We Were Liars in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

May 16, 2014 Ellen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio-book, ya

Cady, Johnny, Mirren and Gat---the Liars---four inseparable teens had spent every idyllic summer together since they were 8 on Grandpa Sinclair’s private island off Cape Cod. Each family had a separate home and dinners were served every evening after cocktails by their grandparents’ cook at the big house. Cady is the beloved granddaughter of the proud and wealthy patriarch and she is reminded regularly to maintain a stiff upper lip because she is one of ‘the’ Sinclairs, whose ancestors were some Cady, Johnny, Mirren and Gat---the Liars---four inseparable teens had spent every idyllic summer together since they were 8 on Grandpa Sinclair’s private island off Cape Cod. Each family had a separate home and dinners were served every evening after cocktails by their grandparents’ cook at the big house. Cady is the beloved granddaughter of the proud and wealthy patriarch and she is reminded regularly to maintain a stiff upper lip because she is one of ‘the’ Sinclairs, whose ancestors were some of the first settlers in New England. World travel and the Ivy League are assumed to follow high school. Life was good.

Yet, two summers earlier, known to the family as Summer 15, Cady had been found one evening floating in her underwear on one of the island’s private beaches, and is still unable to remember why she had been there in the first place. A traumatic brain injury is the cause of her memory loss and of her debilitating migraine headaches, according to the myriad of doctors Cady has seen since. As much as she tries, Cady cannot remember anything about Summer 15 or what had caused her accident. Now it’s Summer 17 and Cady will be going back to the island, hoping that being there again with the rest of the Liars will help her remember her accident and perhaps help her heal.

The story of Cady and her family is full of twists and turns, unreliable narrators and is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Cady is a strong yet wounded character and the reader goes along for the ride as she describes the summers her family spent together and feels Cady’s frustrations as she tries so hard to remember what caused her accident. She tries to get answers from others who were there, but her extended family is having serious problems of their own, and so she withdraws into her pain and continues to puzzle over the events of Summer 15. As Cady begins to remember bits and pieces, the reader also begins to realize what really happened that night.

I could not stop reading this book until the ending and what an ending it was! Brilliantly plotted and wonderfully written, this book will appeal to adults and teens alike. It would be great for book discussion and excellent for mother/teen daughter book groups since there is so many family issues to be chewed over. Highly recommended. ...more

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Mar 09, 2014 Astrid Lim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: puzzle, young-adult, tragedy, america, twist, secret-santa, summer

Either you will love this book or hate it. Either you will think this book very pretentious, trying too hard and unoriginal, or you will love its bravado, crazy twist and unpredictable scenes.
The story revolves around the Sinclairs, prominent East Coast family with old money and private island for summer holidays. The Liars, consisting of 3 cousins and 1 friend of family, were bonding during their summers, from kids until their teenage days. But one day, a sad, dark tragedy ruined their lives.

T ...more

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May 22, 2017 Jamie rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club

Easy read. Gave me chills.

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 25, 2015 Nicole rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya, 2016

Eh. While I admit I didn't see the punchline coming, it wasn't built up to be suspenseful, which is what I was hoping for out of this book.

*Potential, but abstract spoiler*
Strangely enough I read this book just after reading The Bookseller, and was amazed at how two seemingly disparate books had basically the same twist. Odd the way that works sometimes, isn't it? Regardless, I'm potentially being harsher on the book because I didn't love it the first time around and the same plot plus a whole ...more

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Feb 16, 2015 Stacy rated it really liked it

SLJ said the ending of this book is a "doozy," and that it is!
This is the story of a very wealthy, aristocratic, white family and their summer home off the Martha's Vineyard. Candy, during summer 15 (when she was 15) suffered an accident and still has terrible migraines. She can't remember what happened. She spends her time with her beloved cousins and Gat, the outsider who she falls for. The family is dysfunctional, and there are many questions to be answered. I suspected the ending about halfw ...more

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