Thank you to @delacortepress and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC of FAMILY OF LIARS!

I read WE WERE LIARS back in 2014 (back before TikTok was even a thing LOL) and was absolutely stunned by the book. I mean it’s been 8 years and I still just remember being blown away by the ending.

I squealed with joy when I got the email from Netgalley saying I’d been approved for an eARC of the prequel FAMILY OF LIARS and it did not disappoint!

I love a good unreliable narrator… especially when that narrator tells you off the bat that they are unreliable. It’s so fun to guess what’s actually true and isn’t while reading. While FAMILY OF LIARS isn’t as shocking as WE WERE LIARS (and realistically I don’t think that would even be possible!), I was completely sucked into Carrie’s story and what happened that fateful summer in 1987. I’m also a fan of E. Lockhart’s disjointed writing style but know it’s not for everyone.

If you haven’t read WE WERE LIARS yet, read that one first as the prequel contains spoilers!

FAMILY OF LIARS is out today!

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Source: DRC via NetGalley (Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press)
Pub. Date: May 3, 2022
Synopsis: Goodreads
Other Books in the Series: We Were Liars

Why did I choose to read this book?

We Were Liars was gripping with an excellent twist, and it’s been awhile since Lockhart came out with a new book, so of course I had to try and snag a DRC.

What is this book about?

This book is about rich people who summer off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and don’t have to bear the legal consequences of their actions due to wealth and privilege. They suffer the emotional consequences, and how the different characters navigate coping with these consequences makes the story move.

Family of Liars is also a prequel to We Were Liars, so if you haven’t read that one yet you’ll want to because FoL spoils a lot of the suspense that is built up in WWL. Both happen on the same island.

What is notable about the story?

It’s helpful that the characters of this story are contained on their island, because in the context of the real world, their problems would seem even more meaningless. Maybe the major event wouldn’t have even happened. The isolation of this family inside the bubble of their wealth is required to make this story work. In any other book it would have caused me to put it down (I’m not a big fan of reading about the adventures of the super rich in my fiction) but much like she did in We Were Liars, Lockhart managed to lead me past that unsavory element and convinced me to care about the characters.

I like the exploration of which lies are worth saying alongside a discussion about what a family really is. What’s worth covering up to maintain the family integrity? Who qualifies as part of the family? Lockhart’s characters will show you what it means to defend and protect family, and it’ll be up to you to decide if it’s right.

Was anything not so great?

It’s 2022 and I only have so much empathy to give, so any book that has characters that own their own island and make a phone call to get their kids into the ivy league isn’t really my cup of tea. I only read this one because I trusted the author to damage the characters enough that I felt like they didn’t walk away free and clear. If you’ve been struggling with finances maybe skip this one.

What’s the verdict?

A solid 3 stars on Goodreads. It was good, but it didn’t blow my mind, and it’s been so long since We Were Liars that it lacked the excitement that a prequel might have carried. If you need a quick read and there’s nothing pressing on the TBR, see if your local library has a copy on hand.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

In this prequel to We Were Liars, we return to the Sinclair family on their private island. The book follows Caroline or Carrie, one of the parents. The book opens to Carrie beginning a story of the worst thing she's done and why she comes from a Family of Liars. In the summer of 1985, Carrie is falling to pieces after the drowning of her youngest sister Rosemary. Rosemary's ghost is a companion of Carrie throughout the book and it seems like Rosemary is worried about her sister. Much like the first book, the story sweeps through a summer but this one is full of boys, lies, escape through alcohol and prescription medication, and ghost stories. How will the Sinclair family stick to their principals?

The book is full of unlikable characters, but that's one of the things that pulls you in. Not all characters are going to be likable just like how we have the same thoughts about the people around us. Carrie and her sisters are close and that comes across in the book but because we follow Carrie the most as she is our main protagonist, we get the best view of her. The back and forth between stories that were read to Rosemary and the main plot keeps you believing that it could all just be another fairy tale. However, the twist and the mystery of it all is really what drives you to need to read the rest of the book immediately.

I loved this prequel. It had enough of the first book to keep it as a prequel, but I felt as though it was a new story entirely. What I really liked was how readable it was. It was so hard to put down. I would definitely recommend this to all those who loved the first book but I will say it contains spoilers if you haven't read the previously published book.

Loved Family of Liars! So many plot twists and turns that had me turning page after page. Highly recommend reading We We’re Liars before this one. Family can be read alone, but even more enjoyable if read as the prequel.
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was allowed to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of what happened to the Sinclair sisters who are the mothers in We Were Liars. I loved We Were Liars and I recommend it to my patrons all the time. So, I was very excited to get an ARC of Family of Liars. However, it did not live up to my expectations. It is told in eight parts by Carrie Sinclair. It begins with Carrie talking with her dead son, Johnny, and him asking her to tell him the most terrible thing she ever did. One of the issues I had was the ghosts. Maybe I took that part too literally, but it didn't work for me. I am also tired of stories about very wealthy families and their "troubles." Families who have so much money that they can kill someone, cover it up, and not be investigated more by the police.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for sending me an advanced reader copy of this book to review.

If you loved We Were Liars, you're going to love it's prequel, Family of Lairs. In the first book we followed the lives of the Sinclair cousins. In this book we follow the story of the original liars.....their Mothers as teenagers on the island!

This story is once again on the private island off the coast of Massachusetts. Much like the first book you'll want to read this story going into it blind. It follows a similar pattern of reading from different points of view and definitely provides a big plot twist just like We Were Liars.

If you've not read We Were Liars. This is not the type of prequel you'll want to read in sequence because it will definitely spoil that book within the first few pages. Definitely read it in publication order.

This author has a simple but eloquent writing style that draws you into the story and before you know it, you can't put the book down.

I would recommend this book and it's predecessor to those readers who enjoy a suspenseful family drama along with a coming of age story line.

The twists at the end were completely unexpected! FAMILY OF LIARS is the prequel to We We’re Liars and shares alot about Candace’s mother and sisters and the history of their family island. The story opens with Carrie (the oldest Sinclair daughter) being asked about the worst thing she has ever done. She shared about the summer of 1980 and how it changed the course of not only her life, but her sisters’ lives as well. Her story starts slow and is definitely a slow burn of a thriller, but once it gets going, I could not put it down! Grab your copy this Tuesday, May 3. Just keep in mind, the entire family are a bunch of liars. 😉 Thanks to @netgalley for the digital ARC and to Delacorte Press for the print ARC at #txla22!

I loved We Were Liars, and was so excited to find out Lockhart was publishing a prequel. Revisiting the Sinclair family wasn’t easy—the deception and heartache is woven into their family tapestry. This book did a great job keeping true to the mystery and intrigue of We Were Liars while also being a standalone story. Though it left some unanswered questions for me at the end, the writing and character development made this an absolute page turner.

I enjoyed this prequel to “we were liars” and read the entire book while on a flight. The story centers on Carrie and is mostly told in the past when she was a teenager spending her summers with her family on a secluded island off of the coast of Massachusetts.

Though much is this story is more day to day events leading up to the “big event”, there is a sense of foreboding along with overall character development that held my interest throughout. There are a couple side stories going on as well, which I thought were fascinating backdrops to the main event. The characters were well drawn and I empathized with Carrie even when she did the wrong things.

All in all, a great prequel that can absolutely be read as a stand-alone (though does provide spoilers to the other book). I enjoyed it and hope the author gives us more stories revolving around the Sinclair family.

I read the original book in this series, We Were Liars, and was happy to receive an ARC of this prequel. I liked the original book, but I absolutely love, love, love this prequel. I think it is much better.
It is definitely a great standalone novel, but now, I want to reread the other and compare more carefully.
Let’s just say that I was on the edge of my seat from the 3rd page and hit 17% read in about 45 minutes. I cannot put this book down. It is suspenseful and written in a very direct way. The voice is excellent, and I can see high school students inhaling this book. I will need concealer and coffee tomorrow AM because I will be staying up all night to finish this book. I’m so hooked that I had to come and write a review ASAP. Read this one-it is the perfect summer beach book! Holy smokes it’s good.

uckle up, because this book is a bit of a bumpy ride, in all of the best ways! It’s been quite a few years since I read We Were Liars, and this book is the prequel to that so unfortunately I may have missed some key connections between the two books, but I guess that means I’ll have to read them both again, which I won’t complain about!

From what I recall, the tone of this book is very similar to We Were Liars, and by that I mean it’s an intriguing and somewhat lighthearted book, or at least it feels that way, up to a certain point. Family of Liars is set on a private island and centered around the Sinclair family, specifically Carrie. Carrie is the oldest among her sisters and it’s clear that both she and her sisters see her as the glue that holds them together. Summers on the island are a time for family and traditional activities that their mother plans. If this all sounds like a fun book to read then let me tell you, it only gets better.

The arrival of cousins and an uncle on the island heralds the true beginning of their summer; however, a slight change of plans occurs when they arrive with guests–young, male guests to be specific. Carrie quickly finds herself falling for one of the boys, and though she and her sisters are close, she begins to spend more time with him alone. Boys aren’t the only thing on her mind this summer though. Having glimpsed a mysterious picture among her mother’s jewelry, she decides to do some digging into the past, paying no heed to her mother’s dismissal of her questions about it.

Carrie’s narration of this book was spot on and it was very easy to slip into the mindset of a young adult perched on the edge of maturity. Unfortunately, Carrie, being the eldest sister, feels she must bear the weight of some of the heavier things that occur over the course of the summer. As the title alludes to, her family has many secrets tied up in lies and she slowly begins to realize that what she has always trusted was the truth may be very far from it.

I’ve heard different opinions on We Were Liars, from readers hating on it to readers loving it. Personally, I loved it and this prequel as well. It was fun to vicariously live a life of luxury, and sunny beaches even if only for a few hundred pages and I’m sure I will revisit the two books sooner than later.

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy from Random House Children’s Books

It is so hard to write a review for this book because the beauty of the novel is not knowing what will happen. It was wonderful to drop back into the world of the Sinclair family and see the aunts and mothers from We Were Liars as teenagers. The story that enfolds adds more depth and resonance to the story of We Were Liars and builds the generational impact of secrets and family relationships - both good and bad. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loved We Were Liars, but with the spoilers in the beginning of the novel, I would recommend reading We Were Liars first.

Thanks to Delacourte Press + Random House Books for the e-ARC of FAMILY OF LIARS, out May 3rd.

If you read and loved WE ARE LIARS be E. Lockhart, then this one is 100% for you - back with the Sinclair family, on their private island, and once again we are immersed in the telling of a story where we know something isn't right but just can't quite figure it out.
I definitely recommend reading this one *after* We are Liars, and really only if you loved it as much as I did.

This is an exceptionally weird follow-up/pre-cursor to E. Lockhart's hit book <i>We Were Liars </i>, and as much as I wanted to enjoy it, <i> Family of Liars</i> lacks the suspense and tight pacing that made <i>We Were Liars </i> so much fun.

I also felt like it was, given all of the conversations about privilege occurring now, so strange that we get a book where the characters are wildly wealthy and there are zero ramifications for the murder that occurs. Unlike <i>We Were Liars </i>, where there's a terrible plan that goes even worse and the perpetrators pay a terrible price, there's no excuse for the murder in this book. Even when Carrie commits the murder it seems to come out of nowhere as she doesn't seem like an especially unreliable narrator despite being on pain medication.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.

E. Lockhart's prequel to We Were Liars did not disappoint. Family of Liars follows the events of one summer of Carrie, Penny, and Bess and the darkness that ultimately shadows their lives. Although their family island seems ideal to the outsider, the money and prestige cannot buy happiness.

If you loved We Were Liars, I would highly recommend Family of Liars. It gleams some insight into the family and what they later become. It is a quick read with characters you will love to hate. There were a couple of forced parts in the back that I felt could've been left out; they didn't add to the forward movement of the plot. This kept me from giving the book five stars. However, I would definitely recommend it IF you read and liked We Were Liars first. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this prequel in exchange for my honest review.

Ahhhh, elitism at it's finest.

I keep hearing about this 'tiktok phenomenon' surrounding the book We Were Liars. I don't know if that's the reason Family of Liars was published, but I'd be a-okay with that fact.

We all know the twist in We Were Liars, so I'm not really going to recap it here. But I will say, Family of Liars is written sooooo much better. It's set 27 years earlier on the exact same private island. We know the Sinclair Family is filled with liars, but it seems like they're really just trying to protect their own. The story is told through the eyes of Carrie, the oldest sibling in the original Sinclair Family. She happens to be Johnny's mom, so her story really sheds some light on the bizarre happenings on the island.

It's kind of exactly what I was expecting but better.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for sending me an e-ARC!

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart comes out May 3, 2022!!

✔️ this is the prequel to We Are Liars and I liked it more than the first book. Perhaps because I knew what to expect, of because it seemed less a teenage love story
✔️ although not as surprising as the unexpected turn of events in the first story, still some nice surprises along the way .
✔️ the family dynamics in this story were much more interesting

E Lockhart is a master storyteller. With compelling characters and head-turning plot twists, Lockhart weaves a web that ensnares the reader. I will be thinking about these characters for a long time. For fans of WE ARE LIARS, you will not be disappointed!

Family of Liars is the prequel I didn’t know I was missing. The unraveling begins on the private island where the family spends the leisure day of summer with the arrival of “the boys”. The unexpected guests being an excitement and thrill. The pages turn quickly and leads the reader to a deeper understanding of the Lockhart’s “We Were Liars” while it can be enjoyed as a stand alone, reading “We Were Liars” first is recommended.

I put off reading this one because I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to its predecessor. I was, quite thankfully, completely wrong. I read this more slowly than necessary because I really didn’t want the book to end.

It is a prequel to We Were Liars, and it’s mostly set in the summer of 1987. Part of its appeal to me was the time period (my teenage years) but I was also drawn to the characters, especially the narrator Carrie. And, in true E. Lockhart style, expect a twist (or two) that take your breath away. The ending leaves the possibility of another book or books, which would be wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.