PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (#1): Review!

Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars #1)

by Sara Shepard (Goodreads Author)

Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series

Hardcover, 286 pages

Published October 1st 2006 by HarperCollins Publishers

Buy Your Copy: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Summary:

Being the first in what will evidently long series, I was expecting good things from Pretty Little Liars but nothing too intense since it is the opener.  That is exactly what I got.  We are introduced to the four girls: Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hanna.  Their families are introduced as well, as well as my favorite.. Ezra Fitz.  Gosh I love him!  Sara Shepard worked to develop the story and explain what happened when the girl’s best friend, Ally, went missing.  She accomplished this, but in a mediocre way.  I felt that maybe more thought should have gone into the actual night that Ally disappeared.  Instead we barely know what happened that fateful night.  However, since this is the first of 11 (so far!), maybe eventually that night will unravel.  As for the girls, they begin getting texts and IM’s (wow, thing of the past!) from –A.  This is basically the premise that will BE the series, and it was done quite well in the book. In the end, things start to make sense to the girls, and we can see that things are starting to unravel, and that they can try to figure it all out, together.

The Girls:

Okay, so obviously I’m a little biased here,  since I watch and love the TV show of this series.  I like how they appear much better in the show than in the book.  The book makes Spencer out to be somewhat or .. excuse my French, a whore.  With Emily, they give her a family that doesn’t really impact her life enough to even mention.  Aria and Hanna were represented well, and I enjoyed both their plot lines and characters. 

Supporting Characters:

Ezra, Byron, Miss Marin, Maya, Melissa, etcetera.  Each of these characters were awesome!  Though many were not in the story much, I loved them.  I could sink my teeth into each of their roles and saw their impact on the story all the way through. AWESOME job on that Sara Shepard! 

Review:

This book was pretty good.  Nothing FABULOUS, but it did its job of hooking me enough to want more.  I will continue reading this series, for sure.  I can see that it has great potential, and I can’t wait to see what happens with Ally and the girls.  The only thing that bugged me was the writing had a tendency to drag a little sometimes.  Some parts were awesome and action-packed, and others were borderline boring.  While this happens in every book, I felt in this one it should not have, because since it had so much to accomplish, it could have been a nice quick read that was fast paced.  The last 30 pages were the best part, because that's when we get to the point of the whole book. Nonetheless, it was good.  I enjoy the plot, and I love the girls so much that I will be back for more –A drama!

I’m going to give Pretty Little Liars 3.5 coffee cups.