We Were Liars is a captivating book that I devoured in just a few hours. It left me confused, spiraling, and sitting there staring into blank space once done. Will this be your next read?

You’ll Love We Were Liars If You Love…

Amnesia Trope

One of the main focuses of the book is Cadence’s amnesia, and her frustration at not knowing what happened that one summer. And Cadence won’t stop until she pieces together her missing memories, even if the truth hurts.

Found Family

The stories that Cadence tells to the audience about her relationships with her cousins, plus another character, Gat, show audiences that they’re a tight-knit group. Their relationships with each other gives off good, found family vibes, even if they really are blood-related. Cadence’s relationship with her cousins can be relateable to a lot of people who are close with their cousins.

Unreliable Narrator

Since the story is told from Cadence’s point of view, her trauma and memory loss also affects the information the reader knows, so, you have to remember that you can’t always trust what Cadence says. The fact that this story is told from an unreliable narrator allows for readers to be very surprised and shocked by the ending of the story.

Shocking Ending

Cadence’s unreliable narration surely won’t prepare you for the shocking ending to this mysterious novel. I absolutely had no idea what was going to happen at the ending of the book, there are hints throughout the book, but by the time the ending is upon you everything is already happening so fast you don’t know what to think.

We Were Liars Review

We Were Liars is a mysterious young-adult thriller centering around protagonist Cadence Sinclair. The plot is a recollection of stories that Cadence tells readers, until the past catches up with the present, and the story goes from there. I found the plot to not be very action-packed, yet it was still absorbing enough to hold my interest. Much of the suspense in this book stems from the unknown. Not knowing about Cadence’s accident, not knowing why Beechwood is different, not knowing why her family is acting differently. This mysteriousness also adds to this book’s ability to captivate. I thought the plot was cleverly thought-out, and flowed well, making it easy for readers to follow. I wasn’t able to identify any plot holes, and all my questions were answered by the end of the book. 

The ending was very shocking, but I feel that it didn’t have that much of an impact on me compared to other people. The reason I say this is because of hints and foreshadowing throughout the novel, so I was able to predict the premise of the ending, but not all the details. Nonetheless, the plot twist was still a very good one and will we leave you heartbroken.

We Were Liars puts heavy emphasis on its characters and their relationships, with the plot often stemming from this. Cadence Sinclair is a very complex character. Her trauma from the accident is a key point in her characterization, and impacts the course of the book, as well as her other personality traits. Because of all the mystery surrounding the characters and the events, this makes Cadence even more compelling. I found myself wondering the motivations behind some of her actions, and if that could be in relation to the accident. 

Additionally, Cadence’s relationship with her fellow Liars (cousins plus Gat) is a driving element of the book. Many of her actions were motivated by improving her relationship with the liars, especially Gat. Although Cadence and her liars have an unbreakable relationship, Cadence and Gat’s romantic relationship is developed throughout the novel, but undergoes a very rocky path. The relationship among the Liars is key to the novel and Lockhart’s ability to write it to the point where it touches my heart was amazing.

I enjoyed the way that Lockhart was able to execute this idea. Her writing is easy to follow, and she establishes a good pace for the book. Lockhart is able to effectively use the narration to give readers insight into Cadence’s personality, without explicitly telling her audience certain details. Furthermore, Lockhart is able to walk the fine line between showing and telling. Her creative use of words enables readers to clearly envision scenes, and understand what’s happening within the novel. 

A unique component of the story that I enjoyed was the inclusion of allegorical fairytales to further communicate Cadence’s way of thinking. 

We Were Liars is a haunting, slow-burn mystery packed with lyrical writing and emotional depth. While not heavy on action, its quiet suspense and character-driven plot kept me hooked until the end. If you’re looking for a book that’s both atmospheric and psychologically twisty—with an ending that will linger in your mind—this might just be your next read. Just be warned: once you know the truth, you can’t unread it.