Book Club-Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

You may have heard this is like "Mean Girls" for grown ups. 

Here is the summary from Good Reads.

Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:

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.

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive. .

This book is deals with some dark issues but is really quite funny. It takes a gifted story teller to make the mundane so entertaining.  

 One thing I really liked about the books was that most of the situations are realistic. Madeline is having a hard time having to share her time with her daughter. The petty, overprotective school moms gossip about each other. Violence erupts over the littlest things. We've all all seen these characters or somebody very similar. We've all experienced these emotions of anger, jealousy, and helplessness. We've all had problems admitting when we need help, Along with that, i'm sure many have all felt gratitude for the wonderful friends in our lives.  There is really only one subplot I really had a problem with. I won't spend anymore time on it but you'll know it when you read it. 

The other thing I really liked was the character development and the distinct voice of each character. I think it is a common device to use  the "new girl in town" to help the reader discover and meet the central characters in your story. I felt in this book it all happened in a very believable and natural way. As I stated before, you really can fell each separate personality of the main characters which helps you envision them in your head. Jane is plain but not ugly. She's demure, cautious and kind hearted. Madeline is bubbly, loyal, and such an extrovert. Celeste, is reserved, smart (she went to law school), self aware, and very beautiful.

I really enjoyed this book. There were no expectations when I started reading but I still felt pleasantly surprised. Have you read it yet? I'd love to hear what you think.