The first half of this We Were Liars review is spoiler-free. I’ll give you a heads-up right when I get into spoiler territory. If you’ve already read We Were Liars and are intrigued to know what I think, feel free to skip ahead to the second half of this review.
I’m only going to do a real quick rundown of the plot. If you’re interested in reading We Were Liars, you probably already know a little bit. And, to be honest, this is the sort of book where you don’t want to know too much anyway.
We Were Liars Spoiler-Free Book Review
We Were Liars is about the Sinclair family who lives on a private island. The family is filthy rich. Except for the grandad character, nobody works.
We Were Liars is partly a drama about the family and partly a mystery because the main character, Cadence, suffers from memory problems. The book is all about her trying to get her memories back.
The deluxe edition cover of We Were Liars is gorgeous.
When it opens, Cadence remembers waking up in the water. She’s hit her head and she has an injury but she doesn’t know why. And people don’t want to tell her what happened.
We Were Liars keeps you guessing all the way through.
It’s only in the last 10-15 pages that you find out the answer.
Who would I recommend We Were Liars to?
We Were Liars is a very good book but, personally, it’s not my sort of book.
Although I give it 4 stars, I’d say We Were Liars is for someone who likes very angsty stuff and doesn’t mind getting a bit bummed out.
If you listen to depressing music and watch depressing TV shows, you might love this book.
Especially if you love mystery and poetic writing, you’ll probably get a big kick out of We Were Liars.
But if you want something fast paced, focused on plot, and will leave you feeling happy, I’d say give it a miss even though it’s very well written.
The deluxe edition of We Were Liars is crammed with lovely additional goodies like this map of the island.
Thematically, it’s interesting and you might want to check out this book if you like reading dramas revolving around interracial relationships.
You can get a good idea of what a minority might feel like when trying to ingratiate themselves into a completely white family.
Some readers might also enjoy the themes of materialism that We Were Liars explores. I think this theme is dealt with from an angsty, teenage POV but that doesn’t mean the ideas are any less valid.
We Were Liars also raises a lot of questions about mental health, mental decline, and stability and support within the family structure.
So it’s definitely a good drama but it’s a bit of a bummer.
Overall impression: for a certain type of reader, We Were Liars is a great book. If you’re that sort of person, go check it out.
Now here comes the spoiler-full review.
Turn away now if you haven’t read We Were Liars.
We Were Liars Spoiler-Full Book Review
So the first and most important question is…
What did I think of the ending of We Were Liars?
The whole book was building up to the ending. All the way through, we’re trying to piece things together along with Cadence.
I wasn’t expecting the ending and it was a shock but my reaction when I got to the end was:
Are you kidding me?!
It felt a bit like a dirty trick.
I’m not bashing the book. I thought it was brilliantly written and I did like it.
But I’ve seen so many films like Fight Club, Memento, Shutter Island, and many more that have a trick ending that I kind of thought people had stopped doing that by now because it feels like it’s been done.
So the ending was a real slam in the gut.
I personally prefer happy endings too.
This one was a real bummer and, after I read it, I couldn’t really sleep because I was thinking about it.
I was thinking:
Holy shit, she sent emails to her dead friends that she burnt alive in the house… for two years?!
That’s freaky.
I must applaud the way E. Lockhart writes about being on medication though.
I’ve been on similar medications in the past and Lockhart nails the dreamy haze-like state that is anything but fun.
The way Cadence talks about being high – like “I wish I wasn’t high for this” – is so relatable for anyone who has been dependent on this sort of medication for a while.
Either the writer has a direct experience with this or she’s just really good at imagining what that would be like.
We Were Liars is masterfully done but I got to the end and was like, “Oh…”
I just wasn’t happy anymore after finishing this book.
We Were Liars signed by E. Lockhart.
I would have really enjoyed this book during my teenage years. But right now I’m at a point in my life where I want something fun, fast paced, and preferably innocent, something that gives me a little bit of escape.
I also couldn’t grow to love the characters either. I’m sorry but they’re all complete morons.
I mean… the way they started the fire?!
If you’re 15, you should know that’s not the way you do it.
Some of them went upstairs, some went in the basement, and they all just started burning the place down from within without checking to see if there was anyone else in the house like, I dunno, the dogs!
What did you think of We Were Liars?
Hopefully you reached this part of the review because you’ve actually read it. If not, you’ve just had the whole thing spoiled so don’t bother.
If you’ve read it, what did you think? Did you like it? If so, why? And did it bum you out as well or do you have some different emotions attached to it?