“Big Little Lies” author reveals major plot details of new book and show's season 3
“Big Little Lies” author reveals major plot details of new book and show's season 3
Marina WattsThu, March 19, 2026 at 4:40 PM UTC
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Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman on 'Big Little Lies'; 'Big Little Truths' by Liane MoriartyCredit: Jennifer Clasen/HBO; Crown Publishing GroupKey Points -
Liane Moriarty announced the title of her upcoming book, which is a sequel to her 2014 bestseller Big Little Lies.
Big Little Truths will also serve as the source material for season three of the HBO show of the same name
Big Little Truths publishes on Aug. 25 and is available for preorder
A sequel to the Big Little Lies book is coming.
A week after author Liane Moriarty announced on March 11 that a follow-up novel to her 2014 bestseller was coming, fans finally have a publishing date to look forward to. Big Little Truths comes out this August, and the book will have a time jump where the elementary school students are now teenagers.
“Right from the beginning, because of the show, there was talk about writing a sequel, but I was never interested right away because you put your characters through so much and it just didn’t make sense to me to write something that followed on directly,” Moriarty told USA Today about why a time jump made sense.
Reese Witherspoon promotes 'Big Little Truths' by Liane Moriarty via Instagram StoryCredit: Reese Witherspoon/Instagram
A synopsis for the book reads: "Now, after the principal of the high school receives a severed human finger in the mail, the parents are in an uproar. But Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie have other things to worry about."
"Celeste’s mother-in-law, Mary Louise, is behaving oddly—is it old-age forgetfulness and forthrightness, or something more sinister? Madeline is facing perhaps the biggest challenge of her life, Jane is at a dangerous fork in her marriage, Bonnie has realized there’s only so much solace in yoga. And Renata? Renata is living her best life—revenge is sweet," the description continues.
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"When a strange man begins lurking around the school asking supposedly innocent questions, this tightly connected group of women must finally face the full repercussions of the big little truths they have and haven’t shared with their kids. Because the stakes are now much higher than not being invited to an ice-skating show—and the ice has never been thinner for any of them."
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The author told the publication that learning about the young characters as teenagers was "the best part of writing" Big Little Truths.
The author also confirmed that the book will serve as the basis for the third season of the HBO show, but Moriarty will be "hands off" from the show.
However, she noted one of the actresses' portrayals had an impact on her writing this time around.
“It’s all Laura Dern’s fault because she was so amazing as Renata, it was impossible for me to not give her a bigger role also in this book,” Moriarty said. “You couldn’t put Renata in a corner.”
The 2014 book inspired the 2017 HBO drama series of the same name. Alongside Dern, Zoë Kravitz, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, and Nicole Kidman star as a group of mothers in Monterey, Calif., whose lives unravel when single mom Jane (Woodley) and her son arrive in their sleepy town ahead of the school year.
Reese Witherspoon promotes 'Big Little Truths' by Liane Moriarty via Instagram StoryCredit: Reese Witherspoon/Instagram
Kidman gave an update on season three in June 2024. "We're moving fast and furious, and Liane [Moriarty] is delivering the book. We're in good shape," she told Vanity Fair at the time.
Big Little Truths publishes on Aug. 25. It is available for preorder.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
