We Were Liars in Hype or Like Friday

Jun 24, 2014 Michael rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2014, young-adult, summer-reading-2014

Had We Were Liars not cautioned me against revealing too much of the book's ending to anyone, I might have enjoyed it more than I did. The promise of having the rug pulled out from under me in the final few pages left me pondering what the twist would be and how it would work rather than sitting back and allowing me to slowly draw out the line before setting the hook.

In many ways, it reminds me a lot of the problems I have when approaching an M. Night Shymalyan film. I'm so conditioned to expec Had We Were Liars not cautioned me against revealing too much of the book's ending to anyone, I might have enjoyed it more than I did. The promise of having the rug pulled out from under me in the final few pages left me pondering what the twist would be and how it would work rather than sitting back and allowing me to slowly draw out the line before setting the hook.

In many ways, it reminds me a lot of the problems I have when approaching an M. Night Shymalyan film. I'm so conditioned to expect a twist that I find myself less concentrating on the story and characters than I do on looking for the seeds to be sewn for the twist or trying to be one-step ahead of the game and guessing the twist ending.

That feeling didn't necessarily ruin We Were Liars for me, but it kept me from having quite the same zen-like experience that other readers have had with the novel.*

* I will note from a perusal of other reviews that the book seems to be fairly polarizing. It seems that readers either love it or they're not necessarily sure the destination was worth the ride.

It's the novel of the Sinclair family and their summers spent on the family island. The first three grandchildren plus a young man named Gat, spend each summer there together, having adventures on the island and growing up together. Our narrator is Cady, who has feelings for Gat.

Two years earlier, Cady waded out into the ocean in her clothes and was found on the beach with a head injury. She experiences short term memory loss, debilitating migraines and other side effects from the experience. She skips one summer on the island to tour Europe with her estranged father and the next summer insists on going back for half the summer in the hopes of reconnecting with her family and figuring out exactly what happened that fateful summer evening. Cady's family can and will tell her what happened, but Cady doesn't recall being told even moments later, leading her mother and doctors to decide she needs to remember what happened on her own.

Over the course of the story, E. Lockhart explores the complicated relationships and history of the Sinclair family. What from the outside appears to be the "perfect" family is instead one built on lying, deceit and manipulation. It seems that grandchildren are just one attempts by various parties to control and manipulate each other and to stake various participants claims to the family legacy.

The novel sets up the coming "pulling out the rug" moment fairly well with enough threads put into place that when it does come, it feels substantial and earned. That said, I'd guessed (part of) what was to come a long time before the big reveal, which allowed me to be both smug at my own intuitiveness and surprised by what Lockhart achieves in the final few pages of the novel.

Told from the point of view of Cady and easily shifting from past to present, We Were Liars is a book is good, but it's not quite one that I'd rate as necessarily being great. It's well written, fun and entertaining but it's not quite the zen-experience (for me anyway) that others have made it out to be.

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Oct 30, 2016 Jillian Quinn rated it really liked it

Shelves: rave-review

As always, you can also find this review on my Rant and Rave About Books Blog @ https://rantandraveaboutbooks.com/

Narrated by Cadence, a teenage girl and one of the liars, we are instantly immersed in the lives of the mega rich, the 1% of the population that don't exist to normal people. This book reminded me of Gossip Girl set on a private island without the cool fashion and cat fights over boys. Gossip Girl will always hold a special place in my heart, and We Were Liars also found a way to sti As always, you can also find this review on my Rant and Rave About Books Blog @ https://rantandraveaboutbooks.com/

Narrated by Cadence, a teenage girl and one of the liars, we are instantly immersed in the lives of the mega rich, the 1% of the population that don't exist to normal people. This book reminded me of Gossip Girl set on a private island without the cool fashion and cat fights over boys. Gossip Girl will always hold a special place in my heart, and We Were Liars also found a way to stick with me weeks after reading. Whatever you think is going to happen in this book doesn't, no matter how much you think you have it all figured out.

I usually try to go into a book without knowing much about it, this way there's no preconceived notions about what I think is going to happen. I've read all rave reviews of this book, none of which gave away the ending, which was such a relief because the ending is brilliant. The writing style is different and more unique than anything I've read in a while. I really enjoyed the style this author used, and I plan to check out more of her books in the future.

The story follows Cadence, Jonny, Mirren, and Gat, aka The Liars told entirely from Cadence's point of view. It takes a while before you realize that Cadence is narrating the story because of the way it's told. She's a very unreliable narrator because of her current mental and physical condition, something I'll leave out so you can find out for yourselves. I think it's better if you find out on your own. As Cadence takes us on a trip through the past, it's hard to figure out what happened and what she made up. Because she's a liar and they are all liars.

This book is only 242 pages, making it a very fast read. I read it within a few hours before bed and was blown away by the killer ending. I thought I had some of it figured out, and I did, but there was so much more to the story than I realized. You have to read to the end because the serious plot twist isn't revealed until the last twenty pages or so. My heart hurt, my face hurt, my head hurt... Literally everything hurt by the time I finished this book. I had to start another book right away just so I could clear my head to fall asleep.

I absolutely adored this book. I'm glad it was a Rave Review after owning the hardback for almost two years. ...more

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Apr 04, 2015 The Book Jar Blog rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

Read more of our reviews at: www.thebookjarblog.wordpress.com

So many stars, it seemed like a celebration, a grand, illicit party the galaxy was holding after the humans had been put to bed."

The Sinclair family is part of New England's old money elite, every summer the entire extended family assembles on their Grandfather's private island off the coast of Cape Cod. Cadence (Cady), her cousins Johnny and Mirren, and friend Gat are the inseparable "liars," as everyone calls them. Cady suffers a mys ...more

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Sep 10, 2018 lady h rated it did not like it

Shelves: read-in-2018

Here's the thing. If your entire book hinges upon the twist, that twist better be mind-blowing. If that twist ends up being stupid and predictable and a little ridiculous, then your entire book falls apart. That's what happened here.

This book revolves around Cadence Sinclair and three of her cousins/friends, who call themselves the Liars, and they spend every summer together on their family's private island off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. An accident happens to Cadence the summer they are a ...more

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Feb 28, 2020 Amy rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, tbr-already-owned

3.5/5

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Jul 12, 2016 Heather (The Sassy Book Geek) rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016

Mini Review Originally Posted On The Sassy Book Geek

This book is so, so hyped and of course me being me I had to at least give it a try. Plus it’s so short! I can’t pass up short books, it’s a weakness! I digress though. As I said this is a very hyped book and was it as good as everyone says? Yeah, sort of. Was it as bad as a lot of other people say it is? Meh. Overall my thoughts are that this was a decent book that is the perfect 3 star rating, right down the middle.

As far as the plot goes ...more

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Dec 25, 2015 Sofii♡ (A Book. A Thought.) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016, favorites, romance, contemporary, mystery-thriller, young-adult

I have tears in my eyes yet ...

I started the book with many expectations but in the middle I'm was disappointing a bit I thought it was very cold and meaningless, were these conversations where characters seemed distracted as if to forget that they were talking and then came the incredible last pages where simply WOW, I don't see that coming at all, the end broke my heart and I just could not stop mourn .... in the end can link everything and give meaning to history....really was worth it ♥

Alot ...more

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May 26, 2015 Nicki ⍣ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: worth-a-reread, cried-when-done

I've read quite a few books this year and this is the first one that has me thinking so far. I want to say that based on standards that I've upheld books at this wouldn't be 5 stars but there's undoubtedly something about this for me personally that I need to, HAVE to rate it this. (which says a lot cause books rarely get five stars from me) I'm not sure I liked any of the characters, but it's the book itself that I found profound.

I kind of figured out what had happened midway but it didn't mak ...more

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Mar 01, 2016 Larkin (Wonderfilled Reads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: stand-alone, favorites, contemporary, award-winning, reviewed-on-blog, own, romance, young-adult, mystery-and-thriller, award-nominee

This book was insanely engrossing. I devoured it in less than 24 hours, as I couldn't bear to put it down. I loved the mystery and the tragic characters with all of their flaws and ignorance. And that reveal wrecked me completely!

However, I found the writing to get a little muddled sometimes and would occasionally leave me confused as to what was really going on. The style also got a little annoying but nothing too bad. Overall I really recommend this book to everyone. Just be prepared to have y ...more

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Apr 08, 2015 Marie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-in-greece-april-2015

This book really deserves the hype!I did not see that ending coming!

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Dec 19, 2014 Angelica Cropper rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I don't even know what to say about this book. My feelings about it are so complicated. The choppy writing style was very annoying and didn't allow the story to flow as it could have. It was also tediously slow filled with ramblings about how terrible it is to be rich and privileged. But the mystery of her "accident" as it was called throughout the book, sucked me in. I read the book in one sitting. All of these negative aspects of the book were completely wiped out with the first sentence of th ...more

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Sep 13, 2016 Sabrina added it

Shelves: dnf

I might finish it someday, but for now.. I'm in a reading slump. :( ...more

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Jul 07, 2014 Ashley rated it really liked it

Privilege. Water. Family. Secrets. Plot Twist.

These are the first words that come to mind when thinking about We Were Liars.

The "beautiful Sinclair family," with their private island near Martha's Vineyard, lives in a world unknown to most readers. Yet, the summer swims, family solidarity, and keeping secrets are experiences many can understand. It's this fine balance between getting a glimpse into a different lifestyle and being able to personally relate to the characters' emotions that makes L ...more

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Mar 09, 2015 Ashy sebastian rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

very rarely do I actually find interest in such books. This book however, legit blew my expectations. This was just such a 'different' book, a book that I never thought would be amazing. Let me be real with you. This book is not for young readers that like cliche crap and blah de blah, it's very emotional yet I did not enjoy the romance part.. I mean, the main character just gave herself away and urghhhhhhhh. romance: 1 star everythingelselol: 3 stars
4 stars for the book :) ...more

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