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✿ REVIEW: "WE WERE LIARS" by E.Lockhart ✿

Writer: Khue Do
Khue Do
Oct 12, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Jul 24, 2023



image: @khue.thebookwormy


🔖 Book review: “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart.

If someone ask how it ends, just lie.

We are Sinclairs.

We live, at least in the summertime.

On a private island off the coast of Massachusetts, perhaps that is all you need to know.

Except that one of us is lier.


rating: 5/5 ⭐️

genre: young-adult fiction.


📌 Summary:

The story revolves around the group of 4 closest member in the Sinclair family: Cadence (Cady), Johnny, Mirren and Gat - an outsider. Every year the Sinclair will enjoying the summer in their private island in Massachusetts, except that thing were turning different in the summer of their 15-year-olds. That summer, Cadence fell in love with Gat. That summer, Cadence had an accident. That summer and the years that followed, things were not the same anymore. During the next 2 years after the accident, Cadence lost her memory and tried at all costs to recall the mysterious accident that year. From there open lies, tragic flaws and one of the darkest secret kept in this "perfect" family. Question: is “we” here actually real and is this “lie” really a lie?



Tragedy has always enveloped the Sinclairs, but they have always hidden it deep in their family splendor and perfect smiles.

"I don't know what had happened"

“Family never talked about it”

They always are and always will be.


💭 My own thought about the book:

“The island is ours.Here, in some way, we are young forever.”

Beechwood Island

sources: Pinterest

The story is told from Cadence's point of view - one of my favorite thing about this book. Because instead of using the gentle, polite speech you would expect from a child growing up in a well-manner family such as the Sinclair, as well as the expectation of the first grandchild from the adults in the family. Cadence is completely different from everything of that. The sentences are broken, the prose is broken, everything is messy and hard to understand. This is the voice of a broken child, desperately searching for the pieces to put back together. At the same time, this is also her voice speak up for the remaining 3 children: Johnny, Mirren and Gat.

Like I said, the Sinclairs are problematic, they're far away from perfect that we thought they are. The adults were all engaged in unreasonable disputes and quarrels. They are stupid, greedy, selfish and deceitful. The kids are different, they cherish every moment together during the summers. They can't never leave each others and never can.


But everything will eventually come to its limit. The rebellion, anger, and tragedy piled up on top of each other, climaxing to the point that nothing can be fix anymore.


What make me feel so empty after finishing this book is the friendship of the 4 children. I enjoyed the games and conversations of Cadence, Johnny, Miren and Gat. There are some stand out quotes that I am very impressed with such as:


“The universe is seeming really huge right now. I need something to hold on to.”

“Here I am frozen, when I deserve to burn.”

“ Never eat anything bigger than your ass” (really impressed lmao I don't even know why 🙂)

...

gat's quote.

source: pinterest


///


A bright summer in the dark, the end and the beginning of the past and the resurrection. The memories of that year on the Sinclair's island will forever be hidden under the smiles of his grandfather, aunts, and above all those four children, forever at the age of 15. Because they're the Sinclairs.


“My full name is Cadence Sinclair Eastman.

I suffer migraines. I do not suffer fools.

I like a twist of meaning.

I endure.”

(the ending quote of "wwl", pg. 250)



🏷 Last comment:

This is actually a book that received a lot of mixed reviews about its ending. But for me, it's perfect. An ending that I can feel in many different ways and with each feeling makes me more immersed in the perspective of each character. The ending of the story will be sure to surprise everyone and go back to the first page to read it again. A book that is intelligently constructed, different, and empathetic.



✨ Fun fact:

  • I literally finished this book in 7 hours and it also the book that got me hook back to my reading passion 💓 I just so speechless with this book like the plot twist is just *moah 💣 and it eventually still hurt to think again about the characters 😭 including all the best that a book could include: fast paced - irritating - twisty and coming in the between of these is the metaphorical details being written vey well 💌 I would definitely suggest that this is one of the book for summer 🤍

  • Im getting into my "Lana Del Rey obsession phrase" after reading this one l ao :D like her songs is giving so much of the book aesthetic ( the old-money one if you get what I mean).

  • I also found out that the author also just release the prequel for this book: "Family of Liars" (May 3rd 2022). The book take scene back to the adult generation time - when all the kids not even born yet. Pretty sure gonna be another "bomb" of E.Lockhart 😉 Im also reading it right now lol so another review of that book gonna come out soon!! Sooo check it out if you are interested ;)

2/8/2022.

Thank you for reading this review, xx.


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