We Were Liars follows a girl named Cadence and her perfect family. This includes her Grandfather Harris and his three daughters, Carrie, Bess and Penny. Harris Sinclair has seven grandchildren; Cadence, Johnny, Mirren who are the “liars” as well as Will, Liberty, Bonnie and Taft who are the “littles.” Gat is an extra character who is the fourth liar.
The story opens by talking about the Sinclairs, they are tall and athletic. They also all live on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts during the summer. When the story begins, we learn that Cadence has experienced a traumatic accident during Summer 15 which she can not remember and none of the family is allowed to tell her about it. We also learn that she spent Summer 16 with her dad and she has returned to the island for Summer 17. As the story progresses, she discovers more and more about her accident and finally the whole story is revealed.
The reveal has a huge plot twist that changes the whole perspective of the book and makes a second read through just as enjoyable. I thought this book was well written and that the author leaves interesting clues to find out the truth about the Sinclairs. In my opinion, it deals with dark topics appropriately and gives insight on how we deal with difficult issues in our lives. One critique that I have is that it can be slow paced which makes reading it quite dull at some points. I would recommend this book mainly to teenagers but I also think it could be enjoyed by adults.