We Were Liars

I rarely gasp out loud when reading a book but I gasped twice when reading this - once in the beginning and once at the end. It was a great way to start and finish a book. I originally bought this book for my younger niece but I honestly think it may be too much for a 12 yr old to read - a young 12 yr old anyway.
I loved the Liars characters - especially the main character, Cadence. I also grew to hate her, pity her, worry about her, etc.
I especially loved all the extras the book has - a hand drawn map of the island, poems by one of the characters, fairy tales throughout that relate to the book.
I don't want to give anything away. I'll just say it was an intense read for a summer afternoon.

I loved this book!

How am I supposed to explain We Were Liars without spoiling anything but still convince you to read it? Maybe it’s best to list the things that appealed to me when I read this. After all, when in doubt, make a list.

So why did I loved We Were Liars?

1. The writing. I felt like I was bewitched by its writing and drew me in as I turned the pages. This is my first E. Lockhart book so I’m not really familiar how she writes but this was amazing. The construction and use of words effectively attracted my attention and curiosity. It was poetic and painted a vivid picture of the island as well as the scenes.

2. Suspense. I was blind when I read this so I advise you to go blind too. Sometimes when you’re told that you should go blind, you become guarded and could easily predict what happened but this one was different. I think it was one of the reasons why I was so floored and affected when I got into the revelation part.

3. Good pacing. This is the part when I mostly complain. Some books have fast pacing that made the chapters and scenes disconnected instead of having a good flow. When they’re slow, it tends to drag the story and losses my attention. In this case, We Were Liars was in the middle. It was kind of slow but it complimented the suspense of the story. But it was also fast enough to make me turn the pages and not to lose interest.

4. Characters. We all love when there’s growth and development in characters. Everyone, not just the Liars, went through a something because of what happened that summer and that led to some changes. (Of course there were changes. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t.) We Were Liars was written with flashbacks so we get to compare the characters pre and post incident side by side. Their personalities and what they did were also shown piece by piece so we get to know them little by little as the story progressed.

5. The ending. I never expected it when I decided to read the story but that ending made me cry. The revelation made me cry and how this story ended was simply stunning. With Lockhart’s amazing writing, it gave more feelings and impact. Perfect.. it was just perfect.

“My full name is Cadence Sinclair Eastman.
I suffer migraines. I do not suffer fools.
I like a twist of meaning.
I endure.”

I was on edge the whole time and was itching to uncover what happened. I know something happened and that something is big but when it was time for me to know the truth, it felt like I detonated a bomb. I don’t think I’d be able to explain more without spoiling something so trust me when I say that you should read this.