That ending..... it killed me ( )

"Do you understand, Cady? Silence is a protective coating over pain."

Wow. a subtle but amazing story - the writing style and plot kind of sneak up on you. The story builds until you realize you are holding your breath.

I agree with others. Go into this knowing nothing. Let the story take you for a ride. Even if you know the twists, you don't know truths at the end like this. let them find you. ( )

Initial Thoughts

So much hype surrounding this book. I was expecting amazing things.

My New BFF & My Crush

I don’t feel like I connected to any of the characters in this book so there was no character that I loved enough to make my BFF. I mostly found the main character to be annoying, whiny, and childish. I didn’t really like any of the other characters either.

Writing Style

The best part of this book was the writing. It was almost poetic in a way. I looooved it. It grabbed your attention right away and I kept thinking about how pretty some sentences were. Too bad I couldn’t say the same for the rest of the book.

Closing Thoughts

Ok. So. I’m going going to sugar coat my opinion here. I didn’t hate this book which is why it got 3 star instead of 1. I didn’t enjoy this book though. I’m not going to lie, I had the ending figure out before the halfway mark. Not everything, I’m not magic, but a good chunk of what makes this ending a surprise. It just seemed so obvious to me. I’m not saying those who didn’t figure it out are dumb though! Maybe I’ve just read too many similar books. Also I didn’t get the whole Liars club thing. Actually there was a lot in this book I didn’t understand which drove me crazy. I get that it’s supposed to have this big mystery but I found it mostly annoying when I didn’t get certain details. While tons of people found this book really unique and exciting, I found it boring and predictable which are the two last things I need in a book. I’m not saying don’t read it either. I’m sure it would be a good book if you weren’t me. I am a little disappointed though. ( )

The twist saved the novel from a 1-star rating. ( )

Not what I was expecting from e lockhart, but excellent nonetheless. Good for those looking for a dark and dramatic read. Almost gothic and very Gatsby-esque. You know what it really reminded me of? Lawrence's "Rocking-horse Winner."

The narrator Cadence, her love interest Gat, and Cadence's mother are fully-realized. I didn't feel like the other characters were very well-drawn. But that added to the dreamlike quality of the narrative.

For the 16 and older crowd. ( )