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zoomyfastreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Slow in the beginning then starts to get more eventful
piperjenniece's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
aotora's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I didn't really care for this book. I wanted to like it but I just couldn't. I tried reading and I hated the names so much they took me out of the story - so I did a mix of audiobook and reading and it worked- but I still hated the names with passion - they read like a bad fanfiction - who names their main character Pfeff? Half of them felt like the author rolled the dice and whatever it landed on it became a name.
As for the story- we meet a rich privileged white family who owns an island and a couple houses there - some of their rich friends visit for the summer and things happen - we meet the protagonist, Carrie who is seemingly the only one openly grieving her younger sister who drowned a year before at 10 years old. Her ghost comes to visit her and it makes things worse - but as much as I loved that ... I feel like the ghost coming to visit the sister and mother had barely any impact on the story and it should have been either left out all together or moved to a later point - that way we would care for all the sisters but she just felt tacked on. Carrie also meets a boy that stays on the island. They get together, they are in love - but then her sister takes him for herself and he cheats on her with her sister. She gets angry, she does something nasty in the proccess, her father knows and only reveals it at the end - and he manages to keep everything under the rugs so nobody else learns what she did.
This book felt really, really long - I found myself zoning out and having trouble following the story. I didn't really care about any of the characters or their stories, didn't really care about the ending or story and I didn't really find myself enjoying the book at all - but I pushed through because I wanted to finish this and the sequel because everybody online seems to love these two books and is raving about how good they are - and they are fairly short reads too... I don't usually mind YA thrillers but this one felt so weak and unneeded - I wonder how the first book We were liars will compare and if I will maybe like it more since it's shorter and seems to be more condensed- I don't know but I will give it a shot and we shall see. I have a feeling that that book will be the last book I will read by this author though because I don't feel like her style of writing is for me, but a lot of young people seem to enjoy it so this book may not be for me but you may enjoy it-
As for the story- we meet a rich privileged white family who owns an island and a couple houses there - some of their rich friends visit for the summer and things happen - we meet the protagonist, Carrie who is seemingly the only one openly grieving her younger sister who drowned a year before at 10 years old. Her ghost comes to visit her and it makes things worse - but as much as I loved that ... I feel like the ghost coming to visit the sister and mother had barely any impact on the story and it should have been either left out all together or moved to a later point - that way we would care for all the sisters but she just felt tacked on. Carrie also meets a boy that stays on the island. They get together, they are in love - but then her sister takes him for herself and he cheats on her with her sister. She gets angry, she does something nasty in the proccess, her father knows and only reveals it at the end - and he manages to keep everything under the rugs so nobody else learns what she did.
This book felt really, really long - I found myself zoning out and having trouble following the story. I didn't really care about any of the characters or their stories, didn't really care about the ending or story and I didn't really find myself enjoying the book at all - but I pushed through because I wanted to finish this and the sequel because everybody online seems to love these two books and is raving about how good they are - and they are fairly short reads too... I don't usually mind YA thrillers but this one felt so weak and unneeded - I wonder how the first book We were liars will compare and if I will maybe like it more since it's shorter and seems to be more condensed- I don't know but I will give it a shot and we shall see. I have a feeling that that book will be the last book I will read by this author though because I don't feel like her style of writing is for me, but a lot of young people seem to enjoy it so this book may not be for me but you may enjoy it-
ltheaker's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, first, I have to admit that I am swift denial that We Were Liars came out 8 years ago, probably because I still have students who devour it on the weekly in my classroom library. So this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher is a delight for me to review because I was waiting with bated breath to be able to talk about it. I know We Were Liars is a polarizing read, but I loved every second of the privilege, the private lives of the elite, the drama, and the twists and turns, and thankfully in this juicy prequel, it lives up to the OG.
I delighted in the twists and turns of Carrie’s words, and I always stan an unreliable narrator. This also reads like the perfect beach read. A private island getaway, a family vacation with secrets to be explored, and loads of liars around every turn. If you are looking for a twisty, turny novel that is going to be the buzz of your classroom’s lunch bunch book club, this book is a keeper.
I delighted in the twists and turns of Carrie’s words, and I always stan an unreliable narrator. This also reads like the perfect beach read. A private island getaway, a family vacation with secrets to be explored, and loads of liars around every turn. If you are looking for a twisty, turny novel that is going to be the buzz of your classroom’s lunch bunch book club, this book is a keeper.
magspie's review against another edition
4.0
A prequel story to We Were Liars about .....lying to protect a family name. Truths were shared. *Should read We Were Liars 1st unless you want spoilers.
burtini's review against another edition
4.0
We Were Liars is one of my favourite books, from looking at other reviews for Family of Liars (FOL going forwards in this review) I can see a lot of negativity (without even explanation) for this first book that I don’t particularly understand. I will just say this though, if you are someone who reads reviews before taking a chance on a book, please take the scoring for Family of Liars with a grain of salt because there are a lot of 1 and 2 stars almost deliberately sabotaging this book simply as a result of hating We Were Liars or for no clear reason at all with a simple 1 or 2 star months before arcs were even released or with no review for such a low opinion. As someone who loves books and appreciates the efforts of any author putting their heart on the page, this seems quite unfair and sullys the joy of books to not give any book the chance even if it’s not for you. This is my personal review so I’m starting off sharing my personal opinion.
Anyway, back to my review. Like I’ve said, We Were Liars, for me, is beautiful, of course people will say how obvious the twist was blah blah blah but for the delivery and haunting and poetic and the book stayed with me a long time, it’s the book I often recommend to people. When I heard that Lockhart was bringing out a prequel I was excited but a little dubious, could it have the same impact? In all honesty, no, but that’s not to say it is not still good. Family of Liars tells the story of Carrie, the mother of WWL’s Johnny, at 17, spending her summer with her Sinclair family, including her sisters Penny and Bess. Carrie feels distanced from her sisters, especially after grieving her younger sister Rosemary. The Sinclair family lives by the motto ‘no way out but through”, perfection and order is the standard the family are required to live by, and so Carrie quietly grieves, quietly longs for acceptance and love, and then one day her cousin Yardley brings 3 boys to the Summer house, including Pfeff who will change everything.
FOL shows the suffocation of family expectations, of the pressure of disappointing people, of the ‘stiff upper lip” mentality of not talking about your emotions, it talks about the process of grief, it explores privilege, consent, addiction and finding your place and unity in a family where everyone handles their own drama and feelings so privately. I really enjoy how Lockhart writes, she creates a world that is easy to dive into and feel familiar with. With WWL being so special to me, I also really enjoyed how Jonny makes appearances during this book and, in understanding the sisters in this book (and the family they were raised by in this book) you feel you better understand the world of WWL where Cadence, Gatwick, Johnny and Mirren reside.
I will say this, there wasn’t the same emotional impact for me in FOL as WWL, I adored Rosemary, her scenes are so innocent and she’s such a sweetheart, and you do feel the pressure of the image of perfection that, when you look closer, is full of cracks and flaws. There is another twist, it just wasn’t so powerful. I do think possibly this would have worked better shorter and turned into a novella, it just has big boots to fill for me.
Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. As always, it’s a delight to spend time with Lockhart’s words.
Anyway, back to my review. Like I’ve said, We Were Liars, for me, is beautiful, of course people will say how obvious the twist was blah blah blah but for the delivery and haunting and poetic and the book stayed with me a long time, it’s the book I often recommend to people. When I heard that Lockhart was bringing out a prequel I was excited but a little dubious, could it have the same impact? In all honesty, no, but that’s not to say it is not still good. Family of Liars tells the story of Carrie, the mother of WWL’s Johnny, at 17, spending her summer with her Sinclair family, including her sisters Penny and Bess. Carrie feels distanced from her sisters, especially after grieving her younger sister Rosemary. The Sinclair family lives by the motto ‘no way out but through”, perfection and order is the standard the family are required to live by, and so Carrie quietly grieves, quietly longs for acceptance and love, and then one day her cousin Yardley brings 3 boys to the Summer house, including Pfeff who will change everything.
FOL shows the suffocation of family expectations, of the pressure of disappointing people, of the ‘stiff upper lip” mentality of not talking about your emotions, it talks about the process of grief, it explores privilege, consent, addiction and finding your place and unity in a family where everyone handles their own drama and feelings so privately. I really enjoy how Lockhart writes, she creates a world that is easy to dive into and feel familiar with. With WWL being so special to me, I also really enjoyed how Jonny makes appearances during this book and, in understanding the sisters in this book (and the family they were raised by in this book) you feel you better understand the world of WWL where Cadence, Gatwick, Johnny and Mirren reside.
I will say this, there wasn’t the same emotional impact for me in FOL as WWL, I adored Rosemary, her scenes are so innocent and she’s such a sweetheart, and you do feel the pressure of the image of perfection that, when you look closer, is full of cracks and flaws. There is another twist, it just wasn’t so powerful. I do think possibly this would have worked better shorter and turned into a novella, it just has big boots to fill for me.
Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. As always, it’s a delight to spend time with Lockhart’s words.
prettypreads's review against another edition
4.0
Just as good as we were liars. Drama, plot twists, romance 10/10
lesliedivas's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
sheldon1979's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wouldn't say that this book was as good as the first one but still it's easy to read, in this book we follow Cassie the aunt of Cadence whose mother Penny alongside her sister Bess have visited Beechwood Island since they were born. All we knew from the first book was Cadence started telling her story when she was 18 but with Cassie she started her story after the first book ended and due to spoilers she has a need to explain the worst thing to happen in her life.
And she briefly explains the history of the Island and her family history and the Sinclair family have secrets and we follow the summer when the boys turned up that Cassie claimed was the worst thing to happen did so that summer.
And all you need to remember is The Sinclair's will lie to keep their secrets and can you believe what they say.
I hope that the author makes more books from Beechwood and the Sinclair family.
And she briefly explains the history of the Island and her family history and the Sinclair family have secrets and we follow the summer when the boys turned up that Cassie claimed was the worst thing to happen did so that summer.
And all you need to remember is The Sinclair's will lie to keep their secrets and can you believe what they say.
I hope that the author makes more books from Beechwood and the Sinclair family.