I have mixed feelings about this.

This prequel took me on a trip down memory lane for me, I read We Were Liars years ago and I adored going back to it, to this story and characters.

E. Lockhart's prequel to the beloved We Were Liars is spectacular. It totally stands on its own, while setting the stage for all of the characters in We Were Liars. The secret that ties the sisters together is devastating. The family dynamics in the book are fascinating and more than once, I wanted to shout at the characters. This book is an excellent companion to We Were Liars, but the story and characters are so rich, that any reader could enjoy it without having read WWL.

I adore this messed up family. I was completely blown away by We Were Liars and was so excited to dive back into their world. This prequel takes us back to the island and to the sisters when they were young and wreck-less. I enjoyed the fairy tales being woven throughout the book. We are told from the beginning that they are a family of liars and to watch it all play out and see the many lies they tell to hold the family together was both interesting and sad. Wealth has a major role in this story because they are only able to get away with most of their lies because of their stature. This was a great addition to We We’re Liars. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I was delighted to return to the world of the Sinclair family in this prequel novel. It's been quite a few years since I read We Were Liars, but it was one of the first books I read with a twist ending. And wow, that twist ending! Since we already know the family's propensity for murder and lying (obviously), Family of Liars doesn't pack a punch when it comes to twists, but it certainly delivers in every other way. It's dishy and scandalous and the wealth in play is so far beyond what most readers will ever experience in their lifetime that it feels like another planet. The genius of this (and the previous) book, is that we empathize with and root for our VERY flawed protagonists. Nothing is black and white; we are adrift in a sea of moral grey.

My only quibble is the fact that Carrie uses very modern terminology and has very modern ideas even though the story is supposed to take place in the late 80s. She uses terms that we know as being correct, like "enslaved person" instead of "slave" or "Indigenous person" instead of "Indian." I know that the latter terms are insensitive and wrong, but it jolts the reader out of the story when they hear these very modern terms coming out of a person living 35 years ago. I am younger than Carrie, but grew up in the 90s, and I *never* heard those terms, even from my extremely liberal teachers at my extremely liberal private school. It's okay to show how things were in the past--that doesn't mean it's being condoned in any way. I completely understand why the author did this--the YA book community, in particular, is vicious in its pursuit of cancellation of authors committing perceived slights.

Thanks to Tiktok (a phrase I never thought I'd utter, but here we are), We Were Liars has been extraordinarily popular with teens, and I will happily recommend the prequel to them as well.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this. While this is meant to be a prequel and it explores the parents' upbringing, I would still say this should be read after We Were Liars due to some of the spoilers.

It was an okay read. It didn't have as many twists or big reveals as the first book. I felt like not a lot happened in the first half of the book, but the dialogue between the kids was the most realistic I have read in a long time.

Family of Liars follows the Sinclair family a generation before the events/children of the first book, We Were Liars. This book is told to us by Carrie, the oldest Sinclair sister. It follows the summers after their youngest sister tragically passes away. I don't want to give too much away but lying seems to run in the Sinclair blood.

I really enjoyed We Were Liars, and this prequel was no different! Both are fast paced, with short chapters and lots of action/development of the story. I would definitely read We Were Liars fist, as this prequel it gives major spoilers.

Thank you to E. Lockhart, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Quick Cut: A summer at a private family island goes wrong when mistakes are made and betrayals occur.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Delacorte Press for providing the ARC for an honest review.

Everyone has secrets and parts of their life that occur behind closed doors. However, how far would you go to keep those secrets hidden? These are the kinds of questions in Carrie's mind.

It's the 1980s and Carrie's family is preparing to spend another summer on their private island. Still feeling from the drowning of their sister, Rosemary, Carrie is secretly addicted to pain pills and hiding her pain. Then, Carrie's cousin, boyfriend, and a few guys friends show up and set off an unexpected turn of events. Will this summer lead to another unfortunate loss for this family?

I was one of those people who read the original book, We Were Liars, and wasn't impressed by the story. While most people loved the twist ending, I was left confused by the point of the book. With this prequel, my feelings at the end were very different.

This book focused on the sisters, with Carrie narrating from her point of view. It is very much a slow burn story, with the action really not taking off until two thirds through the book. It's like a game of Jenga: most of the book is piling the pieces higher until the wrong one is pulled and it all falls apart. While seeing everything go wrong is enjoyable, I'm not a very patient reader.

Carries is going through it. Not only does she hate the pressure of her family, she's gotten herself addicted to drugs - pain pills specifically. No one makes good choices when in pain and under pressure. Seeing her world continue to fall apart makes you sympathetic to her, even if she's not necessarily trustworthy.

An interesting thriller that takes it's time.

My rating: 3.75 out of 5

I remember when I first read We are Liars, it was what got me sucked into reading and the twists and turns endings can have. When I saw that E. Lockhart was writing a prequel called Family of Liars, I knew I had to get my hands on it immediately.
While We are Liars were based off the teenage cousins, Family of Liars is based off the generation before. More specifically, Cassie Sinclair mother of Johnny. This book still takes place on the Sinclair family island off of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. It tells the story of Cassie and her sisters when they were teenagers, and the mischief and lies that were told.
It had been a while since I read We are Liars, so I read it before Family of Liars- which I am glad I did. I don’t believe it is necessary to read it right before as the story is pretty separate from the original. I will note that Family of Liars did contain spoilers from the ending of the previous book. This book was a quick read and did have twists and turns at the end that kept me engaged. This is a perfect young adult novel, and I have already recommended it to several of my high school students. Although it was great, it did not quite live up to the first one. 4 out of 5 stars!

For those who loved We Were Liars, Family of Liars will not disappoint. Told from the point of view of Carrie, we get the story of her and her sisters from their teenage years, and how lying is nothing new for the Sinclairs.

Family of Liars is a stunning prequel to We Were Liars. There are some spoilers, but this book stands on its own two feet if you want to read it first. The Sinclaire family follows all the cliche "apple dosne't fall far from the tree" and "history repeats itself" but now we know WHY! The story starts with the Sinclaire sisters who are mourning the loss of their littlest sister. Torn between moving forward and grief, they all deal in their own ways. Pills, boys, and harmless summer antics seem like good clean fun till someone ends up dead. It leaves you wondering if money is the answer or the problem.

I enjoyed this book even more than We Were Liars. The coming-of-age story, Rosemary's haunting, and the burgeoning romance were all page-turners, but the development of the main character is really what makes the story. I often struggle to read and relate to books with privileged characters, but not in this book. I could imagine and remember any number of scenarios that could have played out similarly in any adolescence. This is a moving book and a brilliant character study.

I don't know what it is about E. Lockhart books but I can never put them down and this one was no exception. I loved following the story of this book. I was curious and absolutely captivated the whole time. It was so good! Haunting but beautiful. An amazing summer read!

As someone who LOVED We Were Liars, I was THRILLED to read a copy of this early and it didn't disappoint. Secrets, Liars, and all the things we need from the Sinclairs! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

E. Lockhart does it again. Even as I am reading, and I am appalled by a lot of the actions of these characters, I cannot stop reading. It's a beautiful trainwreck. On this wreck are the Sinclair sisters, their parents, and visiting family and friends. There is SO much privilege in this book, and while that would normally bother me, it's very clear that Lockhart knows these characters are privileged. She is very good at naming all of the subtext going on.

What's remarkable is that you fall in love with the island, and you care about Carrie, our narrator, even as you question so much. Would I love to have parents who care so much about her? Yes, and...I don't want to give too much away, but her parents are very complex individuals with questionable morals at times. And Carrie too has her own issues with addiction and insecurity. You're so much in her head that you understand why Carrie feels the way she does, and behaves the way to she does.

And there are ghosts.

As with all Lockhart books, this one is unputdownable.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the digital ARC of this book.

I reviewed this on TikTok and told my followers they should read it EVEN IF they didn't love We Were Liars. I actually think this one is a better/stronger book and it could be enjoyed by those who didn't love the twist in the original book. The link to my TikTok review is below.

Every Sinclair has secrets. Some are better at keeping them. Some don’t know when to stop keeping them.

I thought this book was better than We Were Liars! I enjoyed reading this one. It was fast paced and exciting.

I enjoyed this prequel to We Were Liars. I am a fan of We Were Liars, so getting more was good for me.

In short, rich people have the power to do terrible things and get away with it.

In the summer of 1980 something, Carrie (nursing a new addiction to pills following a painful surgery) and her two younger sisters, Penny and Bess are settling in for a summer on their family’s island a year after the drowning of their youngest sister Rosemary.

Rosemary begins to visit Carrie on a regular basis but no one else, except their mom, can see her.

Then her cousin arrived towing along her boyfriend and two of his friends.

Pfeff, one of the friend, takes an interest in Carrie one evening. As this is the first time a boy has paid much attention she falls pretty hard, very quickly.

But Pfeff is really nothing more than an asshole and proves it over and over.

He gets what’s coming to him and then some. Carrie discovers family secrets. And awful choices are made.

I'm an E. Lockhart fan, but unfortunately my appreciation for her writing didn't carry me through Family of Liars. I gave up about 25% of the way in. (Hard to tell exactly because the Shelf app knocked me back to my previous login, like it does) The writing, as always, is clever, elegant, poetic, trenchant, etc., but I couldn't unlock much care for protagonist Carrie.

I'm a sympathetic narrator person, so care for the protagonist is essential for me. I also struggle with addition stories, and Carrie signals the reader that there's pill-popping danger ahead. It could also be tougher to love the Sinclairs if you've read We Were Liars, or if you just don't like rich people. ymmv