The other characters--the various family members and classmates--are seen through the eyes of these girls, and they are pretty well developed too for secondary characters. I loved Mona's transformation from Outsider to Popular girl; Andrew was sweet even if he seemed a creepy stalker ; Maya was fascinating. I want to take a moment away and talk about one other thing.
A lot of people tend to assume, because you are wealthy, because you have parents and a house and go to school, that you are perfect and put together. And that any conflict you have isn't nearly as bad as, say, that student with leukemia or that teenager from the inner city not saying that they have it easy BTW.
It just frustrates me to no end to see one person's conflict undermined for another person's "more justifiable" conflict. The fact is, life is conflict, life is harsh and filled with trials, whether we live on Park Ave or Haiti. Each person has to work through their inner and outer demons, whether they are struggling with a divorcing parent, fighting an eating disorder, trying to get to school, or whatever. Some people may brush off the conflicts these girls have because they are "rich girls".
They don't have real troubles, just invented ones. While that may be true to some extent, just because the girls' parents are wealthy doesn't make their situations less valid. Just because these girls aren't trying to make ends meet AND go to school or keep a stiff upper lip when they have a terminal illness doesn't mean that their stories can't tell us anything--or that our own conflicts are less important.
It sounded a lot like the teen novels I had read when I was a kid--only the novels I read never had the main protagonist be afflicted with them. I figured that I would always be an observer, a voyeur, watching these girls but never being involved in their situations. I was wrong. The story does suck you in and make you interested in what happens to each girl.
Instead of being aloof and unmoving, I found myself drawing closer to these characters and wondering what happened next, frantically turning pages. As for the texts from the mysterious "A"--yeah, that creeped me the hell out. The book ends on not-quite a cliffhanger. And the question I know is on your mind: will I read book 2? Yup, I will. While I love intricate novels, novels that make you think and challenge your perception of the world, I also love books that are just fun, that don't ask more of you than to tune in and listen.
And that is what this book was: it was enjoyable time-waster, something to watch at the end of a long day when you don't really want to use your brains too much. If you can get past the language, drugs, alcohol, and sex, then these aren't that bad of books.
View 2 comments. Apr 18, Lesleigh rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites , extended-series , randco-library , reviews , mystery-suspense , 5-stars-a. Who would want to read a book with a doll on the cover? Hanna, Spencer, Aria and Emily were all nobodies, until Allison found them.
Together, they built a friendship, but it was all based on secrets. She was their glue; the only thing holding the girls together. Without her, the girls have nothing in common.
So what happens without Ali in their lives? They all go their separate routes. After losing weight, she and Mona have become the best of friends. Emily pays more attention to swimming. She now hangs out with the swim team, and her boyfriend, who just so happens to also be on the swim team. Aria, the unique one of the group, has just returned from Iceland. Her family moved out of the country for two years. So what more do they have in common? But who is A? No one knows. The plot is very intriguing and it just keeps the reader wanting more.
After reading this book, you are left with an abundance of questions. Pretty Little Liars is a perfect example of a cliffhanger ending, and I loved every minute of it. Shelves: ebooks. Overall a cute, quick read.
I think if we were able I'd give it 3. I wouldn't say it was absolutely enthralling and sucked me into its plot, or that it left me thinking and that the characters were multi-dimensional and had some depth to them. But nonetheless I did enjoy this book. Pretty Little Liars is the story of four ex-best friends slowly coming together in the wake of being terrorized by the mysterious "A" after the disappearance of their friend Alison years earlier that effective Overall a cute, quick read.
Pretty Little Liars is the story of four ex-best friends slowly coming together in the wake of being terrorized by the mysterious "A" after the disappearance of their friend Alison years earlier that effectively split up their friendships.
All the girls have secrets of their own, that the others with the exception of Ali knew about - Aria is hiding from her mother that her father is cheating, Spencer is in constant competition with her older sister right down to competing for boyfriends , Emily struggles with her sexual orientation and Hanna is body dysmorphic. Can they uncover who the mysterious "A" is? Can they still hide their secrets from each other and from everybody else? Can they try to salvage their long-damaged friendships with one another?
Reread: November View all 5 comments. Nov 28, Kay Iscah rated it it was ok. There's supposed to be 12 in total, but after reading the first one, I don't think I could take 11 more. The TV show has good writers. I was not impressed by the writing in the book. The TV versions of the characters are generally flawed but likable.
The characters in the book are slutty or unpleasant in other ways or one dimensional. TV Ezra is misguided but lovable, book Ezra is just a jerk with poor self control. All the hair colors are changed, which is good, because nearly everyone in the book is blonde or some shade of blonde or has blonde highlights or blonde tones There were a lot of references to classic literature and music, which seemed inserted to let us know the characters were better educated than they let on.
Maybe it was Shepard's attempt to get her readers to read more. They were far out weighed by the brand name dropping. I'm not big on designers or labels, but I'm pretty sure everyone is mentioned in the book somewhere.
For giggly girls who spend their afternoons flipping through Teen Vogue and Seventeen, it probably connects to them, but I got rather bored with it. View all 4 comments. Allison is a queen bee, popular smart and wanted. When Allison first befriends them in 7th grade, the girl's are dazzled to say the least and follow everything she says like a holy grail. But over the years, they realise that many of what Ali says and does is wrong but no one can back out from their Who is the bored bitch who decided to read this series after watching it TWICE before?
But over the years, they realise that many of what Ali says and does is wrong but no one can back out from their friendship now because Ali knows all their secrets. Every little lie they ever told, Ali knows them all. The books gets off on an interesting start by showing us their friendship and then Ali's disappearance, and then, the disintegration of the friendship of the others. Hanna, Aria, Spencer and Emily were all very intriguing and realistic characters going through their own troubles.
They all had their own secrets that they wanted to hide, but would they go as far as murder? View all 7 comments. The nostalgia is real with this one. I hate all of the parents, and the characters make such bad choices, but I love them all. You can definitely tell this was written during the trash years of YA though since every piece of clothing or jewellery is called by its full name, brand and everything.
Also, there is a lot of shit that's said that wouldn't fly today unless there was a strong character arc of learning and acceptance attached. Jul 23, Jessica Avery rated it it was amazing. I was a huge fan of the show Jan 23, Newport Librarians rated it did not like it Shelves: ya-fiction. Lots of readers love this series. But to me it read more like a shopping list than a novel: "He rubbed his fingers over the cuff of a hung-up pair of Joseph trousers. She slid her Tiffany Elsa Peretti heart ring up and down her finger.
Spencer's Sidekick vibrated. Emily struggled to operate her Nokia. Ali's parents had gotten it for her at Tiffany's. Some of the issues faced by the four teen girls the "liars" are handled well. Emily's questions about her sexual identity, Aria's infatuation with a teacher, Spencer's attraction to her older sister's boyfriend--such issues are all eminently worthy of serious fictional consideration.
But those brand names dropped onto every page. View 1 comment. Feb 02, Sarah Elizabeth rated it it was amazing Shelves: as , romance , glbt , lg , love-triangle , read , death , contemporary , young-adult , favourite-books. Source: I own a copy of this book. Nobody knows what happened to her, but now 3 years later, her 4 closest friends start receiving strange messages. Messages that say things that only Alison would know, messages that are signed simply A.
Is Alison really back? Who else could the messages really be from? And if Alison really is back, what does she want?
I watched the first season of this as a TV show and really liked it, but never got around to reading the books. Firstly I liked the writing in this book, and it seemed really similar to the TV show, so whoever did the crossover for the show did a really good job.
I kinda felt like I already knew the characters as I had seen the TV show, and I think this actually made me like the book even more than I perhaps would have done, as I could imagine what was going on a lot better.
The characters all seemed really similar to those in the TV show, although I did think that they seemed maybe a little more friendlier in the TV show than in the book. I liked the storyline. I thought the mystery over who A. I have to say that I was quite shocked by what the girls got up to in this story though.
We had shoplifting, drinking, affairs with teachers, and all sorts of other stuff, which was pretty crazy, but at the same time really good! I thought that this book did end in a good place, but there were still so many questions and mysteries unanswered that I really just want to dive into the next one straight away!
Overall; a great YA contemporary mystery. Aug 05, Jen rated it it was amazing Shelves: read-in , books-i-own , paid-full-price. I give this five stars on account of its sheer unputdownableness.
I'm quitting life for the next few day and devoting all my time to reading the rest of this series. If you hated — just hated — high school, chances are that mean girls like these were the reason why. The novel begins with an alliance amongst five seventh-grade students who become the mean girls clique of Rosewood Day School, located in a thinly veiled Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The leader of the pack, Allison DiLaurentis, the meanest of the girls, disappears suddenly, and the clique dissolves.
Emily, Hanna, Aria and Spencer — especially Emily — have terrible secrets that would ruin their lives. After all, who but the five of them knew these secrets? The premise — texts from beyond the grave, so to speak — seemed quite intriguing.
With a more likeable group of girls, I know I could well have enjoyed this book. But the eponymous Pretty Little Liars had more in common with the usual cruel villains of a novel than the protagonists. Just count me out. Jul 27, Elizabeth Scott rated it really liked it.
Okay, this series? Like a drug! I picked the first one up on a whim while at Target more proof that if I go anywhere that sells books, you'll find me picking up one. I'm totally hooked. I'm hoping to read the rest of the books that are currently out while I'm on vacation.
Jul 30, Michelle rated it really liked it. Boy, this is total teen drama. Love it!! These girls are up to their eyeballs in things more complicated than when I was in high school. Think I'm going to have to carry on in the series and start the second book. Jun 21, Corinne rated it really liked it Shelves: guilty-pleasure , kindle-unlimited. Borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited library. Nov 28, Christina : rated it liked it Shelves: teen-fiction.
Christina finally finished a book--who would've thought? I've been a PLL fan since elementary school. Maybe a little young for a show about messy people getting involved in messy situations, but the fandom was one of the first ones I was kind of involved in.
I remember watching every week, freaking out over whatever revelation came up in the episode and searching for fan theories about who A was. And then, season 6 came around, and my excitement kind of died down.
The thrill of it all vanished with what came with being an year-old watching a tv show that was now about adults. I still watched PLL, I just wasn't eager to.
Flash forward five years, and imagine thinking about how years ago I had ordered a few of the PLL books and never ended up reading them. Then, imagine me skimming my bookshelf to find them and remembering I disposed of them years ago when I decided I should take "new year, new me" a little too seriously pre-teen Christina's logic was out-of-order.
Then, imagine me ordering the first 4 on Amazon so I could finally read the books one of my favorite tv shows was based on. Let's get to the review! I couldn't stand the girls on the tv show. I know, strange considering I just said it was one of my favorites. Sometimes when I rewatch PLL episodes, I have to pause the show for a second to prepare for the cringe they've got themselves into. But I guess that means I care?
Anyways, reading this book reignited some frustration I had regarding their actions, but now I see things in a different light. Like seriously, how is it that all of their parents are so bad? Maybe one of them was good, but if they were, I can't remember because the terrible parenting from all of the other ones couldn't help but steal all the attention.
It's no wonder these girls keep putting themselves in terrible situations: their parents suck. If you think I'm being harsh, read the book. To the Ezria fans of the tv show, this might bother you: I can't stand Aria and Ezra. Especially Ezra because he's literally disgusting, and he especially is in this book.
Wren too. Also, most of the characters look completely different from how they were cast on the show, so it did take some time for me to adjust and not picture the actors from the show. This was a challenge at first, but I want to picture the book as it was written so I'm trying my best. As for the plot, it was actually pretty interesting.
Interesting Although this book is typically staged at teens and young adults this book has a lot of adult content. The multiple things that the liars say and do are things that children under 13 years of age should not experience. This is because children under 13 aren't always aware of what things mean and shouldn't know until the 'come of age'.
I really enjoyed reading this book but I wouldn't recommend it to my younger sister just yet. But the book is also educational in essence because it teaches us that actions have reactions and that we really need to think before making choices. Teen, 14 years old Written by nutellagirl August 15, The book is great. Addictive and flat. I recommend it only if you're looking for an addictive, normal book.
Not good literature. FLAT: it doesn't make you think. It doesn't keep your mind active. It's just for "reading for pleasure".
I personally enjoyed it a lot. It contains mystery, love and usual teenage isues. So, the story's about four girls whose friend Alison disappears. They start getting messages from an unknown person, who signs by the letter "A". It's more of a teenage-life kind of book, which also contains suspense, because of the strange messages they reciebe. They develop throughout the whole saga, though.
They often make stupid decisions. But I highly recommend to read it and the whole saga, it's worth it. The second book starts to differ a little bit. The first half of the third book is really close to the series but the other half is completely different. I recommend to read the books before the series. I made the mistake of watching it before reading the books. But if you've already watched the show don't panic; you'll enjoy it all the same.
The thing with the series is that at first it was great but then it became pure nonsense. The books mantain something special and addictive till the end. It makes more sense, and surprises you with every book. This title contains: Consumerism. Teen, 14 years old Written by Jeanette A May 7, One problem that the girls faced is that each of them begin to get anonymous text messages.
Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna stopped talking after their best friend Alison disappears, then they started to talk again after they get messages from someone named -A. I don't have a favorite character because I kinda like them all. I can relate to Hanna because she forgets things and is kinda lazy like me. I can also relate to Hanna because she likes to keep things to herself. I have done something that the girls did, I stopped talking to one of my close friend and I regret it. I liked this book because it was very interesting and mysterious.
I don't have a favorite part of the book or a least favorite part have the book because I liked everything about the book. I would recommend this book to people who like mystery, suspense, and drama. Teen, 14 years old Written by CambelleA March 8, I'm going off of the parents and kids reviews I have not read these books myself I think that the adults in here should know that most children at about years old are aware of many things that kept coming up in the reviews I've read.
Just think about what you adults knew about at our age and the open use of the Internet and social websites we have. We are not as oblivious as u may hope or think. We are quiet mature and I think that as long as we understand that this should not be taken very seriously.
If I were to be 10 I would think that as long as I was taught to not take these things seriously that it would be OK to read it. Just remeber we can't be your little babies for ever. Teen, 13 years old Written by XinaTurtle January 17, Very Very Good I think that this book is one of the best books ever.
It's full of mystery and intrigue mixed in with high school and stuff. I do think that the book romanticizes bad parts of high school BUT I think that kids are smart enough to know that they shouldn't do the things the girls are doing. Mostly because the girls think the things drinking, sex, drugs are awful. This title contains: Educational Value. Pretty good.
I like the book, and I read it with my 13 year old neighbour and my 4 other sisters all the same age as me and could understand. Plus, if you have been in middle school, you guys would have gone through Health class, so it shouldn't bother you. It's a girl book, trust me. In the TV series, Mona is a devious character. It's hard to tell whether she's on the side of the Liars or the A-Team at any given point because it seems like she's always up to something. She was in the short-lived spin-off series The Perfectionists , but she didn't have such a good fate in the book series.
While Mona survived the show, she didn't make it to the end of the books. In the novel version of Pretty Little Liars , Mona was accidentally pushed off a cliff by Spencer during a huge fight. The fall broke Mona's neck and she didn't survive. Ezria is the couple name given to Ezra Fitz and Aria Montgomery. The two had a tumultuous, forbidden relationship because they were a student and teacher, but it was made even more complicated by Ezra's past and the fact that he knew Alison before she disappeared!
Fortunately, the two of them made it work and got married. But, they weren't so lucky in the books. Ezra was barely in them and he didn't know Alison before her disappearance.
In the books, "A" tells Sean about their relationship and the police arrest Ezra. He gets fired and the two of them break up before Ezra moves to Rhode Island. In the TV series, Caleb Rivers is the edgy, technology-loving bad boy that helps the Liars out with phone and computer issues before he starts dating Hanna.
The two of them are adorable together and we couldn't imagine Pretty Little Liars without him! But, people who read the books don't have to imagine the series without Caleb. Not only does he not date Hanna in them, but he's also actually not in them at all! Caleb was completely created for the TV series. Both the book and TV series feature Hanna's struggle with an eating disorder and her recovery from it. In the TV series, Spencer finds herself temporarily institutionalized in a mental hospital, but that's not how it goes in the book series.
Instead, Hanna is the one who finds herself in treatment. After "A" tells someone about Hanna's eating disorder, she's taken away to get help for it.
0コメント