A new novel by Liane Moriarty that is her first ever sequel, of the #1 NYT bestselling Big Little Lies, the inspiration for the megahit HBO series, and is also a stand-alone that examines the complexities of modern women's lives with wit and compassion, while shining light on family dynamics and long-hidden secrets.

The last time we saw the women of Big Little Lies—Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie—their children were five years old. If someone wasn’t invited to a child’s birthday party, feelings were hurt. But ten years have passed, and the kids are in high school, with all of the drama that accompanies teendom (goodbye playdates, hello drugs, sex, and alcohol).

The minute the principal of the high school receives a severed human finger in the mail, the parents are in an uproar. But Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie have other things to worry about. Celeste’s mother-in-law Mary Louise is behaving oddly—is it old-age forgetfulness and forthrightness, or something more sinister? Madeline is facing perhaps the biggest challenge of her life, Jane is at a dangerous fork in her marriage, Bonnie has realized there’s only so much solace in yoga. And Renata? Renata is living her best life—revenge is sweet.

When a strange man begins lurking around the school asking supposedly innocent questions, this tightly connected group of women finally have to face the full repercussions of the big little truths they have and haven’t shared with their kids. Because the stakes are now much higher than not being invited to an ice-skating show—and the ice has never been thinner for all of them.

Story Locale:Coastal town near Sydney, Australia