[2] The novel tells the story of Sam and Clementine, an ordinary yet busy married couple trying to balance work and family life.

After the couple is invited by Clementine's old friend Erika to a neighbor's barbecue party, a spiral of intrigue, lust, and betrayal is unleashed.

"[4] In August 2016, it was reported that Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman were teaming up again to adapt Liane Moriarty's latest novel, Truly Madly Guilty.

[5][6] The production companies for the adaptation would be Bruna Papandrea and Reese Witherspoon's Pacific Standard together with Nicole Kidman and Per Saari's Blossom Films.

[7] At the time, it was uncertain if Witherspoon and Kidman would take on acting roles, and there was also ambiguity about whether the project would be developed as a movie or a limited series.