11 Of The Best Books Like Big Little Lies By Liane Moriarty

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“They say it’s good to let your grudges go, but I don’t know, I’m quite fond of my grudge. I tend it like a little pet.”

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If you couldn’t put down Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, jam-packed full of dark secrets, complex female friendships, and twisty plot set in a seemingly pleasant suburb, you’re not alone. This bestselling domestic thriller proved to be a major hit with readers who love suspenseful, character-driven stories full of scandal, motherhood drama, and hidden truths. Whether you love morally grey characters, layered storytelling, or slow-burning tension, there are plenty of books like Big Little Lies that deliver the same addictive blend of mystery and emotion. From gripping tales of suburban secrets to psychological thrillers with women at their heart, join us today at What We Reading as we take you through some of our favourite books similar to Big Little Lies that guarantee to keep you hooked on the back of their messy relationships, shifting perspectives, and powerful female narratives. 

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Big Little Lies Summary

Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies is a gripping domestic thriller set in the affluent beachside town of Pirriwee, where the lives of three women – Madeline, Celeste, and Jane – intersect in unexpected and dangerous ways. From the outside, it appears as though all they have it all: devoted families, beautiful homes, and successful lives. Yet, behind closed doors, secrets simmer. 

Madeline is outspoken and fiercely loyal, struggling with her ex-husband’s new, much younger wife. Celeste is the embodiment of grace and wealth, but hides a disturbing truth about her marriage. And Jane, young, single, and new to town, is trying to escape a traumatic past. When their children are involved in a playground incident, tensions escalate and secrets unravel. Then, on a shocking school trivia night, someone winds up dead. Told through shifting perspectives and sharp observations, Big Little Lies explores friendship, motherhood, domestic abuse, and the facades people maintain to survive. 

The Husbands – Chandler Baker

First up on our list of books like Big Little Lies is The Husbands by Chandler Baker. Nora Spangler is a successful attorney, but when it comes to domestic life, she’s the one responsible for packing the lunches, scheduling the doctor’s appointments, and doing the grocery shopping. Her husband works too, but why does it seem like he works so much harder than she does? 

When the Spanglers go house-hunting in Dynasty Ranch, an exclusive suburban neighbourhood, Nora meets a group of high-powered, successful women. When she agrees to help with a resident’s wrongful death case, she is immersed in the lives of the women there. But, as the case unravels, Nora discovers a plot that may explain the secret to having it all. One that’s worth killing for. The Husbands is a book that looks at the burden of the “second shift”, what might happen if it were equally shared, and what it might take to get there. 

The Long Weekend – Gilly Macmillan

Dark Fell Barn is a “perfectly isolated” retreat. Or at least, that’s what it claims when Jayne books a reservation for her friends. A quiet place, far removed from the rest of the world, is precisely what they need. Jayne and her two female friends arrive for a girls’ night ahead of their husbands. Missing this year is Edie, who was the glue holding them all together until her husband died suddenly. 

But what the women had hoped would be a relaxing break soon descends into terror. Upon arrival at Dark Fell Barn, the women find a note claiming one of their husbands will be murdered. There is no phone, no cell service, and no means of reaching their men. Friendships fracture as the situation spirals out of control. Like Big Little Lies, The Long Weekend is a female-centred thriller all about the secrets of marriages and the many masks we place on ourselves. 

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Check Out Our The Long Weekend Book Review 

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The Party – Robyn Harding

Jeff and Kim Sanders are planning on throwing a sweet sixteen party for their daughter, Hannah. She’s a good kid with good grades and nice friends. And it isn’t going to be a big affair. Just four girls coming over for pizza, cake, movies and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong? 

But things do go wrong. After a tragic accident, Jeff and Kim’s impressively flawless life in an affluent San Francisco suburb starts to unravel. When a lawsuit is filed against them, friends soon turn to enemies, and dark secrets in the Sanders marriage are revealed, which exposes the truth about their perfect daughter. Similar to Big Little Lies, Robyn Harding’s The Party takes readers behind the facade of the perfect family, exploring the secrets, betrayals, and moral lapses that the neighbours never see. 

Those People – Louise Candlish

Lowland Way is the suburban dream. The houses are beautiful, the neighbours all get along, and the kids play together on the weekends. But when Darren and Jodie move into the house on the corner, they don’t follow the rules. They blast their music at all hours, begin a garish renovation, and run a used-car business right from their garden. It doesn’t take long for an all-out war to begin brewing. 

Then, early one Saturday, a horrifying death shocks the whole street. As police search for witnesses, accusations begin to fly, revealing that everyone in the neighbourhood has something to hide. If you loved the twisty secrets hiding beneath Pirriwee in Big Little Lies, there’s plenty of fun to be had in Louise Candlish’s domestic thriller, Those People. 

The Gifted School – Bruce Holsinger

If the playground competitiveness in Big Little Lies was something you loved, Bruce Holsinger’s The Gifted School needs to be on your TBR pile. Set in the town of Crystal, Colorado, The Gifted School is a deliciously sharp tale that observes the drama within a community of friends and parents as good ambitions and high standards collide in a pile-up with long-held secrets and lies. 

Told through the perspective of four families who have been a part of one another’s lives since they were kids were born over ten years ago, the story not only demonstrates the lengths some will go to get ahead, but the effect on the group’s children, sibling relationships, marriages, and careers, as simmering resentments come to a boil and long-buried, explosive secrets bubble to the surface before exploding. 

We Were Never Here – Andrea Bartz

Emily is having the time of her life. She’s in the Chilean mountains with her best friend, Kristen, on their annual reunion trip, and the women are feeling closer than ever. But on the final night of their trip, Emily enters their hotel suite to find blood and broken glass on the floor. Kristen tells her the cute backpacker she had been flirting with attacked her, and she had no choice but to kill him in self-defence. Even more shocking: the scene resembles what happened last year, when another backpacker wound up dead. 

Back home, Emily struggles to keep a lid on her trauma. But when Kristin shows up out of the blue, she is forced to confront their violent past. The more Kristin tries to keep Emily close, the more Emily begins to question her friend’s motives. As she feels the walls closing in on their cover-ups, she must reckon with the truth about her closest friend. Can she continue outrunning the secrets she shares with Kristin, or will they destroy her relationship, her freedom, and perhaps even her life? 

Good Neighbors – Sarah Langan

Maple Street is a picture-perfect slice of suburban Long Island, its residents bound by their children, their work, and their illusion of safety in a rapidly changing world. Arlo Wilde, a gruff has-been rock star, is always two steps behind the other dads. His wife, Gertie, feels like a social outcast. Spunky preteen Julie curses like a sailor, and her kid brother, Larry, is called “Robot Boy” by the other kids on the street.

The family’s neighbour is Rhea Schroeder, a lonely college professor with her own dark past. As tensions mount, a sinkhole opens in a nearby park, and Rhea’s daughter, Shelly, falls inside. The hunt for Shelly brings shocking accusations against the Wildes that spin out of control. Suddenly, it is one mother’s word against another, similar to Big Little Lies in a court of public opinion that can end only in blood. 

The Good Sister – Sally Hepworth

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister, Rose, three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights, and loud noises as much as physically possible. Fern has a meticulously controlled life. Disruptions to her routine can be dangerous. 

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern spots her opportunity to repay her sister for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. All she needs is a father. Fern’s mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully constructed for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past in Sally Hepworth’s The Perfect Sister, a quirky, rich and shocking story like Big Little Lies that exposes what families keep hidden. 

Saving Ruby King – Catherine Adel West

When Ruby King’s mother is discovered murdered in their home in Chicago’s South Side, the police dismiss it as another act of violence in a black neighbourhood. But, for Ruby, it means she’ll now be living alone with her violent father. The only person who understands the situation for what it is is Layla, Ruby’s best friend. Their closeness is put to the test when Ruby’s father, the pastor of their church, orders Layla to stay away. 

In a relentless quest to save Ruby, Layla comes to discover the murky loyalties and dark secrets keeping families tethered together across generations. A crucial pilgrimage through the racially divided landscape of Chicago, Catherine Adel West’s Saving Ruby King chronicles the way in which trauma is passed down, and the ways community can come together to create a sanctuary. 

Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb in Cleveland, everything is carefully planned. And no one embodies this more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren, an enigmatic arist and single mother, who moves into the neighbourhood with her daughter, Pearl, renting a home from the Richardsons. Soon, Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants to the Richardson family. But Mia carries a mysterious past, and her aversion to the rules threatens to upend this carefully-ordered community. 

When old family friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically splits the town and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena becomes obsessed with uncovering her secrets from her past. Like Big Little Lies, this obsession will come at an unexpected and devastating cost. 

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Check Out The Best Books Like Little Fires Everywhere 

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Someone We Know – Shari Lapena

In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses, and into their owners’ computers, learning their secrets, and perhaps sharing them too. Who is he, and what might he have discovered?

After two anonymous letters are received, whispers soon begin to spread, and suspicions begin to mount. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they’re telling? And how far will these very nice people go to protect their secrets? One of the best thriller books like Big Little Lies, Someone We Know charts a neighbourhood where it isn’t just the husbands and wives that play games. Here, everyone has something to hide…