We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press (Random House)
Release Date: May 13th, 2014
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
Disclaimer: I received an ecopy from NetGalley. This did not affect my review and thoughts, nor am I being compensated for it.
"I fell in love with their stories, their struggles, their pain, their friendship."
"The plot is intricate, messy (in a good way), new, and powerful."
THIS BOOK. ALL THE FEELS. Okay. Warning. This is going to be a slightly vague review for a book with a very vague synopsis. But you really just have to read this for yourself. It's one of those books that just left me speechless when it was over (and in tears, but that's a WHOLE other story). It's one that made me give it the rating I did automatically. No second thoughts. What a beautiful, impactful, amazing book.
First, I have to mention the writing. It's not going to be for everyone. I already know there have been several people that have mentioned that they didn't like the writing. But I'm not one of them. I find it really unique, and I enjoyed the mood and tone. The voice of the narrator, Cadence, was so fresh and different, but it also reflects her, her personality, her experiences, and her upbringing. It just blew me away.
Then there's the plot. I don't even know what to say about it. In many ways, the synopsis hits on the major points of the book, and the plot stretches out from there. The book kept me guessing for the majority of the book. And the thing is, I'm sure you'll hear about the tears involved. You probably won't understand it until the last ten or so pages. That's when it'll hit you like BAM! *falls back into a ball on the ground, crying* Sure, I knew it was coming, but I didn't know how bad it was. But really, the plot is intricate, messy (in a good way), new, and powerful. There are so many themes and lessons that are looked at in this book, and it's just so amazing. I can't say anything more. Really. Just read it and discover it for yourself. You'll enjoy it so much more if you go into it not knowing a lot.
The characters were another one of my favorite aspects of this book. Each one was so different, each with their own struggles and problems. I felt like I was on the island too, not as a family member, but just as someone looking in. The family dynamics are so strong and so powerful, while also really well explored and broken down. It's interesting to see how the characters, each with similar upbringings, manage to be their own and so completely different from one another. The way they handle their responsibilities and the family expectations is just so enthralling and unique. I fell in love with the Liars. I fell in love with their stories, their struggles, their pain, their friendship.
Sure, there are a few things here and there that I wish could have been explored more or that I wish had been answered, but at the same time, those were small things that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I feel like this is one of those books that will be talked about A LOT in the coming months and for good reason. If you can get your hands on this one, read it. It'll blow you away.
I really enjoyed this one too! It's so hard to write a review for though! Mine was super short and barely anything, haha. So happy you loved it too.
ReplyDeleteIt was such an amazing read! Agreed! It's so hard to write it without giving anything away, and because so much of the plot revolves around one aspect, it's so hard to talk about it in its entirety. Glad you loved it! :D
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