Let me start by saying, DO NOT read this book if you haven't already read We Were Liars. Even though it is a prequel, it is written from the present, looking back at the past and there are huge spoilers right from the first page.

This is Carrie's story, mostly from the summer of 1987. We learn a great deal more about the Sinclair family and the secrets they hide. On the surface, everything seems perfect, and they work hard to make it look that way. We learn the secrets behind the secrets from Carrie, who is honest about being an unreliable narrator. She does acknowledge her privilege in a way that seems authentic. If you loved We Were Liars and missed the Sinclair family, you should definitely read this. I did not find the reveals to be the gut punch that they were in the first book. Recommended for grade 8 & up.

3.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.
I"m the most gigantic fan of We Were Liars, and have been ever since I read it years ago and it continued to stick with me like very few stories do. So I was super excited to hear about and receive an ARC of Family of Liars! There were many things I really enjoyed about it. The setting and writing style are the same, which is a plus for me; I love reading about Beechwood Island, it feels magical regardless of the drama that occurs there. My favorite thing was learning more about the parents and grandparents of the original Liars...it was interesting to learn about more family members, and I loved reading from Carrie's P.O.V. I found myself wishing her and Cadence (from We Were Liars) would've talked more, because I believe they would have gotten along really well. So it was great to have all of this additional background, wrapped up in a quick paced atmospheric summer story.
My only complaint is that it just didn't grab me the way We Were Liars did. It's still 100% worth the read, and still an enjoyable and dramatic story in its own right. I just believe I set my bar too high.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for the Arc.

I re-read We Are Liars prior to reading this prequel and I was very glad I did.

The Sinclairs' island wasn't always home to just the Liars moms and grandparents. When the three Sinclair girls were young the island was shared between their father, Harris, and his brother Dean. The girls- Carrie, Penny, and Bess grew up enjoying summers with their cousins Yardley and Tompkin.

Carrie, the eldest, narrates the story if how the Sinclair third generation were not the first liars. They all were liars.

And it started the summer The Boys came.

Lockhart writes grief into a narrative like poetry. The safe wistful, longing tone of We Were Liars is evident in this prequel.

Beautifully written, engaging.

E. Lockhart's writing is so, so beautiful. I loved this book even more than the first one! I loved getting background on the Sinclair family, and Carrie was the perfect narrator. I read this book in a single sitting!

I wouldn't call this a jaw-dropping story with an insane plot-twist, but it is definitely a heart wrenching and dark and twisty for sure. This prequel is from the perspective of Carrie who is honestly a very unlikable character, but I can deal with a POV from an unlikeable character-she's still super relatable. If you are looking for that shock-value in a book that you got from We Were Liars, then this may not be what you're looking for. To me, it felt kind of unnecessary? However, it is a quick and easy read if that's what you're looking for!

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC of this book. I will admit to being super excited to get my hands on it as I am always excited to get my hands on anything the good Dr. Lockhart publishes. We were liars is hands down her best book. It is a gut punch and a tear-jerker and all of the cliched things other people have already said about it. Frankie is my favorite of her books, but WWL is the best. Reading this prequel though made me realize that I would have loved to see what Frankie was up to instead or I want to know if Ruby Oliver and her mom see eye to eye. Those stories need the sequels more than this book needed a prequel. This book makes me wonder about the power of the island and what that means. I suppose if she did another prequel, WWL negative 1 where we see who used to live on the island and how it came to be what it is, that could be a fun historical look at everything.
This is good because Dr. Lockart is a great writer, but in the end, if I never had this, I would have been OK.

I read We Were Liars a long time ago, probably back when it was first published. I remember loving it and being completely broken by it. So when I saw this prequel I was so so excited to read it.

Family of Liars tells the story of one summer when the Sinclair sisters were teenagers. It is narrated by Carrie; she is telling the story to Johnny. It is the story of the summer The Boys (George, Pfeff, and Major) come to stay on the island, the summer that everything changes with the sisters and the Sinclairs. The events of this one summer echo into many many years to come and shape the lives of not only the sisters but their future families.

I am having a hard time with this review, because I have such fond memories and good feelings toward We Were Liars. And I think, if I had read this 5 years ago I would have loved it. It is very similar in writing style and story style from what I remember from We Were Liars. There was nothing really wrong with Family of Liars, but I didn’t love it. It was just fine. I can’t put my finger on why I am feeling let down; perhaps my expectations as a reader have evolved.

Although it fell a little flat for me, I would think that most readers who loved We Were Liars will thoroughly enjoy this book. It does contain some spoilers for We We’re Liars so i would read that one before you read this one.

3 stars

I enjoyed the prequel to We Were Liars. It was nice to reconnect with the Sinclair family and be drawn into the tale of the sisters this go round.

While not as twisty as "we were liars", this one is certainly worth reading. I loved that it takes place in the 1980s. I hate to think of that as "historical" but I guess it is! Most of the characters weren't very likable, but that wasn't a problem for me -- it kept the story interesting.

I’m glad I read this prequel. The Sinclair family is an interesting bunch! Each character has depth and their own secrets. It was definitely a page-turner and I was still surprised by many things! Definitely recommend! Now onward to the sequel!

As one of the people who really enjoyed 'We Were Liars' by E. Lockhart, I was excited to read this prequel. This book takes place many years before, with the parents of the teens as teenagers themselves. The Sinclair Family is on the island for the summer, and three young men are invited to stay in one of the family homes.

Carrie Sinclair tells this story to her son, Johnny, in one long flashback. She weaves a tale of intrigue, and we get a clearer picture of just what the family dynamics are. As is often stated, the family are all liars, and as such, we are left to wonder exactly how reliable our narrator is.

I enjoyed this book. It was a well told tale of young romance, of grief, and of the complex relationships between sisters. The outcome of this book isn't nearly as shocking as 'We Were Liars' which I, personally, was happy about. It was a quick read that I literally didn't put down until it was finished.

Thank you to Random House Childrens and Delacorte Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have previously read "We Were Liars" the sequel to this book, and found it quite intriguing. I still think its better to read that one, and then read this prequel... Anyway, I had read the original too many years ago to remember too many facts, characters and plot lines, but I knew the gist. I had hoped for some answers, and this book did provide some. I found it very interesting how the family lies and changes stories to fit their agenda, thus a family if liars. You will sympathize with the characters, and wonder why it is that Carrie is so "bothered" by ghosts. This was a quick read and one that I really enjoyed.

E. Lockhart has returned to the Sinclair family's island off the coast of Massachusetts in this prequel to her novel, "We Were Liars". This time, the focus is on the older generation from the first novel; specifically, on Carrie Sinclair and the worst thing she's ever done.
**Mild Spoilers for 'We Were Liars**
The novel starts with Carrie conversing with her dead son, explaining to the reader that she has long been able to see ghosts, and that Johnny visits her regularly. In this instance, he is encouraging his mother to tell him about her teenage life with her sisters, and specifically the worst thing she has ever done. Carrie tells the reader that this story, the history, is owed to her son; it will help him understand why he died and begins to tell the tale.

Initially, the novel seems to be more of a romance than a thriller, but as Carrie says, she is a liar, which means that we as the reader need to treat anything and everything she says as unreliable. I love the ways in which the story unfolds unexpectedly and strangely; the writing is clear, direct, and true on the surface. But as the novel continues and winds to a conclusion, you're left with feelings of uncertainty about what you've just read. Although I don't think you have to have read "We Were Liars" to enjoy this novel, I do think that it does give some context and would recommend reading it after if not before. The novel is beautifully odd and I very much enjoyed it.

I was really looking forward to this one since I absolutely loved the first book! I found this book very character and evenly plot driven, which I love in a book. I was a huge fan of the biggest twist, and enjoyed the turns throughout the story.
I think reading from Carrie's point of view was a great perspective. I feel like she had every aspect covered. It was awesome to learn the parents secrets in this one.
Overall I felt like this was a solid read and I enjoyed it very much. I personally liked the first book more, I found more mystery throughout it, for obvious reasons. There is no doubt in my mind if more come out in this series I will be a big fan.

Wow. This one was insane, but in a good way! It hooked me from the very beginning and kept me on my toes the entire time.

Boy, when I read “we were liars” I had no idea it was YA. I typically don’t due to maturity of content. But I did read it….and I loved it. I was so excited to see the soon release of family of liars. It did not disappoint! Well written, real, sad, loving ….it had something for everyone and was pulled together beautifully. Poetic. Well done! Read this book!

Family of Liars is a prequel to We Were Liars. That being said, you shouldn’t read this one without reading the other first. In this short novel, Carrie answers her son’s question: What is the worst thing you’ve ever done? The answer is this haunting, lovely, heartbreaking story about family, first-loves, addiction, and betrayal. It is hard to write about this novel without comparing it to the previous one. It has the same tone and atmosphere to the first but don’t expect the same shocking twists. There were some surprises but it was hardly a mystery. I’m not knocking it for that. I just hope other readers won’t be too disappointed.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved We Were Liars and I LOVED Family of Liars. I am always skeptical going into prequels, but this story gave a lot of context to the original story. The story sucked me right in and I could not put it down from the moement I started it! Highly recommend.

#FamilyofLiars #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of this novel for the E-Arc copy. I am rating this book based on my own personal opinion and was not given anything in return. I am not leaving a entire review because I read so many at a time that I physically cannot right now.

Book: Family of Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press
Pub Date: May 3, 2022

This was just not the book for me. It was way too slow and I never could get into it. That doesn’t make it a bad book it just didn’t do it for me. I need more action.

Thank you Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is May 3, 2022.