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Quick answer: If you loved Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, try The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, The Guest List by Lucy Foley, The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena, The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave and Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.
Big Little Lies starts with a death at a school trivia night and then rewinds to show how three mothers got there. It mixes playground politics, sharp humor and a serious story about domestic abuse, and that blend is hard to find. The picks below share at least part of it: tight-knit communities hiding secrets, friendships under pressure, dark comedy or a mystery told from several points of view. Most are adult novels with mature themes, so we note heavier content where it matters.
Table of Contents
Why Readers Love Big Little Lies
Readers love Big Little Lies because it is funny and tense at the same time. Liane Moriarty writes the petty feuds of a beachside school community with a wink, then slowly reveals the real pain behind closed doors. Madeline, Celeste and Jane feel like people you know, and the interview snippets from gossiping parents build suspense about who died and why. The HBO series with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman brought the book a second wave of readers.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick below shares at least one thing readers loved about Big Little Lies: its characters, its mood, its setting or the questions it raises. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious choices, and we noted the genre and who each book suits best in the table, so you can scan for the right fit before you read the blurbs.
We kept every description spoiler-free and flagged mature content where it matters, since some of these books are written for adults and others suit teens. If you’re not sure where to start, the tips near the end of this list match each pick to what you loved most. The FAQ at the bottom answers the questions readers ask most often.
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Genre | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Husband’s Secret | Liane Moriarty | Domestic fiction | More Moriarty |
| What Alice Forgot | Liane Moriarty | Domestic fiction | A lighter Moriarty |
| Nine Perfect Strangers | Liane Moriarty | Domestic suspense | Group dynamics |
| Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng | Literary fiction | Suburban secrets |
| The Guest List | Lucy Foley | Mystery | A whodunit with many voices |
| The Couple Next Door | Shari Lapena | Thriller | Fast-paced suspense |
| The Last Thing He Told Me | Laura Dave | Mystery | Family secrets |
| Such a Fun Age | Kiley Reid | Literary fiction | Sharp social comedy |
| Where’d You Go, Bernadette | Maria Semple | Comic fiction | Satire of school parents |
| The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo | Family saga | Messy family drama |
| The Push | Ashley Audrain | Psychological thriller | Dark motherhood stories |
| All the Rage | Cara Hunter | Crime fiction | Secrets in a small community |
| Mad Honey | Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan | Domestic drama | Courtroom tension |
| The Rosie Project | Graeme Simsion | Romantic comedy | Something lighter |
| Anxious People | Fredrik Backman | Comic fiction | Humor with heart |
1. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
A woman finds a letter from her husband marked to be opened only after his death. Reading it changes three families in a Sydney suburb. It has the same mix of humor, secrets and moral dilemmas.
2. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
After a fall at the gym, Alice wakes up believing she is 29 and happily married, when she is really 39 and divorcing. It’s warm, funny and thoughtful about how people change.
3. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Nine guests arrive at an exclusive wellness retreat and slowly realize the program is not what it seems. Like Big Little Lies, it was adapted for TV with Nicole Kidman.
4. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
In a planned Ohio suburb, a rule-following family collides with a mysterious artist and her daughter. A custody battle splits the town. It’s quieter than Moriarty but just as gripping.
5. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
A celebrity wedding on a remote Irish island ends with a body. Each guest narrates, and each has a reason to want someone dead. It’s twisty and atmospheric.
6. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
A couple leave their baby asleep at home while they attend a dinner party next door, checking on her every half hour. When they come home, she is gone. It’s a quick, twisty read.
7. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
A woman’s husband disappears, leaving her a note that says protect her, meaning his teenage daughter. The two must learn to trust each other while they search for the truth.
8. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
A young Black babysitter is accused of kidnapping the white child she watches, and her well-meaning employer tries a little too hard to help. It’s funny and pointed about race and class.
9. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
When an agoraphobic architect vanishes before a family trip to Antarctica, her daughter pieces together emails and documents to find her. It skewers private-school parents with real affection.
10. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
Four adult sisters and their still-in-love parents face old resentments when a teenage boy given up for adoption arrives. It’s long, rich and full of sibling rivalry.
11. The Push by Ashley Audrain
A mother is convinced something is wrong with her daughter, but no one believes her. It’s unsettling and raises hard questions about motherhood. Content note: child death.
12. All the Rage by Cara Hunter
An Oxford teenager says she was attacked but refuses to cooperate, and the detective team uncovers secrets in her family and school. It’s a gripping police procedural.
13. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
A mother’s son is accused of killing his girlfriend in their small New Hampshire town. Told by both mothers, it explores love, secrets and identity.
14. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
A socially awkward genetics professor designs a questionnaire to find the perfect wife. It’s a gentle, funny Australian novel for when you want humor without the darkness.
15. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
A failed bank robber takes a group of strangers hostage at an apartment viewing. Like Moriarty, Backman balances comedy with real emotion and a clever reveal.
How to Pick Your Next Read After Big Little Lies
- Want more Moriarty? Start with The Husband’s Secret, then Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall.
- Want a whodunit? The Guest List and The Couple Next Door keep you guessing.
- Want school-parent satire? Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Such a Fun Age deliver.
- Want literary depth? Little Fires Everywhere is the best match.
- Need something lighter? Try What Alice Forgot or The Rosie Project.
- Watch the adaptations. Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and Little Fires Everywhere are all TV series.
A Note on the Heavier Themes
Big Little Lies deals seriously with domestic violence and sexual assault, and several picks on this list do too, including The Push and Mad Honey. If you or someone you know is affected, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (US) is available at 1-800-799-7233 or by texting START to 88788. If you want something lighter, start with What Alice Forgot, The Rosie Project or Where’d You Go, Bernadette.
Related: Little Fires Everywhere book club discussion questions and books like Gone Girl.
Frequently Asked Questions
What book is most like Big Little Lies?
The Husband’s Secret, also by Liane Moriarty, is the closest match, followed by Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.
Is Big Little Lies a thriller?
It’s domestic fiction with a mystery at its center. It has suspense, but much of the book is about friendship, parenting and marriage.
What should I read after Big Little Lies?
Try The Husband’s Secret, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Guest List or Little Fires Everywhere.