Reviews with content warning for Racism - Pretty Little Liars

i buddy read this book with my friend bc we were bored and both fans of the tv show.

this book was def written in early 200s (not derogatory). if you read the clique books growing up then this is the next series. lots of mean girls & gay girls which was great ! lots of pedos and that made me v uncomfy 🫠

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celisabeth's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Shepard did a good job isolating the four former friends throughout this book. As you read, you understand each character's complex relationship with Alison, their histories with one another, and the secrets Ali knew about them.

It's only in the last ten pages that they come together

, and it was charming to see the tension fall away as they took comfort in one another. We all have those friends that we drift apart from but when you reconnect it is like no time has passed, and for these girls, they seem to have found a home in one another. They are bound together by the past and the mysterious A that has been sending them threatening messages about the secrets no one but Alison knew.

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caroliiineb's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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katjuschae's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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bookworm05's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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kitty_may12's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

as the first book in the series the mystery was set up pretty well, enjoyable. morally grey main cast of characters were just loveable enough for me to root for them.

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mulders's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I’m still here, bitches. And I know everything. —A

Iconic and fun and truly, thoroughly mediocre. Something I definitely would have eaten up back in primary. I was surprised by how seemingly uneventful it felt, but I guess that's why there are sequels. It's interesting to read now having watched the show as a tween and find all the differences, especially in the girls' characterisations. The relationship between Aria and Ezra especially stands out to me in the book, even if only because Aria reads as so much more of a child than Lucy Hale ever played her. Emily's character also stands out and to me, as the biggest upside of reading this, since she gave a whole lotta nothing in the show, so her point of view here was pleasantly surprising. My reviews tend to be a little deeper and a little more eloquent, usually, but there is simply nothing to take away from this past the surface level. A quick two-day read, but I don't know if I have it in me to read the rest of the series, even just for mindless entertainment.

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