Sunday, 23 January 2011

Review: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Liars #1 by Sara Shepard

Series: Pretty Little Liars series
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group:Young Adult
Publisher: Hachette AU
Release Date: January 2011
Format: Paperback, 272 pages
ISBN-13: 9781907410871
RRP: $18.99 AUD
Source: Thank you to the publisher, who provided this book for an honest review, all opinions expressed are my own.
 
Cover love? This has the TV show cast on it, which is awesome, but the mud-makeup is a little extreme, I think. 


Synopsis
Aria, Emily, Spencer, Hanna and Alison have been best friends since the third grade. They go everywhere together, thinking no-one can come between them. If anyone is the ringleader of the group it is Alison, and the other girls cannot help but confide all their secrets to her.

One night, during a sleepover, Alison goes missing. Her body is never found. The girls mourn her death but move apart after time, assuming their secrets have disappeared with Alison too.

Three years later and Aria is having an affair with her teacher; Emily is questioning her sexuality; Hanna is a thief; and Spencer is flirting with her sister's fiance. They all think their secrets are safe, until they starting receiving messages from the mysterious A - who knows exactly what they are all up to, and is threatening to spill the beans . . .



Review

The minute I found and opened this in the mail, I began reading it and didn’t stop until I had finished it. There’s just something so enticing and juicy about this book that makes one hungry for more. In fact, Pretty Little Liars has been adapted into a highly popular TV show in 2010, and is still in it’s first season as of January 2011. I’ve been obsessively following the TV show on Go! On Mondays, 8:30pm in Australia ever since. Awesome show.

The novel begins with Ali’s disappearance and within a couple of pages, Sara Shepard’s cleverly  shows us the group’s dynamics, setting apart each character (despite there being five main ones) and distinguishing them for their individual traits. I love that throughout Pretty Little Liars, readers can easily get a sense of who is who. They are each complex, and have their own dirty little secrets.

This book wasn’t long either, but a lot happened, and it is only to Sara Shepard’s credit that events weren’t confusing, although the murder mystery is. Although the girls’ actions certainly are not showing their best sides and, like all good television, is not role-model behaviour – that’s what makes it such a fun read. “A” is a deadly opponent, not to mention a creepy stalker with an agenda for these girls. 

Pretty Little Liars is Gossip Girl with a better plot a dangerous villain and a murder mystery. Perfect for anyone looking for a saucy, suspenseful read. There’s twists and turns in every scene, and I cannot wait to see the angle Sara Shepard takes with Flawless, book 2 in the series.


Rating:



Links:
Pretty Little Liars Official Website | Pretty Little Liars at Hachette AUS | Goodreads

Comments (6)

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Ahh I can't wait to read this book! I watch this show every Monday. Love the girls!
This was one of the first books that I ever read out of will. I read it in a day, on the computer. ( I was a pirate back then, for like a week :( ) PLL is a heck of a series. After the fourth one (which was Sara Shepard's first "stopping point"), the series kind of lost its shine on me. I got to the 6th, and have stopped. I think I'll just stop the PLL in my head at the 4th book. :) Seriously, you have to read up to them at least---amazing ending! I'm a bit annoyed that Sara's continuing the series, with TWELVE books in total!
I love PLL, too.
Great review!

Cass-I knoooow. What can the author possibly do with ANOTHOR book? : P
This seems to be a read in one shot kind of book. Everyone says they're unable to put them down! I have the first book and should really start it soon!
Great Review!! I have heard some great things about this author and her books, so I will have to board the train and get on it!!
Nice review! I agree. There's something compulsively readable about the PLL books. Just make sure you have the next book on you because Shepard has some crazy cliffhangers!

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