A review by haylisreading
Ali's Pretty Little Lies by Sara Shepard
1.0
Sometimes, a family is like an ear of summer corn: It might look perfect on the outside, but when you peel the husk away, every kernel is rotten.
*If you haven't read any of the other books, this will have some major spoilers. Because I'm pretty sure this book spoils information you don't know about until a few books in.
Synopsis
It's the end of seventh grade, and Alison DiLaurentis and her friends are the girls of Rosewood Day. Ali runs her clique with an iron fist, and she's got enough dirt on Hanna, Emily, Aria, and Spencer to keep them in line. But Ali's hiding a dark secret of her own, something so huge it would destroy everything if it ever got out. She's desperate to keep the perfect life she's worked so hard to build, but in Rosewood deadly secrets have deadly consequences...
Set in the weeks leading up to Ali's murder, this special Pretty Little Liars tale is told by the prettiest little liar of all: Ali herself. For the first time ever, we see how the mystery began... and how Alison DiLaurentis's life ended.
*synopsis taken from the book because I'm lazy, lol.
Ali & "Ali" (aka the worst characters ever)
I really, really hate Alison. She's manipulative and does awful things to her friends because it makes her feel more powerful. There are a few moments where she feels bad about the things she says or does, but then she goes on to say that it's just the way it has to be because she's Alison DiLaurentis. This girl is twelve years old.
So she shut her eyes and channeled her sister. A beautiful bitch. A manipulative queen bee. The girl who'd ruined her life.
How awful she is to her "friends"
I could write an entire book about how awful Ali is to her "friends"... But then you'd literally be holding this book in your hands. So... yeah. It's bad.
Okay, so I have a ton of quotes from Ali when she's talking about the men who are working on building the gazebo in her backyard.
“And then, when I looked out my window, one of the workers was staring at me.” Ali was telling her friends about the guys who’d come to dig the hole for the gazebo that morning. “And then he actually whistled! I mean, he was as gross as Toby Cavanaugh used to be. Maybe even grosser. I felt icky all over. What if they took pictures of me?”
And then lied about the fact that these men were gawking at her in order to receive pity from her friends. Which is pretty gross. Stuff like this is why women aren't taken seriously when they raise actual red flags.
Okay, so she’d stretched the truth a teensy bit. The workers actually hadn’t as much as cast a glance in her direction this morning, even when she walked to Jason’s car.
And Ali only continues with the lie, telling her friends every once in a while that they keep staring at her.
“That is so wrong.” Emily clucked her tongue. Ali pulled her legs underneath her on the chair. The truth was, even when she’d paraded in front of the workers in a bikini, they’d barely looked at her. She wondered if her dad had warned them or something.
“This. Definitely.” The girls were playing their favorite game: What Would You Buy If You Had All the Money in the World? “Really?” Ali made a face. “That’s so grandmotherly.” Hanna looked horrified and dropped it. “Uh, I picked up the wrong one. I meant this.” She showed her a red Louis Vuitton. Ali nodded her approval, and Hanna smiled with relief.
These girls are so desperate for her approval. The relationship they have with this girl is so incredibly toxic. Honestly, I could see this affecting all of their future relationships.
Annoyed, Ali tried a last-ditch effort. “You know my friend Cassie? She asked me to be her BFF. And I’m thinking about it.” Emily blinked with this change of subject. “Really?” She sounded crushed. “I wasn’t going to be, but if you won’t trust me, then maybe we’re not as close as I thought,” Ali said.
All Ali could see were the whites of Emily’s eyes. Ali felt a nasty smile settle across her lips. “Well,” she heard herself say, her voice taut and mean, “I guess that’s why you get so quiet when we’re changing for gym.”
And then when Ali found out that Emily had a crush on her and tried to kiss her, Ali taunted her with her secret in front of the other girls in a very homophobic fashion.
For a moment, Ali almost regretted the lie. Noel probably would have gone for Aria if Ali had asked. And she really had planned to talk to him about her. But why should she put herself out for a friend who wouldn’t even tell her what was going on in her life? Friendships were tit for tat—what was she getting out of this?
Aria liked Noel, Ali promised to talk to Noel. Ali never did and then lied and said that Noel liked Ali instead, adding that they went on a few dates already. Ali witnessed something about Aria's family that she didn't know about and then held that over her head. Why does Ali need to get something out of their friendship?? Again, they are 13!!!!
And she’s, like, so manipulative,” Hanna was saying.
At least she realizes how manipulative Ali is.
Motivation for the switch/the pity
Honestly, I pitied Courtney. I felt really bad for her. She practically grew up in Radley while her twin was free and terrorizing other people. Courtney had a really good relationship with Jason, so I was really sad to see that she didn't maintain it for the sake of appearances.
I ended up really hating Courtney by the end. Instead of becoming a potentially better version of Ali, she became just as bad. That was really disappointing for me.
Svengali, it said. Definition: person who, with evil intent, controls another person by persuasion or deceit. The Svengali may feign kindness and use manipulation to get the other person to yield his or her autonomy. That’s me, Ali thought grimly. It’s who my family has turned me into.
Portrayal of young girls
I was constantly disgusted with the portrayal of these young ladies. These girls are 12/13 years old but they're written as if they're supposed to be older. Ali is constantly flirting with 17/18 year old boys (seniors in high school) and there is absolutely no hint from any character that this is gross.
These girls are being portrayed as sexy and flirty. They are in 7th grade!!!!! Girls of this age shouldn't be shown as sex symbols. It only enables rape culture. Plus, they talk about sex and mention getting drunk and stealing parents' alcohol???? Excuse me? It's almost like Shepard forgot the age of these characters.
I understand that this is a prequel and the first book is set when the girls are juniors in high school, but it's uncomfortable and unbearable to read about. I realize this is set from Ali's point of view to show how all of this came to be, but come on.
And now the examples of portrayals that I thought were extremely disturbing.
Once, at a party at Noel Kahn’s house earlier this year, an eighth grader had squeezed Emily’s butt hard, giving her a playful wink when she’d turned around to glare at him. Emily had recounted this story to Ali with horror, not realizing that she should have taken it as a compliment.
Why should she take it as a compliment when she's uncomfortable and OH 13 YRS OLD??????
Ian examined the picture, too. “You look gorgeous,” he said. A thrill ran through Ali. “You do, too,” she answered. When she tilted her chin up, she was surprised to see Ian’s face right there, almost like he wanted a kiss.
SHE'S IN SEVENTH GRADE!!!!!! HE'S A SENIOR!!!!!!
She pulled away and gave Ian a long look. “I know someone who likes you.” Ian’s eyebrows shot up. “Who?” “Spencer.” Ian blinked, perhaps thinking Ali was going to say it was her. “Spencer Hastings?” He laughed. “Okay.” “Would you kiss her?” He stared at her like she was crazy. “That seems a little dangerous.”
He says this because he is dating Melissa (Spencer's older, age appropriate sister). Not because she's 13 years old.
Ali thought of Ian, then of her and Spencer’s game to kiss as many older boys as they could. She’d made out with a few eighth graders, and once even a ninth grader, but they’d just been simple kisses, nothing more.
Why?? They are competitive, I get it. But why are they being forced to grow up so fast?
Ali promises Ian that if he kisses Spencer- "really kiss her"- then Ali will kiss him. Ali then tells him to forget about it after he tells her this because she recently started dating someone. Ian then ignores her and forcibly kisses her after she told him no. The guy she's dating somehow sees them and flips out, breaking up with her. The whole situation is gross and messed up.
Some things just didn't make sense
Nick is supposed to be "about her age" then he later gets a job at a restaurant. How could he do that if he's about 12/13 like Ali is?
...he’d already had a woman who could’ve been his mother hit on him today. “It was totally weird,” he admitted.
“Are you excited for graduation?” “Definitely,” Ali said. The ceremony was coming up, and they all got to wear official-looking gowns and caps, just like the seniors.
Why would seventh graders need gowns for "graduating"??? Eighth graders would make more sense.
She did see, however, a petite, slightly chubby girl standing in the corner of the courtyard, talking animatedly with her hands. She stood up straighter. Was that Hanna?
Ali keeps referring to Hanna as 'slightly chubby' then turns around and makes her sound really heavy.
Lol... What??? Counting is hard.
There were a few instances of different characters saying "who are you writing to" in reference to another character texting someone. I mostly think this one is funny because it sounds so dated now.
As the ride slowed, Nick’s phone chimed, and he pulled it out of his pocket and started texting. “Who are you writing to?” Ali blurted.
Wrap up
The writing itself was fine, though, the dialogue was a little strange at times.
If the rest of the books are just like this one, there's no way I'll be able to get through them. Which is a shame, because I loved these books when I first read them.
She'd make them wish they were never Alison DiLaurentis's friends in the first place. She didn't know how, and she didn't know when, but at least she had one person she could count on to help her carry it out. Together, they were going to make it happen.
Even if it killed her.
*If you haven't read any of the other books, this will have some major spoilers. Because I'm pretty sure this book spoils information you don't know about until a few books in.
Synopsis
It's the end of seventh grade, and Alison DiLaurentis and her friends are the girls of Rosewood Day. Ali runs her clique with an iron fist, and she's got enough dirt on Hanna, Emily, Aria, and Spencer to keep them in line. But Ali's hiding a dark secret of her own, something so huge it would destroy everything if it ever got out. She's desperate to keep the perfect life she's worked so hard to build, but in Rosewood deadly secrets have deadly consequences...
Set in the weeks leading up to Ali's murder, this special Pretty Little Liars tale is told by the prettiest little liar of all: Ali herself. For the first time ever, we see how the mystery began... and how Alison DiLaurentis's life ended.
*synopsis taken from the book because I'm lazy, lol.
Ali & "Ali" (aka the worst characters ever)
I really, really hate Alison. She's manipulative and does awful things to her friends because it makes her feel more powerful. There are a few moments where she feels bad about the things she says or does, but then she goes on to say that it's just the way it has to be because she's Alison DiLaurentis. This girl is twelve years old.
Spoiler
So most of this story follows Courtney, Alison's secret twin sister, who becomes Ali when the real Ali is sent to a mental hospital in Courtney's place. Courtney, now dubbed the new Ali, has to keep up the charade that she's her sister. I liked Courtney at first, but then she became her sister, who she hated, to save her own skin. And then she really became her and turned into an absolutely awful and manipulative person. Neither of them really had any redeeming qualities, and that's what killed this book for me.So she shut her eyes and channeled her sister. A beautiful bitch. A manipulative queen bee. The girl who'd ruined her life.
How awful she is to her "friends"
I could write an entire book about how awful Ali is to her "friends"... But then you'd literally be holding this book in your hands. So... yeah. It's bad.
Okay, so I have a ton of quotes from Ali when she's talking about the men who are working on building the gazebo in her backyard.
“And then, when I looked out my window, one of the workers was staring at me.” Ali was telling her friends about the guys who’d come to dig the hole for the gazebo that morning. “And then he actually whistled! I mean, he was as gross as Toby Cavanaugh used to be. Maybe even grosser. I felt icky all over. What if they took pictures of me?”
And then lied about the fact that these men were gawking at her in order to receive pity from her friends. Which is pretty gross. Stuff like this is why women aren't taken seriously when they raise actual red flags.
Okay, so she’d stretched the truth a teensy bit. The workers actually hadn’t as much as cast a glance in her direction this morning, even when she walked to Jason’s car.
And Ali only continues with the lie, telling her friends every once in a while that they keep staring at her.
Spoiler
I think this was put into the prequel because of a theory that one of the workers killed Ali in one of the later books? But I still really dislike that Shepard put this in there.“That is so wrong.” Emily clucked her tongue. Ali pulled her legs underneath her on the chair. The truth was, even when she’d paraded in front of the workers in a bikini, they’d barely looked at her. She wondered if her dad had warned them or something.
“This. Definitely.” The girls were playing their favorite game: What Would You Buy If You Had All the Money in the World? “Really?” Ali made a face. “That’s so grandmotherly.” Hanna looked horrified and dropped it. “Uh, I picked up the wrong one. I meant this.” She showed her a red Louis Vuitton. Ali nodded her approval, and Hanna smiled with relief.
These girls are so desperate for her approval. The relationship they have with this girl is so incredibly toxic. Honestly, I could see this affecting all of their future relationships.
Annoyed, Ali tried a last-ditch effort. “You know my friend Cassie? She asked me to be her BFF. And I’m thinking about it.” Emily blinked with this change of subject. “Really?” She sounded crushed. “I wasn’t going to be, but if you won’t trust me, then maybe we’re not as close as I thought,” Ali said.
Spoiler
Ali was pushing Emily to reveal who her crush was when she was obviously very uncomfortable. And then threatened this just to try to squeeze a name out of her and make her grateful for her friendship. Um, okay. Bye.All Ali could see were the whites of Emily’s eyes. Ali felt a nasty smile settle across her lips. “Well,” she heard herself say, her voice taut and mean, “I guess that’s why you get so quiet when we’re changing for gym.”
And then when Ali found out that Emily had a crush on her and tried to kiss her, Ali taunted her with her secret in front of the other girls in a very homophobic fashion.
For a moment, Ali almost regretted the lie. Noel probably would have gone for Aria if Ali had asked. And she really had planned to talk to him about her. But why should she put herself out for a friend who wouldn’t even tell her what was going on in her life? Friendships were tit for tat—what was she getting out of this?
Aria liked Noel, Ali promised to talk to Noel. Ali never did and then lied and said that Noel liked Ali instead, adding that they went on a few dates already. Ali witnessed something about Aria's family that she didn't know about and then held that over her head. Why does Ali need to get something out of their friendship?? Again, they are 13!!!!
And she’s, like, so manipulative,” Hanna was saying.
At least she realizes how manipulative Ali is.
Motivation for the switch/the pity
Spoiler
Courtney is Alison's twin sister. I can't even remember the exact reason for how Courtney was sent away to Radley, but she was sent away and no one ever talked about the second DiLaurentis girl. Courtney came home for a while after Radley was shut down and Ali terrorized her until she snapped and fought back. Ali would call for their parents and make her sister seem like the bad one. They prepared to send Courtney back to another facility when she dressed and acted like Ali, sending the real Ali in her place. So Courtney became the new Ali and told herself she had to become her sister in order to be convincing.Honestly, I pitied Courtney. I felt really bad for her. She practically grew up in Radley while her twin was free and terrorizing other people. Courtney had a really good relationship with Jason, so I was really sad to see that she didn't maintain it for the sake of appearances.
I ended up really hating Courtney by the end. Instead of becoming a potentially better version of Ali, she became just as bad. That was really disappointing for me.
Svengali, it said. Definition: person who, with evil intent, controls another person by persuasion or deceit. The Svengali may feign kindness and use manipulation to get the other person to yield his or her autonomy. That’s me, Ali thought grimly. It’s who my family has turned me into.
Portrayal of young girls
I was constantly disgusted with the portrayal of these young ladies. These girls are 12/13 years old but they're written as if they're supposed to be older. Ali is constantly flirting with 17/18 year old boys (seniors in high school) and there is absolutely no hint from any character that this is gross.
These girls are being portrayed as sexy and flirty. They are in 7th grade!!!!! Girls of this age shouldn't be shown as sex symbols. It only enables rape culture. Plus, they talk about sex and mention getting drunk and stealing parents' alcohol???? Excuse me? It's almost like Shepard forgot the age of these characters.
I understand that this is a prequel and the first book is set when the girls are juniors in high school, but it's uncomfortable and unbearable to read about. I realize this is set from Ali's point of view to show how all of this came to be, but come on.
And now the examples of portrayals that I thought were extremely disturbing.
Once, at a party at Noel Kahn’s house earlier this year, an eighth grader had squeezed Emily’s butt hard, giving her a playful wink when she’d turned around to glare at him. Emily had recounted this story to Ali with horror, not realizing that she should have taken it as a compliment.
Why should she take it as a compliment when she's uncomfortable and OH 13 YRS OLD??????
Ian examined the picture, too. “You look gorgeous,” he said. A thrill ran through Ali. “You do, too,” she answered. When she tilted her chin up, she was surprised to see Ian’s face right there, almost like he wanted a kiss.
SHE'S IN SEVENTH GRADE!!!!!! HE'S A SENIOR!!!!!!
She pulled away and gave Ian a long look. “I know someone who likes you.” Ian’s eyebrows shot up. “Who?” “Spencer.” Ian blinked, perhaps thinking Ali was going to say it was her. “Spencer Hastings?” He laughed. “Okay.” “Would you kiss her?” He stared at her like she was crazy. “That seems a little dangerous.”
He says this because he is dating Melissa (Spencer's older, age appropriate sister). Not because she's 13 years old.
Ali thought of Ian, then of her and Spencer’s game to kiss as many older boys as they could. She’d made out with a few eighth graders, and once even a ninth grader, but they’d just been simple kisses, nothing more.
Why?? They are competitive, I get it. But why are they being forced to grow up so fast?
Spoiler
"I just wanted to let you know that I kissed Spencer, just like you asked. So when are you going to hold up your end of the bargain?"Ali promises Ian that if he kisses Spencer- "really kiss her"- then Ali will kiss him. Ali then tells him to forget about it after he tells her this because she recently started dating someone. Ian then ignores her and forcibly kisses her after she told him no. The guy she's dating somehow sees them and flips out, breaking up with her. The whole situation is gross and messed up.
Some things just didn't make sense
Nick is supposed to be "about her age" then he later gets a job at a restaurant. How could he do that if he's about 12/13 like Ali is?
...he’d already had a woman who could’ve been his mother hit on him today. “It was totally weird,” he admitted.
“Are you excited for graduation?” “Definitely,” Ali said. The ceremony was coming up, and they all got to wear official-looking gowns and caps, just like the seniors.
Why would seventh graders need gowns for "graduating"??? Eighth graders would make more sense.
She did see, however, a petite, slightly chubby girl standing in the corner of the courtyard, talking animatedly with her hands. She stood up straighter. Was that Hanna?
Ali keeps referring to Hanna as 'slightly chubby' then turns around and makes her sound really heavy.
Spoiler
And there they all sat: Mr. and Mrs. DiLaurentis at the heads of the table, then Jason, then Ali . . . and then the third daughter. The twin. “Courtney.”Lol... What??? Counting is hard.
There were a few instances of different characters saying "who are you writing to" in reference to another character texting someone. I mostly think this one is funny because it sounds so dated now.
As the ride slowed, Nick’s phone chimed, and he pulled it out of his pocket and started texting. “Who are you writing to?” Ali blurted.
Wrap up
The writing itself was fine, though, the dialogue was a little strange at times.
If the rest of the books are just like this one, there's no way I'll be able to get through them. Which is a shame, because I loved these books when I first read them.
She'd make them wish they were never Alison DiLaurentis's friends in the first place. She didn't know how, and she didn't know when, but at least she had one person she could count on to help her carry it out. Together, they were going to make it happen.
Even if it killed her.