Big Little Lies - Fiction Review

Goodreads:  Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Rating: Very Good
Source: Library (Audio)

Description: 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.

Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book:  Because it seemed like everyone had read it and everyone loved it so when I saw my library had it in audio I figured that was a sign.

My Impression:  This is one of those books that has been on my radar for quite some time and lots of people who recommended it.  Then my library got it in audio so I figured that was the sign I needed to actually read it.  And I'm so glad I did!

I identified with this book quite a bit which made it an easy read at times and a hard read at other times.  I really understood a lot of Jane's struggles with fitting in at the school as well as Madeline's struggles when her daughter moved in with Madeline's ex-husband.  As well all the school yard politics rang so true (though it's exaggerated quite a bit here of course) and there were plenty of times I was nodding my head, laughing or cringing.

The story gains traction fairly quickly as Madeline twists her ankle in front of Jane.  Both are driving their children to kindergarten orientation at the same place.  Jane is new and Madeline likes nothing more than taking people under her wing and Jane is the perfect candidate.  The friendship between the two women is really sweet and felt genuine.  As did all the relationships.  I loved Madeline and Ed especially.  There marriage was so wonderfully ordinary and sweet.  As well I really enjoy the excerpts of interviews at the beginning of each chapter - Harper always made me cringe and Stu and Samantha always made me laugh.  It added a bit of interest to see just what all the rumors were as well as getting different POVs.

There's a lot of little details in the novel so it's impossible to go over all the things I enjoyed but it's safe to say it was pretty much all the interaction between the characters.  I loved how everything was resolved and these were characters that I really rooted for.

Audio Note: Caroline Lee did a wonderful job on the audio.  I thought she did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I have another of hers on hold at the library though it may be forever before I get it.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Definitely!  This was a good read with characters that seemed a little too real sometimes!