Reviews with content warning for Grief - Family of Liars

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Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

77 reviews

natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious

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

4.5

Having recently finished We Were Liars (which was equal parts compellingly clever and emotionally devastating) I was eager to finally delve into the prequel which follows some of the characters from We Were Liars, specifically Carrie (the oldest Sinclair sister and mother to Johnny who we met in We Were Liars) during one pivotal summer on their private island, Beechwood, in the 1980s.

Now, I will warn that Family of Liars does open with spoilers to We Were Liars in the prologue, so I do suggest reading that before picking this up (as well as checking the TWs.)

But if you have read it, then you’re going to love delving into more of the Sinclair family’s backstory: the tragedies, complicated family issues and secrets that shaped the lives of Carrie, Penny and Bess as adults.

The writing is once again really compelling and I loved the emotional depth we see in Carrie who (in her grief from the tragedy that took place the previous year) feels disconnected from her family and its obsessive need for perfection. I admit, Carrie did remind me a little of Cadence (Penny’s daughter) in how jaded she is with her parents and sisters.

I can’t really go into any more detail without spoiling key moments of We Were Liars. But, I will say the twists and turns encountered here didn’t shock or leave me as emotionally distraught as Cadence’s story did. What it did do however, is make me eager to see more of the Sinclair family— if only to dig up even more long buried secrets (because there’s bound to more where Harris and Tipper are concerned.)

Overall, a compelling continuation into the world of We Were Liars that explores wealth, grief, trauma, identity and addiction in such exquisitely immersive detail you definitely won’t want to put it down!

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sam_calus's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Ouch I love it

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katelynndzindzio's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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kayleejanes's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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book_addict's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

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corabookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

I think I actually enjoyed this book a little more than the first, at times. The random bits of poetry were a bit distracting and unnecessary (the writing was prose-like enough already), but E. Lockhart is an amazing author who wrote this mysterious, drama-infused, family-focused story in a gorgeous way. I loved how this book talked about family, and some of the moments between them all (especially towards the end) were absolutely adorable. Highly recommend if you enjoyed the first one or any books like it.

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