Review of We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart
My Thoughts:
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I have been in a reading slump for a couple of weeks now, stuck in a loop of bad book after bad book after bad book with seemingly no escape. In Search of Sam was exactly the type of book I needed to read to get out that vicious cycle. It was light. It was fun. It was a bit of a "nothing" read but it had great bunch of characters and a great storyline.
What I loved most about it was that it didn't really have a plot. That does sound a bit ludcrious but it meant that the story was more focBeneath was a fast paced short story about a girl in Witness Protection. The story itself was very well written but it was so short! The plot was jam-packed with action but rushed and anticlimactic. I liked the protagonist well enough but she was rather gullible and a bit of sheep. There was some romance attempted - which seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it. How can you develop a relationship in thirty pages? I thought they were cute together but I just didn't believe it would have worked out for Anna so easily.
Overall, I enjoyed this for what it was but it could have vastly benefited from some development.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of H.B. Moore through Ebooks for Review in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.Beneath was a fast paced short story about a girl in Witness Protection. The story itself was very well written but it was so short! The plot was jam-packed with action but rushed and anticlimactic. I liked the protagonist well enough but she was rather gullible and a bit of sheep. There was some romance attempted - which seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it. How can you develop a relationship in thirty pages? I thought they were cute together but I just didn't believe it would have worked out for Anna so easily.
Overall, I enjoyed this for what it was but it could have vastly benefited from some development.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of H.B. Moore through Ebooks for Review in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process. I equally liked and disliked this. I equally feel in love with the characters and wanted to slap them senseless. I equally wanted to weep over the ending and slam the book into the wall of frustration.
I have read everyone's reviews, I seen so many vlogs and read countless blog posts and I just don't know what to say. I agree with practically all of the negative and positive reviews - and don't really have much more to add.
- I liked the writing style. Personally, I found it abosutley gorgeous. It was pretty, poetic, readable and flowed perfectly.
- I didn't like Candence but I enjoyed the other characters. They weren't as shallow as I would have expected them to be but they could have been fleshed out a tiny bit more.
- The non-chronological timeline was slightly confusing.
- Gat drama just that: needless drama.
- The ending. The only other thing I want to say is that I wasn't a fan of the ending - I've seen it done too many times before and it always leaves a sour taste in my mouth. There are always too much confusion afterwards, too many contradictions, unanswered questions... its too messy. At the same time, I'll admit it was kind of beautiful. I did cry because holy shit, the writing is beautiful and it bought back so many painful memories of lost friendships and it really made me feel the feels .
There isn't much more to say. A semi-tick of approval. It had me emotionally involved but the ending a big no-no.
A copy was provided courtesy of Allen & Unwin Australia, in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.
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Details:
Series: standalone
Publication: May 13th, 2014
Source: Allen & Unwin Australia
3 stars
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Yup, so much needless drama and uuuugh ending :/ Did not enjoy this AT ALL unfortunately but it's nice to see you found it qualities. By the way, I have read Don't Look Back! Liked it much more than this :D Although they're two VERY different books. Nice review!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lola! :) The ending was a huge problem for me and I think it ruined it for a lot of other readers too. I enjoyed this one more than Don't Look Back simply because of the writing style. They are pretty different but share similar genres - amnesia, mystery, romance, young adult etc. - so I thought people that didn't like this one as much like to give that one a go instead. :)
DeleteI'm so glad you reviewed this because I think you managed to out my feelings into words! I'm very mixed about the whole thing: the writing was beautiful, but I felt it was trying to hard. The ending was a total cop out. The characters weren't too annoying, but there was too much drama. All in all, it was a bit of a let down for me. :/ Everyone was going on about how you should go into blind and how they couldn't say anything because of spoilers, but when I read it I was just like '....is that it?'
ReplyDeleteCharlotte @ Bookmarks and Blogging
Thanks Charlotte. :) I think you manage to sum up my feelings in just that comment! The ending wasn't as fantastic as everyone made it out be. But the writing was beautiful. Overall just mixed feelings and yes, a bit of a let down. :/
DeletePersonally, I found the ending to be predictable and very unsatisfying. However, I did like the idea and E. Lockhart's writing, so I'm willing to give her another chance. Do you think you will as well?
DeleteI thought it was going to end something like that though I won't pretend that I guessed at it perfectly. I agree that the idea was there and that writing. I will definitely give her another go. Her other series (ruby oliver?) seems like a romantic comedy and I want to see how she'd handle that after reading such a "serious" one of hers. :)
DeleteHi Rachel, haven't read this one yet but I'm planning to because the author's coming here in the Philippines next month. I don't know if I should attend the signing or not. So far, I've read mixed reviews for this one.
ReplyDeleteHey Danna! You should definitely go to the signing! Well, in my opinion. It would be a fantastic opportunity to meet the author and she's written some other books that look interesting (The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and Ruby Oliver series) that you might pick up soon and enjoy as well. I cannot say if you'd enjoy We Were Liars or not but its worth a shot anyway. A lot of people enjoyed it. :)
DeleteThanks Rachel! :) I guess I'll read the book first and decide after.
DeleteThat's sounds like a good idea! I would love for author's that popular and loved to come to my country. No-one ever comes here. :/
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