Their summer romance proves a convenient distraction from her grief. One of the boys-Lawrence Pfefferman, dubbed Pfeff for short-catches Cassie’s eye from the moment he arrives. But the prequel’s real story begins when a group of boys arrives on Beechwood Island, bringing romance and drama into the Sinclair sisters’ lives. Oddly enough, Rosemary’s ghostly presence isn’t the central focus of Family of Liars-though it does spark conversations about loss. Only Cassie seems unable to keep her emotions in check, and that’s probably why her youngest sister returns to her after death. In typical Sinclair fashion, the family avoids dwelling on her absence. However, Rosemary drowned the summer Cassie turned 16. There used to be a fourth Sinclair sister, younger than Cassie, Penny, and Bess. In fact, one of the biggest revelations from Family of Liars is casually thrown in at the beginning of the book. So, really, it’s no surprise ghosts make a habit of haunting the place. The Sinclair family’s private oasis is tainted by a tragedy that goes back further than Cady’s story. That’s right, the spectral appearances on Beechwood Island keep coming in this prequel, proving Cady’s adventures from Book 1 weren’t all in her head. Cassie takes readers through her early years on Beechwood Island as she recounts “the worst thing” she’s ever done to Johnny’s ghost. And as it turns out, there’s more to Johnny’s mother than you’d think after reading We Were Liars. In Family of Liars, they appear as teenagers-still stoic and obsessed with their image, but significantly more vulnerable than the last time we saw them.įamily of Liars offers readers Cassie’s perspective.

Readers have already met Cassie, Penny, and Bess as adults warring over the family fortune. Set 27 years before the events of We Were Liars, Family of Liars follows the previous generation of the Sinclair family. Although this follow-up isn’t quite as impressive as We Were Liars, it’s a completely serviceable story that will no doubt hook readers from start to finish.

Family of Liars features many of the same elements that made the original story such a success, tackling themes of growing up and grief while diving deeper into the world of the Sinclair family. Lockhart’s We Were Liars took the book community by storm back in 2014, and the author has returned with a prequel nearly a decade later.

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