Hello! Welcome to books that I like. Books that I like is a new series here on the blog that I will be doing every so often when I have a few books or a series I like and I want to discuss! It’s pretty straightforward and basic, but I just like books and want a casual place to share them. If you’re looking for in depth analysis and reviews, this won’t be for you. BUT if you like book reviews and conversations from someone who just likes books and stories, who loves putting together pinterest boards for book aesthetics, who is easily pleased with a book even if it’s writing isn’t perfect, than this is the place for you.
oh also – you can follow my pinterest to see all the things I’m loving here.
Let’s get into it! For the first segment of Books that I like, I wanted to share a little series I read in the summer: We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart! That’s the first book, and the second book (which is actually a prequel) is called Family of Liars. SO. GOOD. This series got me out of a reading slump I was in. I’m not usually a super fast reader but I’m not even kidding you I finished these books in about a day and a half. The first one I read in one sitting. Which maybe that’s normal for you, but that is crazy fast for me. It’s only happened a few times because I have to be REALLY immersed in a story to finish a book that quickly.
So, what exactly did I like about these books? Well… basically everything. I’ve seen some “controversy” on tiktok about these books – some people hyping it up, others saying they’re awful and don’t deserve the hype at all. For me both books in the series were a 10/10. I LOVED the setting. The vibes were: coastal granddaughter, rich kids, old money family, New England summer which is exactly what I was looking for. I am a huge aesthetic girlie, so I need the books I read to fit the season I’m in. This was a perfect summer read. The characters were fleshed out, it was a 1st person POV which I prefer, and overall the aesthetic and feeling was just exactly what I wanted.
Clearly i am not a professional book reviewer, LOL. But yeah, I loved it. The twists went completely differently than I thought they would, and when I thought I had things figured out – I didn’t. I also loved that despite the second book being a prequel, it tied in SO WELL to the first book. Reading the first book then the prequel was super cool because there were aspects of the prequel that revealed things about the first book – which also means, spoilers. So don’t read them in order of occurrence, read them in order of release! Seems obvious, but I know some people like to read things in order of the way they happen. With these books I think that would ruin it, at least on the first read.
To start with discussing We Were Liars, here is the description of the book, and it totally encapsulates the overall vibe:
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.
I wont reveal much about the plot because I’m worried I’ll spoil something – and if you’re like me you like going into a book knowing almost nothing about what’s to come. With this book, that feels especially important. Not knowing what is in store is key. What I will say about the plot is it revolves around the Sinclair family (I love that family name), more specifically the cousins who meet up each summer at their families New England private island. There is love(not between relatives, fear not), mystery, secrets and lies.
The Sinclair family was exactly what I wanted to read about, and they fit the setting perfectly. They are a rich, old money family with some messed up family members – as any perfect on the outside family has. They are the type of family who doesn’t care how messed up you really are, as long as you don’t tarnish the family name. And as toxic as that is IRL, I love that vibe for a book. Preppy rich A-holes who care too much about money and keeping up appearances.
The plot and the writing style may not be everyones favourite, but I LOVED it. It was a bit of a slow burn, in the sense that not a lot happened at first. The imagery was captivating, and the way I could picture everything made me feel like I was a part of the story. The writing was almost poetic at times, and overall I just loved it and was totally sucked in.
We Were Liars is one of the books that as soon as I finished, I wanted to read it again. I was instantly on reddit looking for recommendations of books like it, and I knew it had filled a space on my “Favourite books ever list” (not a real list, though I should write one out sometime). It’s one of the books that I wish I could read again for the first time.
“We are liars. We are beautiful and privileged. We are cracked and broken.”
E. Lockhart, We Were Liars
Now to discuss Family of Liars, the second book and prequel to We Were Liars. I have less to say about this book, not because it was worse but because a lot of what I said about We Were Liars applies to this as well. Family of Liars was also beautifully written. I also won’t say a ton about the plot of this for fear I’ll spoil things. This book follows members of the Sinclair family almost 30 years prior, and a generation before the cousins in We Were Liars.
I found the second book didn’t have the same shocking twists, but it was still so interesting and kept me totally entranced the whole book. It was still mysterious and dark, just in a different way.
As you can tell, I just REALLY loved the vibe of these books. I am a total mood reader, and they fit the old money/preppy summer aesthetic I was looking for, with a story and characters that were deep and interesting enough to keep me interested.
BOOK AESTHETIC:
CLICK HERE FOR WE WERE LIARS/FAMILY OF LIARS PINTEREST BOARD
Here is a collage that I made of photos that really capture the aesthetic and vibe I picture these books having in my mind – because this is what I do when I love a book.
I hope you enjoyed the first part of books that I like. I know its definitely not an in dept review and analysis, and honestly some parts may be even less “review-y” than this part. I just want this to be a casual spot to gush about books and characters I love and I hope you found some joy in it too!
x
Kyla
