When I reached the last page of Big Little Truths, I was devastated.

Not because the ending was traumatic, but because the characters – a group of mums with high-school-aged teens – were so relatable that I felt as if I knew them.

Madeline is turning 50, which is daunting enough, but she has also found a lump in her breast that she hasn’t told anyone about, while her daughter is sneaking out of school. Celeste’s mother-in-law is asking awkward questions, Jane’s seemingly perfect marriage might be crumbling around her and Bonnie is a yoga-practising, matcha-smoothie-drinking mum carrying a confession that is crushing her. Then there’s Renata, the friend everyone needs in their life.

Author Liane Moriarty gets the complicated relationships between teenagers and their parents dead on, with plenty of secrets, misunderstandings and eye-rolling, but also fierce love beneath it all.

Amid all this domestic drama, a severed finger is delivered to the high school the teenagers attend and the parents are in an uproar. Who sent it, and what dark secret might it point to?

Easy to read, addictive, funny and entirely satisfying, Big Little Truths is the long-awaited sequel to Moriarty’s bestselling novel Big Little Lies, which inspired the award-winning television series of the same name.

If you haven’t read the first book, you can still enjoy Big Little Truths as a standalone story, but why would you do that? If you enjoy domestic fiction, slow-burn mysteries and contemporary fiction, and you haven’t read either, do yourself a favour and read both.

Any book club worth its salt should have a copy of the first one floating around, so just ask. And if you need any more convincing, Big Little Truths is also a Reese’s Book Club pick.