“We Were Liars” is a book that has been extremely popular on “booktok,” the corner of TikTok where creators recommend and review books. Seeing the attention this book received made me interested in reading it.

The story is told through the eyes of Cadence (Cady) Sinclair, an eighteen year old who lives in Burlington, Vermont with her mom. However, each summer she visits Beachwood Island, her family’s private island off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Cady is the oldest of six cousins, she has two aunts who are all divorced or separated from their husbands, and has her grandparents. 

Cady tells the story of her family through tragedy and the dependence on money that her aunts desire to inert. Focusing on both the past and present, she numbers the summers at the different age she was at.

The “Liars” is the group Cady forms with Johnny and Mirren, her two cousins, as well as Gat, Johnny’s friend that has come to the island since summer eight. They have a lot of fun together on the island as they create mischief, pulling pranks and tricks on their family which gives them this name. During summer 14, Cady and Gat begin to have feelings for each other.

The true plot of the novel is when Cady is fifteen, she is involved in an accident, wakes up in the hospital, and is told she was swimming at night and hit her head on a rock. Her head injury makes her forget everything that happened during summer fifteen. Throughout the story she is trying to remember the events that happened to her as her family won’t reveal anything to her.

“We Were Liars” was released in 2014 but has gained a lot of attention this past year. The book is 320 pages, however, it is a very fast-paced book, and you’re not going to want to put it down. 

The author, E. Lockhart, takes readers on a journey that feels personal. She also is the author of “Genuine Fraud,” another book that is similar to “We Were Liars” that I plan on reading.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book because of  the different twists and turns and the speed of the book. It is a real page turner, making you not want to put it down. The characters are very lovable and well developed. Lockhart uses her incredible story telling skills to create a wonderful masterpiece that anyone can enjoy. 

“We Were Liars” is a very entertaining, heartwarming and emotional story that is filled with cliffhangers and lots of ups and downs. This is a must read for ages fourteen and up. The end of the book is very shocking. If you ask me how it ends, I’ll just lie.