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A review by liyah375
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
We Were Liars is a novel that has been sitting on my shelf for some time now. I had bought it after reading One of Us is Lying and then forget about it for about a year. It is clear that Lockhart is a good writer. She understands how to set a tone very well and uses stylized writing to resemble the main character (Cadence)'s fractured mind. Lockhart understands foreshadowing and dialogue in a way that hints at that oh-so exciting plot twist without giving it away too soon. While this book was a fine read, I'll say it was not one of my favorites.
The characters in We Were Liars leave much to be desired. The Liars themselves, a group of cousins from the prestigous Sinclar family, did a fine job of fulfilling their tropes. We had the love interest (Gat), the best friend (Mirren) and golden-retriever boy (Johnny) but there was not much more to them besides this role fulfillment. I will say, however, that I was at times more intrigued by them and their personalities than our main character. I was also attracted to the mothers in this piece as they fought for their inheritance and using their children as collateral. I wish we had gotten more of them. The plot of this story is also just fine. I feel as though it's purpose was only to support the ~plot twist~ that this book boasts. I admit that the twist is a ~twist~, but avid readers should not expect to be caught too off guard by it.
I wish this book had more meat to it. I wanted to care about the Liars more.Their deaths hit me because of the picture that Lockhart painted, not necessarily because of how much I cared about the characters. Children burning to death is a brutal image. I wanted Cadence's love for Gat to mean more. I did not really root for them. I also was upset that the only POC in the story was constantly compared to an animal or a beast in Cadence's fairytale re-tellings. This story was satisfying in a way that left me fed, but did not leave me full.
Overall, We Were Liars is a good mysterious summer read. It has Outer Banks vibes. This isn't a story I will recommend to many, but I'll encourage anyone who has picked it up to finish it.
The characters in We Were Liars leave much to be desired. The Liars themselves, a group of cousins from the prestigous Sinclar family, did a fine job of fulfilling their tropes. We had the love interest (Gat), the best friend (Mirren) and golden-retriever boy (Johnny) but there was not much more to them besides this role fulfillment. I will say, however, that I was at times more intrigued by them and their personalities than our main character. I was also attracted to the mothers in this piece as they fought for their inheritance and using their children as collateral. I wish we had gotten more of them. The plot of this story is also just fine. I feel as though it's purpose was only to support the ~plot twist~ that this book boasts. I admit that the twist is a ~twist~, but avid readers should not expect to be caught too off guard by it.
I wish this book had more meat to it. I wanted to care about the Liars more.
Overall, We Were Liars is a good mysterious summer read. It has Outer Banks vibes. This isn't a story I will recommend to many, but I'll encourage anyone who has picked it up to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Animal death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, and Racism