Review: Truly Madly Guilty – Liane Moriarty

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The new novel from Liane Moriarty, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Husband’s Secret, Big Little Lies, and What Alice Forgot, about how sometimes we don’t appreciate how extraordinary our ordinary lives are until it’s too late.

“What a wonderful writer—smart, wise, funny.” —Anne La...

The new novel from Liane Moriarty, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Husband’s Secret, Big Little Lies, and What Alice Forgot, about how sometimes we don’t appreciate how extraordinary our ordinary lives are until it’s too late.

“What a wonderful writer—smart, wise, funny.” —Anne Lamott

Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It’s just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong?

In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty turns her unique, razor-sharp eye towards three seemingly happy families.

Sam and Clementine have a wonderful, albeit, busy life: they have two little girls, Sam has just started a new dream job, and Clementine, a cellist, is busy preparing for the audition of a lifetime. If there’s anything they can count on, it’s each other.

Clementine and Erika are each other’s oldest friends. A single look between them can convey an entire conversation. But theirs is a complicated relationship, so when Erika mentions a last minute invitation to a barbecue with her neighbors, Tiffany and Vid, Clementine and Sam don’t hesitate. Having Tiffany and Vid’s larger than life personalities there will be a welcome respite.

Two months later, it won’t stop raining, and Clementine and Sam can’t stop asking themselves the question: What if we hadn’t gone?

In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on the foundations of our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don’t say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm.

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Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty is a story about three families whose lives are forever changed after an ordinary backyard barbecue. Sam and Clementine are happily married, with two beautiful daughters. Sam just started a great job but feels as if he is on the edge of being reprimanded for his “lack” of work contributed to the company. Sam feels like it’s only a matter of time before his other coworkers have had enough of carrying his workload as well. Clementine is a cellist and is preparing for an audition, and it’s causing her major anxiety.

Erika and Clementine have been friends since grade school and are the best of friends. Or are they? Their friendship has always seemed a bit competitive, with an underlying feeling of hostility (at least by one of them). When Erika invites Sam and Clementine to a barbecue thrown by her neighbors, Tiffany and Vid, Clementine eagerly accepts. Before attending the barbecue Erika and her husband Oliver decide to tell Clementine a secret they have been holding back for almost a year. Both Sam and Clementine are shocked but are stunned into silence with what follows next from Erika.

What starts out as a beautiful day to enjoy a barbecue, with laughter, relaxation, and a friendly flirting turns into a horrifying moment that will leave a delicate scar on everyone’s memory of ‘that day.’ Truly Madly Guilty is a story that hits on friendship, marriage, and parenting. It will test the boundaries of each and will have them questioning themselves and wondering “who’s to blame.”

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty has the elements of a great story, but the execution of the ‘big reveal’ of the plot of the story failed miserably. The constant going back to the ‘day of’ was annoying. Unfortunately, by the time it was revealed what had happened that day, I had pretty much deduced what had happened since it wasn’t revealed about halfway through the book. It ‘truly’ made this reader ‘madly’ irritated that it took that long to reveal everything. There are little side stories within the novel that are irrelevant to the plot of the story. Overall the story was just okay.

Reviewed by: Leona

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