Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

"A suspenseful, page turner that left me guessing every second of the way."
4 Stars.
Pros: Quick, easy, entertaining read/Author is great at keeping the reader guessing/The ending, though a little saccharine, was a good wrap up.
Cons: Sometimes there were a lot of characters to keep straight but for the most part,the three protagonists, Madeline, Celeste and Jane were in the forefront/Though it's a murder mystery, the ending itself seemed a bit too "perfect", everything's all wrapped up with a nice bow, in a way it felt rushed, like the author was just trying to tie up all the loose ends.

Full Review
What's more harrowing than being a Mother of a Kindergarten student? Apparently not much, according to Liane Moriarty's characters in Big Little Lies. All the action takes place on Pirriwee Peninsula, an idyllic, ocean side landscape off the coast of Australia. And right off the bat, we know this little town is not as pristine and perfect as it seems. Seen from the point of view of Mrs. Ponder, the old woman who lives next door, the very first chapter shows us that something terrible has happened at Pirriwee Public School during a Parents trivia night.

As the story progresses, we meet our three Protagonists, who are all very different but likable and relatable.

There's Madeline, mother to Chloe and Fred and wife to Ed. She's an incurable gossip but a loyal friend. She is also holding a grudge against her ex husband, Nathan, who walked out on her when their daughter Abigail was just born. She knows what it's like to be a single mother, which makes her the perfect and understanding friend to Jane, who's new in town.

Jane is quiet, shy, unassuming and younger than most of the other Mothers at Pirriwee Public. She's the single Mother to Ziggy, seems to have trouble staying in one place for too long and is harboring a painful secret that ends up being interwoven and integral to the conclusion of the plot.

And then there's the beautiful Celeste, Mother to identical twins, Max and Josh, wife to Perry and a woman who's so gorgeous and so rich that it's almost nauseating. But she is always on edge, can never seem to relax and she too is holding onto a secret that ends up coming to a head.

The murder, at first, is in the background of the story, the reader being brought back to the fact that there is, in fact, an investigation going on, by reading snippets from witness statements etc. There seems to be no real motive at first, though all three protagonists eventually have a reason but Moriarty is very good at revealing things bit by bit, letting the reader get to know the characters first before diving into any real details.

Though this isn't often a genre that I read, falling under the category of "chic-lit", "murder/mystery", it was surprisingly entertaining. Moriarty seems to cover almost every detail and is very good at showing how we put on a different face to the public than how we truly are in private. This book was lent to me by a co-worker and I was at first reluctant to read it, thinking it was probably just another trashy/predictable/romance mystery but I found myself pleasantly surprised. The pace was good, the characters were entertaining and the murder, in the end, was almost understandable.

I would recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a quick, keep you guessing, entertaining read, something that doesn't require much thought but is thoroughly enjoyable overall.