BOOK REVIEW: We Were Liars – by E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery
First published: May 13th 2014
Finished reading: April 3rd 2015
Pages: 227

“Someone once wrote that a novel should deliver a series of small astonishments. I get the same thing spending an hour with you.”

There has been a mayor hype around We Were Liars when it first came out last year, and until today the hype hasn’t completely slowed down. I normally prefer staying away from hyped books because I tend to be disappointed by them. I actually put on hold this novel by E. Lockhart for months because I didn’t want that to happen… I’m not sure if it’s just that I haven’t waited long enough or it is actually the novel that is the problem, but I was definitely not blown away by We Were Liars. More exactly, it had even some eyebrow raising moments and I honestly cannot understand the hype around this novel… Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love We Were Liars either. I couldn’t really connect to the characters and the plot was quite difficult to follow. I understand that last one is part of the story where the main character Cady is supposed to constantly lie about what really happened that summer. Still, I couldn’t truly appreciate it. I didn’t particularly like the whole fighting-about-money-and-inheritance theme either; I hate having spoiled brats as characters, especially when they play a big role in the story. The prose was interesting at points, although the fragmented sentences were quite annoying in general. I guess the only part I really liked were the fairytale stories Cady invented… The pace is at least fast, but I have to be honest and say I’m not sure I will pick up another E. Lockhart novel any time soon… Unless it is not similar to this one.

This is a story about the Sinclair family.
A rich, privileged and distinguished family.
They own a private island.
Four friends, the Liars, spend each summer on this island.
A damaged Sinclair girl and a not worthy boy fall in love.
Something terrible happens.
The damaged girl doesn’t remember.
What happened during that dreadful summer?
Lies after lies after lies.
Will she find out the truth?

You know the feeling when you are thinking: ‘is it just me, or is this novel really not as good as everyone was saying?‘ In case you were wondering, that is exactly how I felt about We Were Liars. I had high expectations before starting this one, mainly because of the mayor hype around the novel… And it just didn’t live up to expectations for me. You found my summary annoying? Then don’t read We Were Liars, because the writing style is similar. I didn’t like the characters and the plot was confusing and not always believable. I liked the fact that Cady and Gat were different than the rest of the family. The end is quite shocking and makes for a nice twist, but still I’m not sure I would actually recommend reading We Were Liars. I guess this is just one of those books you either hate or love…

Top Ten Tuesday #5 – August 12th: To Read Or Not To Read?

The Broke And The Bookish presents us every week a new top ten with a different theme. And this Tuesday it’s time to post my Top Ten To Read Or Not To Read! It’s all about those books I thought I would love when I first heard about them, but now I’m not so sure I would like anymore… They are listed below in no particular order and with short descriptions copied from Goodreads:

• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: “We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret…”
  # There has been quite a hype around this book, and after reading mixed reviews, I’m not so sure anymore if I would enjoy it.
• The Scorch Trials by James Dashner: “The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.”
  # Before starting The Maze Runner, I thought I would love the series and got the three books together. Now I’m not sure if I want to continue reading the series after a disappointing first part.
• The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu: “In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students—the girl who has the infamous party, the car accident survivor, the former best friend, and the boy next door—tell all they know. But exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there’s only one person to ask: Alice herself.”
  # I’ve read mixed reviews about this book, and The Truth About Alice have moved down my TBR list quite a bit…
• If I Stay by Gayle Forman: “Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.”
  # Another hyped book I’m not too sure whether it’s worth reading still.

 

• Allegiant by Veronica Roth: “Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.”
  # I loved the first book, was disappointed by the sequel, and now I don’t know whether to read the final part of the Divergent trilogy.
• Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins: “Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test.”
  # When I first got Sweet Evil, I thought I would love it, but now I’m having doubts.
• Silence by Michelle Sagara: “For Emma, life had stopped with Nathan’s death.  But tonight was different.  Tonight Emma and her dog were not alone in the cemetery.”
  # Same as with Sweet Evil, I’m not too sure about my choice of Silence anymore.

 

• Bumped by Megan McCafferty: “When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. A strikingly original look at friendship, love, and sisterhood—in a future that is eerily believable.”
  # I mainly wanted to read this because it sounded similar to Brave New World (Which I loved), but I’m not sure if it’s a book I would enjoy anymore.
• Utopia by Thomas More: “Through the voice of the mysterious traveler Raphael Hythloday, More describes a pagan, communist city-state governed by reason. Addressing such issues as religious pluralism, women’s rights, state-sponsored education, colonialism, and justified warfare, Utopia seems remarkably contemporary nearly five centuries after it was written.”
  # I got this book as part of my classics haul, but I’m not sure if I’m in the mood to read this classic any time soon.
• Purity Of Blood by Arturo Perez-Reverte: “The fearless Alatriste is hired to infiltrate a convent and rescue a young girl forced to serve as a powerful priest’s concubine. The girl’s father is barred from legal recourse as the priest threatens to reveal that the man’s family is “not of pure blood” and is, in fact, of Jewish descent—which will all but destroy the family name.”
  # I got this book a long time ago since I’ve enjoyed other books of this author before, but somehow I just cannot get into the story. I’ve actually picked up and abandoned Purity Of Blood twice before already… (I’m reading it in Spanish by the way.)