You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
The prequel to We Were Liars. You have to read We Were Liars first before reading Family of Liars as there is literally a spoiler on the first line.
I much preferred this to We Were Liars. (Sorry Hot Key) but I really wasn’t the biggest fan of WWL and I’m glad this was better!
I listened to this as an audiobook which I think helped as E Lockhart has an acquired writing style. (It’s very literary, with short sentences and minimal punctuation.)
It’s a mystery, thriller sort of read!
Expect: family, holiday, beach, death, sea, ghosts, lies.
I much preferred this to We Were Liars. (Sorry Hot Key) but I really wasn’t the biggest fan of WWL and I’m glad this was better!
I listened to this as an audiobook which I think helped as E Lockhart has an acquired writing style. (It’s very literary, with short sentences and minimal punctuation.)
It’s a mystery, thriller sort of read!
Expect: family, holiday, beach, death, sea, ghosts, lies.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
[Huge thank you to Hot Key Books UK for sending me an uncorrected proof of this book before the release date]
This was a long-anticipated read for me after reading 'We Were Liars' years ago and it did not disappoint!
E. Lockhart has a way of gripping readers from the very first sentence and keeping them invested in the story, the whole way through – with twists, turns, and huge family secrets being revealed throughout. 'Family of Liars' provided a sense of nostalgia from reading 'We Were Liars' but it also provided a brand new experience, simultaneously. You truly feel like a part of this disheveled family, learning about, and keeping, secrets along the way (especially, as I read the proofs before its publication date, so I had to keep the whole thing a secret!)
I highly recommend this book – but, only after you read 'We Were Liars' as it contains spoilers which are the fundamental basis to this new(ish) story!
This was a long-anticipated read for me after reading 'We Were Liars' years ago and it did not disappoint!
E. Lockhart has a way of gripping readers from the very first sentence and keeping them invested in the story, the whole way through – with twists, turns, and huge family secrets being revealed throughout. 'Family of Liars' provided a sense of nostalgia from reading 'We Were Liars' but it also provided a brand new experience, simultaneously. You truly feel like a part of this disheveled family, learning about, and keeping, secrets along the way (especially, as I read the proofs before its publication date, so I had to keep the whole thing a secret!)
I highly recommend this book – but, only after you read 'We Were Liars' as it contains spoilers which are the fundamental basis to this new(ish) story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Murder, Alcohol
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Murder
Moderate: Rape
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can’t say I loved this as much as We Were Liars. I’m not even sure if the reason I enjoyed it so much was because of my love of the first book or if it is just a genuinely good book. I loved finding out about the history on the Sinclair family, seeing the little nuggets of information that we weren’t privy to in the first book, the tension of wondering what exactly this big, terrible secret was going to be. I’m not so sure the writing style of the first book was entirely effective when used here, though. I didn’t really like the use of fairytales like I did in We Were Liars, and the weird line breaks didn’t make me feel the words more strongly like they did before. I do love a good plot twist though, a big reveals are very much my kind of thing.
The only thing I felt a bit icky about was the whole thing of using sexuality as some plot twist or excuse for bad behaviour. It felt very sudden and slapdash, like there needed to be an excuse and then once it was used it was barely mentioned again.
All in all, I did enjoy this book and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loved We Were Liars.
The only thing I felt a bit icky about was the whole thing of using sexuality as some plot twist or excuse for bad behaviour. It felt very sudden and slapdash, like there needed to be an excuse and then once it was used it was barely mentioned again.
All in all, I did enjoy this book and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loved We Were Liars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Rape, Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming