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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The story is still so tragic to me..
I like how easy of a read this was, with very short chapters which is always appreciated. However, the writing has put me off quite a bit. It was mostly cringy and very young, and although I get that it’s YA, for this kind of story, it could have been a little more mature.
Overall, although I enjoyed it and will read the prequel, I definitely enjoyed the tv show more honestly. 3.5/5 ⭐️
I like how easy of a read this was, with very short chapters which is always appreciated. However, the writing has put me off quite a bit. It was mostly cringy and very young, and although I get that it’s YA, for this kind of story, it could have been a little more mature.
Overall, although I enjoyed it and will read the prequel, I definitely enjoyed the tv show more honestly. 3.5/5 ⭐️
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We were Liars is a story about Cadence- Cady who every summer since she was a child, she and her family- the sinclairs, would gather at the Beechwood house. Her and the lairs Johnny, Mirren and our narrator, Cadence — together with an outsider by the name of Gat Patil. But then comes the summer of fifteen and everything changes. There is an accident at the Beechwood house of which Cady remembers nothing. She believes she was hit on the head during that accident which is causing her amnesia.
We Were Liars is lightly based on “King Lear” a Shakespeare play. Cadence’s mother and two aunts stand in as Lear’s daughters, squabbling over who has the largest beach house and which grandchild is likely to get the largest inheritance. Cadence’s grandfather is the King Lear figure, growing ever more senile and infirm. Lockart also uses Overtones of the Brothers Grimm in Cady’s Fairy tales throughout the book. Cady writes fairy tales about her family, each one changing as she pieces together the events of that terrible night.
I read that one of the biggest critics of this book is the writing style. The characters are not well-rounded or beautifully drawn; the descriptions are not lush or elegant. The prose is fractured, disordered, messy. This is the voice of a girl who has been broken and is trying to put the pieces back together. The writing is a reflection of Cady who is the narrator of this book, but she doesn't use the polite, restrained style that you'd expect from such an expensively educated aristocrat. Because that isn’t who she is.
I enjoyed how Lockhart paints the extended Sinclair family. We Were Liars seems to almost be a an examination of rich family where the children are dependent on the family money. Lockhart makes a convincing argument that when your family pays for everything for you, and you have no real accomplishments of your own, how does that affect your family. Lockhart also does a really good job criticising societal issues like racism and classism, mostly through Gat.
We Were Liars is an excellent psychological mystery. The only thing that I felt let the book down was it felt a bit slow and took me a while to warm to it. This is only a problem since it is such a short novel. That being said, the writing is extremely strong and the twist took me entirely by surprise, which is not something that happens a lot.
We Were Liars is lightly based on “King Lear” a Shakespeare play. Cadence’s mother and two aunts stand in as Lear’s daughters, squabbling over who has the largest beach house and which grandchild is likely to get the largest inheritance. Cadence’s grandfather is the King Lear figure, growing ever more senile and infirm. Lockart also uses Overtones of the Brothers Grimm in Cady’s Fairy tales throughout the book. Cady writes fairy tales about her family, each one changing as she pieces together the events of that terrible night.
I read that one of the biggest critics of this book is the writing style. The characters are not well-rounded or beautifully drawn; the descriptions are not lush or elegant. The prose is fractured, disordered, messy. This is the voice of a girl who has been broken and is trying to put the pieces back together. The writing is a reflection of Cady who is the narrator of this book, but she doesn't use the polite, restrained style that you'd expect from such an expensively educated aristocrat. Because that isn’t who she is.
I enjoyed how Lockhart paints the extended Sinclair family. We Were Liars seems to almost be a an examination of rich family where the children are dependent on the family money. Lockhart makes a convincing argument that when your family pays for everything for you, and you have no real accomplishments of your own, how does that affect your family. Lockhart also does a really good job criticising societal issues like racism and classism, mostly through Gat.
We Were Liars is an excellent psychological mystery. The only thing that I felt let the book down was it felt a bit slow and took me a while to warm to it. This is only a problem since it is such a short novel. That being said, the writing is extremely strong and the twist took me entirely by surprise, which is not something that happens a lot.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
We Were Liars is a beautifully written, unsettling story about wealth, privilege, family, and the secrets we keep, especially from ourselves. The unreliable narrator becomes apparent early on, but that only adds to the suspense as you piece together the puzzle of what really happened. A quick read, but it lingers long after the last page.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes