Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Pretty Little Liars

I’m back in my Pretty Little Liars era, so I thought it was only fair I give the books a read. I really enjoyed this! It throws you off a bit to begin with if you watched the show first and the characters look very different to how they’re described in the book, but you get used to it eventually and this is a very enjoyable read. I loved the writing, it’s very descriptive and almost poetic at times, and the duel perspectives from each of the girls makes this really interesting. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

Content Warnings

geooo's review against another edition

Go to review page

fast-paced

Strong character development? No

2.5

A book that is mediocre at its best. Nothing really happens during this novel. The character work and the plot are weak and the writing is not the best. There are also problematic elements such as pedophilia, substantial age gaps, teacher - student relationships. And judging by how the show and future books go the author doesn't care about these issues and even romanticizes them. Will not continue the series.

Content Warnings

pig_mania's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

slimepuppy's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The entire book feels like the set up; once you think the fun is about to start the book just ENDS. Out of nowhere. I know this is a series, but there had to be a better way to end the first book - as it is, the whole thing feels hastily thrown together with a cliffhanger at the very end to draw you in.

As the story comes to an abrupt end, we get no clues about the mystery of A's identity, whatever might have happened to Alison, or what the Jenna Incident might have even been about - really disappointing, since the Liars' past was the most interesting part of the book.

The main characters were mostly okay? Aria was annoying but not the kind that you despise, Hanna is endearingly messy and Emily and Spencer are actually really interesting and nuanced.

Oh and the male characters should all die in a ditch with the exception of Mike, Noel and Andrew. Put the others in jail and throw away the key!! And end Emily's and Spencer's parents to jail too, while we're at it.

Content Warnings

ariajb's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.25

maybe I’d of enjoyed it more if I was the target age demographic and hadn’t already seen most of the show, but, that was 7 hours of just episode one. not much of anything happened plot wise and when the main 4 girls weren’t having unaddressed panic attacks their personalities were kinda flat. it moved pretty slow and it felt like most of the book was dedicated to describing, in aggravating detail, what every single character was wearing, instead of the moving the plot forward or focusing on making the characters more… like able(??). but maybe that was on purpose to set the town of how people there acted and treated each other? either way it got on my nerves and dragged on for way too long

and besides the four main girls being shallow and bland their “love” interests were even worse ??? Ezra is a creep in the show, but he is so so much worse in the book. he initiates their relationship and then is the one to continue after finding out she’s a student and gets jealous and angry anytime he sees her with someone her own age. despite her showing how immature she actually is despite being “well traveled” and reading a bunch of plays or whatever

and he gets so angry when he sees the texts from A and throws a book at her head ??? while she’s crying ??? and apparently he doesn’t understand how to read texts because he tells her he saw what she “said about him” but they were texts someone was sending her not the other way around. but I’m supposed to like him?? ok

also I don’t know how old Wren is in the books but in the show he was 23… full grown medical student messing around with a 16/17 year old. He’s also the instigator in most of his interactions with Spencer but when it plays out she’s the one punished and seen as in the wrong. which she is for pursuing her sister’s boyfriend but she wasn’t the adult in the situation.

and her parents not seeing that way annoyed me, getting mad enough at her to not even comfort her when they got the news that Alison was dead just seemed cruel but not in the way the author intended.

also it didn’t help that I listened on audio and didn’t like the narrator but if I’d been reading a physical book I probably wouldn’t have finished it

Content Warnings