We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (Jasper's Review)

My Rating: 2 out of 5

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.

Reaction upon finishing:

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? :/

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

This book was confusing. Really, really, really confusing. Other than that, the book was... plain.

So on the inside flap, the message tells you "If anyone asks how it ends, just LIE." Obviously, I don't lie in my reviews, so I'll just say nothing. But... I can't help but tell you this: The end, is the absolute worst and most confusing part about the book. Seriously, read the book, don't read spoilers.

The Review

The book is just another YA novel. You see, most YA novels are written in a way that capitalise on the minds of very easy to please readers, that don't want anything overly complicated, but complicated enough to make themselves feel like they have accomplished something through reading the novel. I know this sounds really cynical but that's the feeling I get from a lot of books that are trying to be smart, but don't quite get there.

We Were Liars is a tale that has a million different faces. You could look at it in a light that is criticising advantage and privilege, where the people born into a family that has everything, don't want it. You could look at it in a way that shows that racism is still very much alive today. But of course, you can look at it and see a beautiful love story that will never end exactly the right way. But it's that last part that you see the most, and the first two only come to you after you've read the book another time because you were so confused the first time you read it.

The "Brilliant Damaged Girl":

Cadence is the type of person that you read about and while thinking "1st world problem, 1st world problem, 1st world problem, not a first world problem, wait never mind." Her character lacks depth that I love from the characters that I read about. Like Eleanor from Eleanor & Park (Click here to see what I wrote about her.) But Candace was that exact opposite. Most of the time, I have no effing idea what's happening in that head of hers. She changes her mind within 2 pages of making the decision, she as no appreciation for anything, or anyone, she's just so... shallow and fake. Sorry, not sorry to all of you that liked her.

The "Passionate Political Boy"

Okay, Gatwick "Gat" was the one person I didn't absolutely hate in this book. He was okay at most times... and really not okay at others. The thing about him is that I love his ideas and his opinions, but I don't think he fits in with the story very well. The whole point of him is basically to have him become best friends with and a boyfriend of what is probably a group of billionaires, and tell them, continuously, that he doesn't like wealth and he doesn't fit in. I mean like WTF dude, just don't go to their summer estate that is just chock full of that wealth that you just happen to absolutely hate. 

E. Lockhart doesn't really make sense in her choice of characters...

The plot wasn't actually half-bad most of the time... just that it was a little predictable and so plain most of the times. That last chapter was so terrible I can't even describe it. It felt like a rushed 3 page section that was tacked onto the end. So by the time you finish reading a chapter that isn't fit to end a book, you get to the "twist" that just doesn't make sense with the rest of the book. I really didn't like that part.

I think the only thing that redeemed it from a 1 to a 2 for me is that I love books that have an element that is so different and out there, it just kinda works. In this book, those sections are the "fairytale" kind of sections. About a "king and his three beautiful daughters"... those parts were really well written.

So bottom line. Would I recommend this book? No... with a hesitant yes that follows. I suppose that this book could be very good at being a lot of people's favourite book, but I think that there'll be a lot more haters than likers. Haters gotta hate.