Shepard, Sara - Pretty Little Liars - Informal Buddy Read; Start: January 7, 2015

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This topic is open for discussion of Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard



Book Synopsis:
Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

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[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

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[Tara]

Thanks!

[♦Ashley♦]

I'm in:)

[Greta]

Great!!

[Amy]

i am totally in :)

[Nicole]

I've also been meaning to read this. I shall add it to my list.

[Tara]

If anyone needs to pick this one up, Amazon US has it free....not sure if other sites do as well, but just a heads up!

[Nicole]

Hey Tara Jo, could you shoot me across a link? I can't seem to see it.

[Greta]

Thanks, Tara Jo!!

[Shinjini]

I'm in! Have been meaning to read this one. :D

[Beth]

I just got done reading this about a week ago but whoever likes this book we can do a buddy read of the next book in the series!

[Eni]

nice! so many people =D woot!

[Blakely]

Just picked this one up free on Kindle, been meaning to check it out for a while. I'm in! :)

[Hilary]

I will join in, too!

[Shan ~A~]

I'm in. Got it for free on Kindle and been wanting to read it since the series started on tv.

[Ashley W]

I'm in :)

[Marla]

I got it free on Kindle too. See you in January.

[Nicole]

Guh, this buddy read is still soooo far away :(

[Matty]

Can I join this group read?(:

[Nicole]

Of course you can!

[Greta]

I had to read this for a challenge since it's set in Pennsylvania, so I'm starting early. I will make sure to comment once you all start.

I've gotten started and I'm 25% done. So far it's interesting, although I'm not loving the story. We'll see if it picks up.

Chapter 1-6 (view spoiler)[ I think it's interesting in a Young Adult book that they are smoking pot, going into bars underage, stealing...I don't think I'd want my kids reading this when they get to that age. I realize that all of that does happen, but that doesn't mean it has to be made to look cool in books.

They have hinted at the mystery all these girls share, and I'm curious to find out more about that. AND in the last two chapters the girls have gotten notes or texts from A, and it must mean Ali, so that is pretty thrilling since she's been missing for 3 years.

So far, I'm not liking these girls a whole lot, but I am interested in finding out what's going on with their secret past! (hide spoiler)]

[Skandia]

I'm starting early, too!

[Greta]

Skandia- I've also started early over at AMMP if you want to join me there and get the points there :-)

[Greta]

Chapter 7-14

(view spoiler)[The mystery is really drawing me in now. I am curious as to how one person can know all of these secrets unless it really is Ali. I want to know what the prank that backfired on Jenna was. I definitely need to keep reading now!! (hide spoiler)]

[Skandia]

I have finished Chapter 5.
(view spoiler)[I have seen the first season of the tv-show based on this book and so far it's been actually very true to book. Not sure if this helps me with reading or not. I kind of have spoilers (well, the big secret with Jenna, then Aria and Ezra) and I have also pretty clear idea of the characters. This is good, because there are so many of them.

I know there is lots of activities not appropriate for a YA book but those girls are all suppressed, weird and rebellious in their own way. I think that's why Alison gathered them around her and was the mastermind of their group. Pretty cliched character types, though.

(hide spoiler)]

[Greta]

Chapter 15-27

(view spoiler)[Still wondering how one person can know so much...maybe Ali had a diary she kept and someone found it?

I feel bad that Hanna is unraveling so much...she has such a negative body image and to have overcome her eating disorder and to slip back into it is sad.

(hide spoiler)]

[Greta]

Skandia wrote: "I have finished Chapter 5.
I have seen the first season of the tv-show based on this book and so far it's been actually very true to book. Not sure if this helps me with reading or not. I kind of ..."

I will have to check out the show once I'm done with the book! This kind of reminds me of Desperate Housewives but for YA!

[Shilpa]

I'll join too! :)

[Greta]

I finished!

(view spoiler)[boo for complete cliff hangers that don't explain any more of the mystery!! At least the book was short and I can go right to the next one and hopefully find out more!! (hide spoiler)]

[Skandia]

Greta wrote: "Skandia wrote: "I have finished Chapter 5.
I have seen the first season of the tv-show based on this book and so far it's been actually very true to book. Not sure if this helps me with reading or..."

I was thinking Gossip Girl

[Skandia]

I'm almost done. Stupid, shallow and pampered teenagers. Don't care for any of them. This book is so full of YA cliches that it's ludicrous. I'm sure it's not my type of book at all and I won't be continuing with this series.

[Greta]

I haven't seen Gossip Girl, but you're probably right. I don't love the characters either, but I am interested in the mystery.

[Skandia]

Finished.
One thing I liked about the book was Sara Shepard's writing. It was on point and didn't twiddle around. With so many characters, short and tight chapters were well written.

The more I read, the more I got the Gossip Girl wibe and if you have seen the tv-show based on this book, the book really adds nothing to it.

[Yi]

I'm in :) been meaning to read the series ever since I started watching the show

[Yi]

I'm in :) been meaning to read the series ever since I started watching the show

[Rebecca NJ]

I started a little early. Chapters 1 -7

(view spoiler)[ I have been curious about the tv show for awhile and recently saw a preview for an upcoming episode which unfortunately had a spoiler. I feel it's a cross between Desperate Housewives, the original 90210 (showing my age here), and How to Get Away with Murder.

While I'm intrigued by the mystery, the characters are a little shallow, although well developed, and are doing things I could not imagine a high school girl doing.

While the town of Rosewood is fictional, I am enjoying the various Philadelphia references, especially Wawa! (hide spoiler)]

[Jen]

I started early and ended up finishing the whole thing!

Here are my opions in the writing style. I'll wait until more comment on the plot before saying things.

Things I liked about the writing style:
(view spoiler)[ I loved the switching back and forth between Characters. It reminded me a lot of when I read Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which has always been one of my favorite series. I liked that she wasn't afraid to explore some of the common issues teens face. There was a good amount of drama, and when I finished one girls section I was excited to go onto the next one. (hide spoiler)]

Things I did not love:
(view spoiler)[ I know authors try to get into the voice of the character, but sometimes the writing seemed to basic. It doesn't have to be super challenging for me to enjoy. That being said, I do like when I stumble upon a new word or a sentence that is writing so beautifully it requires to be said aloud. Neither of those cases happened when I was reading. Also, I thought at times there was a lot of drama for girls that age. I feel like authors are trying to have more and more interesting things in books and this one was packed. Yet, the issues seemed very surface level. I was hoping some things would be explored more thoroughly. (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca NJ]

I finished the other night and here are my thoughts:

Chapters 8 - 12
(view spoiler)[I am captivated by the story and it's driving me crazy trying to figure out who is writing the notes. I love how everyone is a suspect and that no one knows that the others are receiving notes.

The competition between Spencer and Wren is a little odd - I have a feeling that there is more here than meets the eye. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 13 - 18
(view spoiler)[I hope we learn more about what happened to Jenna and what Toby did.

It seems that the common denominator to what is happening to everyone is Ali. i'm beginning to think that maybe Ali isn't dead but is seeking revenge or as Greta said - maybe she had things written down and someone found it. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 19 - 24
(view spoiler)[Maybe it's just me but if I would suspect someone is watching me, I think I would be more careful! (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 25 - end
(view spoiler)[The girls seem to be falling apart and are getting themselves into such tough situations.(view spoiler)[ I was not expecting them to find Ali's body but i am glad to see that they came together at the end as friends. (hide spoiler)]

I loved the "What Happens Next" chapter.

Despite the cliff hanger, I enjoyed this book and will probably continue the series. (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca NJ]

@Jennifer - I agree with you on the writing style. (view spoiler)[ Although it did take me a bit to get all of the family members and other friends straight. (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca NJ]

Has anyone watched the tv show?

[♦Ashley♦]

I have watched the first few seasons of the tv show, but I haven't started the book yet.

[Rebecca NJ]

Ashley wrote: "I have watched the first few seasons of the tv show, but I haven't started the book yet."

I just watched the first episode of season one.

(view spoiler)[They packed so much into one episode! I am trying to figure out if I want to watch it or read it. (hide spoiler)]

[Mirliz]

I'm in, but will maybe start a bit late since the book wasn't yet returned to my library.

[Shinjini]

This one is a really fast paced book. I started a little early because this book fit one of my other challenges but this book is going so fast! I am loving the buildup and the (view spoiler)[ letters from A. All I'm wondering now is who could this A be? (hide spoiler)]

Greta, I agree with you. The glorification of (view spoiler)[ pot smoking, underage drinking and even for that matter coveting someone unavailable is not sitting well with me. The last bit pulls the story forward so I can still understand it. But the former two in a YA book somehow seems wrong to me. It happens but put in a book might even be influential for some readers. (hide spoiler)]

[Shinjini]

I finished the book yesterday and it was awesome! I really liked it and couldn't stop reading it at all!

Spoiler for the end, (view spoiler)[ I was thinking that Alison is A but turns out that she is long dead and after her body is recovered from the yard of Maya's house, I don't know what just happened. Who is this A? Is it even someone we have been introduced to yet? Does that person's name really begin with A or is it just to mislead the girls? So many questions! What I really wish for is that the girls can come together and be good friends again. Put Alison's death behind them and deal with whoever A is. (hide spoiler)]

I am going to try and check out the first season of the show.

[Jen]

Shinjini- I also thought that, (view spoiler)[ A was Alison. I was shocked when they found her body and that it bad been there for a while. I do, however, have a couple other guesses as to who A is. I think it would be best if I kept them to myself, since it is the main mystery behind the book. (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca NJ]

Shinjini - The other episodes might delve into more of the side stories but the first episode covers the entire first book. I'm on the fence if I want to continue reading or watching.

[Blakely]

Started a little early, finished up a previous Kindle book sooner than expected, and didn't expect this one to be going so quickly! So suspenseful! I have a feeling this series is going to be my newest guilty pleasure :)