National Book Award finalist E. Lockhart’s young adult fiction and psychological thriller, We Were Liars, is an outstandingly well-written novel. There wasn’t one instance I wanted to put the book down to do anything else as Lockhart kept me hooked onto what would happen next, what would be uncovered? 

We Were Liars is about Cadence Sinclair and the Sinclair family being perceived as the most beautiful and perfect family. Cadence is the eldest granddaughter and the protagonist of the story. No one is a drug addict, criminal, or failure but the 3 cousins: Cady, Mirren, and Johnny, and an outsider Gat spend the summer at Sinclair’s private island every year and are known as the liars. This story revolves around these four and them uncovering the ugly truths about the immaculate Sinclair family. As you continue reading you see the Sinclair family isn’t as perfect as it seems.  

This book is such a page-turner because as the reader you want to know what happens next. Lockhart does an amazing job at filling the plot as you go along, making the novel so much more interesting. Another task done well is how she expresses the emotions of the characters so vividly, it’s almost as if you can feel them too. For example, when she explains the confusion in Cadence’s mind I feel as if I’m going through the same confusion alongside her. The plot is so clever and the terrific writing and engaging voice just adds to the magnificence of the novel.

It is an amazing story that tells a beautiful but tragic story. It teaches a moral taught by many to never judge a “book” by its cover. No matter how perfect the Sinclair family was there was greed power and discrimination that caused them to lose people, dearest, to them. It is so realistic that you actually understand the lesson it is teaching you as you go along. In conclusion, We Were Liars is a good read for teens ages 14 and up especially if you are into the way it will make you think about society’s issues without even realizing it.