17 Books to Read If Your Obsession With Big Little Lies Is Going Strong

Big Little Lies might be TV's hottest new show, but let's not forget where the buzz around its story all started: Liane Moriarty's incredibly suspenseful novel. With its cast of layered, entertaining characters and an ending that knocked the collective socks off of countless readers, we don't blame you if you're in the market for something similar to add to your reading list. Luckily we've gone ahead and rounded up all the novels that any fan of Big Little Lies will likely start obsessing over from page one.

01
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

After finishing Big Little Lies, you should first check out the rest of Moriarty's body of work. In The Husband's Secret, successful businesswoman and devoted wife and mom Cecilia Fitzpatrick discovers a damning, dangerous letter from her husband that he wanted her to see after he died. The only problem? She finds it while he's still very much alive. Discovering his secret sets in motion actions that will not only irrevocably change her own life, but those of two other women who are drastically unprepared for what is about to come their way.

02
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

If you dig the multiple POV storytelling that Moriarty uses, you'll be an instant fan of Jodi Picoult. My Sister's Keeper is a gut-wrenching tale about a young girl with cancer named Kate who longs for a normal life. Her little sister, Anna, was conceived by their parents specifically to be a bone marrow match for Kate and has since undergone countless transfusions, shots, and surgeries all in the hopes of helping her sister beat leukemia. Anna finally puts her foot down and sues her parents for medical emancipation, leading to a string of events that no one could have ever predicted (not even you, potential reader). It's told between the girls, their parents, and others they meet along the way, resulting in an exceptionally layered tear-jerker.

03
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

It's been nearly impossible to escape the buzz surrounding The Girl on the Train, mostly because the novel has blessed literature with one hell of an ending. Paula Hawkins tells her story between the shifting perspectives of three women — Rachel, Megan, and Anna — and gradually uncovers a twisted web of murder and deceit that stems from one of the women's observations during a daily train ride.

04
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

If you find yourself craving a lighter read, Jojo Moyes's One Plus One is a charming breeze. Jess is a single mother struggling to raise her moody stepson and math genius daughter after being abandoned by her husband, when she hears of a once-in-a-lifetime trip for her daughter that she can't pass up. Although she doesn't have the money to get there, she soon bumps into Ed, a disgraced tech company millionaire, who begrudgingly offers to help the family. Commence awkward, adorable road trip!

05
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

There are a bunch of examples of the ups and downs that modern marriages face in Big Little Lies, a theme which is more fully explored in Taylor Jenkins Reid's After I Do. The book tells the story of Lauren and Ryan, who decide to take a year off of their crumbling marriage in hopes that they'll eventually be able to fall back in love. The only rule is that they're not allowed to contact each other; other than that, anything goes. Lauren's experience leads her on a path of self-discovery that might make you reconsider the traditional ideals of marriage, monogamy, and what truly constitutes a happily ever after.

06
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

The Good Girl is an addictive, taut thriller that tells the story of Mia Dennett, the daughter of a prominent Chicago judge, who is kidnapped and held for ransom. The novel shifts perspectives from that of Mia's anxiety-ridden mom, the world-weary detective assigned to her case, and her kidnapper, as emotions ride high and time runs out on whether or not Mia will ever be the same.

07
The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Anyone who's addicted to social media out there will no doubt relate to The Status of All Things. After being dumped by her fiancé at their rehearsal dinner, 35-year-old Kate takes to her Facebook status to air her grievances. Suddenly, she realizes that whatever she writes on Facebook magically begins to mirror the events in her own life, prompting her to go back in time to rewrite her relationship (if you've seen the movie Ruby Sparks, it's kind of like that). As her attempts to change her fate backfire over and over again, Kate begins to realize that maybe some things truly are meant to be.

08
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Moriarty's fourth novel, What Alice Forgot, delves into the question of whether or not it's possible to genuinely start your life over. At least, that's what Alice Love needs to figure out since she just came to on the floor of a gym with no memory of the last 10 years. She's gone from being 29, pregnant with her first kid, and happily married, to 39, nearly divorced, feuding with her sister, and a mom of three. How did her life take such a turn? You, and Alice, will just have to find out.

09
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Just like Big Little Lies, Picoult's Small Great Things is on its way to getting an onscreen adaptation (starring Julia Roberts and Viola Davis, NBD). Ruth Jefferson is a seasoned Connecticut nurse specializing in labor and delivery, but a white supremacist couple refuses to let her touch their child (Ruth is African American). Ruth is assigned to other patients, but the very next day the baby has a medical emergency while Ruth is the only one on duty. Her hesitation to perform CPR leads to her being charged with a serious crime, leading her to public defender Kennedy McQuarrie. As the case becomes a media sensation and Kennedy (who is white) insists on leaving race out of the courtroom dialogue, Ruth struggles to maintain her own morals and a normal life for her family.

10
The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich

The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich

In A.J. Rich's The Hand That Feeds You, the twists just keep coming. The psychological thriller begins when Morgan — a 30-year-old budding criminal psychologist — finds her fiancé, Bennett, mauled to death in her apartment, presumably by her three, blood-covered dogs. As she begins to examine Bennett's life after his death, she discovers that not only has everything he's ever told her been a lie, but that he has several other fiancées. When they all start dying under mysterious circumstances, Morgan races against the clock to unravel the mystery and save her own life.

11
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

The Woman in Cabin 10, and instant New York Times Bestseller, is twisted, haunting, and (most of all) suspenseful. Author Ruth Ware brings us Lo Blacklock, a travel writer, who is sent on an assignment to cover a week-long luxury cruise with only a few other passengers. What starts off as a trip of a lifetime soon devolves into a tightly wound mystery as Lo attempts to discover if a woman was thrown overboard while everyone slept.

12
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The ending of Big Little Lies is a whammy, but few things compare to the plot twist in Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. The "thriller of the year" intricately patches together the rise and fall of Nick and Amy Dunne's marriage, before and after "Amazing Amy" disappears. With all eyes on Nick as Amy's potential killer, it's up to him and a group of detectives to prove his innocence, all while Flynn has you constantly wondering if he even really is.

13
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies is not only a New York Times Bestseller and a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award, but a nuanced tale of a marriage over the course of 24 years. From age 22 onward, Groff captures the ever-evolving relationship between Lotto and Mathilde in a thoroughly unique voice that examines themes of forgiveness, love, and imperfection.

14
The Worst Thing I've Done by Ursula Hegi

The Worst Thing I've Done by Ursula Hegi

A friendship between childhood pals Annie, Jake, and Mason gets more and more complicated in Ursula Hegi's The Worst Thing I've Done. After years of close friendship, Annie's parents die on the night she and Mason tie the knot, and they — along with Jake — decide to raise her newborn sister, Opal, together. This arrangement obviously results in lines (and morals) getting a little bit blurry, eventually leading to shocking consequences that none of them could have ever seen coming.

15
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Take the couples of Big Little Lies out of Pirriwee, make them a little more conniving, toss in a mysterious, friendship-ruining event that unfolds gradually, racketing up the suspense, and you'll have Truly Madly Guilty. Moriarty's 2016 novel about six couples whose relationships are never the same after they all attend a seemingly innocent barbecue is beyond addicting.

16
The Rumor by Erin Hilderbrand

The Rumor by Erin Hilderbrand

Love reading about gossip, rather than spreading it yourself? Then say hello to Erin Hilderbrand's The Rumor, which is chock full of Nantucket gossip surrounding best friends Madeline King and Grace Pancik. Over the course of one Summer, their perfect lives are derailed by rumors flying around town, which range from affairs, to debt, to more than a few broken hearts.

17
Social Crimes by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

Social Crimes by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

If you enjoyed the perilous social ladder Jane found herself climbing in Big Little Lies, give Social Crimes a try. The sophisticated mystery follows Jo Slater, a New York socialite who is willing to go to extremes to reclaim her status as queen of the NYC social scene from a mysterious newcomer, even if it means resorting to murder.