We Were Liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can't decide how I really feel about this book... which is probably why it has taken me so long to write this review. I did like it. It was a great YA novel, which didn't focus solely on the old "coming of age fall in love" tropes that get done to death in this (and every) genre.

There is foreboding, there is angst, there is revelation that spins your view of the narrative and the narrator again and again. You are reminded of your privilege. You are reminded of others' privilege.

But there was something about this book, despite everything I like about it, that made it drag. I struggled to not skip ahead because there is SO. MUCH. FOREBODING. That I found myself rolling my eyes and going "yes I get it - something is going to happen / has happened".

I didn't expect what happened though, which was nice. And in the end I was glad I persisted. I need more books in my life where the main conflict does not revolve around romantic interests (though there is some believable teen romance going on here too), and while I wish I could love this book more, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be counted in the list.

In the end I probably wouldn't recommend this as a "must read!!!" but if someone was interested in reading it, I'd encourage them to give it a go. And not to read spoilers... because then the pay off of all that foreboding would be pretty disappointing.

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