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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
idc if it's not the best deepest most interesting book in the world, this is the first thing i've actually looked forward to reading in a long time.
Wow. First of all: don't read this book until you have some idea of who, exactly, "A" might be. Otherwise, the rest of the PLL books just aren't going to be the same.
Next. First off, Shepard does a great job not painting characters in black and white. Is it Ali or Courtney that is evil? Is it both? Are they really two separate people?
Finally. Shepard is just fantastic, in this book in particular, at capturing the nuances of teen female relationships (and really, some of that carries over into adulthood as well). You wonder why the girls stay friends with Ali, when she's obviously manipulative, conniving and desperate for attention, but then you see Ali do something sweet or gentle or kind and you get it. And you remember back to your own junior high or high school days and similar friendships come to mind.
Next. First off, Shepard does a great job not painting characters in black and white. Is it Ali or Courtney that is evil? Is it both? Are they really two separate people?
Finally. Shepard is just fantastic, in this book in particular, at capturing the nuances of teen female relationships (and really, some of that carries over into adulthood as well). You wonder why the girls stay friends with Ali, when she's obviously manipulative, conniving and desperate for attention, but then you see Ali do something sweet or gentle or kind and you get it. And you remember back to your own junior high or high school days and similar friendships come to mind.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I reread this book every once in a while. It's a guilty pleasure.
That's what best friends did, right? They ate eachother alive.
-"Alison" DiLaurentis
That's what best friends did, right? They ate eachother alive.
-"Alison" DiLaurentis
Creepy... I was really scared but at the same time couldn't put it down. Really helped me understand the series better
ali's pretty little lies is exactly the kind of book you read when you're craving drama, secrets, and just enough unhinged behavior to make you feel like your own life is suspiciously boring. sara shepard really said, "what if we take teenage girl chaos and crank it up to 100?" and honestly, i respect that.
the book is basically a masterclass in how to manipulate everyone around you while looking fabulous doing it. ali is the queen bee you love to hate but secretly admire because wow, the girl gets things done. i spent half the book thinking, "this is insane," and the other half wondering if i should take notes (kidding... mostly).
the pacing is solid, the drama is unmatched, and the writing? chef’s kiss for easy binge-reading. it’s one of those books you pick up for "just a chapter" and suddenly it’s 3 a.m. and you’re questioning why you even need sleep when ali’s life is this much of a trainwreck.
granted, there were moments where i wanted to scream "therapy exists!!!" at literally everyone, but that’s part of the charm, right? if you go into this expecting a high-stakes, gossip-fueled ride where morals are questionable and everyone’s got secrets, you’ll have a great time.
4/5 stars because while it’s juicy as hell, i feel like my blood pressure went up 20 points reading it, and now i’m side-eyeing my friends like... are you guys hiding anything?
the book is basically a masterclass in how to manipulate everyone around you while looking fabulous doing it. ali is the queen bee you love to hate but secretly admire because wow, the girl gets things done. i spent half the book thinking, "this is insane," and the other half wondering if i should take notes (kidding... mostly).
the pacing is solid, the drama is unmatched, and the writing? chef’s kiss for easy binge-reading. it’s one of those books you pick up for "just a chapter" and suddenly it’s 3 a.m. and you’re questioning why you even need sleep when ali’s life is this much of a trainwreck.
granted, there were moments where i wanted to scream "therapy exists!!!" at literally everyone, but that’s part of the charm, right? if you go into this expecting a high-stakes, gossip-fueled ride where morals are questionable and everyone’s got secrets, you’ll have a great time.
4/5 stars because while it’s juicy as hell, i feel like my blood pressure went up 20 points reading it, and now i’m side-eyeing my friends like... are you guys hiding anything?
This might be one of my favorite books in this amazingly drawn-out series. It was interesting finally getting inside Courtney's head and seeing her struggle with keeping up the appearance of being her mean girl sister, while also manipulating everyone around her to stay in control and feeling guilty and unable to ever truly be herself. This is the first book in the series that has really shown the hidden humanity buried deep inside Ali, and it made me wish that was something that was touched on more throughout the rest of the series.
“The lie that started it all.”
Slightly better than the previous two books but if you've watched the ABC show like I have, then you've probably already figured out what the first lie is.
Slightly better than the previous two books but if you've watched the ABC show like I have, then you've probably already figured out what the first lie is.
Ali's Pretty Little Lies was honestly the best novel of the entire series. I give it a 4.5/5 stars, because it was that flawless. If Shepard had written the other books like she wrote this one, I think I would have liked them a lot more.
The story tells the tale of two beautiful twins, Courtney and Ali. Ali, a bit on the mental side, has Courtney sent away to a mental hospital for years, until it eventually closes. At home while she waits to go to another hospital, Courtney hatches a plan and watches it unfold: she steals Ali's life and has Real Ali sent to the hospital instead. Courtney-as-Ali drops Ali's old best friends and picks up the Liars, forming a clique with them and ruling the school.
I think what Shepard has here is really, really great, and it's a shame the rest of the series didn't turn out as good as this one.
The emotions she gives Courtney-as-Ali is stunning. You can actually see the internal struggle "Ali" has, between her old self and this new role she's taken on. You can see her struggle between wanting to be nice and wanting power. You can see how much she wants to keep control on this new life she has, because she fears in an instant, it could be gone. She even goes so far as to say she'd rather die than be the person she was before, and that if she was caught and went back to the mental hospital, she would kill herself.
Being honest, Courtney made a better Ali than Real Ali did. I find Courtney-as-Ali the most fascinating of all the characters, and it's a shame that Shepard killed her off. I think had she kept Courtney-as-Ali alive, the series would've really taken off. But really, I'm not all that sad about; that just leaves one more character Shepard can never ruin for me.
What I most loved in that Shepard added in all the things the girls mentioned about Ali in the original series. Such as Emily and Ali kissing in Ali's tree house, the girls all finding Real Ali reading through Courtney's diary and the four of them mistaking the twins, etc.
Some other things I really enjoyed was the mention of Ravenswood (which would later become a spin off of the television show, sadly lasting only one season) and that Courtney-as-Ali mentioned a secret hand signal to Jenna, the only person in Rosewood who really knew about the twins.
Getting to read everything from the point of view of Courtney-as-Ali was really such a treat. If Shepard does write more, I really hope it's more novels like this, where the twins are actually included.
As much as I hate Shepard, I really love this book.
The story tells the tale of two beautiful twins, Courtney and Ali. Ali, a bit on the mental side, has Courtney sent away to a mental hospital for years, until it eventually closes. At home while she waits to go to another hospital, Courtney hatches a plan and watches it unfold: she steals Ali's life and has Real Ali sent to the hospital instead. Courtney-as-Ali drops Ali's old best friends and picks up the Liars, forming a clique with them and ruling the school.
I think what Shepard has here is really, really great, and it's a shame the rest of the series didn't turn out as good as this one.
The emotions she gives Courtney-as-Ali is stunning. You can actually see the internal struggle "Ali" has, between her old self and this new role she's taken on. You can see her struggle between wanting to be nice and wanting power. You can see how much she wants to keep control on this new life she has, because she fears in an instant, it could be gone. She even goes so far as to say she'd rather die than be the person she was before, and that if she was caught and went back to the mental hospital, she would kill herself.
Being honest, Courtney made a better Ali than Real Ali did. I find Courtney-as-Ali the most fascinating of all the characters, and it's a shame that Shepard killed her off. I think had she kept Courtney-as-Ali alive, the series would've really taken off. But really, I'm not all that sad about; that just leaves one more character Shepard can never ruin for me.
What I most loved in that Shepard added in all the things the girls mentioned about Ali in the original series. Such as Emily and Ali kissing in Ali's tree house, the girls all finding Real Ali reading through Courtney's diary and the four of them mistaking the twins, etc.
Some other things I really enjoyed was the mention of Ravenswood (which would later become a spin off of the television show, sadly lasting only one season) and that Courtney-as-Ali mentioned a secret hand signal to Jenna, the only person in Rosewood who really knew about the twins.
Getting to read everything from the point of view of Courtney-as-Ali was really such a treat. If Shepard does write more, I really hope it's more novels like this, where the twins are actually included.
As much as I hate Shepard, I really love this book.