Today’s review is the first thriller on the blog! I personally think thrillers are fun to read because of the anticipation. I tend to finish these novels in a day or so which is why I purposefully read them in between longer fantasy novels as a buffer. My sister actually told me about the Big Little Lies tv show on HBO, which led me to finding the book for my kindle. I actually watched the first episode of the show when it was on Hulu and I’m glad I continued the story in the book instead. Tv show adaptations tend to dramatize certain aspects of a book to gain popularity and when I compared them side to side I noticed the book was much more plot driven. This is something that is important to me as a reader, so if you’re anything like me I would suggest reading the book first. With that being said, let’s get into the review!
Initial Thoughts
My sister told me there was big twist so I was definitely anticipating a big reveal of some sort going into this book. After reading primarily thrillers before this, I had to change my perspective a bit. I tend to get immersed in fantasy novels and it takes me a few chapters to get to know the characters, world building, etc. With thrillers, they are usually fast paced and I don’t tend to get attached to the characters. It’s easier to go into a thriller because the twist is really what intrigues me…not much so the characters and their relationships with each other.
What I Liked
My reviews for thrillers will be structured a bit differently than my other book reviews. This is because I don’t focus on the elements I normally would with a fantasy, historical fiction, etc. For this novel, I thought the twist was effective. I definitely didn’t see it coming and I think Moriarty did a good job of building anticipation up until the final reveal.
What I Didn’t Like
This novel was pretty slow to start. This is something I prepared myself for because domestic thrillers tend to have a slow build. Maybe it’s because I was younger than the characters depicted in the story, but I wasn’t really invested in the “mommy gossip” that drove the book forward. The characters were in the early forties with the exception on one character that was in her early twenties. I think maybe if I had children or if I lived in an area similar to the one depicted in the book I would be more invested. This is not typical of thrillers because like I mentioned before, I only read them for the twist/suspense. If I wanted to connect with the characters I would go for a different genre like fantasy for example.
My Rating
Overall Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed this but it definitely wasn’t my favorite. The one thing I will mention is how it represented domestic and sexual abuse. I won’t go into detail because of *spoilers* but I think it’s important to recognize these types of themes in literature. It took up a decent portion of the plot, so if that triggers you I would advise you to read reviews before picking it up. I probably wouldn’t pick this one up again, but I also don’t typically re-read thrillers. Once I read the twist the anticipation isn’t really as exciting as the first time you read it.
What did you guys think of my first thriller review? I have a lot of books queued up in my drafts to review so I hope you enjoyed it! If you read Big Little Lies make sure to comment your thoughts below! I would love to hear what you thought of it and if you ended up watching the tv show. I hope you guys have a great day, and I’ll see you soon for another review!
With Love & Magic,
She's Well Read 
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