#look i LOVE cady and gat

[sparkles-and-trash]

I literally cannot stop thinking about Johnny and Mirren Sinclair today

// we were liars spoilers //

Johnny who dreamed about owning beautiful art and woolen clothes with stripes and training to make his lungs capable of running maratons

Johnny giving up all his inheritance and the Ivy League education to say fuck you to his racist ass grandpa

Johnny; bounce, effort and snark

Johnny lying alone, face down on the second story floor, lungs filled with smoke and ash

Mirren loudly and proudly loving and supporting Cady every second of Summer 17, always chosing kindness over bitterness

Mirren longing, not of greatness, but great kindness and ice cream making and sexual intercourse and yellow roses

Mirren; sugar, curiosity, and rain

Mirrens hair and sundress in flames as the Clairmount perish around her

[writingbesties]

We were liars-E. Lockhart

Hello everyone!! Today I will be giving a review of a book I recently read, aka We were liars by E. Lockhart! I’ll rate the characters, plot twist etc. and give an overall rate at the end! Remember, this is just my opinion!! Yours can be totally different and that’s okay! I’m always open for a good discussion :)

(spoiler-free :)

Characters

Out of the four Liars, Johnny was my favourite person. He was just always sarcastic, funny and sweet you know.

In my opinion, the main character Cady sometimes overreacted a bit, but I liked her personality.

Then we still have Gat, or the love interest. I absolutely adored the mysterious part about him, and that he had a different origin than the other Liars.

Mirren was also sweet, but sometimes a little too clingy to my liking.

And then we have their mothers. I’m sorry but they were manipulating their children to get the house and stuff they wanted without asking them if they were okay with it.

characters rate: 3,5/5

Storyline

Four privileged and spoiled children get to spend their summers on a private island. A perfect family, it seems, but they all have secrets. Cadence finds herself falling for the nephew of her cousin’s stepfather, Gat. But then she has an accident and spends her time living on antidepressants. And why do the Liars act differently all of a sudden?

The storyline was so good! It didn’t go too slow neither too fast and there was enough action to keep me reading. I also loved that it mostly happened on an island and that it was set in a modern time frame.

storyline rate: 4/5

Plottwist

Guys, guys, guys. I had heard from a friend that the plottwist was huge, but I didn’t expect it to be that huge. I won’t spoil it of course, but like holy crap that escalated very quickly.

plottwist: 4,5/5

Language

E. Lockhart managed to write a book without using too difficult sentences and words and still make it interesting. The language is adapted to teens who want to read a quick and light book, so if you’re looking for something like that, we were liars is ideal!

language: 5/5

Overall rate: 4,25/5

I hope I get some of you to read this book based on this review and if you’ve already read it, let me know your thoughts!

Lots of love, A

Ps: I wrote this based on how we used to rate books at school. It’s not very detailed but it’s just my opinion:)

[but-ter-flie-ge]

I read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart today and I feel like I would've enjoyed it more if it'd have been a film.

On the other hand I really liked Cady and reading out of her perspective.

In general reading about amnesia told by the person themselves rather than learning from an outer perspective about what happened is at least for me more enjoyable because it leaves you with theorising by yourself.

I think I knew about the plottwist since very early in the book and from then on I just kept it in mind while looking for details that confirmed my thesis of them or at least one of the liars being dead. Which wasn't that hard to be honest.

I got my final answer when Carrie cried with Johnny's jacket on. That was the moment I was convinced they're dead. I can't explain why since there were so many hints about it but I think this one particularly was just the last push to accept that all three of them died.

Anyways I've heard that people either love or absolutely hate the book. Despite that I feel like I'm in-between.

Since I'd have loved to be surprised by the plottwist but there was also the victory of guessing it all by myself! Yeii!!

Which I didn't really appreciate was the lovestory. I found them cute but my mind was circling around the fact that they were 15 but then I was like: Right... They're 15. No wonder Cady thinks that this has to be true love.

So I guess it was just sweet and at the same time naive.

Ahh! Not to forget the ending when she last talks to "Gat". I like to believe that it was just a hallucination fabricated by her drugged self. (I mean his and the others appearances could've also been caused by her trauma.) But other than this I won't accept any explanation.

Putting supernatural stuff in books that only played out in reality is really not my thing.

[tickletastic]

I Believe Submarines

Title: I Believe Submarines

Rating: G/SFW

Warnings: Possible spoilers?

Word Count: 1302

Fandom: We Were Liars

Ship: Gat + Cadence

Summary: With the Liars there’s no such thing as just a peaceful afternoon on the tiny beach. Cadence finds out her boyfriend is ticklish and shenanigans ensue. Ticklish!Gat

Notes: This is based around the song Submarines by The Lumineers. The song really reminds me of the Liars and there’s a line in it which actually really relates to the story (“Everyone thinks I’m a liar, no one knows the truth. If it was a bigger fire, I would be on the roof”). Anyways, this is an AU where Mirren, Gat, and Johnny don’t die in the fire, and this is set in Summer Seventeen.

The Liars had noted a particularly quiet day on Beechwood. It was a sunny afternoon and The Littles had taken the boat to Edgartown with grandpa Harris, while the aunties were enjoying wine and cheese in New Clairmont. After the fire all of the differences had dissolved and the aunties got along again, much like the days of their childhood. Grandpa Harris could no longer manipulate them into playing his games, so he found other, less harmful ways to entertain himself, like teaching the Liars how to fish, and guiding them with the redecoration of Cuddledown so the four of them could live together for the summer.

Currently, the four of them were lazing on the Tiny Beach, drinking various types of fizzy pop while they engaged in a heated debate.

“Now I’m not saying that sunscreen is useless, but if a ghost got a tan wouldn’t that make it visible to the naked eye?” Johnny yelled, making ridiculous hand gestures towards Mirren.

“Ghosts are just energy Johnny, they don’t even have skin to tan,” Gat calmly responded, looping his fingers in with Cadence’s.

Cadence and Mirren giggled at the odd topic of conversation, but they didn’t question it, knowing that their cousin was probably saying some things to rile Gat up. Gat was always all about philosophy and logic, so Johnny’s new hobby was to begin a conversation about a completely ridiculous topic to see how logical of an explanation he could receive. The conversations usually ranged from silly to intense, but when they got too serious Cady would sneak in a kiss on Gat’s cheek to calm him down. Today’s conversation was growing in heat by every passing word, but today Mirren decided to interject.

“Hey look Johnny! It’s a submarine!” Mirren screeched, pointing out into the vast blue sea.

“There is not!” Johnny got on his knees, leaning closer to the water in order to get a better field of vision. As children, they would always go to the tiny beach and play pretend, imaging submarines and giant ocean creatures, so Johnny played along. Johnny opened his mouth to respond once he had fully leaned forward, but he was interrupted. Mirren placed her hand on the back of his head and dunked him in the shallow water of the shore. Gat smiled at the scene as Cady and Mirren laughed hysterically, watching Johnny spit sand out of his mouth. He choked for a second until the rest of the water and sand had evacuated his lungs. Mirren helped by patting his back, but it didn’t aid much due to her constant laughter.

Johnny grabbed out for her, wiggling his fingers over her sides that were exposed due to the lack of cover her bikini offered. Mirren threw her head back and fell to the sand beneath her.

“Johohohohony stahahahahahap,” Mirren giggled, pushing at her cousin’s hands. Johnny quickly stopped, feeling as if Mirren had enough.

“Mir’s ticklish? No way,” Gat inquired, having never known the sensitivities of his friend.

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised, you’re basically a tickle-me-elmo,” Johnny teased in response to Gat’s curiosity. Gat blushed a deep red and looked down at his hands. Cadence looked over at her boyfriend, putting her hand softly against his cheek and forcing him to look up despite his avoidance of eye contact.

“That’s so cute,” She spoke softly, scratching lightly at the boy’s ear. Gat frowned, trying to keep his stoic nature despite the tickly touches gracing the tip of his left ear. Cadence cooed slightly at the sight of her grumbly boyfriend slowly losing it under her slim fingers.

“D-don’t Cad, tickling’s i-immature.” Gat stuttered through his gritted teeth.

“Really? You didn’t seem to think that a few minutes ago,” Cadence noted in response to her boyfriend’s needy pleas.

Even though Mirren had been joking, Gat became suddenly hyperactively interested in the make-believe world she had created in her false game of pretend. “I see the sub too!” He shouted, literally jumping up and away from Cady’s hands.

The eldest of them certainly wasn’t finished her investigation, shooting up like a rocket when the warmth of her boyfriend left her side.

“Gat even I think we’re a bit too old to be playing pretend,” Johnny began, looking up at his friend, “Marco polo on the other hand, not it!”

The other three called out and argued over the subject of who would be it in one of their endless games of marco polo, until it was decided that Cady would be the seeker. Everyone scattered as she loudly counted to ten, spinning in circles within the waist-deep water.

“Marco!” She cried out, slightly dizzy from counting.

“Polo!” Cried out only two voices in response.

“Gat, you have to say polo too!” Johnny snickered at Cadence’s words, basking in the glory that was the absolute fear in Gat’s eyes.

“Polo,” The boy whispered, a single foot in front of Cady. She acted as if she was going to reach out in front of her in order grab her boyfriend, but instead she stuck her arms out to the left of her, knowing exactly which way her boyfriend would turn to flee.

Cady caught Gat from behind, wrapping her arms around his body, successfully trapping him in her hold.

“Cady, no! Let me go!” Gat struggled to get out, making ripples while he flailed his arms.

“Did you know,” The low whispers sent shivers down the boy’s spine, “The tickle monster lives underwater?” Her fingers dug into the vulnerable ribs at her mercy.

“Ehehehehe Cahahahady dohohohohont!” Gat squealed, throwing his head back into his girlfriend’s chest.

Cadence’s fingers against his abdomen were clumsy, probably due to her lack of siblings and the rare occurrence of seeing her cousins, but somehow that made the unknowing touches far more sensitive against Gat’s bare skin. He felt as nimble fingers counted every single one of his protruding ribs. Each touch, no matter how small, felt like agony to the boy as he helplessly giggled and squirmed about in the water.

“Aww, tickle tickle baby boy, coochie coochie coo!” Cadence teased her typically stoic and serious boyfriend. “You don’t laugh enough, thanks to Johnny I know just what to do to hear you.”

“Stop Cahahady! Ihihihim nahahat a bahaby, leheheheheave me ALOHOHOHONE! STAHAHAHAP!” Gat shrieked when a single finger wiggled its way into his belly button.

“Aww lovely, you’re sure just as ticklish and cute as a baby, are you sure you aren’t one?” Cadence giggled when she noticed her boyfriend’s ear had turned a darker shade of red. Mirren and Johnny just laughed at the sight unfolding in front of them.

The younger boy’s head was so far back that it nearly looked painful, so Cadence stuck her cold lips into the crook of his neck, blowing slightly.

“CAHAHAHADY! Stahahahp juhuhuhust lehehehet mehehe behehehe!” A stream of almost incoherent chuckles. Cadence was basking in the joyous, childlike laughter of the 17-year-old that she was taking apart with just her fingers.

Gat felt completely silly because of his extreme sensitivities. Cady was completely disassembling him and she made him feel like he was a child again. Despite his constant protests he couldn’t help but enjoy letting loose like he was. At this point, he was giggling so quickly and uninhibited that a series of snorts fell out of him.

Cady’s fingers stilled, and she ran her fingers over spot again, receiving the same reaction. She stopped again and watched as Gat turned as red as possible.

“You’re so cute,” Cady leaned over to press a sweet kiss on her boyfriend’s cheek. She only received a whine in response. “You’re cute, but you’re it.”

She ran as far away from him as possible as he attempted to quickly recover from her onslaught.

“Marco!”

“Polo!”

[rinnykittylitty]

We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart

Rating: 3 stars

Since this is such a strong "go in blind book" that you shouldn't even know anything before reading the first page, time to spoiler tag my entire review.

First off, I really liked the writing style. I like quick reads and the fact there were less words per line made me finish this book in a day. It was easy for me to read, as well, even though some of the metaphors seemed more literal than figurative (I've seen other reviews wonder if Cady explaining her blood wrists were just a metaphor, and honestly, I dont know either). Other than that, I actually found myself relating to the main character. I'm poor as fuck, never committed a crime, and dont have migraines - but I do have memory loss due to neurological issues that wiped most of my teenage memories completely and made my mother constantly worried about me. I understood when she said she didn't want to be pitied, and then Gat said well why the fuck you saying all this shit about your migraines then. Like, dude, just because she doesn't want to be pitied doesn't mean her migraines poof! become less of her life. And same with the romance. Sadly I still remember some of my pathetic flings, how as a youngster you think the first love is real and forever and the best thing since Betty White. The romance was a damn mess but didn't we all make bad, cringey, makes us look back and think "oh no girl what are you doing" type relationship choices as teens. And.. the twist. Goddamnit I picked it up right away.. when Cady realized no one was responding to her emails. Yeah the first thought should be "they're too rich to care about their email account", but with how absent they were my mind went straight to "they're dead aren't they. Oh no you better not". And they were. Even worse, why not throw them in as ghosts and badly explain the whole entire last part of the book. And the whole reveal be a fire. All died in a fire. And became ghosts. What a twist. Yaaaawn. When it comes to rich people drama, The Cousins by Karen McManus came out on top. That's the type of twist I was looking for, not something on the same level as "it was all just a dream!" (But instead, replace dream with ghosts).

[rachliveblogsbooks]

Part Three: Summer Seventeen

Chapter 48 – 57

”My boyfriend is named Percocet,” I say.  We’re very close.  I even went to Europe with him last summer.”

While pretty heartbreaking, Cady using humor as a way to talk about her problems and still protect herself is just so relatable!  I tend to do this way too much also so, Cady, I totally get you.

Also, I really need Gat to make up his freaking mind!  It’s driving me mad how he keeps running hot and cold on her.  The above quote is in response to Gat telling her she’s beautiful and asking her if she has a boyfriend… while sitting alone on the roof in the moonlight.  It feels too much like games and I hate it!  Okay, maybe I get too attached to characters, but I don’t like seeing Cady faced with even more emotional upheaval than she already has to deal with.

Hmmm… More intrigue?  Why would Granddad pay for Cady’s trip to Europe with her father?  Cady is right that it is weird that her dad and not her mom went on the trip if that is the case.  Was he purposefully trying to keep her away from the island that summer, and if so, why?

I’m about to throw in a really long quote and I usually try to avoid excessively long passages, but I really want to emphasize this whole speech Cady gives to Gat here because it makes me want to stand up and cheer that she’s finally speaking her truth.

“I know no one is beating me,” I say, feeling defensive all of a sudden. “I know I have plenty of money and a good education.  Food on the table.  I’m not dying of cancer.  Lots of people have it much worse than I.  And I do know I was lucky to go to Europe.  I shouldn’t complain about it or be ungrateful.”

“Okay, then.”

“But listen.  You have no idea what it feels like to have headaches like this.  No idea.  It hurts,” I say—and realize tears are running down my face, though I’m not sobbing. “It makes it hard to be alive, some days.  A lot of times I wish I were dead, I truly do, just to make the pain stop.”

I want to dislike Gat.  He’s been insensitive and unfaithful and has made things harder for Cady than they need to be.

But when Gat does decide to be that emotional support for her, I do kind of melt a little.  Probably because I just want Cady to be happy so damn badly!

You’re making things hard for him.  Harder than they already are.  You’re going to hurt him.

Why is Mirren trying so hard to protect Gat?  Shouldn’t she be more concerned for her cousin?  Everyone is making me so suspicious!  I distrust every character in this book right now.

Okay, well I guess Mirren never had a boyfriend… That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s not pregnant!  (I will seriously go down with this theory.)  OH!  What if Gat is the father!  That would explain why she’s been so weirdly protective…

When Cady comes out of a multi-day migraine, the others lie about how they spent those days.  I’m starting to really freak out about all the things we don’t know.  Why is everyone so intent on keeping Cady in the dark?  What is everyone hiding?  And is it all one big conspiracy or are they all free agents in the lying game? THIS IS KILLING ME!

“I am sorry, Cady,” Gat goes on.  ”That’s what I should have said to you the first day we got here this year. I was wrong and I’m sorry.”

FUCKING FINALLY!  When Cady wakes up from her most recent migraine, Gat is there in her room.  He sees her notes of memories from that summer and decides to finally talk to her about it.  About the girl he was with at the time and everything.  This apology was a long time coming.

Okay, Aunt Carrie’s nighttime strolls around the island are really starting to be creepy.  Especially because she claims that she doesn’t do that.  Is she sleep walking?  Is this important to the central mystery, or just an added layer of creepy?  I didn’t realize this was a ghost story!

I do not really want to be separate from them.

Ever.

Mirren is becoming more and more suspicious to me!  At first I thought she was the only one showing real concern for Cady, but it seems that every time she rears her protective head it’s to keep Cady in the dark or left behind….

Do you guys realize how hard it is sometimes to stop reading in the middle of action so I can write down my immediate reactions and prediction? Well, I almost couldn’t stop myself to say how nervous it’s making me that Cady wants to climb up the cliff.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I love jumping off high things into water.  It’s one of my favorite things!  But everyone telling Cady she shouldn’t do it and that it’s so dangerous is really freaking me out!

I look up at the rocks from which they jumped.  It seems impossible anyone could survive.

And suddenly, I want to do it.  I start climbing again.

My kind of girl!

I really need her to jump off and for everything to be fine.  I need her to do this thing just for her.  With all the angst, I really need Cady to have a win.

I will prove myself strong, when they think I am sick.

I will prove myself brave, when they think I am weak.

OMG!  OMG I’m so excited!

And then I am up again, and breathing.

I’m okay,

my head is okay,

no one needs to cry for me or worry about me.

I am fine,

I am alive.

I swim to shore.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!  God, that was perfect!

Also, can we take some time to talk about how E. Lockhart sometimes goes into a poetic structure?  I absolutely love when she breaks up the lines like poetry.  It gives a feel more like thought.  I don’t know about you guys, but my thoughts are rarely linear and don’t always flow logically into each other.  Especially in heightened emotion.  I feel like this structure break is used very effectively.

“I—I suppose I was the victim of something.”  It is hard to say these words.  “I suppose that I was raped or attacked or some godforsaken something. That’s the kind of thing that makes people have amnesia, isn’t it?”

You all probably know how I’m feeling here.  I just love that Cady is confronting people and demanding answers. It’s also rather infuriating that Mirren seems to know everything, but will only give cryptic warnings about how “messed-up” that summer was without giving any details.  She says she’s keeping Cady in the dark because the doctors want her to remember in her own time but I’m having a hard time believing that’s her only motivation.

Favorite Quotes:

So used to summers on Beechwood, to endlessly stocked pantries and multiple motorboats and a staff quietly grilling steaks and washing linens—I didn’t even think about where that money might be coming from.

I lie there and wait, and remind myself over and over that it doesn’t last forever.  That there will be another day and after that, yet another day.  One of those days, I’ll get up and eat breakfast and feel okay.

I’d a million times rather live and risk and have it all end badly than stay in the box I’ve been in for the past two years.  It’s a tiny box, Mirren.  Me and Mummy.  My and my pills.  Me and my pain.  I don’t want to live there anymore.

Scavenger birds peck at the oozing matter that leaks from my crushed skull.

Always do what you are afraid to do!

[bookquotes17]

We Were Liars

<p>1. It was love, and it hit me so hard I leaned against the screen door that still stood between us, just to stay vertical. I wanted to touch him like he was a bunny, a kitten, something so special and soft your fingertips can’t leave it alone. The universe was good because he was in it. I loved the hole in his jeans and the dirt on his bare feet and the scab on his elbow and the scar that laced through one eyebrow. Gat, my Gat</p> <p>2. I left the Red Gate door before he saw me and ran down to the perimeter. I watched the darkening sky, alone. I tore all the roses off a single sad bush and threw them, one after the other, into the angry sea</p> <p>3. I spun violently into the sky, raging and banging stars from their moorings, swirling and vomiting</p> <p>4. Here is something I love about Gat: he is so enthusiastic, so relentlessly interested in the world, that he has trouble imagining the possibility that other people will be bored by what he’s saying. Even when they tell him outright. But also, he doesn’t like to let us off easy. He wants to make us think–even when we don’t feel like thinking</p> <p>5. “I like it when you talk,” I said, because it was true. When I stopped to listen, I did like it.</p> <p>6. We looked at the sky. So many stars, it seemed like a celebration, a grand, illicit party the galaxy was holding after the humans had been put to bed</p> <p>7. The universe is seeming really huge right now,” he told me. “I need something to hold on to.” <br> “I’m here.</p> <p>8. “I don’t believe anymore,” Gat said. “That trip to India, the poverty. No God I can imagine would let that happen. Then I came home and started noticing it on the streets of New York. People sick and starving in one of the richest nations in the world. I just—I can’t think that anyone’s watching over those people. Which means no one is watching over me, either.”<br> (Awww boo)</p> <p>9. Don’t remind people of a loss. “Do you understand, Cady? Silence is a protective coating over pain.” I understood, and I managed to erase Granny Tipper from conversation, the same way I had erased my father. Not happily, but thoroughly. At meals with the aunts, on the boat with Granddad, even alone with Mummy—I behaved as if those two critical people had never existed</p> <p>10. My full name is Cadence Sinclair Eastman. <br> I suffer migraines. I do not suffer fools. I like a twist of meaning<br> I Endure<br> The End.</p>

[jadexbooks]

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Genre: Contemporary Drama and Mystery

Rating: 2/5

“I will prove myself strong, when they think I am sick.

I will prove myself brave, when they think I am weak.”

In E. Lockhart’s “We Were Liars”, Cadence Sinclair is still healing from a traumatic accident that occurred two years ago during summer fifteen at Beechwood Island. She suffers from painful migraines and has huge memory gaps. As she continues to heal, her memory slowly comes back and she is able to piece together what happed during summer fifteen, discovering the truth.

Cons:

-Rich White people problems: If you are curious about the trials and tribulations of a wealthy White-privileged family who is a part of the one percent (Lockhart emphasizes the fact that they are seen as “The American Dream” by others, even in looks--blonde hair, blue eyes, and a sun-kissed glow that isn’t too tan), this book is for you! If not, this book will probably annoy you. I personally felt that the characters often complained about trivial things, but everyone has their struggle, so I guess I shouldn’t judge. 

-Gat seems to only exist as a reason to talk about race and the hardships of an interracial relationship: Gat and his uncle, Ed, are the only POC invited to vacation on the island in the summer (Ed is in a relationship with Johnny’s mother, Carrie; Johnny is Gat’s best friend and Cady’s cousin), so Gat understandably feels isolated. He knows that a relationship with Cady would be difficult because of her disapproving grandfather, so he feels the need to tell her why. For example:

“He calls me young man. Like, How was your school year, young man?”

“Why?”

“It’s like, if he called me Gat he’d be really saying, How was your school year, Indian boy whose Indian uncle lives in sin with my pure white daughter? Indian boy I caught kissing my precious Cadence? [....] I’m not saying he wants to be the guy who only likes white people,” Gat went on. “He knows he’s not supposed to be that guy. He’s a Democrat, he voted for Obama--but that doesn’t mean he’s comfortable with people of color in his beautiful family.”

He attempts to help her understand her privilege and see how different life is for him because of his skin, which sparks a fire in Cady to make a change, but Gat doesn’t want to start trouble and Cady doesn’t know how to “make a change” so it leads nowhere. However, I do think that the conversations they have about race are important, and it’s nice to see that it opens Cady’s eyes and makes her fall in love with him even more. 

-Annoying characters: This is a character-driven novel, so if you don’t like the characters you will most likely not like the book. I couldn’t stand any of the characters (Mirren was the most bearable), which left me hating the book.

Pros:

-Illustrations: It comes with a map of Beechwood Island and the Sinclair family tree. It’s a nice touch that gives you an idea of where everything is and what it looks like, as well as a way to track how the characters are related to each other.

-Sections and short chapters: The book is separated into five parts and most of the chapters are less than ten pages, so it’s a quick read. (Well, it should be. I found myself taking long breaks between sections because I didn’t want to finish the book, but I brought it so I wasn’t going to waste my money.)

-Unreliable narrator: There aren’t many novels with unreliable narrators, which made this novel more interesting. It’s up to the reader to trust Cady or not, and Lockhart leaves some room for us to fill in blanks that Cady is missing. That made it more interactive for me as I tried to piece clues together before Cady did.

-Talks about White-privilege and race: It’s a topic that is uncomfortable for some, but since Lockhart is a White woman that may make readers who identify with her more comfortable with the topic if they weren’t already. It’s also nice to see the contrast between Cady and Gat as well as their similarities. They’re modern star-crossed lovers; there’s a nice quote from the book that addresses it: “What if we could stop being different colors, different backgrounds, and just be in love?”

-E. Lockhart’s writing style: I personally enjoyed the purple prose in this novel, because it felt more artistic to me. Some of her descriptions are fluff and overexaggerated metaphors, but it’s well written, so I didn’t mind. However, if purple prose annoys you, you should probably skip this one and read something else, because the structure will most likely take away from the story for you.

I can’t personally recommend this book. The twist ending didn’t shock me; instead, it made me realize that I wasted my money. I brought this as an eBook, so I can’t donate it like I usually do with books I don’t like (I figure that someone else will appreciate it more than I do). Now it haunts the self of my digital library as a reminder of my regret for buying it. The reason I did not give it a one-star rating is because Lockhart made me feel something. Did I feel complete disdain for the novel, its characters, and its storyline? Yes. But that’s still a feeling, so the author did her job, therefore I must give her credit. She also took an opportunity to talk about race, interracial relationships, and White-privilege, which are sensitive topics that are usually avoided, so it’s nice seeing them talked about in YA because it gives new perspectives to people who couldn’t necessarily relate.

[literarymermaidreviews]

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart 4.5/5

First off, I tried reading this book a few years back when it first came out, and I made it about half way through before I lost interest and gave up on it. I’m really glad that I decided to pick it back up and again and give it another chance though.

I had heard a lot of buzz about this book on BookTube recently so I decided to pick it up when I saw it at my local library. 

We Were Liars is only 227 pages so for me that’s a short book. I can easily read that in one sitting. And I did. I sat down and read the entire book in about three hours. And let me just say, I was shook. 

I went into this book knowing that there was a pretty big twist at the end, which led me to theorize throughout my reading, nothing prepared me for that ending though. 

My brain didn’t know how to process. I didn’t know what to think.

End of spoiler free zone. 

I was really into this book from the beginning. The premise is right up my alley. I love summery reads, and stories about groups of friends so I was definitely on board. I enjoyed it a lot leading up to it, even if it did seem a bit underwhelming for the first half of the book. (Probably why I put it down the first time I tried to read it). As Cady finaly started remembering things I thought that the fire was the big reveal and I was kind of disappointed by it. Like arson isn’t something that I’ve really read about in books, so it was different from the majority of the plotlines I’m used to. But I still felt extremely disappointed. Until I remembered not everything had been explained yet. I had been theorizing throughout the book what could have happened. A few theories I came up with were: 

1. There was an accident while the liars were swimming and Cady was pushed into the water and hit her head.

2. Gat raped Cady.

3. Someone had attempted to murder Cady.

4. Mirren was pregnant (Why she was getting sick)

NOTHING PREPARED ME FOR WHAT ACTUALLY WAS TO COME. I read those first few lines and I fell apart. I started having trouble breathing, I was sobbing, I was shaking. I never saw that coming! Looking back I can see the signs, but I never put it together. I read the book last night and I still randomly go “I can’t believe they’re all dead” Like I’m pretty sure this book will stick with me forever. 

One last bit, do I think they were hallucinations? or Ghosts? I’m not sure about that one. At first I thought they were hallucinations, but then as I thought back to other bits of the book I started to think they actually were ghosts. Taft saying Cuddledown was haunted, Mirren getting sick when she ‘went too far’, the trip with the kayaks and the boys being able to jump without getting hurt, Aunt Carrie asking if Cady could see Johnny, the end when they all had to leave because they couldn’t stay any longer. It all feels like they really were there, and not just in Cady’s mind. 

One more little thing is that HOW STUPID WAS THE WAY THEY DECIDED TO SET THE FIRE. I’m pissed because they didn’t need to split up. Johnny, Gat, and Mirren didn’t need to die. Why did Cady light the kitchen first? WHY WEREN’T THEY ALL TOGETHER. Their deaths were completely unnecessary. There were ways to burn down the house that were much more logical, and safe. 

I’m still reeling from that ending, and I’m still processing everything that happened. I can’t believe they actually died. And they’d been gone for TWO YEARS. Cady supressed the memory for TWO YEARS. Like WHAT THE HELL. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY EMOTIONS.

[rachliveblogsbooks]

Part Three: Summer Seventeen

Chapter 34-41

“Drugs are not your friend”  Taft looks serious. “Drugs are not your friend and also people should be your friends.”

This is so cute!  This kid being all adorable and concerned just made me smile like an idiot at my tablet.  

And now I’m seeing a pattern:  twice now, while attempting to be nonchalant, Cady has mentioned something that is sure to make the other Liars curious about the aftermath of the accident.  The first time when she told them that she spent her trip to Rome looking at the blue toilet instead of exploring the city the others told her they were told not to talk about it.  And now in Chapter 38 she tells the story of Taft telling her drugs are not your friends.  This, of course, allowed her to casually say that she has a bunch of pills hidden in her dresser.  She so obviously wants to talk about it that it’s almost painful to read!  Everyone is so on egg shells around her though that no one will ask.  I’m curious to see how long this lasts.

You could die.  You could get hurt.  If you are terrified, there’s probably a good reason.  You should trust your impulses.

This feels like foreshadowing to me!  Mirren is getting way too worked up over this for it to mean nothing.  I don’t have anything insightful to say, I just want to call it now so when it comes up later I can say HAH I KNEW IT!

“You only know the me on this island, where everyone’s rich except me and the staff.  Where everyone’s white except me, Ginny, and Paulo.”

“Who are Ginny and Paulo?”

Gat hits his fist onto his palm.  “Ginny is the housekeeper.  Paulo is the gardener.  You don’t know their names and they’ve worked here summer after summer.  That’s part of my point.”

Okay, I might be starting to like Gat a little bit more.  I just love that he’s calling her out on this.  She should at the very least know the names of the people who have been taking care of her for several months every year.  I’m glad this story has someone who is explicitly commenting on this.

His comparison of his standing in the family with Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights is definitely an interesting one.  It’s also a bit concerning that he identifies so strongly with that character since he is not in any way an admirable one.

On a little adventure with her grandfather, Cady runs into the lawyer who is taking care of Granddad’s estate.  In a little aside he tells her, “He’s taken good care of you…. But don’t tell your mother. She’ll stir up trouble again.”

Clearly Cady is in for quite a large inheritance.  This scene coming right on the heels of another one of her fairy tales, in which she tells us that she would choose Gat over her family, makes me think that this won’t necessarily be met with happiness on her part.  From the beginning she’s made it clear that she’s not interested in being the favored grandchild, that she doesn’t like the pressure and expectations that come along with that.  Add that to the fact that Granddad doesn’t approve of Gat, and Gat is her priority, this is not gonna be good!

Favorite Quotes:

Be a little kinder than you have to.

He asked questions about the universe and searched continually for answers. He thought wounds needed attention.

[rachliveblogsbooks]

Part Three: Summer Seventeen

Chapters 23-33

Why, WHY did Granddad have to remodel his house?? The whole reason Cady wanted to go back to the island so much, enough to forgo an awesome trip to Australia, is because she needed a bit of normalcy, of familiarity, back in her life!!  This hurts, guys!

I realize they discussed this idea before I arrived.

That seems to be a bit of a theme with her reunion with the Liars, really with the whole family on the island.  Every time things start to seem just like old times, something happens to remind her of how much she’s missed out on.

I’m kind of starting to hate Gat.  After two years of ignoring her and not attempting to see her or help her while she was going through hell, he’s acting like nothing has happened?  Like its two summers ago and they’re right in the middle of their romance?  This is strike two with me buddy!  First you cheat on your girlfriend and now this!  Nope.  I don’t accept this.  I want to shake Cady and tell her to get a grip!  This was bad from the start and this can’t be going anywhere good!

When Cady’s mom asks her about giving away all her books and she responds, “I want the things to find a better home,” my heart may have broken a little bit.  She doesn’t think she’s a good enough home for her books and as a fanatical book lover this is a little painful to read.

Maybe Gat wants to be with me.  Maybe.  But more likely he’s just looking for me to tell him he did nothing wrong when he left me two summers ago.  He’d like me to tell him I’m not mad.  That he’s a great guy.  But how can I forgive him when I don’t even know exactly what he’s done to me?

Finally she seems at least a little skeptical of this guy!  Maybe I tend to be too critical of these things, but there are too many red flags here for me to be comfortable with Gat.  While the whole running away to make the starting over thing work was pretty cute, I can’t help but think the characterization of him as a little boy is very apt.  He wants to have his cake and eat it too and doesn’t seem to understand why Cady might not be okay with that.

When Granddad says, “That old life is gone,” I got so sad!  He and Cady seem to be in very similar states, though they are handling it differently.  

Or maybe they aren’t. Granddad is trying to get rid of all the memories of his wife by remodeling his house and isn’t that kind of what Cady is doing by getting rid of all her stuff?  Trying to get rid of reminders of a life she no longer has?

Favorite quotes:

It all seems so sad, so unbearably sad for a second, to think of the lovely old maple with the swing.  We never told the tree how much we loved it.  We never gave it a name, never did anything for it.  It could have lived so much longer.

She takes off rubber gloves and then kisses Mummy and hugs me too long and too hard, like she is trying to hug some deep and secret message.

Johnny calls him a pretentious assface.

Just ask.  Don’t ask what I’d say if you did ask.

[rachliveblogsbooks]

Part One: Welcome

Chapters 1-8

(Note: Chapters in this book are incredibly short (87 chapters total) so I will be doing multiple chapters at a time. So let’s jump right in!)

Right away I’m hit pretty hard with some really awesome prose.  Second page (and second chapter) we get this lovely section:

It is true I suffer migraines since my accident.

It’s true I do not suffer fools.

I like a twist of meaning. You see?  Suffer migraines.  Do not suffer fools.  The words means almost the same as it did in the previous sentence, but not quite.

Suffer.

You could say it means endure, but that’s not exactly right.

I can already tell I will LOVE this narrator!  Give me a good semantic discussion any day!

Also, I know I’m only two pages in, but I already have so many questions.  What is this accident?  What kind of dogs are they (I’m a little obsessed with dogs okay GET OVER IT!)?  And who the hell has their own private island!?

Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?!?! That was so casually tossed in there! Oh he said he couldn’t take it, he had everything packed, he took the Mercedes, then he SHOT ME IN THE CHEST!  What!?!?!  That’s not an accident that’s attempted murder!!!!

Okay… I see I have overreacted… She wasn’t actually shot in the chest… Let’s all just go about our business now, nothing to see here….

Well now into chapter three a question I had is getting answered:  With all this talk of the blonde Sinclairs, that they take pride in the family look, will there be any mention of race, or will the characters default white without question?  But now we have Ed and his nephew Gat Patel.  I’m curious to see how this is handled in the long run.  We already see that the grandmother is not too happy about it.

The budding romance between Cady and Gat in chapter 5 is just so cute!  I can’t stop thinking about how much I love the style of prose here. So often these types of scenes can be written so annoyingly saccharine.  Showing everything so simply just hits a lot harder for me.  Of course, I’m not huge on romance in general so some of you might not agree.

Where once he’d had our names written, now he had taken to writing the titles of books he wanted to read.

That is so sad, but at the same time makes me want to write the titles of books on my own hands!

This description of Gat being this passionate, enthusiastic person is making me fall in love with him just a little bit!  There’s nothing I love more in a person than passion.  I can definitely see 15-year-old me falling just as hard as Cady did. Hell, I can see 25 year old me going silly over a boy like that!

These first 8 chapters are doing everything I look for in a new novel:  Set up characters I’m interested in, gives me some questions that I know will keep me interested for a while, doesn’t answer them all right away, and, most importantly, makes me care.

Somehow I already care about these characters.  Cady is such a strong, thoughtful narrator that I’m drawn into the story even though nothing much has happened yet.  Strong characters are my biggest weakness.  And I don’t just mean physically strong, kick your ass kind of characters.  But characters that jump at you, characters that feel really invested in their own world. So far this book is setting my expectations really high and that’s very exciting!

I don’t know if I’ll be doing this for every book, but I found myself highlighting so many things that I want to end this post with a list of my favorite quotes in this section. :)

Chapter 2:

I own a well-used library card and not much else.

Suffer.  You could say it means endure, but that’s not exactly right.

It tasted like salt and failure.

Chapter 4:

Johnny, he is bounce, effort, and snark.  Mirren, she is sugar, curiosity, and rain.

Gat seemed spring-loaded.  Like he was searching for something.  He was contemplation and enthusiasm.  Ambition and strong coffee.  I could have looked at him forever.

Chapter 5:

One day I looked at Gat, lying in the Clairmont hammock with a book, and he seemed, well, like he was mine.  Like he was my particular person.

And somehow we didn’t label it love.

Chapter 6:

I had kissed an unimportant boy or three by now.

Chapter 7:

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

Chapter 8:

We looked at the sky.  So many stars, it seemed like a celebration, a grand illicit party the galaxy was holding after the humans had been put to bed.

[rachliveblogsbooks]

Part Three:  Summer Seventeen

Chapter 42-47

Now, at the breakfast table, watching him eat my toast, ‘Don’t take no for an answer’ seems like the attitude of a privileged guy who didn’t care who got hurt.

I love that Cady is seeming so much more critical of her surroundings.  And I don’t mean critical in that she’s judging her family and their priorities, but she’s thinking critically about things that she’s always taken for granted.  As far as character growth goes, this is fantastic!  There’s nothing I love more than seeing a character evolve through a story.

It’s pretty easy for me to dislike Granddad; he’s racist and elitist and shallow.  But when he says things like, “A part of me died… and it was the best part,” regarding his wife’s death, it’s also pretty easy for me to sympathize with this man.

I don’t want to pretend.

I don’t want to be friends.

I don’t want to forget. I am trying to remember.

I wish so badly that Gat would understand what Cady is going through!  She’s putting so much emotional energy into him and he is incapable or unwilling to meet her there.  He keeps trying to forget everything, to keep everything the same, but that’s not what Cady needs.  It’s so frustrating to watch!  I want to shake them both and force Gat to look deeper and encourage Cady to communicate and demand the attention she needs to heal.

Cady is slowly getting some of her memories from that summer back and I feel like we are finally digging into the meat of the story.  While I’ve really enjoyed reading this book so far, the writing style itself enough to keep me interested, I’m getting impatient for real info.

And finally, FINALLY, Cady is asking for answers.  From Mirren who I’ve thought, from her emotional responses to Cady so far this summer, has something invested in this issue.

“Did we fight?  Did I do something wrong?”

“I don’t know, Cady.”

“He got upset at me a few nights back.  About not knowing the name of the staff.  About not having seen his apartment in New York.”

There is silence.  “He has good reasons to be mad,” says Mirren finally.

“What did I do?”

Mirren sighs.  “You can’t fix it.”

“Why not?”

Immediately after this Mirren gets sick, choking and gagging like she’s going to vomit, and the two head back home.

This whole interaction feels like it will be very important down the road… It’s safe to say I am definitely intrigued!

Also… Is Mirren pregnant? She’s been talking a lot about having “sexual intercourse” with her boyfriend and says that she “did too much” which is why she got sick and had to go home…

Those of you who’ve already finished this book might be laughing at me right now, but I think I’m on to something!

I seriously think I’m on to something with the whole Mirren-is-pregnant thing!  When Cady starts talking about what she would want for her funeral, Mirren goes into detail about how she would plan her wedding with her boyfriend.  Her response when Cady says that he would have to really love her to wear a yellow cummerbund is “Yeah… but Drake would do it.”  Like it’s something they’ve discussed.  And why would 18-year-olds talk about their wedding unless….

It’s possibly just my complete lack of romantic impulses, but I’m going down with this theory!

Life feels beautiful that day.

I really have nothing important to say about that; I just thought things have been pretty intense and wanted to bask in a moment of Cady’s joy while I can.

Days that follow are darker.

Wow, I’m glad I took that moment of appreciation…“Every now and then a bottle rolls off the roof and the glass smashes.  In fact, there are shards and shards of splintered glass, sticky with lemonade, all over the porch.”

I’m starting to get concerned about how much they are wrecking Cuddledown.  I know a group of teenagers having run of a house is likely to result in a bit of a mess (hell me and my roommates are all in our late 20’s and things are still less than ideal!), but this feels like they are all kind of falling apart.

I love that Cady is asking more questions.  When she asks Johnny why he didn’t visit or e-mail after the accident he says, “I disappeared because I’m an asshole.  Because I don’t think through my choices and I’ve seen too many action movies and I’m kind of a follower.”

My question is:  Who was he following?

Favorite Quotes:

“Oh, that’s not part of the experiment,” Johnny says.  “I just like to be as greasy as possible at all times.”

She walks down the cobblestone sidewalks of Edgartown talking about Drake Loggerhead and it feels to have ‘sexual intercourse’ with him. That’s what she calls it every time; her answer about how it feels has to do with the scent of beach roses mixed with roller coasters and fireworks.

“God,” I quip, “you make it sound like funerals aren’t any fun.”

What if I never get married?  What if I don’t want to get married?

These days she’s a gnarled crone, touching the raw flesh of my brain with her cruel fingernails.

Johnny talks about how he wants to build Hogwarts out of Lego.  Or a Death Star.  Or, wait! Even better is a Lego tuna fish to hang in New Clairmont now that none of Granddad’s taxidermy is there anymore.  That’s it.  Too bad there’s not enough Lego on this stupid island for a visionary project such as this.