I requested this book (and I should say upfront that I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review) because I was intrigued by the publisher's description. Looking back at that description now it perhaps undersells how good this book is. This book has, of course, been around now for nearly 8 years, and I have perhaps only just come across it because the prequel to the book is due to be published later this year. I have to say though that I can understand why this book has been described as a best seller. From the beginning I liked the easy narrative, which drew me in. I can see why it would appeal to adults but also to teens and young adults - and be as enjoyable by either genre. It was apparent from an early stage that the idealistic life of the Sinclairs was in fact far from ideal, but I hadn't expected the story to be quite so dramatic as it proved to be. I thoroughly enjoyed the book as a stand alone novel but I have to say I'm intrigued to read the upcoming prequel Family of Liars having read We Were Liars. I note that some others have less positive views ... perhaps it helped that I had never read any of Lockhart's books and had no expectations whatsoever when I picked up the book. I think the only thing that I perhaps didn't like was the 'magical' aspect to it (for want of a better word) which reveals to the reader that the truth is not what you imagine. I can see this as a book provoking a lot of debate at a book group!

This book is really fantastically written. It is gripping and twisty and I found myself deliciously surprised by the ending!

wow, just wow.
I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book, i'd heard so many things about it but as I was reading it I wondered what all the hype was really about. But then I got to the final part and had to put my book down for a minute because I was in disbelief. It had such a beautiful ending and it's definitely worth going into this book knowing nothing about it!

Thankyou Netgalley for providing this ARC.
I think this book was classic YA contemporary at its finest. It had the snobby, smitten female protagonist and the shock value in the final twist. I think one of the problems with this book, however, is that (for most) the rich, carefree protagonist is highly unrelatable and incredibly annoying at times. This book did what it said on the tin - it’s a story about a family damaged beyond repair and a complex web of lies.However, I would’ve cared much more about the protagonist and what happened to her if she was more likeable and relatable and I think this would’ve greatly improved the impact of the shocking ending of the book.

'm interested in the varying reviews of this novel, but would say that there is an element of sophistication about this novel, the writing style, and the narrative arc, for YA fiction, but like a few others, the three stars is entirely because of my personal taste. You get used to the narrative style, yes, but that doesn't mean you have to actually like it. I'm all for experimenting with that kind of thing, but I can't see a point to it - it doesn't add to the tension, particularly, or confirm anything about character. I notice people are going on a bit about the 'twist', which isn't that much of one, to be honest, but it's a pay-off, nonetheless.

So, it's a short novel, easy to read if you can get past the staccato sentences and inoffensive.

This was a slow read until about 80% of the way through, afterwhich it became pretty compelling. The twist was worth the slow read and it had no idea it was coming!
I found the way it was written a little irritating, but I sense this is because I am no longer the target audience for this book. I think I would have loved this book 5 plus years ago.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the moment I started reading I was hooked, I didn’t want to put it down.
The mystery surrounding ‘We Were Liars’ was just enough to keep you on your toes.
This will forever be my - I wish I could read it for the first time again book.

This book is full of secrets, family drama and power written in a beautiful prose with lots of imagery and poetic sentences. The mystery is at the heart of the book; what happened in summer 15? And it kept me hooked from start to finish needing to know what happened. The reveal is a big shock that I never saw coming and it made me re-think about various parts in the book. This is a book to remember!

I love a thriller, but I found this one a bit of a struggle. I wasn't a fan of the writing style and I couldn't get past that to actually enjoy the book. Some of the twists were ok, but by the time we got there I just wasn't engaged anymore! Just not the book for me.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I've read this book in 2016 and absolutely *loved* it!
Full review to be posted soonish. I'll update review with links to socials.
I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Be a little kinder than you have to.”

✮✮✮✮✮

Brief synopsis: This is the story of the Sinclair’s. The beautiful Sinclair family. No one is a criminal. No one is an addict. No one is a failure. This is the story of the Liars, a summer of secrets, and an accident. Told from the perspective of 17 year old Cady, who is slowly remembering the summer of two years ago.

What worked? The characters were so brilliantly portrayed. I loved Cady, and how that broken teenage girl was absolutely relatable. The story was easy to follow because it was told from her perspective, so you see what she sees at all times, whether in present or in a memory. It was really intriguing, as the story went on I kept wondering where it was leading, what was the big finale, and I kept turning pages, non-stop! The last 20 or so pages, part five, had me in absolute tears. I didn’t expect what I read. This is a book that will stay with me for a very, very long time.

What didn’t work? I don’t think there is anything negative I can say about this book. I was truly in shock of how the story and the truth unfolded, and that is a true talent.

Verdict & Recommendation: I recommend this book to everyone, but especially for fans of Looking for Alaska by John Green, as I feel it has a similar feel to it. This book will build you up, and break you into a million pieces, but in the best way. I’m really looking forward to the prequel that is being released later this year!

This novel revolves around Cady, the eldest grandchild of a very wealthy family, and her relationship with 3 other teenagers - calling themselves the Liars - and their summers on a private island. The dynamics of the wider family are really fascinating, and the characters develop throughout the book. During the book, we find out something has happened to Cady - who can't remember what it was - and we follow her journey to unravel the mysteries of her mind.
I found the start a little bit slow, but once I got into the book, I found it almost impossible to put down. I really wanted to find out what had happened to Cady, and I felt so much empathy and sympathy for what she was going through. I didn't see the ending coming, and it was really fascinating and well played out.

Each year the Sinclair family spend the summer on an Island with some of their friends.
One summer one of the teenagers has an accident that leaves her with a head injury and she can’t remember the events that lead up to the incident.
I found this story disjointed and I struggled to finish to book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A group of friends visit the Sinclair family’s island every summer. One fateful summer their friendship turns destructive.

If you are searching for a book with a brilliant ending then this is your book. The book’s main character Cadence has suffered an accident, of which she has no recall, and much of the book is about her search for the missing pieces of the jigsaw to restore her memory.

This is a book where, when you reach the end, you just want to go back and re-read it again. The conclusion is so unexpected that it makes you wonder if you missed any clues to it along the way.

It took a little while for me to adjust to the writing style - excessive use of imagery and mix of sentence length - but once I did, the story just flowed. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.

So this book appears to be a bit like marmite, you either love it or absolutely hate it. I am in the love it camp.

This is a story of 4 teenagers who every summer holiday on their grandads island. Their summers are beautiful and fun…until summer 15 when something happens.

As the story goes on we start to discover the events of summer 15 leading up to Caddy’s accident. With the help of the other Liars (what the group call themselves) Caddy starts to remember little details until finally she recalls the night of her accident.

The ending was great, with a fabulous plot twist which I didn’t see coming. The ending is the reason I gave this book 4 stars, it was perfectly executed.

The writing style takes a bit of getting used to, there are metaphors galore and it weaves in and out of the past and present. Overall though once I got used to it, I found the style incredibly easy to read.

Lyrically written and evocative. I raced compusively through this and will re-read it searching for clues I missed. 5 stars.

I've not read many mysteries recently but I was eager to try this one because there is so much hype behind it! I've seen it recommended a lot, both on Booktok and Bookstagram.

I think because my expectations were so high, my enjoyment of the book suffered a little. I did like it, the twist at the end was unique and I didnt see it coming at all! The beginning however was a bit hard to get into, there are a lot of characters introduced at once, and their relationships to each took me a while to sort out.

The story and premise were both brilliant but the writing for me wasn't as absorbing as I thought it might be. Overall though it was fast paced and exciting and I can see why many others loved it.

This was a good read and was a very loose retelling of King Lear which I found interesting. The writing was good as were the characters and the storyline. An overall enjoyable read

This was a very thrilling and suspenseful book that I enjoyed reading! However, I expected a bigger plot twist seeing all the hype on this book but nonetheless it was still a very interesting read! The writing was immaculate and engaging. Overall, a very good read!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I've heard a lot of good things about this book over the years, which actually might have been to its detriment as I'm not sure the reading experience lived up to the hype. Also, having read Karen McManus's The Cousins last year, there are some very similar elements. It is a compelling read and hard to put down once you start, but at the same time it's quite hard to get invested in the travails of such a wealthy and privileged family. I was pulled along by the narrative but not actually emotionally involved in the story, which made the twist much less effective.