Nicole Kidman recently shared an update on the third season of Big Little Lies . But while fans wait to return to the moody, beautifully soundtracked world of Monterey, another TV adaptation from the same author, Liane Moriarty, is on the way. Yes, twists and turns of deception abound.
" The Apple Never Falls" is adapted from Moriarty's 2021 novel of the same name and revolves around the seemingly idyllic Delaney family: adult children Amy, Troy, Logan and Brooke, and their parent Joey and Stan, who recently retired from running their own tennis academy. The events surrounding Joey's sudden disappearance prompted the family to unearth drama that began in childhood and had lasting effects.
All seven episodes aired on March 14, so you don't have to wait each week to find out how the Delaney family's mysteries unfold. But if you want to know a little bit ahead of time, here’s a breakdown of the book ending and plot summary for The Apple Never Falls .
mysterious tenant
The novel is set in Australia (the show is set in South Florida) and cuts between two timelines: Joy suddenly disappears on Valentine’s Day—she texts her family that she’s going “off the grid,” but they Not Buying It - One day in September, a young woman named Savannah showed up at Delaney's house asking for help.
Savannah explained that she had been hurt by her boyfriend and randomly selected a home as a refuge. Then she moved in indefinitely. While Joy loves her new houseguest (and her cooking), the rest of the family is uneasy as this stranger suddenly blends into their lives within a matter of weeks.
At one point, Savannah even lied and told Trojan that Stan proposed to her - to get money from him to ensure she wouldn't tell Joey. Other issues arose, such as Savannah's story about her boyfriend appearing to be taken verbatim from a news show.
Savannah's secret identity
After catching Stan and Joey snooping for clues, Savannah reveals her true identity: she is the sister of Stan's former student Harry Haddad, who gave up Stan's coaching position and later Become famous. The siblings' parents were divorced, and while their father focused on making Harry a tennis star, their mother forced Savannah to take ballet lessons and deprived her of food.
Savannah is jealous of her brother's treatment, and the Delaneys represent the life she's not allowed to have. As a child, she said, she used to come to their house looking for food because she was hungry. But they were neither helpful nor welcoming. So intervening in their lives and stealing Troy's money was a means of revenge.
The final bombshell? Savannah reveals that Harry didn't leave Delaney School of his own free will. Instead, Joy convinced Harry's father to leave because she wanted Stan to focus on her children, who were budding tennis players in their own right.
Stan sees this as the ultimate betrayal. Savannah left her family behind, but it would be months before her impact was felt. By Christmas, Stan and Joey barely spoke and had a heated argument.
Wait...where's Joey?
The tense situation makes Stan a natural suspect in Joey's disappearance. But what's really going on is much stranger.
On Valentine's Day, Joey and Stan had a big fight and Stan walked out of the house. As he leaves, Joey gets a call from Savannah, who quits the show and wants to apologize. She told Joy she was about to embark on a 21-day off-grid charity retreat, and Joy suggested she tag along.
Well, that's where she goes! It wasn't until the police were about to arrest Dan that Joey returned, surprised by the findings. She explained that she left a note but it fell off the refrigerator and was eaten by the family dog, Steffy, and that she had an "obsession with paper."
The ordeal appears to have had a healing effect on the Delaney family, allowing long-suppressed family secrets to surface so they can move forward in their lives and relationships.
As for Savannah herself? It was revealed that months earlier she had locked her sleeping mother in a room with protein bars, water and a note to "ration it carefully", recreating the treatment she received as a child. It's unclear what happened to her mother. But at the end of the book, Savannah tells a passenger on the plane that her mother plays tennis, indicating that she now sees Joey as part of her family.
