We Were Liars in Amazon Editors' YA Book Club

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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Sep 27, 2014 Jules rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, i-tried, kool-aid

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I knew how it would end after she woke up alone. I thought this was going to have a shocking ending, something completely unexpected. The reviews were glowing.

The book was predictable from beginning to end. There wasn't a shadow of doubt in my mind what would happen, which I would share but I've always promised spoiler-free reviews. How it happened was disappointing. Lockhart made a lazy plot decision. Too easy, to trite, too boring.

description

I could see
the ending
from a mile away
and could feel the feels ...more

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Aug 08, 2014 bjneary rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-a-day-nerdy-book-club, romance, mystery, realistic-fiction, ya

I received this ARC this winter at ALA in Philadelphia. In this compelling novel, Cady may be rich and care-free but she also has so much else going on. Her father leaves them and she has an accident (Summer 15) that causes her to be wracked with horrible migraines and memory issues. Annually, Cady summers with her extended family on an island her grandfather owns with three sprawling houses. She is best friends with her cousin Mirren, Johnny, and Gat during these summers. They don’t keep in con ...more

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May 01, 2014 Shawna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Goosebumps! I guessed the twist ending, but it still affected me when I read it.

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May 12, 2014 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, young-adult

Finally! I've been reading a lot of books lately with "unreliable" narrators and nearly all of them have been huge misses. But here is a winner! Look here, authors, this is how you do it!

Cadence is a Sinclair and she along with her two cousins, Johnny and Mirren and Johnny's friend Gat, make up the Liars. Their family revolves around their grandfather and old money and living up to the expectation that they will be perfect. An accident during Cadence's 15th summer, however, changes everything.

I ...more

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Feb 01, 2016 Liza rated it liked it

Shelves: e-book, fiction, young-adult, contemporary, library-book, 2016

I liked this book until I got to the end. I did not see that coming. I feel a little cheated.

ETA: I don't know if this is a 3 or a 4. Or a 2. I feel like I need to go back and reread to see if it makes any sense, but I think that it will still be the same if I did; it's not like the Sixth Sense or a book where the main character is talking to himself while the world around him reacts: they're still going to be tangible, imaginary ghosts that don't exist. However, I do think it would make the rea ...more

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Feb 21, 2017 Angie rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult-contemporary

Two years later and I'm wondering if this book is really four star worthy, but I do still remember what happens so it was certainly haunting and that must count for something. ...more

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