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leggup's review
1.0
It like Chick Lit Lite (zero calories, zero thinking). 90% of the book is he-said-she-said momma drama between parents of 5 year olds. Am I meant to relate? Is "mom-genre" a thing? (... to be avoided at all costs.) The book was sold to me as a murder mystery, but it isn't. It's a drama and 1 person dies at one point and it is such an insignificant part of the plot. All of the characters and plot devices are very tired. Jane is plain. Celeste is spacey (really?). That one lady is the corporate one. The French nanny is a ho. Yawn. This book could have covered all bases in 200 pages placed firmly in the YA section.
lucymaj's review
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Super enjoyable read, and the characters really won me over by the end.
alisonswing's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mcdanielp411's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ahyshia's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lindsayaunderwood's review
5.0
For a 460 page book, it felt like around 100 pages. Loved it and can't wait for the show!
emmalemonnz's review
2.0
I feel like I keep hearing the book title, "Big Little Lies".
I read it, not expecting much because it was so popular. It started out very blah. Gossip! Scandal! This woman has a grudge against that one. This nanny is sleeping with that husband. Blah blah blah. I just don't care. Like those shows about housewives and rich celebrities and supposedly glamorous women who wear designer clothing and obsess over shoes: I just don't care.
In a way, feel like I should. This book; a lot of those tv shows - they're made by women, about women, for women, and I should be supporting that, right? I shouldn't shun them because they're preoccupied with 'frivolous, feminine things,' should I? And at the heart of them, they are about real, important issues, like domestic violence, and sexual abuse, and parent-child relationships.
But I just don't care about shoes and clothes. When a main character cares about the "blonde bobs" or whoever the 'cool' clique of kindergarten parents are, I just don't care about them.
This book is at times funny (hilarious), at times heartbreaking, and often real and poignant. But I'm sick of the frills. I dislike so many of the characters, which makes it hard to enjoy. It's brilliant in pointing out that domestic violence can happen anywhere, and to anyone, often where it's least suspected. It's an intelligent commentary on ageism, sexism, and 'class' as it exists in a wealthy Australian suburb (and probably many wealthy suburbs around the world).
I have no trouble becoming engrossed in books about extreme poverty, foreign cultures, dragons, American teenagers, and so many other things I've never experienced, yet this world of privileged white women (that I am demographically closer to) seems too alien to me. I just can't get into it. Is this cultural cringe? Am I betraying my feminist values in disliking this stuff? Buying into the patriarchal bullshit that books about women aren't as good as those about (or by) men?
I don't know. I just know it isn't the book for me.
I read it, not expecting much because it was so popular. It started out very blah. Gossip! Scandal! This woman has a grudge against that one. This nanny is sleeping with that husband. Blah blah blah. I just don't care. Like those shows about housewives and rich celebrities and supposedly glamorous women who wear designer clothing and obsess over shoes: I just don't care.
In a way, feel like I should. This book; a lot of those tv shows - they're made by women, about women, for women, and I should be supporting that, right? I shouldn't shun them because they're preoccupied with 'frivolous, feminine things,' should I? And at the heart of them, they are about real, important issues, like domestic violence, and sexual abuse, and parent-child relationships.
But I just don't care about shoes and clothes. When a main character cares about the "blonde bobs" or whoever the 'cool' clique of kindergarten parents are, I just don't care about them.
This book is at times funny (hilarious), at times heartbreaking, and often real and poignant. But I'm sick of the frills. I dislike so many of the characters, which makes it hard to enjoy. It's brilliant in pointing out that domestic violence can happen anywhere, and to anyone, often where it's least suspected. It's an intelligent commentary on ageism, sexism, and 'class' as it exists in a wealthy Australian suburb (and probably many wealthy suburbs around the world).
I have no trouble becoming engrossed in books about extreme poverty, foreign cultures, dragons, American teenagers, and so many other things I've never experienced, yet this world of privileged white women (that I am demographically closer to) seems too alien to me. I just can't get into it. Is this cultural cringe? Am I betraying my feminist values in disliking this stuff? Buying into the patriarchal bullshit that books about women aren't as good as those about (or by) men?
I don't know. I just know it isn't the book for me.
seymone's review
4.0
This storyline, so much better than "The Husband's Secret". This storyline was so interesting and captivated my attention. I definitely did not expect the ending!
kiraj38's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0