If the film is anything like the book, I have to go and see it. The book totally lives up to the reviews. Gripping, enthralling, with a super-charged emotional ending. I dare you not to like this.

I'd been hearing about the HBO series Big Little Lies for a while now, but not being much of a TV fan it kind of bypassed me. Imagine my excitement when I found Netgalley had the book the series was based on available for request! Yay!

The book is based around three women whose children are all starting at the same school. There's Madeline, the down to earth, making-it-up-as-she-goes-along mum; Celeste, the beautiful, rich, slightly vacant mum; and Jane, the downtrodden young mum. The three women become friends, but an incident involving Jane's son and another little girl creates escalating tension between all of the parents at the school. Everyone seems to have their own take on the matter, and as the parents form allegiances they're forced to act in a way that protects their own secrets from becoming public knowledge. As the parents become more polarised, emotions are heightened until everything comes to a head at a fateful school fancy dress party - the scene of a terrible crime.

Big Little Lies is written partly in the format of a police investigation, so the reader instantly knows that the story is going to end in some kind of criminal incident. I really liked the way that the narrative was often juxtaposed with a witness statement from another parent which put a totally different spin on the situation - it was really cleverly done and showed how perceptions can be so distorted based on our own prejudices and preconceived ideas.

Despite the playground politics and petty bitchiness, there's a central theme of strong female friendship and loyalty which was really refreshing to read about. I loved how different Madeline, Celeste and Jane were, yet they all found common ground and faced many of the same issues. I also loved how the different family types were shown - the single parent, the blended family and the traditional two parent setup, and the problems and pitfalls of each.

The book is very female-centric and there's a fantastic portrayal of lots of different female relationships - as wives, friends, parents, enemies, grandparents, step parents, victims...the list goes on. All of the characters were totally unique and I loved watching their lives unfold based on the way that they reacted to each other.

I loved the ending to the book and the big plot twist that I didn't see coming. I can't believe the novel is 480 pages long - I tore through it as it was really fast paced and the characters were all really interesting and well developed.

I'm sure that Big Little Lies will get tarred with the "chick lit" brush but this isn't some silly romance, it's a really unique psychological thriller - that just happens to be based at the school gates. It reminded me a lot of Desperate Housewives (season one, before it went downhill) so any fans of that will definitely enjoy it, although I think there's something in it for everyone. It's a big thumbs up from me.

I enjoyed this when i didn't think i would. i have not ever watched the series. An cute tale about whether lies start with children or parents, and who to believe. Well written, and interesting characters

Set in a small Australian town, the story illustrates the lives of three power mothers who band together when an incident occurs in the playground that involves all three of their children. The story is a powerful tale of intrigue and shows how a small lie can cause ripples that turn into huge tsunamis! Highly entertaining writing by Moriarty who perfectly describes the bitchy competitive lives of the elitist parents amongst us all… A truly captivating and witty read.

I did rather enjoy this book. I have never read anything by this author before, its new to me, but will certainly be reading others in the future; such a page turner! I appreciated how the tales of three lives unfolded in front of you but that the "main" plot was kept hidden right up until the end of the book. Ioved the twist and didn't see that coming!

There are so many things that I liked about the story of these three women that is set around a primary school in suburban Sydney. I thought all the characters were really well drawn and I thought that Moriarty dealt with the issue of domestic violence in a really sensitive way.

Loved it. Draws the reader in right from the start, and the way it's written is clever, with a 'countdown' to the event which is alluded to earlier. The characters are very realistic, from the mummy rivalries at school to the dynamics of the primary school kids. Hard to put down, and was sorry when I'd finished it.

Review of an advance digital copy from the publisher.

apologies I didn't get around to downloading before the book was archived

Fabulous book, great characters, even if some of them are a tad ridiculous in that 'one upmanship' type of way. A whole cast of mainly elitist parents and their children, all trying to keep up with each other, but mainly centered around the lives of three women. Two with seemingly near perfect lives, and Jane, the newcomer to their community taken under their wings by the other two. This is a story of how far people will go to hide from their own truths , the fantasy that their lives really are until something happens to shake them from their complacency. I loved the way the book was narrated by so many different characters , it was a complete joy to read.

I really enjoyed this book, Liane Moriarty is a great author and really descriptive. I enjoyed how the personalities of each different character where described giving a real insight into each person and I liked how the sorry developed overtime. It was interestingly written going back and forth in time. Highly recommend this book.

This was my first read by Liane Moriarty and I'm fairly blown away by this book. BIG LITTLE LIES takes the ridiculousness of a bunch of mainly elitist mums surrounding their kids' kindergarten class. Oh and there's husbands too. It was a witty painting of cliques, bitchiness, friendships strong and true and tragedy.

"Jane, nice to meet you! I'm Amabella's mum, and I have Jackson in Year 2. That's Amabella by the way, not Annabella. It's French. We didn't make it up."

"We're a bit too white bread here in the peninsula. We like to think we're terribly diverse but it's only our bank accounts that vary."

There are three friends in this book, each carrying secrets but these three really did care for one another. I liked each flawed woman in this threesome, Madeline, Celeste and Jane. There were characters to love, like, hate and those that redeemed themselves.

Bullying and more is a thread in this book and I felt sick, heart-sick, at times in terms of the nature of these issues. There is also some gut wrenching heart ache and I felt each emotion in full technicolor.

"She'd always known that her reaction to this night had been too big, or perhaps too small. She hadn't ever cried. She hadn't told anyone. She'd swallowed it while and pretended it meant nothing, and therefore it had come to mean everything."

At the heart of BIG LITTLE LIES is a tale of suspense. The seeds are placed right at the beginning and I spent the whole book guessing, re-guessing and second-guessing all my suspicions. Liane Moriarty is a truly talented writer, I enjoyed the light, the witty quips and dialogue, alongside the dark and sad. I'm definitely eager to read more by her.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley in return for a honest review.

Reviewed for Joandisalovebooks Blog.

loved this book, I would have finished it much sooner if life hadn't got in the way. I watched the tv series but this was so much better. I laughed, I felt so sorry for Jane and Ziggy, I work in a school and am fully aware of how these gossip queens begin, sadly.
I loved all the other things going on in people's lives, its as though Liane Moriarty was a fly on the wall in people's homes!
Celeste and Perry were a tragic couple and I felt for both of them also, they were both victims.
I thought that the story covered so many of modern day dramas, sagas and issues that it deserves high praise.
Full marks Ms Moriarty!
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review

I'm so glad I got the chance to finally read this book. It was really fun, engaging and I was impressed with how thoroughly the characters were fleshed out. Kind of a Sex In The City but far more realistic. I have to hand on heart admit as well that I was completely unprepared for the whodunnit reveal, which was even more refreshing since I'm a serial guesser.
With all the buzz I've seen about this book and television show I was prepared to be underwhelmed. I definitely wasn't, and I've already collared my partner so that we can binge watch Big Little Lies on tv together sometime and he can enjoy it himself. I wouldn't complain at all to visit Pirriwee Peninsula again, if there's a sequel of some kind in the works. It's been lovely reading a book about strong, dynamic female characters that doesn't center around love interests.

This was a truly amazing story. I thought it was funny at first with the bullying attitudes of the mothers at the school gates, so true but then it started to get serious. Such a well written book about a problem mainly hidden in society. Great, well described characters which made the story come to life. Wonderful conclusion with all loose ends nicely tied. I couldn't put it down.

I LOVED this book. Having watched the HBO dramatisation, I couldn't wait to read the original story. Moriarty's plotting is masterful, and her characters are brilliantly rendered. This kept me guessing until the very end. A brilliant mystery with real heart.

I'm afraid this one didn't cut the mustard for me. It didn't live up to the standard of "The Husband's Secret" which was brilliant. This book was too fragmented for me and the characters shallow and false - a group of silly school mums obsessed with their middle-class lives, clothes and activities. They seemed so superficial to me and I know I'd only cope with their mindless chatter in tiny doses. I didn't like any of them. They got on my nerves. It outlines fairly well the effects of DV from the victim, the victim's children and in one case violence that is historically revisited and also a victim-bully situation. I did wonder if it was detailed enough - these are all huge issues passed over carelessly together so became rather unconvincing in context. It was interesting about the theory of secrets and how they can fester often to the point of explosion. I shall post this on Amazon, Facebook and my blog

A great read, gripping until the end. An updated version of a 'whodunnit?' The characters are gripping and engaging, all women with very different backgrounds merging together and ultimately their lives becoming entangled in a devastating end.

I wanted to read this after watching the TV adaptation and I loved it just as much. It is so well written and I literally couldn't put it down. I will definitely look to read other books by Liane Moriarty.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.