Little Liar

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Olivia returns to Malachi even though he abducted and tortured her because she loves him. Do you agree with her actions? In your opinion, does intense love excuse boundary-pushing behavior?

2. Malachi is insecure about losing Olivia because she “might realize she can do way better than [him]” (235). Can you relate to his insecurity? How would you cope with such feelings in any kind of relationship?

3. Malachi resents Jamieson because his adoptive father disapproves of his relationship with Olivia. Is Malachi’s resentment justified? What would you do in Jamieson’s shoes?

4. Though the Vize family undergoes many terrible events, most of the family members still end up in touch with each other, emphasizing the importance of found family. How did you feel about the novel’s depiction of family? Which relationships or moments resonated most with you, and why?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. What did you think of the depiction of women in the novel? How does this portrayal align with women in the real world?

2. In Little Liar, incarceration contributes to Malachi’s mental health condition and does not curb his violent tendencies. What does Malachi’s experience of prison tell you about the novel’s view of the criminal justice system?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The book is narrated from the first-person perspectives of Olivia and Malachi. How did the first-person narration impact your reading of the novel? Would the experience have been different if it were narrated from a third-person point of view?

2. Ending the novel with an epilogue that looks into the characters’ future is a common convention of the romance genre. However, Rivers concludes Little Liar with two Epilogues, three and 12 years after the events of the novel. Why do you think she decided to adopt this strategy? How does it contribute to the novel?

3. Although Little Liar is primarily a novel about Malachi and Olivia’s romantic relationship, it is also a novel about family. Discuss how the narrative engages with family issues and dynamics and how this contributes to the thematic meaning of the novel.

4. Analyze how the novel uses and subverts the conventions and tropes of the romance genre and the dark romance and taboo romance subgenres. How does Rivers’s use of convention deepen the novel’s meaning?