In June 2019, I decided to try a reading challenge once more. To help me with this, I decided to create a Ravenclaw themed book jar where I placed the titles of the books from the list. This way I can cure my indecisiveness.

The first book I pulled from my book jar was We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This fulfills the category “Published the year you graduated school.” For me, I chose high school, which was 2014.

I chose this book because it was one that I received at the 2017 ALAN Conference. I received around 50 books, which are not in an easy place to access. So, while I knew I had it, I checked it out from the library because I didn’t have the time to find it.

The story follows the main character, Cadence Sinclair Eastman, and the rest of the Sinclair family. It primarily takes place during the summer on the Sinclair’s private island, Beechwood.

Because I didn’t have much knowledge of the book or the author, I didn’t really know what to expect when reading it. However, I briefly saw one review, by Breia Brissey of Entertainment Weekly, that stated, “You’re going to want to remember the title. Liars details the summers of a girl who harbors a dark secret, and delivers a satisfying but shocking twist ending.”

We are liars. We are beautiful and privileged. We are cracked and broken.

This review had me questioning everything that was going on, and it influenced my overall reading of the novel.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. From the plotline to the figurative language to the format of the story, everything worked together to create a page-turner of a novel.

My favorite part of the novel is a plot device that many people do not enjoy. However, since it’s not discovered early on, I won’t talk about here. I will say that it added to the feeling of it being a page-turner.

Another favorite part of the book that I can talk about was the use of figurative language. I always enjoy great usage of descriptive language.

Early on (page 5 in my copy), we discover that Cadence’s dad leaves her and her mom. As he is pulling away from them, she describes how she feels: “Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest. I was standing on the lawn and I fell. The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of my rib cage and down into a flower bed. Blood gushed rhythmically from my open wound, then from my eyes, my ears, my mouth.”

The description continues with this metaphor. This strong imagery shows how her thought process works and how she reacts to certain events in her life. These instances where she uses this vivid imagery is seen throughout the story, and whenever I see it, I am always caught off guard and I read more deeply.

I highly recommend reading this book. Even if you’re not a big fan of YA literature, this is worth a read just to determine what is truth and what is a lie.

Overall, I give this a 5/5 stars.

*This was originally posted on my former blog.