Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
I was excited to read this, or rather, reread it. It had been years so I came into it with mostly-fresh eyes. I think it would've been 5 stars had I not watched the show first, because I spent most of the time reading, comparing the two. I already knew most of the plot, but seeing how differently things were played out was fascinating. I felt the -A messages hit harder in the book, as I felt they dug under the character's skin. Shepard also had much more room to work in the book, than the writers on the show had, and it's obvious. So many storylines went deeper, because they were expanded on so deeply. For example, Hanna's bulimia. When watching the show, I didn't connect much with it because the show was so fast-paced, but I really felt for her when she started relapsing. I was so proud of her for resisting the urge later on in the book, because Shepard made the bulimia a big part of Hanna's character. It didn't feel like a throw-away plotline like it did in the show. There's also the bluntness and how mean these characters are in the book. Between the "Not it!" joke they used to bully Mona with, to how much harder Spencer's parents were on her after she made out with Wren. Like, "I am so mortified you're my daughter right now." OUCH! And Melissa calling her a whore, it just felt more real. My only issue is that I believe it could've been longer, but other than that, it's close to perfect.
Not much to say, the book was, well, ok I guess but I think "The Lying Game" is better. Better written, better characters, far more interesting.
Eh, I mean I expected that but not well written and very soapy, read the plot development on wiki and got bored with how drawn out even that was.
Call it what you want, but PLL was a fun read and I'm hooked! I can tell this is going to be a "guilty pleasure" for me. Shepard brings readers into the lives of the spoiled, rich, entitled, troubled lives of five teenage girls, one of which disappears at a slumber party.
Typical catty, high school antics and creepy, stalker-like messages build a suspenseful story as the girls navigate their young lives and fragile relationships.
From broken hearts to feelings of worthlessness and neglect - this book was a quick, easy, entertaining read that has me quite impatient to grab #2.
Typical catty, high school antics and creepy, stalker-like messages build a suspenseful story as the girls navigate their young lives and fragile relationships.
From broken hearts to feelings of worthlessness and neglect - this book was a quick, easy, entertaining read that has me quite impatient to grab #2.
Pretty Little Liars is the story of four girls from Pennsylvania - Aria, the art lover; Hanna, the "fat-turned-skinny" popular girl; Spencer, the smart and athletic girl; and Emily, the athletic girl trying to figure out her sexuality. In middle school they all used to be the best of friends, following happily along behind their ring leader, Alison, the most beautiful and popular girl in their entire grade. Until right before eighth grade and Ali goes missing, then the girls grow apart. Now in eleventh grade, they're all doing their own things, until suddenly they're all being harassed by the anonymous "A", someone who knew things about them only Ali did, and are drawn together again by a horrible tragedy.
The first time I read this series was back in the beginning of high school, so about five or six years ago. I honestly considered it to be one of my favorites, and considered Sara Shepard to be one of my favorite authors.
Now, not so much.
Re-reading this book made me notice a lot of things I didn't the first time, such as a mass amount of slut shaming and gay-bashing. Sure, there are some homophobic characters, but it's not even them that made reading the story uncomfortable. Take for example Aria, who runs into her old crush Noel when she's dropping her brother off for lacrosse tryouts. Noel is wearing an old shirt he used to have back in middle school. Aria refers it to being as "some queer jock thing for good luck." Then there's Hanna, whose boyfriend takes an abstinence pledge, and she begins to wonder if he's "gay or scared of vaginas" because he won't sleep with her. Along with that, you have, I believe it was Emily's mom, an older woman who should know better, calling Hanna, a teenage girl, "sluttier than Paris Hilton." Along with some other thrown-in uses of "tramp, whore, and skank."
Along with this, the way Sara Shepard overuses detail is exhausting. Every time someone walks into the room, she feels the need to over-describe everything. Their entire designer outfits, the name brand cars they drive, and cell phones they use. Add to this the way some of her writing is too... immature for high school girls - use of phrases like, "What a horrible, meddling spy!", something a junior in high school would never say, it's just so much and does nothing to add to the story; if anything, it takes away from it.
Overall, if you ignore all those things, the story itself isn't too bad; the characters aren't so bad that you can't relate to them. The problem lies with how hard it is to actually ignore these flaws.
I give the story a 3.5/5 stars. It could have been written way better.
The first time I read this series was back in the beginning of high school, so about five or six years ago. I honestly considered it to be one of my favorites, and considered Sara Shepard to be one of my favorite authors.
Now, not so much.
Re-reading this book made me notice a lot of things I didn't the first time, such as a mass amount of slut shaming and gay-bashing. Sure, there are some homophobic characters, but it's not even them that made reading the story uncomfortable. Take for example Aria, who runs into her old crush Noel when she's dropping her brother off for lacrosse tryouts. Noel is wearing an old shirt he used to have back in middle school. Aria refers it to being as "some queer jock thing for good luck." Then there's Hanna, whose boyfriend takes an abstinence pledge, and she begins to wonder if he's "gay or scared of vaginas" because he won't sleep with her. Along with that, you have, I believe it was Emily's mom, an older woman who should know better, calling Hanna, a teenage girl, "sluttier than Paris Hilton." Along with some other thrown-in uses of "tramp, whore, and skank."
Along with this, the way Sara Shepard overuses detail is exhausting. Every time someone walks into the room, she feels the need to over-describe everything. Their entire designer outfits, the name brand cars they drive, and cell phones they use. Add to this the way some of her writing is too... immature for high school girls - use of phrases like, "What a horrible, meddling spy!", something a junior in high school would never say, it's just so much and does nothing to add to the story; if anything, it takes away from it.
Overall, if you ignore all those things, the story itself isn't too bad; the characters aren't so bad that you can't relate to them. The problem lies with how hard it is to actually ignore these flaws.
I give the story a 3.5/5 stars. It could have been written way better.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did watch a few episodes of the TV Series last summer so I had an idea of what would happen in this book. But I was engrossed in the mysterious texts and emails from "A", just the same.
I've checked the first 4 books from the library and I'm looking forward to trying to unravel the identity of the mystery writer as well as what really happened during "the Jenna thing". I also want to find out how these four girls evolve as they rekindle their 7th grade friendship. I'm looking forward to continuing this series.
The books are quick reads, enjoyable and well-crafted.
I've checked the first 4 books from the library and I'm looking forward to trying to unravel the identity of the mystery writer as well as what really happened during "the Jenna thing". I also want to find out how these four girls evolve as they rekindle their 7th grade friendship. I'm looking forward to continuing this series.
The books are quick reads, enjoyable and well-crafted.
As with Shepard's other series, "The Lying Game," this book started off the storyline a little too slowly. Every aspect of the situation felt that it was dragged out too long. That being said, I feel she has used this as a means to create well-developed characters. These characters make for an emotional connection from the reader. I hope that the following books pick up and become more psychologically thrilling and mind-bending.