Goodreads Archive Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

WE WERE LIARS

Author: E. Lockhart

Publication Date: 05/13/2014

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery

 

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.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

 

Picture and Summary From Goodreads

 

 REVIEW 

 

This book was one heck of a ride.  There isn't a lot I can say about it without giving away spoilers so I'm going to stick to the basics.

 

The logistics:

The writing was crazy good, almost lyrical.  I actually had a little bit of a hard time getting into the rhythm of it but I'm glad I didn't let that deter me because before long I found myself captivated. 

 

We Were Liars is told from the POV of 18yo Cadence who has grown up in the lap of luxury where things aren't as shiny and happy as they appear.  For most of the story Cadence is trying to piece together what happened the summer she turned 15.  All she knows is that it was bad enough to cause her to suffer from amnesia.  There were a few times that I thought I was on to something only to turn the page and be left completely stumped again. I had no problems staying focused on the story but at the same time I couldn't wait to get to the end, just so I would know what happened.

 

It was a small book compared to some of the monsters on my shelf but I found that it took a little bit longer for me to get through.  I chalk this up to the fact that I found myself stopping and thinking about the story as I was reading it.  Not that I don't think about stories as I read them normally but there were parts of this book that required me to put more thought into it.

 

 

Bottom Line:

You really need to go into this book knowing nothing about it.  Give it a chance when you first start it, don't be scared off by the different (beautiful) writing.  And just enjoy it.

 

 



Goodreads Archive Review: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

OPEN ROAD SUMMER Author: Emery Lord Publication Date: 04/15/2014 Audience: Young Adult Genre: Contemporary, Romance

 

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

 

Picture and Summary from Goodreads

 

REVIEW

 

Loved this one!!  I seriously need my BFF to become a country superstar...or infiltrate T. Swift's circle of peeps!

 

The Logistics:

Open Road Summer is told from the POV of Reagan O'Neill.  Reagan's BFF just happens to be country singer Lilah Montgomery, AKA Dee to her friends.  Reagan tags along on Dee's concert tour which is lucky for us readers because we get to live vicariously through Reagan as she becomes fast friends with hunky Matt Finch and has a grand time being Dee's VIP.

 

I absolutely adored Dee and Reagan's friendship.  It came across as so real and genuine and deep.  They had history and I could feel it.  I can't help but think how awkward I would feel to tag along with a rich and famous friend, feeling like I'm living off of their fame, but I could tell that Dee made sure Reagan felt comfortable, that she knew she was wanted and not a burden.

 

And Hello Matt Finch!  With his own battle wounds and swoontastic voice it's no wonder Reagan couldn't keep herself from falling for him.  Their relationship is not always easy but it wouldn't feel real if it was.

 

Bottom Line:

With easy to love characters and a fun setting (who doesn't think a tour bus would be fun?!) Open Road Summer is a perfect summer read.  The friendship and romance will have you smiling, laughing out loud, and sighing like an idiot.  I highly suggest reading it in the warm shade on a hammock with an ice cold sweet tea in your hand.