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izzysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.0
ohyes_that_girl's review against another edition
3.0
Huh. I’m still trying to figure out if I loved this book or found it too pretentious and oddly written. So three stars because it is different and it did make me think.
mdyang97's review against another edition
5.0
I read this last year when school started and decided to read it because it was one of those YA books that everyone was reading. I got hooked from the Goodreads summary and cover blurb. The plot is interesting, and the writing was impeccable. I thought the plot twist at the end was shocking and added another layer of complexity to the story.
The writing was beautiful and suited the setting, a rich family's summer home. The fairy tale excerpts were a unique asset. The relationship between Gat and Cadence was lovely as well, as YA as it gets.
Spoiler
where it's revealed that Cadence caused an accident on the island that killed her friendsThe writing was beautiful and suited the setting, a rich family's summer home. The fairy tale excerpts were a unique asset. The relationship between Gat and Cadence was lovely as well, as YA as it gets.
shelbybrinley's review against another edition
3.0
I was going to give a higher rating until there were dead dogs. And it wasn’t just that they were dead. Their death was described so vividly I almost went into hysterics. The ending is also just so devastating. That’s not to say don’t ever read this book or its not a good book at all. It just didn’t “tickle my fancy.”
majuwi20's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
ffionwalks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
isbn13_00006222022's review against another edition
1.0
All ratings are out of 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.
Main Character: Neutral (very bland, so I can't rate her)
Plot: 1 (had no clue where the plot was going...)
Likes: n/a
Dislikes: writing style
Memorable Scene(s): no spoilers but just that tidbit toward the end (not worth the read, trust me)
Memorable Quote(s): n/a
Overall Enjoyment: 2 (a big plus to the first few chapters for setting up the characters and their relationship with each other so wonderfully, so it helped immensely to understand them and their situation)
Review:
I truly cannot give it another star, and I apologize.
I think what kept me interested in the story was the title. I'm a sucker for titles that give the impression that there's more to the story/plot, but by the end, it's not the case. It's simply because they were a group called "the Liars." Nothing big, nothing pivotal. And there's nothing wrong with that because there are tons of books with titles that aren't minutely related to the story.
But what also made me dread as I read that story was the writing style, and by writing style, I don't mean whether the author writes in British English or American English or whether there are punctuations in their "correct places," etc. These don't affect my reading (unless there are grammatical mistakes). I, unfortunately, can't explain exactly what about the author's writing style that didn't suit my taste, but I know for sure that it hindered my reading and interest. It made certain scenes and events confusing, and I had a whole lot of time to read the book, so it wasn't about pacing. If confusing the reader was the point, it sure succeeded. Funny thing is, I thought I was the only one with this shallow problem, but I've seen a few reviewers with the same thought, so I'm glad I'm not the only one being crazy here.
As for the plot twist at the end, I didn't see it coming, so it was a shocker yet also disappointing. I know that a plot twist is unexpected--and it should be, but it was badly executed. Firstly, let's start with how the book's supposedly suspense. Other than the title leading me on, there was nothing truly suspenseful that made me on my toes, so when the plot twist happened, yes, I was like this is not what I had expected, but at the same, I was, "how did this come to be?" Yes, a good plot twist means little to nothing should lead to that plot twist, but had there been some suspenseful moments, the plot twist would've had a bigger and better impact.
I don't know if anyone's mentioned this already, but if it weren't for the unexpected plot twist, nothing would've saved this book. Yes, I wrote it. Admit it--everything before the plot twist was blah, huh, what, okay, and uhhh. But once the plot twist was revealed, it made (some) readers be like, "Oh, my gosh. So that explains everything!" No. The plot twist was just an "Okay, so that happened."
Speaking of impact, the book drags on once we're about four to five chapters in (I think--oh, and did I mention confusing?), and the characters aren't given enough time to be fleshed out (which isn't a huge problem to me). I also couldn't relate with the FMC, so throughout the entire time, I was just trying to decipher what the problem this big family has (and if there's a secret). Since I couldn't relate to any of the characters, the plot twist wasn't that all-that, unfortunately, and was more like "are you serious?"
Anyway, please read with caution. They're liars, and I'm honest.
Main Character: Neutral (very bland, so I can't rate her)
Plot: 1 (had no clue where the plot was going...)
Likes: n/a
Dislikes: writing style
Memorable Scene(s): no spoilers but just that tidbit toward the end (not worth the read, trust me)
Memorable Quote(s): n/a
Overall Enjoyment: 2 (a big plus to the first few chapters for setting up the characters and their relationship with each other so wonderfully, so it helped immensely to understand them and their situation)
Review:
I truly cannot give it another star, and I apologize.
I think what kept me interested in the story was the title. I'm a sucker for titles that give the impression that there's more to the story/plot, but by the end, it's not the case. It's simply because they were a group called "the Liars." Nothing big, nothing pivotal. And there's nothing wrong with that because there are tons of books with titles that aren't minutely related to the story.
But what also made me dread as I read that story was the writing style, and by writing style, I don't mean whether the author writes in British English or American English or whether there are punctuations in their "correct places," etc. These don't affect my reading (unless there are grammatical mistakes). I, unfortunately, can't explain exactly what about the author's writing style that didn't suit my taste, but I know for sure that it hindered my reading and interest. It made certain scenes and events confusing, and I had a whole lot of time to read the book, so it wasn't about pacing. If confusing the reader was the point, it sure succeeded. Funny thing is, I thought I was the only one with this shallow problem, but I've seen a few reviewers with the same thought, so I'm glad I'm not the only one being crazy here.
As for the plot twist at the end, I didn't see it coming, so it was a shocker yet also disappointing. I know that a plot twist is unexpected--and it should be, but it was badly executed. Firstly, let's start with how the book's supposedly suspense. Other than the title leading me on, there was nothing truly suspenseful that made me on my toes, so when the plot twist happened, yes, I was like this is not what I had expected, but at the same, I was, "how did this come to be?" Yes, a good plot twist means little to nothing should lead to that plot twist, but had there been some suspenseful moments, the plot twist would've had a bigger and better impact.
I don't know if anyone's mentioned this already, but if it weren't for the unexpected plot twist, nothing would've saved this book. Yes, I wrote it. Admit it--everything before the plot twist was blah, huh, what, okay, and uhhh. But once the plot twist was revealed, it made (some) readers be like, "Oh, my gosh. So that explains everything!" No. The plot twist was just an "Okay, so that happened."
Speaking of impact, the book drags on once we're about four to five chapters in (I think--oh, and did I mention confusing?), and the characters aren't given enough time to be fleshed out (which isn't a huge problem to me). I also couldn't relate with the FMC, so throughout the entire time, I was just trying to decipher what the problem this big family has (and if there's a secret). Since I couldn't relate to any of the characters, the plot twist wasn't that all-that, unfortunately, and was more like "are you serious?"
Anyway, please read with caution. They're liars, and I'm honest.
storysage's review against another edition
5.0
This was the perfect book to read as I soaked in the summer vibes.
The book began gently, and then really took off toward the middle, right up until the end.
The writing style is poetic, segmented into statements in order to conjure emotion and create intensity. As a lover of poetry, I appreciated this writing style and felt it fit the plot well.
The main character, Cadence, is a sick teenager. She struggles with selfishness, pain, love, control, entitlement—and expresses it concisely, in the way that her Sinclair family has taught her to do.
This book especially shines when it comes to imagery. I enjoyed the lavish descriptions of the island, the houses, the food, the people.
You’ll like this book if you enjoy mystery, romance, and/or the “old money” aesthetic.
The book began gently, and then really took off toward the middle, right up until the end.
The writing style is poetic, segmented into statements in order to conjure emotion and create intensity. As a lover of poetry, I appreciated this writing style and felt it fit the plot well.
The main character, Cadence, is a sick teenager. She struggles with selfishness, pain, love, control, entitlement—and expresses it concisely, in the way that her Sinclair family has taught her to do.
This book especially shines when it comes to imagery. I enjoyed the lavish descriptions of the island, the houses, the food, the people.
You’ll like this book if you enjoy mystery, romance, and/or the “old money” aesthetic.
meghen_k's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0