Lil

We are liars We are beautiful and privileged We are cracked and broken A tale of love and romance A tale of tragedy Which are lies? Which is truth? You decide I finished reading We Were Liars an hour ago. Usually I wait a while to gather my thoughts before writing my reviews, but when a book renders you this speechless I feel compelled to record my initial reactions. I've noticed that a lot of reviews for this are quite short, because spoilers, and I really don't want to give anything away. All I will say is that I cried at the end, and I never cry at books, ever! So it's clear that this one really packs an emotional punch. More than a punch - it floored me. We Were Liars is narrated by Cadence Sinclair. Every summer she and all of her family gather at Beechwood Island, the family seat governed by her grandfather. There she spends her days with the Liars - her cousins Johnny who is 'bounce, intelligence and snark' and Mirren who is 'sugar, curiosity and rain...

Gwenni Morgan is not like any other girl in her small Welsh town. Inquisitive, bookish and fill of spirit, she can fly in her sleep and loves playing detective. So when a neighbour mysteriously vanishes and no one seems to be asking the right questions, Gwenni decides to conduct her own investigation. I'll admit, it was the beautiful cover that first drew me to this book. The blurb sounded unusual so I was excited to give it a go. This book was not at all like I was expecting, but then maybe that was the author's intention. The plot is as much an exploration of mental illness as a a detective story - I won't say any more so as not to spoil it. It's clear to the reader from the start exactly what's happened to Ifan Evans, Gwenni's neighbour, so the 'detective' side of things is simply Gwenni finding out the truth for herself, growing up along the way. It is darkly compelling and a quick read. The child narrator, first person present, worked really well an...