Book Review · Stand-alones · YA Books

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart [Non-Spoilers Review]

The Bookish God

Title: We Were Liars

Author(s): E. Lockhart

Pages count: 227 pages

Publisher: Delacorte Press

ISBN: 038574126X

Rating: 5 stars

When I rate a book 5 stars it’s because that book is re-read material and I will likely be re-reading it in the future.  I utterly loved everything about it. The writing, the characters, the plot, the themes… E. Lockhart has taken me by storm and We Were Liars has become the best book I’ve read in 2015 so far.

I will try to write this review without revealing much of the plot since it’s best to go into the story knowing nothing about it. I will keep it short and sweet! The following premise is taken off GoodReads:

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.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

As I’m reading the synopsis I just gave you, I can’t help but wanting to pick it up again and immerse myself in Cadence’s world. And it’s only been 4 days since I finished it!

The mysterious aura and all the secrets surrounding this book is what made me want to read it because I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Well, it did not disappoint in any kind of way. Yes, I guessed what was going to happen in the end about halfway through the book; but there were details that still threw me off so I enjoyed it all the way through. Plus, the writing was so good I just didn’t mind knowing!

One of the things that made me fall in love with this book right from the beginning is how the author describes pain. It’s so graphic and physical but poetic at the same time. It adds darkness and gore to the story while keeping it lighthearted (which is SO difficult to do). E. Lockhart knows how to write imagery and it’s probably the best I’ve read to date.

I particularly loved the main character. She was twisted, dark and so fitting to the story that’s being told. Her friends – The Liars – were very special sidekicks and their connection was palpable in everything they did. Mirren was caring and adorable. Johnny was hilarious. Gat was inspiring, but dangerous.

This book is a cry for help and attention, about hypocrisy at its finest, and about a family so broken they need a tragedy to glue them back together.

Would I recommend it? Hell, yes.

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Published by The Bookish God

25 year old bookworm. I live in Germany/Netherlands and I am from Spain but raised in Canada. I KNOW, I am confused too. You will probably find me reading Harry Potter, fantasy/sci-fi books, or crying at a good contemporary. My life is a mess but my shelves are nice.

25 thoughts on “We Were Liars by E. Lockhart [Non-Spoilers Review]”

  4. I really loved this book too! But I think it’s best going into this without knowing too much, and I really like that you didn’t give anything away at all in your review! x

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  7. Great review! It’s so hard to talk about why you love a twisty plotty book without giving too much away. Yours gives just the right amount – some specifics about might appeal without any plot details. It’s the first one I’ve read that actually said enough to intrigue me, instead of just feel teased.

    The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks came out a few years ago (2008). There’s a new paperback edition now that she’s back in the news, but you can probably find the old edition at the library if you don’t want to wait. I read it, and found it well-written but not quite my thing. I’ll give We Were Liars a try though.

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  9. I also really loved this one. I feel like it’s a book most people will either really love or really hate. Every review I’ve read is either 5 stars or 1/2 stars. I personally think E. Lockhart’s writing is gorgeous.

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  11. After reading your review I’m a little mad at myself for continually pushing this book to the back of the pile. I’ve had an eCopy of this book for what seems like forever. I don’t know why I haven’t read it yet. I think I assumed it was just going to be a kind of dull-ish YA contemporary type novel.
    I’m glad to see that my assumption was terribly wrong. Thanks for the great review

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  12. Heya, I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Here are the rules if you’d like to participate:

    1. Nominate 15 other bloggers relatively new to blogging & share 10 random facts about yourself in a blog post.
    2. Let the bloggers know that you’ve nominated them.
    3. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
    4. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post and/or sidebar (if you want to).

    (By the way, great review! I have been dying to read We Were Liars for a while now and was finally able to put it on hold at the library. I’m glad to hear it’s been living up to the hype by so many reviewers.)

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  14. Great review! I like what you said about Lockheart’s descriptions of pain, I love it when an author is so effective at conveying emotions. I feel like I’m going to be the last person on the planet to read this book, but at least I actually own a copy now so that a start, hehee. 🙂
    I hope I like it as much as you did!

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