3 stars
At times I enjoyed the book and was eager to see what happened next, but by the end, I was left feeling that it was just… fine.
I’ve seen various critiques of the books; some that resonate with me and others that don’t. I personally didn’t mind the narration. It was often melodramatic, but I found much of the prose interesting and can easily see it being relatable to YA readers. I also enjoyed the fairy tale incorporations to a point.
However, for me reading the book felt like holding my breath for an ending that didn’t live up to its potential. I wasn’t satisfied and the twist was very lackluster. It’s been done many times before. It wasn’t revolutionary and wasn’t done in a way that really sold it. It was just… fine.
That in itself isn’t necessarily bad, but everything leading up to the twist was the only thing I was invested in while reading. I did not care for the characters or the situations they found themselves in. Much of the book felt two-dimensional and stuck in its own perspective. I waited so long for the twist that was obviously coming, so when it finally reveled itself to be pretty cliché and uneventful, it really brought the book down for me.
I did find it interesting to read a fictionalized perspective of chronic pain and migraines. However, by the end it felt like nothing more than a plot device. It conveniently coincided with the movement of the story to act as a metaphor for the main character’s struggles.
Honestly, part of me was holding out for why they were called the Liars in the first place. It’s an odd nickname for a family to use to refer to a group of teenagers. This is never revealed in the actual story, but is found in the bonus material as a tiny scene that was eventually cut. As with the book itself, the explanation wasn’t very eventful or interesting. It was just kind of there.
I did enjoy some of the bonus material at the end, specifically the creative menu suggestions for book club meetings. But on the whole, it was a fine book that just didn’t hit for me.