Genre: YA, contemporary
Published on May 13, 2014
Published by Delacorte Press
Pages: 225
Read From: 5.26.14 - 5.28.14
SYNOPSIS
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends - the Liars - whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
Review
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? The cover art is very contemporary, so if I hadn't known anything about this book, I probably would not have picked it up just because of the cover.
Characters: I didn't become attached to anyone; not because they were underdeveloped characters, but because they were very teen, unsympathetic, and this also wasn't a character-driven story. Cadence has some issues, and her cousins just didn't attract my affections. They worked as characters to follow around in this rather bizarre book, but beyond that, I simply didn't care.
The Romance: Yeah, there's some teen romance, but it doesn't take up too much time.
Plot: This is going to be hard; I can't say anything about the plot without causing preconceived notions that will 1) make the ultimate twist disappointing and 2) give something away. Yes, this is a contemporary, but it's contemporary with a twist. If it wasn't the anticipation of the twist and the narration, it could be considered dull. But it isn't. I can't tell you anything beyond that because this is a book you need to go into without knowing anything. Sorry!
Believability: No complaints.
Writing Style: First person, present tense, with past tense parts when there are flashbacks. The narration is totally what grabs you and keeps you pulled in. The chapters are super short, the narration isn't linear, and it really works.
Content: 13 f-words, 3 s-words.
Conclusion: My reaction when I read the end: WHAT?! I want to reread it and look for clues now! We Were Liars is a fun, quick weekend read that will wile away a couple of hours. I didn't care about the characters, but you didn't need to. And I didn't see the twist coming.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-guy read, seventeen-and-up, fans of twisty contemporary.
Great review. This ended up being a 5/5 read for me because I just fell in love with the whole story, especially the authors unique writing style. I did not see the end coming, that really shocked me and had me in tears at work. Made me want to reread and look for clues as well.
ReplyDeleteI was debating a 5/5 rating myself, but it mostly boiled down to an enjoyable weekend read with a surprising end. I definitely want to reread it, though. :)
Delete