Reviews

First thoughts: does seeing this described as a TikTok sensation cause pain for anyone who else? Sure it’s a current TikTok sensation, but this was a tumblr, booktube and Reddit sensation back when it came out. Saying it’s a tik tok sensation erases the previous constant hype about this book.
I didn’t really like this much though. The writing itself was fine, but overall I just found it disappointing. It leaned way too much into the ghost element and the story itself wasn’t that interesting. I’m not really surprised though because typically unplanned sequels and prequels don’t turn out great. I think people who are huge we were liars fans, will probably still enjoy this.

bibliobrandie's review against another edition

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4.0

I loved We Were Liars and was so excited to hear about this prequel. We return to the private island of the Sinclair family off the coast of Massachusetts (the buildings are different) in the summer of 1985. The book focuses on the the Sinclair sisters (the moms of the We Were Liars crew) but the book concentrates on and is narrated by Caroline, the eldest sister. There were so many secrets and twits and I loved them all. When I heard about the prequel I wondered how Lockhart would pull it off, but she did. This is a cleverly written psychological/realistic/historical/mystery novel that portrays an unforgettable dysfunctional family. This one felt more explicit in its trauma and focused on a wide array of issues. After finishing this book I wanted to start We Were Liars again, which really speaks to how good of a prequel this is.

tourmaline1703's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

We Were Liars is one of my favourite books of all time, so I was very excited to revisit this world in its prequel. Safe to say, I wasn't disappointed. I will say that the shock factor is less than We Were Liars so don't expect such a big twist but there are still twists and turns along the way. They're not necessarily predictable just shock you in a different way.

I love the summery setting of this novel, it's really made the nice weather today feel like the start of summer. Usually summery novels have this sense of perfection and happiness, but this novel uses the summery setting to create a false sense of security which I love!

It's unconventional but I love the way the novel is written and structured. The use of fairytales to reflect the protagonist's story is really interesting and of course, the whole premise is based on the fact she is an unreliable narrator, which is what adds to the twists. At times, some things felt like they were typos which did throw me off a bit but they could be part of the dialect.

I felt the plot was well paced and I liked the twists and turns. The mystery and romance blend creates a great set up for the storyline. The characters were interesting and I wanted to know their motives, their relationships and what happened next. None of these characters are particularly good people but they're interesting and flawed, making it a good read.

Content Warnings

polywogqueen's review against another edition

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3.0

I support women's wrongs

omgreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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