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spookygemini's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is somehow a beach read, extremely funny, and also an incredibly heavy story of parenthood and relationships.
I thought the book would be boring since I’ve seen the show and obviously know what happens but I liked getting an inside look into the minds of the characters. It was also fun trying to read in an Australian accent in my head.
I thought the book would be boring since I’ve seen the show and obviously know what happens but I liked getting an inside look into the minds of the characters. It was also fun trying to read in an Australian accent in my head.
swimreadrepeat's review against another edition
4.0
Great easy read. If you’ve seen the tv show you’ve basically read the book. The show and book only differ in the last few chapters. There are heavy topics but they are shared in a light hearted way. Would be a good vacation read.
mkroes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lauraav's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Second book I read by this author and again I loved it. The characters and the storyline kept me interested I was deeply invested and would highly recommend this .
ondreia420's review against another edition
5.0
So good and very easy to read in large quantities. A lot of the show was very similar to the book but the endings felt completely different. The last few chapters made me understand Season 2 much more and why it was made. Now my favorite tv show AND one of my favorite books.
birdinflight1's review
4.0
The subtleties of the physically abused wife in this story were fascinating to me. The character didn't categorize herself as a victim of domestic violence because she fought back during their fights, sometimes she instigated fights when she saw he was in a dark mood to "get it over with," and sex was always happened afterwards, like their fights were some odd foreplay ritual. Other than occasional domestic violence, their life was Facebook perfect--they were a gorgeous couple with international vacations, beautiful children, and expansive house on the beach.
Another element of this story, the downward spiral of the young woman who was emotionally abused by a man during a one-night-stand, spoke strongly of the power of a few ugly words to affect someone's future.
Another element of this story, the downward spiral of the young woman who was emotionally abused by a man during a one-night-stand, spoke strongly of the power of a few ugly words to affect someone's future.
librarydoc's review
4.0
This felt like a guilty pleasure, like I shouldn’t have liked it as much as I did. It was addicting, this crazy book. Admittedly I hated most of the characters, but I couldn’t look away. I needed to see what happened next. Not my usual genre or style, but I really enjoyed this one.
ritafontes's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
callienicole's review
2.0
This was the second book I've read by Liane Moriarty, and I have to say first that she is very talented about keeping the story going and keeping the reader interested. I hardly wanted to put this book down once I started it. For that aspect, I would have given it higher stars, but I took off a few stars for the things below.
Story: First the story - this book follows three new friends, Madeline, Jane, and Celeste, as their children start kindergarten. However, right from the start we know that something will happen at the kindergarten's parent trivia night, and we get the feeling that one of these three friends is going to die - but we don't know who. The book follows the dramas they deal with in the school and their families, with glimpses of the future police investigation, all leading up to that fateful night.
Language - Bad language, as I've come to expect from secular fiction, but this book was worse than the other book I have read by Moriarty. Many uses of the f-word, d-word, b-word, Jesus's name in vain, and the c-word. It's hard for me to really enjoy the book when there is so much bad language. On top of the profanity, there was some crude sexual language that I didn't appreciate either.
Sexual Content - There was normal references to sex in a story-telling context (which I don't mind), but there was also some disgusting sexual comments one character receives on the internet, which I thought could have been just alluded to instead of spelled out. References to homosexual relationships. References to infidelity of secondary characters. The worst part was a brief scene describing a sexual encounter in one of the character's pasts that turned sexually abusive. There were some unnecessary details in those paragraphs. I mostly skimmed past that part because it was too descriptive for me.
Spiritual - Talk of crystal healing properties. References to yoga and meditation.
Political - One of the characters was a single mother, and there were several references to abortion in relationship to her story, as if that is obviously what she would have done if it had been an option. Even the character herself acts as if she would have gotten an abortion if it hadn't been "too late" - which I found shocking and unrealistic. I think most mothers who love their children shiver at the thought that they so easily could have never been born, so it seemed weird to have a character talking about the fact that she might have aborted her child whom she loves without some guttural revulsion at the thought. I just felt this whole conversation didn't need to be had in the book but just reflected the political persuasion of the author, and the way the author handled it deeply irritated me. I am strongly pro-life and I hate it when authors act like abortion is the natural choice or no big deal. It is a very big deal. I honestly might have put the book down except I felt invested at this point. Thankfully later the character thinks about how amazing it is that her beautiful boy was brought out of difficult beginnings, so I at least appreciated that this was mentioned.
Positives: The parts I enjoyed about this book are the characters and the overall way this book was written. The characters were so likable and realistic, and I felt personally invested somehow in how their stories turned out. Moriarty also wrote this book in an interesting way, because we know from the beginning that someone dies at the end, but we don't know who. This is part of what kept me reading - I felt like I had to find out what happened. This book deals with some very serious topics, like domestic abuse, and I thought Moriarty brought her points through in the story in a natural and impactful way.
One point I was so grateful that she made was that a person's beginnings do not determine their course in life. One of the children was conceived during the previously mentioned abusive sexual encounter, and the author has you worried that she is going to portray this child as inheriting violent tendencies. But then she makes it very clear that each person is their own person, who makes their own choices, no matter what their parents might have done. That was a relief to me. I seriously might have thrown the book across the room if she had somehow portrayed this child as being tainted by his absentee father's crimes.
Honestly, I enjoyed the story because I could hardly put it down, but I was so irritated with some of the unnecessary crude content, and exhausted from trying to puzzle out what kind of statements the author was trying to make through this book. It all turned out okay in the end, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend this because the way it was all done was more draining than enjoyable to me.
Story: First the story - this book follows three new friends, Madeline, Jane, and Celeste, as their children start kindergarten. However, right from the start we know that something will happen at the kindergarten's parent trivia night, and we get the feeling that one of these three friends is going to die - but we don't know who. The book follows the dramas they deal with in the school and their families, with glimpses of the future police investigation, all leading up to that fateful night.
Language - Bad language, as I've come to expect from secular fiction, but this book was worse than the other book I have read by Moriarty. Many uses of the f-word, d-word, b-word, Jesus's name in vain, and the c-word. It's hard for me to really enjoy the book when there is so much bad language. On top of the profanity, there was some crude sexual language that I didn't appreciate either.
Sexual Content - There was normal references to sex in a story-telling context (which I don't mind), but there was also some disgusting sexual comments one character receives on the internet, which I thought could have been just alluded to instead of spelled out. References to homosexual relationships. References to infidelity of secondary characters. The worst part was a brief scene describing a sexual encounter in one of the character's pasts that turned sexually abusive. There were some unnecessary details in those paragraphs. I mostly skimmed past that part because it was too descriptive for me.
Spiritual - Talk of crystal healing properties. References to yoga and meditation.
Political - One of the characters was a single mother, and there were several references to abortion in relationship to her story, as if that is obviously what she would have done if it had been an option. Even the character herself acts as if she would have gotten an abortion if it hadn't been "too late" - which I found shocking and unrealistic. I think most mothers who love their children shiver at the thought that they so easily could have never been born, so it seemed weird to have a character talking about the fact that she might have aborted her child whom she loves without some guttural revulsion at the thought. I just felt this whole conversation didn't need to be had in the book but just reflected the political persuasion of the author, and the way the author handled it deeply irritated me. I am strongly pro-life and I hate it when authors act like abortion is the natural choice or no big deal. It is a very big deal. I honestly might have put the book down except I felt invested at this point. Thankfully later the character thinks about how amazing it is that her beautiful boy was brought out of difficult beginnings, so I at least appreciated that this was mentioned.
Positives: The parts I enjoyed about this book are the characters and the overall way this book was written. The characters were so likable and realistic, and I felt personally invested somehow in how their stories turned out. Moriarty also wrote this book in an interesting way, because we know from the beginning that someone dies at the end, but we don't know who. This is part of what kept me reading - I felt like I had to find out what happened. This book deals with some very serious topics, like domestic abuse, and I thought Moriarty brought her points through in the story in a natural and impactful way.
One point I was so grateful that she made was that a person's beginnings do not determine their course in life. One of the children was conceived during the previously mentioned abusive sexual encounter, and the author has you worried that she is going to portray this child as inheriting violent tendencies. But then she makes it very clear that each person is their own person, who makes their own choices, no matter what their parents might have done. That was a relief to me. I seriously might have thrown the book across the room if she had somehow portrayed this child as being tainted by his absentee father's crimes.
Honestly, I enjoyed the story because I could hardly put it down, but I was so irritated with some of the unnecessary crude content, and exhausted from trying to puzzle out what kind of statements the author was trying to make through this book. It all turned out okay in the end, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend this because the way it was all done was more draining than enjoyable to me.