We Were Liars
Ratings544
Average rating3.5
I read this book as a teenager and I've got to say it's quite forgettable and i don't understand why booktok is obsessed over it. It was decent but not my cup of tea.
The story was wonderful, and I loved how the characters were pieced together. However, this book was hyped up a lot to me before I read it, and so I went in with huge expectations. Big mistake - I think I was expecting something like Gone Girl or The Girl in the Window type book, but I was left disappointed with the ending because it wasn't as climatic as I'd expected. I'd say to go into this book without high expectations to enjoy the book.
This book wasn't what I was expecting based on many of the reviews I've seen. I found it slow, and the writing often overly stylized. Ultimately, I could neither identify with nor become emotionally invested in the characters, so I decided to DNF and move on.
I don't know where to begin with this book. I honestly do not understand why this has such mixed reviews, it's such a difficult read. So much so, that I almost DNF this book, but the OCD in me would not allow me to do that.
So I trudged through this book, which just annoyed me even more, as this was meant to be one of my quicker reads on my TBR, but it ended up taking me way too long.
There was nothing redeemable in this book for me: took way too long to get to the plot of this book - the book rambles on for about 90% with no story whatsover. Just a girl pining over a guy with a love story that's not believable, complaining about how her family doesn't understand her, and feeling that she has every right to pass judgment on everyone else in her family.
The payoff in the end where the big mystery is revealed was so underwhelming after having spent the majority of the book wanting to pull my hair out - I could not deal with the way this book was written. Whatever the author was trying to accomplish with those broken sentences clearly went over my head.
I don't know if I'm missing something, but this just wasn't for me. Off to find a book to cleanse me of this miserable experience.
i would have DNFed this if it weren't for a book club.
i found it very annoying and it was Not for me.
Ich fand den Schreibstil ziemlich gut. Am Anfang habe ich sehr mit Cadence sympathisiert, und auch die anderen Liars mochte ich. Das mysteriöse hat mir gut gefallen und der plot twist am Ende hat mich wirklich geschockt, aber ich fand ihn gut.
I really struggled to get into this book. I had to switch from an audiobook to my kindle, because I was too confused by the way the book is written to understand what was going on when listening to it. It gets interesting around half way through the book, but it continues to be quite confusing until the end when things start to make a little more sense. The ending is the only reason this was not a 2 star review though. The ending was very interesting, I was completely surprised, and it made me cry! If you don't like sad endings, this may not be the book for you. If you LOVE sad endings, definitely read this book, I was heartbroken.
4 and a half years later and I've read this book again. The author is so creative with her writing, even at almost 18 I can find that her language is so universal. And obviously, the ending, that ending was pain again and I don't know what to say about it other than the fact that it took all my strength to stop myself from crying. I just love this book.
I don't know how I came across this book as I usually do not pick up YA. There's a reason for that. This book is for your teenager- a young teenager. There is no cursing and no sex which is exceedingly rare and thus I know it will appeal to parents of readers. I did not love this book mainly because the main character was so self-involved, which is not unexpected in a 15 year old who has suffered trauma. So I think this book is excellent for teenagers, just not for this 40-something year old. One thing I loved- the map of the private island at the front of the book. I needed help visualizing all the houses and spots the narrator referenced. The map was a great choice.
I was not ready for the twist , like emotionally , I love the liars so baaaaad , and it just killed me , burned me (lol) .
I thought it was a happy summer story
Wow this was unexpected!
I really liked this book, it was short and easy to read. I liked the mystery, it wasn't too complicated.
I don't read mysteries a lot, nor I am really attentive to details, it helped a lot to enjoy it.
Maybe my rating is overated, but honestly it was good!
For real? THIS was a best seller? This is one of the most BORING books I've ever read. The first three quarters of the book is so slow and redundant. I didn't care about a single character and as a result, didn't care about the mild and predictable climax. Skip it. I only gave it a two because it ended quickly.
I kind of like the writing. I love the short chapters. I feel like the beginning was strong and the stakes of Mystery were set high. The ending does have this sort of shock value but it still feels like a puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit with the rest.
I feel like there's very little plot besides the Mystery. Which means there's quite a few empty spots that are just...boring. Although the vibe of a place and time kind of covered in brainfog does fit the narrative, it's not enough to truly draw you in. The reimagined fairytales and dramatic analogies of Cadence's pain weren't terrific, but it was a nice shift from the bland narrative going through most of the book.
It's a beautiful book. Loved the narrator, her ethereal vague description along the way, a very interesting storytelling POV and those beautiful fables interspersed are lovely.
I have seen a lot of mixed reviews for this one so I've been hesitant to read it. It's been on my shelf for a while now. I decided to finally give it a go because of a book club challenge.
Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed this one. I love the lyrical writing and haiku type chapters. I enjoy poetry though so this didn't cause an issue for me the way it did with other readers.
I definitely think you have to be in the right mindset for this one as well. Despite being a summer read, this isn't a light or fluffy read. It's tense, dark and has an emotional tinge throughout that you just know will end sadly.
This is a very quick read and one I recommend for those who like to dip their toes into the darker and emotional side of books.
Reread 2022: I still adore this book and it ripped out my soul again. I know it's extremely controversial and so many people don't like it, but I love it with every fiber of my being.
I sat down and read this entire book in one sitting, and woah I am shook. I'm still reeling. My brain doesn't know how to process what just happened. Let's attempt a somewhat cohesive review though.
I read like half of this book when it first came out, but never really got around to finishing it. Recently I'd heard some stuff about it on booktube and decided to give it another chance. I knew that there was a huge plot twist at the end, and I was attempting to prepare myself for that. I didn't. I absolutely did not prepare myself for that. I reached the beginning of the end and was slightly disappointed because I thought that was the big reveal! The entire thing! But nope! There was more. So much more. And I was a sobbing, snotty, blubbering mess through it all. I was rocking back and forth. My breathing was ragged. I couldn't comprehend what was happening. I couldn't see I was crying so hard. This book was absolutely amazing. I love that I went into it not knowing anything, I love that no one spoiled it for me. I'm still shaking and my brain is a mess right now. Absolutely incredible. Amazing.
This is right up my alley. Stories of growing up, of friends and relationships, of spending dreamy summers outdoors in the summer, of memories, and of life. Yet there is also mystery, intrigue, a puzzle to be solved.
“And maybe,
just maybe,
he'd come back one day,
and burn that
fucking
palace
to the ground.”
Holy crap! Now that's the way to start off the new year! I picked up this book because it was short and because I heard that there was a mind-blowing twist in it and I was not disappointed! This twist is something akin to Shutter Island and The Silent Patient- it just blew my mind! I also feel like this book is deeper in meaning than your average romance thriller/mystery and I loved the whimsical way that the author brought the story to life since it wasn't written in the most simple way. I'm just ecstatic that I started my reading year off this way!
To begin with, We Were Liars is about four kids from a privileged family who spend summers together on a private island. One summer things get a bit out of hand and repercussions follow not long after. I haven't read many plots like these but this one takes the cake. I loved the way we saw the world through Cadence's eyes and really felt like we were in her mind, even the book was written through a teenagers outlook on life. There were definitely plenty of twists but that last turn at the end, had me gasping out loud in disbelief. I usually don't particularly like books that skip around so much and have lots of flashbacks but in this case it didn't take way from me understanding the gist of the story. Masterfully done.
Further on, the characterization of the main character especially was otherworldly. I loved how we got to see her authentic self, without any airs or falsehoods. Also, the way she saw all her other best friends on the island, it really made me feel like I got to know them really personally as well. Lockhart wasn't afraid to go there, to the very disgusting and miraculous depth of the human soul and it made the main character so relatable, even though I am twice her age and things that concern her aren't really a concern at this stage of my life.
Finally, the writing style, as I have already mentioned above is so unique and yet packs quite the punch. The sentences are written in a whimsical style, at least in some parts and there are even creative renderings written from the heroine's point of view, which are not necessarily always woven in concrete reality and yet never fail to hold a truth to them either. I haven't read a book quite like this one before and will continue to pick up E. Lockhart's works in the future because that choice was absolutely mesmerizing and so unique/different- just a breath of fresh air!
In conclusion, even though this book is considered Young Adult and is written from the perspective of a teen, I think this book could positively affect any adult. There is romance, mystery and thrills in this novel and even though romance isn't a favorite genre of mine, I ate it all up in this one. The author was just able to deliver a story that was so authentically full of truth and hard life facts, that it was heartbreakingly impossible to put down. For such a small book, this sure packs quite a punch! A must read!