We Were Liars

Title: We are Liars

Author: E. Lockhart
Published: 2014
Pages: 227
First Line: "Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family."


I spun violently into the sky raging and banging stars from their moorings.


I picked up 'We are Liars' as one of the books I'd seen floating around as popular but that, in actuality, I knew nothing about. As such, reading it was quite the pleasant surprise.

The book revolves around three cousins, Cadence, Johnny, and Mirren (privileged children from a wealthy renowned family) and their friend Gat (a highly idealistic young man from a significantly different background). The four spend their summers together on the family island (yes, they're that wealthy). Summer is their time - to be together, to live carefree in the sun, to read, play, and explore first loves. These four are everything to each other. They know more about each other than they know about themselves - or do they?

One summer, summer fifteen, their idyll is shattered. Something happens to bring their world down around them. Something Cadence cannot remember. And now she has returned to the island and is looking for answers. If only someone - anyone - was prepared to provide them.

I'm finding this book a little hard to review, only because of not wanting to give too much away. I enjoyed reading 'We are Liars' a great deal. I enjoyed piecing together events alongside Cadence, never entirely sure if we were on the right track or not. I enjoyed the family dynamics and intrigues, even if they were are a little overly dramatic at times. Cadence's mental state and slippery grasp on reality were integrated into the story in interesting ways.

At times, I found the characters a little unrelatable - the wealthy family just a little too elite, the 'poor' friend just a little too dogmatic in his beliefs - but none of this enough to draw me out of the story. It's a book that has made it onto my recommendation list for some of my older readers at school - two of which have already devoured it.

This was the first E. Lockhart read for me, but I shall be seeking out some more. 



Rating: 4.5/5



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