Liane Moriarty is the author of the bestselling Big Little Lies and a number of other novels that fit into that easy, holiday reading category.

This is on my #20BooksofSummer23 list of titles taking up space on the bookshelf, and was in the category of ‘Other People’s Reads’, books passed on to me. This one is a hardback, I got to it early because it takes up almost three times as much space as many other good books I want on the shelf!

Nine people attend a remote health spa, somewhere north of Sydney, Australia. They have all responded to an enticing promotional offer to change their lives in ten days, so we get to know each of the characters and their backstory that lead them to want to do so (even though some instantly regret it once they’ve paid).

The novel opens in a corporate work environment, where an overworked, demanding woman is having some kind of attack, setting up an element of intrigue in the minds of readers, as it seems unrelated to the events that follow.

A romance novelist Frances, is one of the guests who thought it was a good idea to sign up at the time, well, she was coming of the back of a duplicitous online relationship, that she couldn’t believe she fell for, and now has the feeling she might have too impulsive, yet again…

The TripAdvisor reviews of Tranquillum House, which she’d looked at after she’d paid her nonrefundable fee, had been noticeably mixed. It was either the best, most incredible experience people had ever had, they wished they could give it more than five stars, they were evangelical about the food, the hot springs, the staff, or it was the worst experience of their entire lives, there was talk of legal action, post-traumatic stress, and dire warnings of “enter at your own peril”.

The owner of the retreat centre has decided to change things up a little, disappointed to discover that a good proportion of those who had attended in the past, looked as unhealthy on their 2nd or 3rd visits, as they had on their first. It’s clear that Masha has something in mind that might go beyond what this new batch of residents expects. There are some serious boundary issues about to be breached.

It’s an entertaining, light hearted read, with plenty of humorous elements, with the plot neatly tied up. It reads a little like a television series, with its episodic nature and cast of characters, but the interaction between the different personalities is also what keeps the pace humming along.

There is something a little sad about the way it inevitably mocks a well intended industry that didn’t sit comfortably with me, but it’s not a novel that’s going to stay with me for long, so I’ll let that one go.

Ideal holiday read, unless you are going on a well-being retreat.