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himpersonal 's review for:
Pretty Little Liars
by Sara Shepard
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
During COVID, my mom had suddenly died of a cancer none of us knew she had (including herself), and I was under a great deal of stress living with my dad by myself (my brothers were too far away to help). I'd lived alone for 30 years, and suddenly I had a very difficult roommate, on top of which I was experiencing what psychologists call complicated grief. I was going through a major existential crisis. I needed to numb - a lot. I needed to turn off my brain and my heart. Otherwise, I sat there stuffing my face and wondering what the point was in living at all. My solution was to numb with TV and food. I wondered what it would take to switch careers and become a professional TV critic. I spent almost all my nonworking time in front of the TV, and even more so after my dad was killed. The amount of TV I watched is embarrassing. In this case, I watched all seven seasons of this show in a matter of days.
Now that I'm off TV (I take this as a sign of progress), I'm more engaged with the world. But I'm still escaping, which is different than numbing. Now I escape in my books, and I was really curious what this series would be like to read. The TV show was mysterious, salacious, and easy to watch. The book started out so annoying that I started to wonder if I only watched it because it was something to watch. But then I started remembering the storyline and realized the show followed the book pretty well. Before I knew it, the first book was over. I didn't think I was going to want to continue with the second book, but I've already got a hold on it at the library. LOL.
I think what makes this book uncomfortably fun is that it's a teen soap opera. These are children acting as adults, and a lot of it is inappropriate for that age group. (Or at least I think it is - maybe I'm a bit out of touch and this is actually quite normal for them? Gosh I hope not - kids need a chance to be kids!)
Now that I'm off TV (I take this as a sign of progress), I'm more engaged with the world. But I'm still escaping, which is different than numbing. Now I escape in my books, and I was really curious what this series would be like to read. The TV show was mysterious, salacious, and easy to watch. The book started out so annoying that I started to wonder if I only watched it because it was something to watch. But then I started remembering the storyline and realized the show followed the book pretty well. Before I knew it, the first book was over. I didn't think I was going to want to continue with the second book, but I've already got a hold on it at the library. LOL.
I think what makes this book uncomfortably fun is that it's a teen soap opera. These are children acting as adults, and a lot of it is inappropriate for that age group. (Or at least I think it is - maybe I'm a bit out of touch and this is actually quite normal for them? Gosh I hope not - kids need a chance to be kids!)