Ah, scandalous! Every now and then, I do enjoy the occasional fluffy, stereotypical trash novel. And upon seeing an ARC of it at a 50-cents-an-inch sale at a library, well, how could I resist?

Pretty Little Liars is typical of teenage-girl fiction. Five friends, one supposed dead. Lots of drugs/drinking, and some of that scandalous behaviour. Oh, and everything has to come crashing down on their pretty little heads--it IS a teenage girls' novel. Still, enjoyable enough to read. There were genuine issues touched upon, which surprised me. Inbetween the references to specific brand names that will be out of style in a few years, there is a girl with surprisingly racist parents slowly discovering the fact that she is, in fact, gay--not that her parents can ever find that out. It's played well, not overdone. Another is quietly coming to terms with her image--after a long stretch of binging and purging. Again, not overplayed. If nothing else, the author is true to the problems the girls face.

Now, if only she would be realistic about that whole Older Men thing.


Review at a glance:
Scandalous, trashy, and filled with drinking and drugs. But a wholly enjoyable read all the same, with remarkably genuine characters. Oh, and that whole A person--can't wait to find out how that turns out.