I loved this book! The interlocking stories, the wonderful characterization, the drama and tension all made for a great read.

I enjoyed this book and thank Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read it.

With thanks to netgalley and the author

Sadly I didn't download this title in time.

So can't really give a review

I loved this! The way it was written was great and kept me guessing right to the end.
I loved the way the stories unfolded between police investigation and time lapse.
Very clever even if a bit un-nerving as you learn more about the lives of the 5 main characters.
Each one slightly damaged yet loveable. I liked the link between how they meet via their children starting school.

Lots of twists and turns. Kept me interested right until the end. Would read more by the same author.

Big Little Lies is a book I have been curious about for a long time. I’ve heard many good things about both the book and the show, and I was curious to see what all the hype was about. After reading, I certainly understand why so many enjoyed this one. I would not label this a favourite book, but it’s certainly one I found impossible to put down.

There was plenty packed into Big Little Lies, with each detail sucking me in deeper and deeper. There were some elements that were predictable, some details that were never quite given the depth I had expected, yet everything kept me hooked and eager to see the specific way everything would come together. It was a great mystery, one that kept me curious, but it was also much more – it was a story of friendship and life, providing more depth than expected.

Without a doubt, Big Little Lies has left me curious about the author’s other work.

Having watched the TV show, I was intrigued to read the book.

While the show is great, the book, as is often the case, has so much more detail and layers to the plot.

The different location made the dynamic and overall feel of the book rather different to the show.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Having previously seen the series on television, and the sequel, it was quite interesting to read the original book - normally I would do things the other way around. Most fascinating was where it was set, in Australia, and I quite liked the differences, which made it a slightly different story to that portrayed on screen. I think I preferred the book to the screen version, although it was easy to see why it had been adapted. I quite enjoyed the additional characters, particularly the old lady who lived by the school.

Good. Interesting characters and idea. Read this after watching the TV series and it is just as good. Some things are slightly different but that is to be expected but seeing the t.v series first helped such as the bits with the interviews that were intersected at the end of the chapters made more sense with seeing how it was intersected on the television series.

"Sometimes it's the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal...

A murder... a tragic accident...or just parents behaving badly?
What's indisputable is that someone is dead.
But who did what?

Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads"

Maybe it's because there is so much hype recently about this book, that I found it rather disappointing. It felt very Desperate Housewives meets Mean Girls to me and I could not understand or relate to any of the Moms at the school gates, and so lost interest in the book, and did not finish it.

A great story about family, friendship and how far you would go to save them. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

A great book and a great series, with some interesting and complex characters. Definitely worth a read.

Thank you to Michael Joseph for my NetGalley copy of this book. I actually borrowed the audiobook from my library. I have previously read one of Liane's books and I know that this book was made into a TV series that has had very good reviews. but before I watched it I wanted to read the book.

This is one of those books where you can't stop talking about it but at the same time, you don't want to spoil the story. There are many secrets in this book and I love the way that they unfolded.

This story follows three women Madeleine, Celeste and Jane. Jane is new to the area and meets friends Madeline and Celeste. The three women have children starting kindergarten at the same school. These three women are very different but have some common ground. Madeleine is an easy person to like and instantly became my favourite. She's bubbly and loves to be involved. I found quite Celeste frustrating at times. Jane, I just wanted to hug her and tell her it was all okay.

The beginning of the book is actually the end. we flick from the end to the beginning and regularly get fed more mystery from after the 'event' through statements. I really liked this method. I love it when books do something. different like this.

This book is addictive and gripping I can see why it got picked up for a TV series. If you like a bit of mystery, playground politics and a shocking ending then pick this book up now.

Big Little Lies got a whole lot of buzz when the TV miniseries came out last year. I haven’t seen the show yet, but I was curious about the book based on the premise of the show. One Goodreads reviewer described this book best: “this is the funniest book about domestic violence and murder that I’ve ever read.”  I feel like that just about describes this book.

I'm not going to say too much, but man is this book dark. Despite the incredibly serious and dark themes, it also manages to be insanely funny?  It's incredible how Moriarty managed this. The tension and humour are perfectly balanced and I couldn’t get enough of this story. Fortunately, I listened to the audiobook and had no trouble blasting through Big Little Lies. I consumed this delicious book in a matter of days. If you ever attended a ridiculous school that had ridiculous parents, you should read this book. It has so many shades of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, a book I adore, and I absolutely loved it.

I really loved our three main characters because they were so distinctly different and felt so wonderfully realistic. Madeline, Celeste, and Jane are so incredibly vibrant -- I would sometimes forget that the story was actually fictional. These three women are far from perfect, but I really enjoyed the way their stories wove together and their secrets unfolded. Although I absolutely loved all three ladies, Celeste is my favourite. There was something about the double life she lives that was so intriguing, and I really loved the way her story played out.

I don’t want to say too much because you should absolutely go into this book knowing as little as possible, but despite the serious content warnings Big Little Lies is an incredibly well-paced and darkly funny novel. I cannot wait to see the TV show and read more of Moriarty’s stories.

CW: multiple scenes of on page domestic abuse, on page sexual assault

4.5/5 stars

Big Little Lies is so well written as with all Liane Moriarty novels, you are drawn into the characters world. You form your own opinions on how things are going to pan out and then you are hit with a twist that you don’t see coming. A great read.

I loved this book! I liked all the main characters from Jane, the single mother, to Madeline, the rather resentful divorcee and to Celeste who seems to have the perfect rich lifestyle. Their interaction came across as very natural and as Jane's story unfolds it is apparent that there is more to their relationships than just their initial friendship, There is a surprising ending which caught me off guard but even that, although slightly tragic, was totally believable. An excellent read.

I had heard a lot about the author Liane Moriarty and about this book in particular and had assumed it was just chicklit- not my favourite genre.
And while it is chicklit it is also something more. For a start there is a lot of humour.

Bonnie and her mum are both members of Amnesty International," said Abigail.
"Of course they are," murmured Madeline. This must be how Jennifer Aniston feels, thought Madeline, whenever she hears about Angelina and Brad adopting another orphan or two.”
― Liane Moriarty, Big Little Lies

The story is told from the perspective of Madeline who is concerned with her children, her social standing in the community and buying designer shoes for discount prices on the internet. She views the world without taking herself too seriously but also without excessive cynicism.
And she shows a generousity of spirit towards her friends which makes it pleasant to spend time in her company. She also has some observations on life that just made me giggle.

“But every time she tried yoga she found herself silently chanting her own mantra: I’m so boooored, I’m so boooored.”
― Liane Moriarty, Big Little Lies

I loved the snippets of faux interview with the ‘background characters’, some terribly sincere and serious while others are cynical and gossipy. It gives a fun and more varied perspective on the events unfolding at the centre of the story.

However between the school activities and the developing friendships the story also explores some darker themes such as domestic violence and society’s attitudes towards women, how we raise are children and protect them from bullies or from becoming bullies themselves.

“Something snapped," said Madeline. She saw Perry's hand shining back in its graceful, practiced arc. She heard Bonnie's guttural voice. It occurred to her that there were so many levels of evil in the world. Small evils like her own malicious words. Like not inviting a child to a party. Bigger evils like walking out on your wife and newborn baby or sleeping with your child's nanny crew. And then there was the sort of evil which Madeline had no experience: cruelty in hotel rooms and violence in suburban homes and little girls sold like merchandise, shattering innocent hearts.”
― Liane Moriarty, Big Little Lies

Fun but not completely frivolous this is a well written book worth reading

Marketed very much as a gossipy ‘soccer-mom’ type drama which turns sour, I wasn’t sure what to expect of Big little Lies. However the huge boost in popularity it received due to the highly lauded TV adaptation gave me a push towards picking up this book. It’s representation in the book world was justified – the novel sucks you in to a world of playground gossip, though more than playing to its stereotype it satirises the inane obsessions of diets, fashion and middle-class motherly perfection. As well as its satire and murderous twist, this book pulls back the covers on this middle class existence revealing rape, abuse, ethical and moral quandaries and social injustices.

The characters were brilliantly created, well-rounded with layers to discover as the book went on. Characters with 'perfect' lives have dark secrets, or comedic troubles. Parents fail and make very real mistakes, emotions run high and logic, sense or reason often go out of the window, not unlike in real life. The narrative layout was a little odd with different bystanders commenting in between sections of the novel, as if being interviewed. It later transpires that this is the press although maybe this structure could have been made clearer from the beginning. Otherwise this was an innovative way to frame the narrative which heightened the intrigue and suspense.

The book is less a 'whodunnit' than a 'who-died' as from the start we know there has been a murder but not who the victim is or what has transpired. As the climax builds towards the night of the crime, the plot literally thickens, with different character arcs and subplots which all intertwine. Right until the end as a reader you are constantly toing and froing between who could have done it and who is the victim.

Big Little Lies is a book which really keeps you on your toes and is really setting the standard for what the domestic noir or thriller should be. This book really captures many conversations still happening in 2018 putting it well ahead of its time.

Loved the TV series so couldn't wait to read the book. It definitely didn't disappoint & can't wait to see if there will be more as hinted at

Big Little Lies centres around a small coastal town where everyone knows everyone, especially the mothers at the Pirriwee Public School. Madeleine, Celeste, and Jane meet on the first day of school, where they have all dropped their children off at their first day of kindergarten. However, when they pick them up, an allegation of bullying sets off a startling chain of events that ends in tragedy. The plot is riveting, and what made it so for me was that each chapter began and ended with excerpts from interviews after a fundraiser at the school, and through these excerpts, it becomes clear that somebody has died. But who died, and how they died, remains a mystery until the very end. Although this death is not premeditated and the central storyline is much more of a 'family drama' novel, there are signs that the tension in Pirriwee is increasing, and the novel slowly builds suspense until the big finale, making it a truly gripping read.

I also loved the differences in the three women. Madeleine is a fun and energetic woman, with three children, who struggles with the fact that her ex-husband has moved back to town with his second wife and child, who is starting school with her own daughter. Celeste lives in a golden cage of sorts, in a marriage that she questions from the start of the book, but is admired for her beauty and wealth. Jane is new to town, a young single mother, who falls into the friendship of Madeleine and Celeste with ease. The differences in these women made the book more interesting, and I also loved that they each had their individual storylines unfolding in the background, all of which came together at the end in an explosive conclusion.

My only issues with the book lay with the ending. Don't get me wrong, I revelled in the plot twists and the dramatic ending to the Pirriwee Public School tensions, but what I hated was the way that Liane Moriarty tried so hard to tie everything up in neat little bows after that. I would have much preferred to have a more messy, more human ending to the book. Instead, there was forced romance which was completely unnecessary, predictable, and without chemistry, and an epilogue that made me cringe with information dumps about where the characters were months later, that also simply wasn't needed. The forced nature of the happy endings simply didn't fit with the nature of the book, or with the characters as they had been developed over the course of the books, and was simply unrealistic to the extent that I feel like it really weakened the book overall.

Overall however, I did really enjoy this book. I couldn't put it down, as I was hoping, and the plot and characters stayed with me after I finished reading.