Book Review by Ananya Singh of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Book Review by Ananya Singh of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Knowing that I am a fan of mystery and suspense novels, a close friend of mine recommended We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. Thanks to him, I get to share this amazing book with others! This book follows the life of a rich family. Unfortunately, the eldest grandchild, Cadence Sinclair, suffers an accident on her grandparents’ private island. As the novel progresses, Cadence, who is amnesiac, discovers dark and hidden secrets about her family. The plot focuses on an event that occurred prior to the setting and time of the book. The novel itself was given much deserved praise. It won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction.

Let me start off by saying that, in my opinion, this is not a groundbreaking novel that you MUST read. There is nothing too special about it that makes me love it, but it is a nice way to spend your evenings. It is an intricate story that one will need to read multiple times to truly understand everything. Beginning with what I enjoyed, the writing style of the book is what I loved most. Lockhart deliberately mentioned certain things and events in the beginning of the book that she did not bring back quite some time after. As the reader embarks on the novel, they will find themselves forgetting these events. However, at the end she seamlessly ties everything together, leaving the readers in a state of shock. I also appreciated Cadence, the protagonist. I admired her strength as she had to go through a terrible accident and find out things about people that she thought she knew. I admired her curiosity, as well. Her curiosity is what helped her get through this predicament and find out the truth. There was only one thing I felt could have been improved. Some details were a bit vague and left me confused. Lockhart could have explained some events more precisely but in the end, that did not negatively affect my experience. 

The ending was quite shocking and unexpected. I recommend this book to my fellow mystery fans!