-four hours, Elle is forced to grapple with the impossible choice between the life she has made with her beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have with her childhood love, Jonas. Like Apples Never Fall, Miranda Cowley Heller’s The Paper Palace examines complex family dynamics and the tensions between desire and dignity.
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng
Similar to Apples Never Fall, Little Fires Everywhere is a compelling exploration of identity, family dynamics and the collision between conformity and individuality. Set in the suburban community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, the story centres around the Richardson family, who live a meticulously ordered life within this seemingly idyllic neighbourhood. Their lives soon intersect with Mia Warren, an independent artist, and her daughter, Pearl, who rent a small house owned by the Richardsons.
As the two families grow closer, their differences in values and choices are soon brought to the surface as a custody battle rocks the community. Suspicious of Mia and her motivations, Elena Richardson sets out to uncover the dark secrets from her new tenants’ past.
Check Out The Best Books Like Little Fires Everywhere
Not A Happy Family – Shari Lapena
Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to call home. You need to be affluent to afford a house there. And they don’t often come richer than Fred and Sheila Merton. Yet, all the money in the world isn’t enough to protect them when a killer comes calling. The Mertons are brutally murdered the night after an Easter Dinner party with their three adult children. Naturally, all the kids are devastated.
But, are they really? Each of the children is now set to inherit millions in the wake of their parents’ death. Did one of them snap after a dreadful evening spent with their capricious mother and neglectful mother? Or was it someone else who snuck in during the night to commit this heinous crime? A gripping whodunnit like Apples Never Fall, Shari Lapena’s Not a Happy Family is a dark and twisted tale of family secrets and betrayal.
A Good Neighborhood – Therese Anne Fowler
In A Good Neighborhood, Therese Anne Fowler crafts a thought-provoking story set in the idyllic suburban neighbourhood of Oak Knoll, where appearances and realities clash. The novel orbits around Valerie Alston-Holt, a widowed professor and environmentalist, and her biracial son, Xavier. Their quiet life together is upended when the wealthy and ambitious Whitman family move in next door to them, building an obstructively large home that disrupts the community’s harmony.
As tensions between the families rise over a property dispute, a forbidden relationship develops between their children, complicating matters even further. One of the best books like Apples Never Fall, A Good Neighborhood is both a heartfelt family drama and a searing critique of societal divides.
The Mother-In-Law – Sally Hepworth
Sally Hepworth’s The Mother-in-Law is a gripping domestic drama that delves into the complexities of family relationships and the secrets people keep. The story centres on Lucy, who has always longed for a relationship with her mother-in-law, Diana – a poised, charitable woman who has always maintained a cool and distant demeanour. Despite Lucy’s best efforts to bridge the gap between them, their relationship has always been strained.
When Diana is discovered dead in what appears to be a shocking suicide, revelations come to light suggesting that someone altogether more sinister may have occurred. Told from alternating perspectives and timelines, The Mother-in-Law charts the intricate dynamics between Lucy and Diana, uncovering hidden truths and unspoken tensions.
The Nest – Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
On a wintry afternoon in New York City, Melody, Beatrice and Jack Plumb come together to confront their reckless older brother, Leo, who has just been released from rehab. Leo’s erratic behaviour has endangered the Plumbs’ joint trust fund, or ‘The Nest’, as they call it. The four siblings are all at different points in their lives, but all believe that the funds are their tickets to solving a wide array of self-inflicted problems and their consequences.
As the siblings grapple with lingering family tensions, old histories and the significant emotional and financial cost of a tragic accident that led to Leo’s stay in rehab, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney constructs a stunning story similar to Apples Never Fall that explores what money does to relationships as well as the fraught but unbreakable ties we all have to our families in The Nest.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
