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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
The first time I read this book was right before the tv show premiered and I was instantly hooked. After getting surgery in June, I decided to read the series again while laying on the couch, knocked up on painkillers, and I definitely do not like it as much as I did the first time. Two reasons why; I was in middle school so I have not yet read more complex series and now in comparison, PLL doesnt shine. Also, I already know what is going to happen, so the suspense is gone. I definitely still think the series is really fun though!
When I asked one of the many 7th grade girls at my school who is reading this series why they all liked the books so much, she said in a whisper, "Well, they are kind of inappropriate."
Enough to peak my interest!
Desperate Housewives, meet Gossip Girl. Four girls who have drifted apart are reunited by ugly secrets from their past. The summer before 8th grade, Ali disappeared. Now that Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily are in 11th grade and dealing with a whole new set of secrets to cover up, they begin receiving texts, notes and emails from "A." "A" knows all about their deepest, dirtiest secrets. Who is "A", and who will she tell?
Can the girls keep their new secrets secret? Is Ali dead or alive? What about their past will come back and ruin the lives they have built for themselves?
Appeals: riddled with mystery and high school naughtiness. Teacher fantasies, stealing boyfriends, kissing girls, drinking and smoking and who knows what else. Some steamy scenes, but in this first book, nothing that makes it R-rated (at least for what is explicitly described). Strong characters, each chapter alternates focus. Delightful plot unwinding.
Enough to peak my interest!
Desperate Housewives, meet Gossip Girl. Four girls who have drifted apart are reunited by ugly secrets from their past. The summer before 8th grade, Ali disappeared. Now that Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily are in 11th grade and dealing with a whole new set of secrets to cover up, they begin receiving texts, notes and emails from "A." "A" knows all about their deepest, dirtiest secrets. Who is "A", and who will she tell?
Can the girls keep their new secrets secret? Is Ali dead or alive? What about their past will come back and ruin the lives they have built for themselves?
Appeals: riddled with mystery and high school naughtiness. Teacher fantasies, stealing boyfriends, kissing girls, drinking and smoking and who knows what else. Some steamy scenes, but in this first book, nothing that makes it R-rated (at least for what is explicitly described). Strong characters, each chapter alternates focus. Delightful plot unwinding.
I love the PLL TV Series - it's a total guilty pleasure that I adore watching. As the show wraps up, I thought I'd delve into the book series. I went into this first book knowing all the spoilers, and that the book series is EXTREMELY different than the show. However, I was willing to set that all aside and approach the book series with an open mind.
What I got was mixed feelings. Let's start off with the positives: the plot is completely captivating. Someone stalking our 4 main girls, knowing their every little dirty secret - it makes for a fun and engaging read. I finished the book in one sitting. The writing is average - nothing stellar, but easy to read, conversational, and straight-forward. However, it does have its problems, as I will discuss below.
However, where the book struggled was largely due to the 4 main girls. In the TV series, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer are flawed, but likable. They make mistakes, but do their best to be good people and look out for their loved ones. In this first book, I felt this wasn't the case. All of the girls come across as vain and vapid. All of them (except perhaps Emily), have passages in the book where they just sit back and admire their own beauty and wealth. Whether it'd be spending 20 minutes in a photo booth taking sexy photos of themselves (Aria), flashing strangers on the streets (Hanna), or having their sister's boyfriend feel them up, multiple times (Spencer), the girls are all unlikeable. While the mystery of A is intriguing, I didn't feel any connection to how the girls are portrayed here.
In addition, one way the writing style struggles is all the constant name-dropping. Brands are thrown around left and right, I don't think there's a single chapter that doesn't describe someone by their designer jeans or shoes. When setting up a scene, throwing out a designer isn't going help me visualize what the person looks like. Saying a character is wearing "John Fluevog" boots means nothing to the average reader.
Overall, while I continue to adore the show, I'm hesitant to continue further into the series. Since I know almost every spoiler of the book series, I have to admit that the mystery of A is better in the books. Who they are, why they became A -- it's much more satisfying of a reveal than it is in the show. However, having such unlikeable main characters, in addition to spotty writing, makes it hard to want to continue with the book series.
What I got was mixed feelings. Let's start off with the positives: the plot is completely captivating. Someone stalking our 4 main girls, knowing their every little dirty secret - it makes for a fun and engaging read. I finished the book in one sitting. The writing is average - nothing stellar, but easy to read, conversational, and straight-forward. However, it does have its problems, as I will discuss below.
However, where the book struggled was largely due to the 4 main girls. In the TV series, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer are flawed, but likable. They make mistakes, but do their best to be good people and look out for their loved ones. In this first book, I felt this wasn't the case. All of the girls come across as vain and vapid. All of them (except perhaps Emily), have passages in the book where they just sit back and admire their own beauty and wealth. Whether it'd be spending 20 minutes in a photo booth taking sexy photos of themselves (Aria), flashing strangers on the streets (Hanna), or having their sister's boyfriend feel them up, multiple times (Spencer), the girls are all unlikeable. While the mystery of A is intriguing, I didn't feel any connection to how the girls are portrayed here.
In addition, one way the writing style struggles is all the constant name-dropping. Brands are thrown around left and right, I don't think there's a single chapter that doesn't describe someone by their designer jeans or shoes. When setting up a scene, throwing out a designer isn't going help me visualize what the person looks like. Saying a character is wearing "John Fluevog" boots means nothing to the average reader.
Overall, while I continue to adore the show, I'm hesitant to continue further into the series. Since I know almost every spoiler of the book series, I have to admit that the mystery of A is better in the books. Who they are, why they became A -- it's much more satisfying of a reveal than it is in the show. However, having such unlikeable main characters, in addition to spotty writing, makes it hard to want to continue with the book series.
if i hadn’t grown up w the show and seen it through to the bitter end this wouldn’t hit as hard but let me be nostalgic okay!!!!!
dark
mysterious
tense
this is a basic and messier version of The Clique bye
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The book series seems to be different enough from the ABC Family show that I want to continue reading "Pretty Little Liars." I enjoyed the first book as it covers about the first episode to two of the TV series. I'll be interested to see how it deviates, because while I don't know the details, I know the books are very different from the show.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📱
To be honest, I'm not really sure how I felt about this re-read. I vaguely remember how much I liked these books in high school. While I didn't hate this book, I'm not sure how much I really liked it.
To be honest, I'm not really sure how I felt about this re-read. I vaguely remember how much I liked these books in high school. While I didn't hate this book, I'm not sure how much I really liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Eating disorder, Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, Car accident, Toxic friendship
Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Classism
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced