Over the summer of 2019, I was desperate for a new book to read. I stumbled across Little Fires Everywhere which quickly turned into my favorite book. When I finished reading it, I was devastated that I had reached the end of the story. However, I soon heard the news that the book would be adapted into a Hulu miniseries. After waiting months, the first episode was finally released and I could revisit the story one last time.

The show follows Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon) and her picture-perfect family. Everything is seemingly perfect until the mysterious Mia Warren (Kerry Washington) and her daughter pull into town. A series of intertwined tales unfold and reveal secrets from both families. Elena’s vision of perfection and concept of motherhood comes crashing down as more information is brought to light.

Adaptations of books always worry me before I watch them. Often I spend my time reading an interesting book and looking forward to watching it in a visual medium, only to have entire chunks of the story be missing or botched. My expectations were a bit higher for this miniseries because I have watched previous Hulu adaptations and they have stayed accurate to the novels. I’m glad to say that my expectations were exceeded for this show. Witherspoon and Washington both had powerful performances that truly portrayed the characters written in the book. While the women played polar opposites, both had an equally strong execution of their roles.

Furthermore, the miniseries added  new elements to the story that the book had not included. One of the underlying themes throughout the entire show was racial tensions between the different groups of characters. While the book had touched on these briefly, the miniseries added a lot more conflict with it that created an interesting dynamic. Privilege and socio-economic status also played a huge part in the show. Each episode dug further into the message of money not being an adequate measure of motherhood. These topics were not something the author had outright explained in the book, but watching it in the miniseries helped me to understand the overall message of the story.

What I love about this series is that it focuses on teenagers as well as adults. My mom and I were able to watch it together and both find parts that we could relate to even though we are generations apart. For mother-daughter duos, this is a great watch that will keep both people entertained.

My only complaint about this show is that it is only eight episodes long. While it was enough time to convey the entire story, plus add on to it, it is not a series that one can follow for a long time. Although there is always a possibility for a second season, there is not a second book to base it off of. Therefore, in a way, a second season would compromise the integrity of the original story

While on the search for a new show to watch, I highly recommend giving Little Fires Everywhere a try. The plot line never gets dull and there is always a new twist being thrown into the mix. Also, having two strong leading female actresses as the main characters adds so much to every show. Not only will the series leave viewers in awe at the end, but it will also empower many girls to live life how they want to.