It is true that most readers enjoy finding a character to relate to, but in this case I saw myself so clearly in one of the characters it almost made me sick to my stomach. Liane Moriarty has done it again: the wonderful characters, the spot-on realness of the imagery, and the individuality of the child characters. All of these were on display in The Husband's Secret, and they were done even better here. The book starts with what should be a ridiculous scene—parents of elementary school children dressed up in costumes engaged in a massive brawl. But it quickly becomes serious with a scream, and we realize someone has been killed. The book then flashes back to months before the brawl where we meet Jane, a single mother with a secret who is new to the seaside Australian town; Madeline, the sparkly, stiletto-wearing mother of three who lives in the same town with her ex-husband who walked out on her and his new happy family; and Celeste, who seems to have the perfect life, but really, really doesn't. All three of the women are friends, and end up having to do battle against what could so easily be dismissed as the "stupid bullshit drama" of rumors and taking sides, but Moriarty does such a good job of making it real, of showing why it isn't bullshit, especially when it comes to your children. Reading this made me glad I am not a mother in a closely-knit school community, and definitely glad I'm no longer a teacher. Part of the joy of reading is looking into new worlds. But in case of Moriarty's work, her books give me better insight into my own world.