Mundie Moms

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, Book Review


By: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Source: Purchased

Rating: 5 out of 5 summery sky stars

Buy: IndieBound | amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

We Were Liars

Synopsis: A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.


Oh, E. (Emily) Lockhart, you wrote this book just for me. Little known facts about me: I love, love, love stories about large families. Large, privileged families with lots of secrets and in-fighting are even better. I think it's because I grew up in the very opposite of that. No trust fund, no private schools, no islands owned by my grandfather that I could conveniently spend my summers on with the rest of my very privileged cousins. But it doesn't stop me from wondering what it would be like. Emily gives us just those glimpses. The Sinclairs are full of old money, but as the older generation carves and clings to what they think should be theirs, the younger one bonds carelessly realizing that perhaps there is more to life than percentages of inheritance.

Cadence with her cousins, Johnny and Mirren, and their friend, Gat, have spent summers together on her grandfather's island since they were eight years old. Together they are The Liars. I loved the tightness of their group, and their exclusivity (ignoring their younger cousins and the older generation, too). The Liars questions their parents' preoccupation with inheritance, class and race. And don't worry, Mundie Moms, there is a sweetness to the budding romance between Cady and Gat, who as an outsider, continually questions the lifestyle level maintained by the older generation of Sinclairs.

And then in the summer of their fifteenth year, everything backfires. There is an event that causes Cady to have amnesia, and she becomes my favorite of all protagonists -- a very unreliable narrator. The story twists as Cady begins to remember events slowly and the unfolding of the plot reminded me of the last of those summer vacation sunsets. You know it's coming, you just want it to last.

If you're looking for a summer story that will be predictable, don't pick up We Were Liars. Also, set aside some time. Trust me on this. You will not be able to put it down. I finished it in one long flight and it has easily become my very favorite summer read of 2014.

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Emily and Delacorte have set up a We Were Liars tumblr and a pinterest (you know how I love that!) board -- be sure to check those out.

Sisters' Fate by Jessica Spotswood, Waiting on Wednesday #220


By: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date:  August 14, 2014
Series: The Cahill Witch Chronicles #3
Sisters' Fate (The Cahill Witch Chronicles, #3)

A fever ravages New London, but with the Brotherhood sending suspected witches straight to the gallows, the Sisters are powerless against the disease. They can’t help without revealing their powers—as Cate learns when a potent display of magic turns her into the most wanted witch in all of New England.

To make matters worse, Cate has been erased from the memory of her beloved Finn. While she’s torn between protecting him from further attacks and encouraging him to fall for her all over again, she’s certain she can never forgive Maura’s betrayal. And now that Tess’s visions have taken a deadly turn, the prophecy that one Cahill sister will murder another looms ever closer to its fulfillment.

Katie's reviews of Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1) and Star Cursed (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #2) make me want to catch up to this series right away! "Twists, betrayals, romance, magic and war"?!?! That's my kind of story. Who's joining me in reading the first two books in the series before the last one comes out??? 

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