WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ WE WERE LIARS - IT CONTAINS SPOILERS. (Please read We Were Liars, I promise it will be a read you will never forget!)
What is the book about?
The Sinclair family is perfect: beautiful, intelligent, wealthy and athletic. They have everything and more. But everyone is flawed. Everyone has secrets. And everyone cracks every once in a while. On a stunning private island off the coast of Massachusetts, the Sinclair family spend each and every summer. Surrounded by an ocean churning full of secrets, the Sinclair sisters prepare themselves for a summer that they will never forget. An addicted heiress and an unpredictable boy – a summer full of betrayal and mistakes, romance and sorrow. Twenty-seven years before the events of We Were Liars, the young Sinclair girls head into what may be the most scandalous, tragic, shocking and mysterious summer they may ever see. The worst thing they had ever done before that will seem like pure honesty when school begins again. The Sinclair family is not perfect; they were always liars.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
After reading We Were Liars, I felt completely lost and for a little while I didn't want to read anything at all because I felt like no book would ever be as incredible. As soon as I found out from my friend that there was a prequel to the most amazing and shocking standalone I have read so far, I knew I had to have it and I immediately sent my mum the link so she could order it. I had to wait a little while before I could read it, but, as soon as I got back from my summer holidays in Spain, I started reading Family of Liars and I didn't put it down until I finished it. I had only just read the first sentence and I was already in tears and wanting to read the end but also never have to see the book finish. I went in with extremely high expectations and came out feeling completely satisfied with what I had read. Once I finished (I read it in only a day), I felt like I had to tell everyone of what I read and share it, but also like it was too precious to let anyone else read it. It was an amazing read from the very first word.
Who was your favourite character and why?
This was definitely one of the hardest choices I have ever had to make. All the characters were good and bad in different ways and I liked something about all of them. If I really have to pick one character to be my favourite I think it would most likely Carrie for no reason other than the fact that she seemed to be the only one who felt something. She was the one to tell the story to her son Johnny, not to make things better for herself, but so that he could finally rest. She wanted to help him and she decided to try to be truthful and admit to the worst thing she had ever done. She tried as hard as she could to be truthful, while the rest of her family continued to be liars and never ever be honest in life. She was not perfect and had many problems and made a lot of bad choices, but she admitted to it and tried her best to help others. She was in some ways the glue in the family; she kept her sisters together and helped them whenever they needed her. She might have been a little annoying at times and thought that she was different to the rest of her family, when, really, she was exactly the same, but she tried as hard as she could to help all her little sisters and make sure that they all felt happy and comfortable.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
Choosing a favourite part in this book was also an incredibly difficult decision. I enjoyed the whole book and there weren’t many parts that truly stood out to me. However, if I really had to pick a favourite part of Family of Liars, I would most likely pick a very sweet and sad part of the book. I can’t really explain much about this part, because if I did I would most likely ruin the whole book for many of you, but the main reason why I liked this part was because Carrie finally did the right thing and helped one of the other characters be set free from what was keeping them on the island. Really she had been keeping them there the whole time and had actually been ruining their ‘life’ in more ways than one, but when Carrie finally looked past her own issues and problems, she was able to do one of the only selfless things she had probably done in all her life. She did the right thing, although it was most likely one of the hardest and saddest moments of her life.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, I absolutely adored this prequel and it was exactly what I was expecting. I had been worried that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, however, E.Lockhart is an amazing author and I don’t know how I could have ever doubted her even for a second. One of the things that I loved the most about this book was how it made me feel. Like I have said many times before, a book hasn’t done its job unless it made you feel something. It has to make you sad, angry, happy or excited for the characters (boredom doesn’t count!) and it needs to make you feel like you lost something when you closed the book for the last time and like it will always be a part of you and its characters will always be inside you. We Were Liars and its prequel are 2 novels that I will never be able to forget. Family of Liars made me cry after reading only the first sentence. This may just be because I am relatively sensitive and emotional, but I think that it was mostly because of the incredible writing and how I really connected to all of the characters. Another thing that I really enjoyed about the book was how it made me so happy to be able to look back and see what made the Sinclair sisters the way they were in We Were Liars. When I found out about the book I knew I needed to read it because I was so desperate to find out more about the beautiful and privileged Sinclair family. We Were Liars had been so incredible and had made such a powerful impression on me that I knew I, not just wanted, but needed to read Family of Liars, and I am so glad that I did. One last thing that I really enjoyed was the ending. It was just like in We Were Liars, perfectly conclusive, and it just gave me that much more closure. I really enjoyed it and the whole novel; I just wish things didn’t have to end. I really hope that I am able to read more of E.Lockhart’s novels and that she keeps on writing these incredible mystery and drama books.
Which was your favourite book – We Were Liars, or its prequel?
Although I thoroughly enjoyed Family of Liars, nothing can ever top the emotional rollercoaster I went on when I read We Were Liars. Even though it is a book that is impossible to read a second time because of the heartbreak I went through when reading it, it is a novel that I will never forget and I will always hold close to my heart. I absolutely adored everything about We Were Liars and literally devoured it in one sitting. Family of Liars was also perfect in every way, but the only thing it was missing was the most shocking plot twist I have ever read. Both books probably made me cry the same amount – actually that’s a lie, We Were Liars definitely made me cry more with its incredibly emotional plot twist that left me stunned for a full 15 minutes. Both books were truly incredible, but We Were Liars is definitely the clear winner and it’s a book that I will always remember and forever recommend.
Would you recommend this book?
I would 100% recommend this book to absolutely anyone, but obviously read We Were Liars first. If you are someone who loves to read mysteries, thrillers, adventures and dramas, then this is definitely the book for you. And if you are someone who thinks reading is a waste of time then We Were Liars and Family of Liars are absolutely the books to change your mind. I particularly recommend this book for readers over 14, but it is an incredible read that I am sure everyone will love.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A moving and mysterious prequel to one of the most shocking and incredibly written standalone novels I have ever read.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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