Name: Семейство лъжци
ISBN: 9789542727927

Е. Локхарт

Семейство лъжци

Laura Poghosyan 

Keira 💫

High Fidelity

This book contains spoilers for the novel We Were Liars.

I love you, and I wrote this for you—with ambition and black coffee.

We show our love not with honesty or affection, but with loyalty.

Penny shakes the 8 Ball while I rummage some more. “Will I fall in love?” she asks it.

“Will I at least make out with someone? This summer? Anyone?”

“Ugh. Will there be kissing?” she asks, exasperated.

We do not know the boys are coming then. We don’t know how they will spin us around, rile us; change our conceptions of ourselves and upend our lives like drunken gods playing with the fates of mortals.

She is a ghost climbing out of the sea, returning to the spot where no one loved her quite enough to keep her safe.

Now I’m sorry for every time I ever said no to her. But isn’t that how people always feel when someone dies? It’s a cliché. You wish. You’re sorry.

Like me, Cinderella is made over from deformity to beauty and social elevation.

I am vain and consumed with my own internal life,

drunk on the hot liquor of the desire for parental approval,

Maybe he didn’t like kissing me at all.

his strong hands around the coffee cup. I don’t look at

his cheekbones outlined in morning sunlight or

the way the muscles of his shoulders ripple when he pulls open the fridge.

the way he folds a piece of toast around a hunk of cheese and eats it hungrily,

how he likes to lift his coffee cup with both hands,

how he sucks his finger when he burns his hand on his second piece of toast.

I stand to leave the room. I don’t want to be near any longer than I have to, or see pictures of the little boy who grew up to think a girl’s body belonged to him just because he said please.

DON’T PRETEND YOU would never hurt anybody

E. Lockhart

The thrilling prequel to the TikTok phenomenon We Were Liars takes readers back to the summer that the Sinclair family’s lives changed forever.
 
A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts.
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy.
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.
Twenty-seven years before the events of We Were Liars comes another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades—a story that is scandalous, tragic, and layered with mystery.

Welcome back to the Sinclair family.
They were always liars.
 
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The addictive prequel to the TikTok phenomenon We Were Liars: the story of another summer, another generation—and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come.
 
"I anticipated that at some point a shocking twist would come. And, wow, does it ever." —The New York Times
 
"A perfect beach read." —The Boston Globe

We Were Liars #2

Family of Liars

"It may be my greatest weakness, this family. But I will not leave."

 together, I just find it so interesting. I will say I liked 

 just slightly better, that book hit me like a pile of bricks, I wasn't prepared for it. Then this one was calmer and the mystery part of this story wasn't as much of a surprise or a thrill as I was expecting. But regardless I still enjoyed it. There's just something about ultra rich families and their dissonance, their disingenuity and willful ignorance, all while they're running around doing the worst things imaginable with their dirty money just to appear like the best of the best when really they're worse then most people, absolutely captures me every time. It's like an escape into a world I'll never access, the almost nostalgic feeling you get reading these books despite never having grown up in their lifestyle yourself, it's magical in a really twisted and macabre way. I flew through it pretty fast, and after watching the TV series I just knew I needed to read this.

I liked the comparison in this story between Carrie and Cadence, the fact that they both went through traumatic, isolating medical situations that left them addicted to pills and desperately trying to numb the pain, was a good way to show how history tends to repeat itself in funny ways. The little easter eggs that were dropped which lead back to 

 too was a fun scavenger hunt, I remember in the first book...and now I can't remember if it's in the book or just the TV show... that Penny is having an affair that her ex husband unearths and it was cool how this ties into the storyline in 

. The fact that all three sisters have grown up, gotten married, had kids, but down to the basics they are still the same as they were as teenagers, causing drama, pissing each other off, and striving for thier father's pride and attention. I really love the way family dynamics are shown in these stories, they feel believable and understandable in complex ways, like you just wish they could all be honest with each other and save themselves the pain of pretending, covering up and lying all the time, but on the other side you can also see what shaped them into those type of people.

I do wish that the mystery in this book had been a bit bigger, or the lie that Carrie told had been more hard hitting. When she stops the story to remind us that she's always been a liar I was rubbing my hands together thinking we were going to get to the really juicy, shocking moment that I'd come to expect from the first book, but in the end it wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be. Nevertheless, the story about the boys being on the island with the family and Carrie's romance with Pfeff was fun to read, the jealously, the insecurity and the nervousness of a first boyfriend were all so relatable. I was shocked to find how much I disliked Penny in this book, I never really had very strong feelings about her in the first book other than the fact she was Cadence's mother, so this book gave some good insight into her character that I hadn't been expecting. It also gave some interesting backstory into why the island now only belongs to Harris, but I do think this subplot felt really underdeveloped, and seeing as this book is only around 300 pages long, I think it could've been included with a bit more depth to add another layer of interest into this story. As it was, it kind of felt like a loose end that was brushed off and forgotten about, which to be honest, is a very Sinclair thing to do, but I just wanted a bit more.

Overall, this was a good read, I really enjoy these books while I'm reading them and I have kept thinking about 

 years after I read it, so I wonder if this one will stick in the same way. I think these books have an interesting commentary regarding the way the wealthy live and how often their lifestyles are corrupted and convoluted in extraordinary ways, hidden behind a perfect facade. I do wish they explored that theme a little bit more, we had Carrie's disdain for rich men who get away with bad things here in this book and Gat's judgement of how wealthy families operate in problematic ways in the other book, but they feel like an after thought to me. I get that these are meant to be dramatic YA thriller novels, so maybe I'm expecting deeper introspection than that reading level allows for, but I do feel like it's something missing for me personally. Either way, I defintiely recommend these books, I know they're divisive online and many people hate the first one at least, but I really enjoy them.

"I walk a path of my parents’ making. I walk it the same way I walk the wooden walkways they’ve made that stretch across Beechwood. I do not see how to step off. If I exit the walkways into the bushes, under the trees, or onto the sand—it doesn’t matter. I am still on their island."

Genevieve 

"It may be my greatest weakness, this family. But I will not leave."

4⭐

What a fascinating story this is, both We Were Liars and Family of Liars together, I just find it so interesting. I will say I liked We Were Liars just slightly better, that book hit me like a pile of bricks, I wasn't prepared for it. Then this one was calmer and the mystery part of this story wasn't as much of a surprise or a thrill as I was expecting. But regardless I still enjoyed it. There's just something about ultra rich families and their dissonance, their disingenuity and willful ignorance, all while they're running around doing the worst things imaginable with their dirty money just to appear like the best of the best when really they're worse then most people, absolutely captures me every time. It's like an escape into a world I'll never access, the almost nostalgic feeling you get reading these books despite never having grown up in their lifestyle yourself, it's magical in a really twisted and macabre way. I flew through it pretty fast, and after watching the TV series I just knew I needed to read this.

I liked the comparison in this story between Carrie and Cadence, the fact that they both went through traumatic, isolating medical situations that left them addicted to pills and desperately trying to numb the pain, was a good way to show how history tends to repeat itself in funny ways. The little easter eggs that were dropped which lead back to We Were Liars too was a fun scavenger hunt, I remember in the first book...and now I can't remember if it's in the book or just the TV show... that Penny is having an affair that her ex husband unearths and it was cool how this ties into the storyline in Family of Liars. The fact that all three sisters have grown up, gotten married, had kids, but down to the basics they are still the same as they were as teenagers, causing drama, pissing each other off, and striving for thier father's pride and attention. I really love the way family dynamics are shown in these stories, they feel believable and understandable in complex ways, like you just wish they could all be honest with each other and save themselves the pain of pretending, covering up and lying all the time, but on the other side you can also see what shaped them into those type of people.

I do wish that the mystery in this book had been a bit bigger, or the lie that Carrie told had been more hard hitting. When she stops the story to remind us that she's always been a liar I was rubbing my hands together thinking we were going to get to the really juicy, shocking moment that I'd come to expect from the first book, but in the end it wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be. Nevertheless, the story about the boys being on the island with the family and Carrie's romance with Pfeff was fun to read, the jealously, the insecurity and the nervousness of a first boyfriend were all so relatable. I was shocked to find how much I disliked Penny in this book, I never really had very strong feelings about her in the first book other than the fact she was Cadence's mother, so this book gave some good insight into her character that I hadn't been expecting. It also gave some interesting backstory into why the island now only belongs to Harris, but I do think this subplot felt really underdeveloped, and seeing as this book is only around 300 pages long, I think it could've been included with a bit more depth to add another layer of interest into this story. As it was, it kind of felt like a loose end that was brushed off and forgotten about, which to be honest, is a very Sinclair thing to do, but I just wanted a bit more.

Overall, this was a good read, I really enjoy these books while I'm reading them and I have kept thinking about We Were Liars years after I read it, so I wonder if this one will stick in the same way. I think these books have an interesting commentary regarding the way the wealthy live and how often their lifestyles are corrupted and convoluted in extraordinary ways, hidden behind a perfect facade. I do wish they explored that theme a little bit more, we had Carrie's disdain for rich men who get away with bad things here in this book and Gat's judgement of how wealthy families operate in problematic ways in the other book, but they feel like an after thought to me. I get that these are meant to be dramatic YA thriller novels, so maybe I'm expecting deeper introspection than that reading level allows for, but I do feel like it's something missing for me personally. Either way, I defintiely recommend these books, I know they're divisive online and many people hate the first one at least, but I really enjoy them.

"I walk a path of my parents’ making. I walk it the same way I walk the wooden walkways they’ve made that stretch across Beechwood. I do not see how to step off. If I exit the walkways into the bushes, under the trees, or onto the sand—it doesn’t matter. I am still on their island."

Okay so i found this more easier to read than we were liars. Better storytelling, but not as a big of a plot twist than we were liars. The description tho, the world building was nice and much more clear.

i found myself attaching more to the characters, actually going through the narration and understanding each of the characters. It’s like a puzzle piece knowing why everyone was like that. Definitely a page turner than the other book. For me, it was good that it had a prequel. This book felt like it opened more or offered more than the other book.

Penelope Sanchez

Okay so i found this more easier to read than we were liars. Better storytelling, but not as a big of a plot twist than we were liars. The description tho, the world building was nice and much more clear.

i found myself attaching more to the characters, actually going through the narration and understanding each of the characters. It’s like a puzzle piece knowing why everyone was like that. Definitely a page turner than the other book. For me, it was good that it had a prequel. This book felt like it opened more or offered more than the other book.

౨ৎ | “but my insides are made of seawater, warped wood, and rusty nails.”

i can’t lie, this gave me nothing. the only reaction i had was when penny made out with pfeff. even when the ending ‘plot twist’ happened i was like okay then and moved on. 

it was boring, i don’t know. like i dont hate it but i dont love it. it was just words on paper to me.

౨ৎ | “but my insides are made of seawater, warped wood, and rusty nails.”

— ★ 2/5

i can’t lie, this gave me nothing. the only reaction i had was when penny made out with pfeff. even when the ending ‘plot twist’ happened i was like okay then and moved on. 

it was boring, i don’t know. like i dont hate it but i dont love it. it was just words on paper to me.

I saw someone say “The prequel we didn’t need” and I feel kind of the same way honestly.

 I loved some of the writing styles but near the end when there was the whole plot twist thing, the writing became really annoying. Lockhart was trying to show Carrie’s mind 

It just felt unnecessary to write like this and it really irritated me for some reason because it became every page this technique was used on.

Anyway I can’t really think of much else to say so thanks

Jafe

I saw someone say “The prequel we didn’t need” and I feel kind of the same way honestly.

 I loved some of the writing styles but near the end when there was the whole plot twist thing, the writing became really annoying. Lockhart was trying to show Carrie’s mind 

by continuously

writing like 

this,

and I get that

she was trying to be

creative? 

But it just really annoyed me

As I’m sure this is annoying you.

It just felt unnecessary to write like this and it really irritated me for some reason because it became every page this technique was used on.

Anyway I can’t really think of much else to say so thanks

I enjoyed her writing. There were some parts where I kinda figured it out since it was quite predictable but it was a good read. 

Trish Mahinay

Catia

i liked it alot. the chapters were kinda werid for me because when the chapter ended the beginning of the new chapter was on the same page. the twists were good but mostly predictable.4⭐️

Not as good as the first book but I really enjoy her writing! I hope to read more books by her! 

Robyn Harley

So I won’t lie. I can’t remember anything from We Were Liars but still wanted to pick this one up. So I just went into it not thinking about it. Do I think the rating could be different had I remember probably so maybe take this with a grain of salt. This was pretty much a book about how being rich can get you out of trouble. There was more depth to it but that is a big take away anyone will have. There were several thing revealed and while I knew some of them were coming some I didn’t and seeing the explanation was uncanny. Then seeing how it all fell into place helped make it all make sense. How the dynamic of We Were Liars makes sense. And ultimately if you lie to yourself enough you’ll even be able to convince yourself of it. 

Priscilla Stanfield

Melissa Palmer

Slow at first

This book started slowly for me and I almost gave up. The twist about 3/4 through the book was worth sticking with it. Overall I liked We were Liars much more.

Catarina Silva

Mae Erceg

Another amazing novel by Lockhart. I loved this complementary book to we were liars and would 100% highly recommend this duo to anyone who hasn’t read it yet. It may not be for everyone but both novels are read like you’re 15 again and it’s just so well done. Easily 5/5 stars!

The things that happened in this book were so surreal for me. Like just that the author thought, what things could we do that hurt people and she dit everything that came to mind. It was just too much and surreal and I also didn't like the writing style.

Ellen

Plot twist wasn't as big as book one, but still an interesting book with a beautiful message.

Writing style is way better than book one. Book one was confusing sometimes, but all those problems were fixed in the second book while still keeping the original writing style.

Main character was a little bit annoying and did not care about other people’s feelings, but I believe the writer did this on purpose. 

Elin Hakvoort

Plot twist wasn't as big as book one, but still an interesting book with a beautiful message.

Writing style is way better than book one. Book one was confusing sometimes, but all those problems were fixed in the second book while still keeping the original writing style.

Main character was a little bit annoying and did not care about other people’s feelings, but I believe the writer did this on purpose. 

This book is just so well written it doesn't matter what story it tells, it's always enjoyable. 

Katherine

Emily Perkovich

An aside but also why I even decided to write a review - this book obviously had a ton of CWs that a lot of reviewers mentioned before it was officially out. But I don’t feel like anyone talked enough about how heavy the triggers are for addiction. There is this fuzzy, sticky, creeping kind of heat that comes with a pill addiction, and the amount of times it is referenced is pretty high. I personally still enjoy work that is triggering, so this is not a complaint. I just had to read this book very slowly (sometimes taking breaks when I started thinking too much about this feeling) and thought it was not emphasized by enough reviewers. 

But reviewish thoughts - I loved this equally as much as I assumed that I would. I think this probably has bad reviews because too many people read this because they HATED we were liars (because they went in looking for a lighthearted ya romance, and arrived at a surreal experience with a more lyrical style than most work in the genre at the time), and too many people that enjoyed we were liars read this expecting a twist, spent the whole book trying to guess twists, and ended up upset when they weren’t surprised. Just my take from reading the negative reviews.

taci

Read the sequel to this book first and both kept me guessing until the very end. A good beach thriller detailing the privileged life of a family, their summers on a private island, young love and their individual issues that keep things exciting. 

Kaitlyn Wendler

Jeannette Ordas

3.5 stars. Quite an enjoyable vacation read for me. I had read the earlier book ages ago, but didn’t remember much. Loved all the island living details, the descriptions of clothing, tablecloths, and food. The story was solid too.

Pien van Nunen

This book is more fucked up than the first. But I love it more than the first. Carrie is my fav person ever. Hadley too. I love both of them so much. Major, oh I LOVE THAT BOY TOO. 

Everyone else can rot for all I care. Nobody else made me feel the way these three did. You can watch history repeat itself depressingly when you recall we were liars. 

My god, everyone in this family is a liar. It’s fucking crazy god. I never thought people could lie this easily other than me. But here they are, and here they live.  

Dear God, 

This book is more fucked up than the first. But I love it more than the first. Carrie is my fav person ever. Hadley too. I love both of them so much. Major, oh I LOVE THAT BOY TOO. 

Everyone else can rot for all I care. Nobody else made me feel the way these three did. You can watch history repeat itself depressingly when you recall we were liars. 

My god, everyone in this family is a liar. It’s fucking crazy god. I never thought people could lie this easily other than me. But here they are, and here they live.  

I can’t even describe the emotions i felt 

Allie Zurcher

giorgia :)

if it was any other book/author i would complain that the narrator in this book and this authors other book have the same writing style but i love the writing style so its alright. its so different i love it (the writing style). i loved the plot twist, the randomness that carrie can see ghosts and just the whole story and plot. rlly enjoyed it!!

Lindsey Davis Blanchard 

Avery Baumel

Same as we were liars: disappointing, way overrated, just felt pretentious i guess? Not a satisfying read

Семейство лъжци

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