We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Delacorte Press/Random House Children's on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publication Date: May 13, 2014

Synopsis: We Were Liars is an original and deeply charged psychological thriller.

New York Times bestselling author John Green describes We Were Liars as "thrilling, beautiful, and blisteringly smart . . . utterly unforgettable."

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE

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Review: So... this book. I'll try to make my review totally spoiler free, because I think it's best if you go into it not really knowing anything about it. I managed to avoid spoilers, and I enjoyed all of the twists and turns and stumbling stones that were very abundant. As soon as I thought I had something figured out, I was quickly surprised by something else unexpected. 

I think the best part about this book was being inside of Cadence's head. It definitely felt like I was experiencing everything from her point of view, and it was incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking. I wanted to hug her and cry with her and just hold her hand through everything that happens. After suffering a major head injury, she's left just as in the dark about the events of that summer as the reader is. The writing style really reflected the fog that Cadence has been living in, and I think that made it an even more thrilling read. 

Although there's not much to say in the way of the plot (not that there isn't any, but just because it's hard to touch on any plot points without giving anything away), the writing was definitely incredible and what hooked me from the beginning. Physical descriptions are given to intangible emotions, and it made it seem like Cadence really had been shot through the heart or was left lying, bleeding, on the lawn. Because Cadence can't remember what happens, it was difficult for me to discern who was good, bad, or indifferent. It really shows that people have good and bad sides, and that you can't judge a person by looking at one moment or one action.

I have so many feelings about this book, and I was surprised when parts of it actually brought me close to tears. I think anyone who enjoys a good mystery mixed with some summer romance and a lot of psychological thriller will really enjoy this book. I'd give it a 4/5. And once you read it, don't tell anyone how it ends. Discuss it with those who have in a private forum. Lie if anyone asks.


--Ashley