Reviews with content warning for Rape - Family of Liars

Wow. Just WOW. I loved it much more than I thought. Maybe more than the 1st one. An eye for an eye. A son for a son. Carrie killed Pfeff, causing his mother and father to lose their first born. And years later, she suffered from the same fate. I didn’t expect the twist but I spoiled it for myself anyway, it was surprisingly not shocking. She did say she was a liar. Bro and penny. Ugh, forcing herself to be straight. Wow. The book was heartbreaking, especially considering the people they become. Which isn’t too great, but it makes sense now why they are the way they are. BRO THE DAD HELPED THEM COVER UP THE MURDER. HE TOOK THE BOARD. Ugh Carrie is also an unreliable narrator just like Candace was. Fuck bro. And don’t get me started on Rosemary. She saw her for 5 summers. Her baby sister that drowned. Ugh. I wish penny could be out. I just want people to be happy in this book, but literally no one is ever.

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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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allegra_t's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

it’s a million times better than we were liars
i liked the beginning of the book and i think carrie and pfeff were so cute they were actully adorable they had me smiling and giggling up until he did that thing then i was like he needs to die
there are these silly stories throughout when i first read it i was like i don’t care but it all comes together in chapter 46
i love yardley
i want carrie to be happy she deserves to be happy
after
i don’t like part 6 that’s it i just don’t like it

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dewalt335's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

E. Lockhart knows how to write a story to capture the audience. This was another quick read for me simply because I was interested in the story. I think I was able to put the mystery together a little more than ‘We Were Liars”, maybe because I read “We Were Liars” first, maybe for other reasons, but it was still good.

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