Scan barcode
A review by bookishblond
The Elizas by Sara Shepard
3.0
The author of Pretty Little Liars has written a psychological thriller for adults?! Gimme!
I loved the PLL series when I was in high school, and I was beyond excited when I saw that Sara Shepard had a new book out for adults. My memories of the PLL books came rushing back - the nail-biting suspense and the snarky, chatty voice those books are written in.
The Elizas was nothing like that. This book is about Eliza, early-twenties and living in LA. In the first few pages, Eliza checks herself into a luxury resort in Palm Springs, takes a swig of vodka, and suddenly the story twists and she's no longer in her hotel room, but looking up at her worried family's faces from a hospital bed. The book is about what happened to Eliza that night, kind of. It's also about Eliza's book, The Dots. As the publication date approaches, Eliza notices that her book is bleeding into her life. The events won't stay put - what happened in her book and what happened in her real life?
Yeah, I know, it's a great idea for a novel. But there is a big problem with The Elizas, and it's Eliza herself. She is a remarkably unlikable narrator who does not have many human relationships - there's her roommates, who she doesn't seem to like, and her family, who she really doesn't like. Eliza has some quirky hobbies - she works in an oddity shop and teaches a taxidermy class - but instead of adding an interesting facet to her character, these details get lost in the plot, since they are so at-odds with everything else. Eliza is an author, but we don't see her writing, and when other characters ask her about her writing process, she consistently says, "um, I don't know." Later in the book, details are revealed that can arguably answer my questions, but I am still unsatisfied with Eliza's character. We are never given any details about her character that would endear her to us, even a little bit.
Still, this book had an interesting enough plot, but I wouldn't prioritize reading this one.
I loved the PLL series when I was in high school, and I was beyond excited when I saw that Sara Shepard had a new book out for adults. My memories of the PLL books came rushing back - the nail-biting suspense and the snarky, chatty voice those books are written in.
The Elizas was nothing like that. This book is about Eliza, early-twenties and living in LA. In the first few pages, Eliza checks herself into a luxury resort in Palm Springs, takes a swig of vodka, and suddenly the story twists and she's no longer in her hotel room, but looking up at her worried family's faces from a hospital bed. The book is about what happened to Eliza that night, kind of. It's also about Eliza's book, The Dots. As the publication date approaches, Eliza notices that her book is bleeding into her life. The events won't stay put - what happened in her book and what happened in her real life?
Yeah, I know, it's a great idea for a novel. But there is a big problem with The Elizas, and it's Eliza herself. She is a remarkably unlikable narrator who does not have many human relationships - there's her roommates, who she doesn't seem to like, and her family, who she really doesn't like. Eliza has some quirky hobbies - she works in an oddity shop and teaches a taxidermy class - but instead of adding an interesting facet to her character, these details get lost in the plot, since they are so at-odds with everything else. Eliza is an author, but we don't see her writing, and when other characters ask her about her writing process, she consistently says, "um, I don't know." Later in the book, details are revealed that can arguably answer my questions, but I am still unsatisfied with Eliza's character. We are never given any details about her character that would endear her to us, even a little bit.
Still, this book had an interesting enough plot, but I wouldn't prioritize reading this one.