I'm a big fan of Liane Moriarty's; though her books on occasion fall a little flat, she is excellent at crafting an interwoven cast of compelling characters and pulling you into their drama. The Delaney family might've been one of her best ensembles to date (it'll be really hard to ever top the "Big Little Lies" group though if I'm being honest)—their family dysfunction was relatable, but just outlandish enough to keep me curiously and frantically flipping pages. Some authors get lost in a sea of too many underdeveloped characters, but Moriarty again is expert at introducing and fleshing out distinct personalities while giving them all legitimate purpose in the story.

I really enjoyed all the twists in this plot too, some major and some a little softer; there wasn't necessarily one huge ~reveal~, but a number of shocks along the way that, again, kept me engaged while still propelling the storyline. The setup did a lot of good work making this happen—the time jumps allowed enough info to be consistently hooked, but still preserved a final reveal for the end to keep you guessing.

While playing to the author's strengths, this book also shows more range to her as well. Beyond the mystery, this stands apart from the rest of Moriarty's canon because of its resolution:

Spoiler

Joy Delaney is not in fact dead, as we've been led to believe, but was on an unplugged trip without her phone and with a very plausible explanation for her lack of contact. Unlike others of her novels, this one ended on a very hopeful note with our main couple reengaging in their love story and reconnecting after years of built up tension and an explosive secret.

Liane Moriarty is back and killing the game! Thank you to Henry Holt and Goodreads for the ARC.