bookworm84's review against another edition
5.0
I'm addicted to this series although I have to admit that I am worried on whether the whole mystery behind the plot will grow to feel drawn out if Shepard has stretched it out over the course of 10 books. These books are definitely turning into my guilty pleasure and I can't wait to read more!
morganreads22's review against another edition
3.0
This book nothing that happened in the shower really happened in this book, but i really enjoy that. Even though I have seen the show I still feel like I have no idea who A even is. I have theories but from what I know about pll me theories are probably incorrect. I really think that either Aria, Mona, or Alison is A but there is no way I am right. And then they kill Toby which means that the whole thing with Toby and Spencer that happens in the show doesn't happen in the books. Which means a whole lot of stuff probably won't happen, like Spencer joining the A team. The only reason she joined was because of toby and now i am very interested to see what happens next. this book was actually a 3.2 star for me.
literarykate616's review against another edition
5.0
Another great book in the Pretty Little Liars series. I think what I like most about the books is that the girls haven't suddenly all become friends again after 3 years like they did in the tv series. They don't exactly trust each other and even suspect one of them could be Ali's killer. I love the drama in the book with boys, school and family relationships. I'm especially glad that the tv series isn't completely following the same plot line as the books. This means I won't spoil the new January episodes for myself by reading the books.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
5.0
This series is like candy. No redeeming nutritional value, but terribly satisfying. These are 4 of the worst set of parents I've ever heard of. They're really just awful. I'm glad they changed them some for the tv show because they're so awful it's not exactly believable. Up until the end of this book, most things have been relatively the same, but the ending of this book showed first major difference. Anyway, without spoiling the book or tv show, I can't really say much else. But I'm enjoying the series a lot.
blume13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Death
chrissymcbooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
Don't get too comfortable. It's not over until I say it is...
It's always hard to give an adequate review of the second book in a series without spoiling something from the first one, so it's probably best *not* to read this review if you haven't finished both the first and second novels. I'm sure a spoiler or two will slip out somewhere....
So, in book two we experience the trials that each girl encounters in attempting to hide her own individual secret that anonymous "A" threatens to expose. Aria has been dumped by her alluring English teacher, and "A" promises to expose her father's affair with a young college student to Aria's mother -- unless, of course, Aria steps up and tells her mother first. Emily's ex-boyfriend boasts that he will expose her new sexual explorations with neighbor Maya to the entire school, which leads Emily to seek out the attention of Toby -- a dangerous guy who knows about the Jenna thing -- and who may or may not have been the one to murder Alison! Spencer has stolen her sister Melissa's boyfriend, which has caused her family to completely shun her. Meanwhile, Spencer is the only one to know Alison's secret blackmail scheme involving the Jenna thing, which may be the one thing to implicate Toby in the whole mess. And, finally, Hannah's downward spiral of insecurity threatens to expose her secret eating disorder, especially when "A" gets herself involved when Hannah's ex-boyfriend starts paying more attention to Aria....
Sara Shepard definitely knows how to tell a fun, intriguing story that kept me reading in the late hours of the night. I was glad that we finally got more information about the whole Jenna scandal, although it wasn't quite as juicy as I had expected, honestly. And then the secret that Alison was holding over Toby which caused him to confess to a crime didn't commit -- I was disappointed in that one, for sure. It was almost *more* exciting NOT to know -- which left the possibilities open for something a little more exciting than what was ultimately revealed.
The more that the girls reveal about Alison, the more it left me wondering why they even bothered with her in the first place. She was obviously a mean girl bitch, bribing and blackmailing friends and enemies alike, bullying even her best friends -- for no other reason than the fact that she could get away with it. If this were a paranormal series, I could totally see Alison being the real "A" -- although, at this point, I'm leaning more towards a mixture of Toby (that whole statement about him being glad that Alison was dead -- yikes!) and Mona (who I keep expecting Hannah to dump at any point! Doesn't she realize that Mona just happens to show up at most of the places where the secret gossip "A" spreads is located?). As far as who killed Alison? I have no clue yet on that one...
My one big complaint about this series so far -- and don't get me wrong here, because I do think Shepard has amazing story-telling abilities -- is the constant repeating of bland emotional expressions, regardless of what the character is attempting to convey. I swear, she must have had every character *swallow* in whatever way she wanted them to be seen -- a nervous swallow, a gulp, a slow swallow, blah blah BLAH! Oh, and then their hearts beat loudly or slowly or nervously or else they just "start pounding". Please, a thesaurus! If book three contains so many variations on swallowing, I may just go nuts!
Of course, I really want to know what happens, so I'm sure I'll keep reading anyways....
It's always hard to give an adequate review of the second book in a series without spoiling something from the first one, so it's probably best *not* to read this review if you haven't finished both the first and second novels. I'm sure a spoiler or two will slip out somewhere....
So, in book two we experience the trials that each girl encounters in attempting to hide her own individual secret that anonymous "A" threatens to expose. Aria has been dumped by her alluring English teacher, and "A" promises to expose her father's affair with a young college student to Aria's mother -- unless, of course, Aria steps up and tells her mother first. Emily's ex-boyfriend boasts that he will expose her new sexual explorations with neighbor Maya to the entire school, which leads Emily to seek out the attention of Toby -- a dangerous guy who knows about the Jenna thing -- and who may or may not have been the one to murder Alison! Spencer has stolen her sister Melissa's boyfriend, which has caused her family to completely shun her. Meanwhile, Spencer is the only one to know Alison's secret blackmail scheme involving the Jenna thing, which may be the one thing to implicate Toby in the whole mess. And, finally, Hannah's downward spiral of insecurity threatens to expose her secret eating disorder, especially when "A" gets herself involved when Hannah's ex-boyfriend starts paying more attention to Aria....
Sara Shepard definitely knows how to tell a fun, intriguing story that kept me reading in the late hours of the night. I was glad that we finally got more information about the whole Jenna scandal, although it wasn't quite as juicy as I had expected, honestly. And then the secret that Alison was holding over Toby which caused him to confess to a crime didn't commit -- I was disappointed in that one, for sure. It was almost *more* exciting NOT to know -- which left the possibilities open for something a little more exciting than what was ultimately revealed.
The more that the girls reveal about Alison, the more it left me wondering why they even bothered with her in the first place. She was obviously a mean girl bitch, bribing and blackmailing friends and enemies alike, bullying even her best friends -- for no other reason than the fact that she could get away with it. If this were a paranormal series, I could totally see Alison being the real "A" -- although, at this point, I'm leaning more towards a mixture of Toby (that whole statement about him being glad that Alison was dead -- yikes!) and Mona (who I keep expecting Hannah to dump at any point! Doesn't she realize that Mona just happens to show up at most of the places where the secret gossip "A" spreads is located?). As far as who killed Alison? I have no clue yet on that one...
My one big complaint about this series so far -- and don't get me wrong here, because I do think Shepard has amazing story-telling abilities -- is the constant repeating of bland emotional expressions, regardless of what the character is attempting to convey. I swear, she must have had every character *swallow* in whatever way she wanted them to be seen -- a nervous swallow, a gulp, a slow swallow, blah blah BLAH! Oh, and then their hearts beat loudly or slowly or nervously or else they just "start pounding". Please, a thesaurus! If book three contains so many variations on swallowing, I may just go nuts!
Of course, I really want to know what happens, so I'm sure I'll keep reading anyways....
tobiasdelgado's review against another edition
3.0
The best part was the second half of the book. The first half was really difficult to read because it wasn't very appealing. Very interesting plot. I love how every chapter is dedicated to a different character but they still follow the same story line and relate with each other. Really recommendable book
estraella's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Suicide, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Rape
aprilshelene's review against another edition
4.0
*will write a big review at the end of the series, for now it's just notes for me.
-finally get more time with all the girls together. Better than book 1, but not quite 5 stars.
-hopeful that the pattern doesn't repeat for all 14 books. It'll get old quick.
-more feelings from this book- their home lives suck and they all need tons more time together to heal. Hopeful that more secrets start piling out.
-Toby is a totally different character from the show, but I honestly like that better. Sad to see him go, but it makes sense.
-I thought A was Mona because of the show, but now I'm second guessing that. We'll have to see.
-finally get more time with all the girls together. Better than book 1, but not quite 5 stars.
-hopeful that the pattern doesn't repeat for all 14 books. It'll get old quick.
-more feelings from this book- their home lives suck and they all need tons more time together to heal. Hopeful that more secrets start piling out.
-Toby is a totally different character from the show, but I honestly like that better. Sad to see him go, but it makes sense.
-I thought A was Mona because of the show, but now I'm second guessing that. We'll have to see.