By Liane Moriarty

Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Community Rating: 4.24

Genre: Psycho Thriller

Publication Date: July 29th 2014

Format Read: Paperback

Triggers: Anxiety, Domestic Abuse, Bullying

Goodreads Summary: Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:

Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).

Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.

New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive. 

Overview

If you read my post last week you know I absolutely love Liane Moriarty. If you like her books, or any psycho thrillers, then you should read this Book. Absolutely 100%. It will go on the list of one of my favorite books of all time without a doubt. It had all of the elements of a perfect mystery– relatable characters, unfolding plot points that all linked together perfectly, and a big reveal that you were waiting for the entire time, but didn’t predict.

Characters

There were so many powerful women in this book, and all of them had detailed backgrounds and story lines. Moriarty did an incredible job developing everyone, and making them truly come to life on the page.

Jane is a single mom struggling to make a living and raise her son, with a secret past that troubles her through today. She’s young for a Mother, and I feel like she’s relatable to a younger audience as well as a mother audience.

Celeste is the mother of a set of twins, and seems to have the perfect life, but she’s struggling. She’s one of the more complicated characters in the novel, and I adored her.

Then there’s Madeline, the bubbly perfect mother who ties everyone’s stories together. She’s struggling with her teenage daughter, and ex-husband.

All of the children are five years old, and even they have their own distinct personalities. All of them are extraordinarily relatable, and the book made me want to be their friends.

Plot

The plot is so multilayered, and yet it all ties together perfectly. First off, there’s a murder at a school function, and then there’s bullying happening at school. The whole book is told in the months leading up to the murder, but at the end of every chapter are police interviews with the mothers and fathers of the school.

The police interviews are one of my favorite parts of the book, because they’re comical but also foreshadow what is to come.

The pacing of the book is on point– it’s never dull, but also there’s so so so much character development on every page. Honestly it’s beautiful.

Summary

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!!! I haven’t read a thriller that left me truly unsure of the ending in a very long time, and I’m so glad that I finally pulled it off my bookshelf and started reading it. If you’re going to read any thriller this year, you absolutely have to read this one. Last year, my favorite was Final Girls, and this year it is for sure Big Little Lies.

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Have you read this book? What did you think? Which Liane Moriarty novel is your favorite? Was the TV show worth watching?