We Were Liars

Despite being 240 pages, this reminded me more of a short-story than a full length book. Geared toward the teen/youth category, it's a quick read and I finished it in one day. I can't really discuss the book since there are some twists that shouldn't be given away. While I had considered the possibility of the final twist earlier in the book, I thought the book was going in another direction so it still caught me off guard. Overall, an enjoyable read though the ending may be polarizing.

This book made me FEEL. It wouldn't leave my mind for the days that followed and I'm certain that the characters would remain at the back of my mind for a long, long time.

I LOVED those little fairytales adapted to the mindset of the protagonist. I would definitely recommend this book.

I would rate it a 4.5 cuz I'm a difficult person and very few books make it a 5 in my lists .

I've always seen this book on the shelves of every bookstore I went to but I never felt like reading it until this year - when I have too much time on my hands.

Needless to say, it is a very hyped book that made me curious to finally pick it up so I would finally know what the buzz is about.

Unfortunately, I have to say I'm not impressed by the book. The plot only picked up at the end of Part 4 for me that made me finally sit up and genuinely feel interested to finish it.

Positives
- i didn't see the plot twist would be like that. i was imagining it entirely different so it caught me by surprise. i've heard people talking about the plot twist so i was looking forward to find out and w
was glad it wasn't something predictable to me
- the themes of racism and privilege were interesting to explore in the book and i have to give credits to gat's character for them to be discussed

Negatives
- i thought cadence and gat's relationship was undeveloped. i didn't feel anything for them nor was i rooting for them. most of the time, i thought cadence's love story with gat was unnecessary and wish they were just friends. later on, i realised her love for gat was significant for what happened but still, i thought it could have been done better.
- the writing seems way overdramatic and bland. i've read people talking about how they hate that
some sentences
are broke down
like
this
but this isn't the main issue for me. i love it when authors choose to have unique writing style.
i'm not sure if it was the main intention for the writing is to be the way it was cos cadence is an unreliable narrator who is shifting the readers' focus on something else but her and her mistake.
- i also did not feel connected to cadence as a character and thought she was being shallow and privileged white girl who is impulsive and careless.

I began reading this book with absolutely no idea what it was about. Three pages. That is all it took for me to fall for this book hook, line, and sinker. I am an active reader, so I tend to get caught up in the books I read. I was not prepared for the emotional impact this book was going to have for me. I found myself not wanting to put the book down. Again, I get emotional when reading, but I cannot stress the powerful delivery of these emotions. This book made me feel exactly as it was portraying. There were times the outcome of a situation was one hundred percent the opposite of what I envisioned, and I loved that! E. Lockhart's writing not only grabbed at me, but it took me on a behind the scenes tour of everything that happened. I started out with two favorite books. I ended with three.

HOLY SHIT WHAT(more TK, maybe)–lol that was my 2014 review, more never came. I re-read this after [b:Family of Liars 59586261 Family of Liars E. Lockhart https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636570306l/59586261.SY75.jpg 93842189] and I do have to say that knowing ~the twist~ maybe made me enjoy it a bit less on my re-read but honestly I still dug it.

First it pulled me in with the story of four friends and young love, then it increasingly annoyed me with everyone's reluctance to help our protagonist recover her memories. But in the end I had to admit that the twist worked really well. Especially in how it made you recall small details from earlier and made you go “aaah of course”.

4 and a half years later and I've read this book again. The author is so creative with her writing, even at almost 18 I can find that her language is so universal. And obviously, the ending, that ending was pain again and I don't know what to say about it other than the fact that it took all my strength to stop myself from crying. I just love this book.

This is right up my alley. Stories of growing up, of friends and relationships, of spending dreamy summers outdoors in the summer, of memories, and of life. Yet there is also mystery, intrigue, a puzzle to be solved.

“And maybe,
just maybe,
he'd come back one day,
and burn that
fucking
palace
to the ground.”

I didn't know what to expect about this book, I read the plot and the reviews and I decided to start it. I thought it was kind of a light reading but I was definitely wrong, I'm still in shock after the ending. But I liked it, I liked it because I didn't expect anything. So if you're looking for a book with a shocking ending, this is your book. Don't let yourself fooled by the cover or the title or the plot, I read it in 3 days and it was worth it!

The Sinclair's are old money that summer on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts.
The Liars are teenaged cousins Cadence, Johnny, Mirren and Gat.

Something happens at “Summer 15” leaving Cadence with debilitating migraines and selective amnesia. After a year away she returns to the island determined to piece together the mystery of her missing summer. Think of it as Gone Girl for the YA set. ...I've said too much already. I'm also lying - read it.

I have seen a lot of mixed reviews for this one so I've been hesitant to read it. It's been on my shelf for a while now. I decided to finally give it a go because of a book club challenge.

Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed this one. I love the lyrical writing and haiku type chapters. I enjoy poetry though so this didn't cause an issue for me the way it did with other readers.

I definitely think you have to be in the right mindset for this one as well. Despite being a summer read, this isn't a light or fluffy read. It's tense, dark and has an emotional tinge throughout that you just know will end sadly.

This is a very quick read and one I recommend for those who like to dip their toes into the darker and emotional side of books.