This was a reread for me (in anticipation for the new Prime Video series!!!). I read this book LONG before I ever started this blog, so I was super excited to pick up We Were Liars to review it for my blog this time around. I honestly wondered if I’d like the story less now that I’ve already read it, but it was so long ago that I just got to appreciate it all over again (even though I still remembered most of the plot twists). It was nice coming in from a point of already knowing and seeing how much of the story actually fits together with what happens in the end. So, while I didn’t enjoy it as spectacularly as I did the first time I read it, it is still, by far, a five-star read for me. 

With this review, I just want to say that it won’t be long. I’m going to have a small section for spoilers, but honestly, without the spoilers, this review can’t be very long anyway. The Sinclairs are rich and beautiful and distinguished. They are also selfish and empty-headed at times. They make huge mistakes. That’s probably the most I can tell you without spoiling the mystery. Just know that your mind will be blown. I mean, the blurb on Amazon literally says, “Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.” I think that about sums it up. A mystery you’ll never forget, VERY poetic writing (so if you don’t like metaphors or metaphorical writing, you probably will hate this book), and characters that will break your heart. 

Spoilers ahead. VERY VERY BIG SPOILERS. Don’t read further if you don’t want this story or the tv series ruined for you. 

For those of you who just want to know the ending and don’t really want to read the story (you know who you are), I’ve summed up the revelations below:

• Cadence’s amnesia was caused by PTSD after starting a fire to Clairmont house, the house that represents all of the hatred and division in her family. She doesn’t find out until later, though, that the fire killed TWO of her family’s golden retrievers and, eventually she discovers, that the fire killed all of the Liars as well. She was the only survivor and ended up on the beach, curled in a ball, without clothes (after hers had burned off), and with no recollection of what happened. 

Overall, a heart-pounding and heartbreaking story that will leave your head spinning (in more ways than one). I loved this metaphorical writing and I loved how airy everything was (as if you were in a dream the whole time). Definitely a great novel if you want a mystery, and I can’t wait for the tv show to come out!

Source: Personal Copy

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)