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emily_bg's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
robertjackson's review
4.0
Overall an entertaining book that is easy to read. I read it in two days!
This was an insightful and entertaining book that focuses on a lot of relatable issues.
I found it interesting to see how easily unhealthy relationships can be formed and developed. The trauma of coping with parental grief is clearly very disturbing. Sadly life is full of challenges like that. This book shows some of problems that are thrown up as a result.
It was also enlightening to discover that predators can be drawn to those who have anxiety about fitting-in to society. That was a powerful! message. All families should be made aware of this kind of danger and try to be more helpful when faced with this kind of problem encountered by their children when growing up.
The sisters relationship was particularly sad in so many ways. I get on well with my two sisters and would have found it hard to be helpless on the sidelines as the plot evolved.
Merged review:
Overall an entertaining book that is easy to read. I read it in two days!
This was an insightful and entertaining book that focuses on a lot of relatable issues.
I found it interesting to see how easily unhealthy relationships can be formed and developed. The trauma of coping with parental grief is clearly very disturbing. Sadly life is full of challenges like that. This book shows some of problems that are thrown up as a result.
It was also enlightening to discover that predators can be drawn to those who have anxiety about fitting-in to society. That was a powerful! message. All families should be made aware of this kind of danger and try to be more helpful when faced with this kind of problem encountered by their children when growing up.
The sisters relationship was particularly sad in so many ways. I get on well with my two sisters and would have found it hard to be helpless on the sidelines as the plot evolved.
This was an insightful and entertaining book that focuses on a lot of relatable issues.
I found it interesting to see how easily unhealthy relationships can be formed and developed. The trauma of coping with parental grief is clearly very disturbing. Sadly life is full of challenges like that. This book shows some of problems that are thrown up as a result.
It was also enlightening to discover that predators can be drawn to those who have anxiety about fitting-in to society. That was a powerful! message. All families should be made aware of this kind of danger and try to be more helpful when faced with this kind of problem encountered by their children when growing up.
The sisters relationship was particularly sad in so many ways. I get on well with my two sisters and would have found it hard to be helpless on the sidelines as the plot evolved.
Merged review:
Overall an entertaining book that is easy to read. I read it in two days!
This was an insightful and entertaining book that focuses on a lot of relatable issues.
I found it interesting to see how easily unhealthy relationships can be formed and developed. The trauma of coping with parental grief is clearly very disturbing. Sadly life is full of challenges like that. This book shows some of problems that are thrown up as a result.
It was also enlightening to discover that predators can be drawn to those who have anxiety about fitting-in to society. That was a powerful! message. All families should be made aware of this kind of danger and try to be more helpful when faced with this kind of problem encountered by their children when growing up.
The sisters relationship was particularly sad in so many ways. I get on well with my two sisters and would have found it hard to be helpless on the sidelines as the plot evolved.
elliemck's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
renzoreads's review
3.0
Twenty years ago three 13 year old girls - Izzy, Lu and Plum - snuck out to go to a party at Turtle Lake, only two of them returned home. The girl who went missing was presumed to have run away but before long her body is discovered and her two friends confess to murdering her. In the present day new theories and evidence has come to light that will throw into the doubt the reasons behind the crime all those years ago. Did the girls really murder their friend, and if not why would they confess to something they didn’t do?
This one took me a bit to get in to, as I felt in the beginning it was a bit slow and I wasn’t that invested in the characters. But about a third of the way through it really picked up and I definitely enjoyed it from then on. Told over three time lines - Before the murder, After the murder and Now - with a selection of media exerts, diary entries and the recollections and POV of Izzy’s younger sister. This one was full of toxic friendships, manipulations and twists. I enjoyed the focus on how crime effects the families and how it can be a struggle to achieve closure and understand the Why of these things.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for my digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This one took me a bit to get in to, as I felt in the beginning it was a bit slow and I wasn’t that invested in the characters. But about a third of the way through it really picked up and I definitely enjoyed it from then on. Told over three time lines - Before the murder, After the murder and Now - with a selection of media exerts, diary entries and the recollections and POV of Izzy’s younger sister. This one was full of toxic friendships, manipulations and twists. I enjoyed the focus on how crime effects the families and how it can be a struggle to achieve closure and understand the Why of these things.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for my digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
hollyp20's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
mikkiarose's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lexyclare_reads's review
2.0
So… I don’t really know what to say about this book. Did it keep me on edge? Kind of. But I don’t think I got on with the writing style… and I found it really hard to gauge who was being spoken about. I also didn’t really like the chapter styles being before, after and now… it was hard to keep up with.
I was surprised by the twist so I will give it that and if you like this style of writing then you’d probably find this a great book. I would give 3⭐️ if I liked the style ☺️
I was surprised by the twist so I will give it that and if you like this style of writing then you’d probably find this a great book. I would give 3⭐️ if I liked the style ☺️
lexyclare_reads's review against another edition
2.0
So… I don’t really know what to say about this book. Did it keep me on edge? Kind of. But I don’t think I got on with the writing style… and I found it really hard to gauge who was being spoken about. I also didn’t really like the chapter styles being before, after and now… it was hard to keep up with.
I was surprised by the twist so I will give it that and if you like this style of writing then you’d probably find this a great book. I would give 3⭐️ if I liked the style ☺️
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the eARC of this book.
I was surprised by the twist so I will give it that and if you like this style of writing then you’d probably find this a great book. I would give 3⭐️ if I liked the style ☺️
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the eARC of this book.
kellyvandamme's review
5.0
I’m going to keep this as short as possible cos I’m actually terrified to slip up and spoil something. Believe me when I tell you All the Little Liars is one you should go into with as little prior knowledge as possible, just dive in and enjoy the twisty and twisted ride it provides.
All the Little Liars is the story of thirteen-year-old Izzy, Plum and Lu, and a life-changing event that takes place one dark night at Turtle Lake, California. It is told from the perspective of Izzy’s younger sister Finn, alternating before, after and now chapters, which are interspersed with newspaper snippets, chat room discussions, short interviews, etc. Put like that, it might sound a little messy but it’s really not. It paints such a complete and rich picture. Moreover, it never failed to trigger me to read just one more chapter (which, obviously, was never just one more chapter). It did make for a very addictive story.
While I do enjoy the occasional popcorn thriller, I absolutely love psychological thrillers that zoom in on the actual psychological aspect of things, which is the type of story I’ve come to expect from Victoria Selman, especially after Truly, Darkly, Deeply, and she definitely delivers with All the Little Liars.
It’s not easy to hit that right note of an essentially psychological story that is also highly entertaining, but All the Little Liars pulls it off. It not only made me ponder the story and its characters, but also myself as a reader, all the while keeping me glued to my Kobo. Very impressive!
All the Little Liars is a totally engrossing, twisty, yet plausible thriller and I had a fantastic time with it. I loved how pretty much all the characters are liars and the more it progressed the less sure I was what to believe. Maybe you are savvier than I am and see certain things coming, but for me, the world went topsy-turvy for a moment there and I had to take a minute to pick up my jaw. I would happily recommend All the Little Liars to fans of the genre.
Massive thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
All the Little Liars is the story of thirteen-year-old Izzy, Plum and Lu, and a life-changing event that takes place one dark night at Turtle Lake, California. It is told from the perspective of Izzy’s younger sister Finn, alternating before, after and now chapters, which are interspersed with newspaper snippets, chat room discussions, short interviews, etc. Put like that, it might sound a little messy but it’s really not. It paints such a complete and rich picture. Moreover, it never failed to trigger me to read just one more chapter (which, obviously, was never just one more chapter). It did make for a very addictive story.
While I do enjoy the occasional popcorn thriller, I absolutely love psychological thrillers that zoom in on the actual psychological aspect of things, which is the type of story I’ve come to expect from Victoria Selman, especially after Truly, Darkly, Deeply, and she definitely delivers with All the Little Liars.
It’s not easy to hit that right note of an essentially psychological story that is also highly entertaining, but All the Little Liars pulls it off. It not only made me ponder the story and its characters, but also myself as a reader, all the while keeping me glued to my Kobo. Very impressive!
All the Little Liars is a totally engrossing, twisty, yet plausible thriller and I had a fantastic time with it. I loved how pretty much all the characters are liars and the more it progressed the less sure I was what to believe. Maybe you are savvier than I am and see certain things coming, but for me, the world went topsy-turvy for a moment there and I had to take a minute to pick up my jaw. I would happily recommend All the Little Liars to fans of the genre.
Massive thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
sammanthax's review
4.0
Turtle Lake. July 17, 2003: Three friends went to a party. Only two came back…
A gripping, yet sad, tale of the Jackman family and how murder and lies has affected them all. This reads like a true crime story and the author has a clever and unique writing style. I feel like I learned things in parts of this book, which I enjoyed. The research that has gone in to the psychology was obvious, and paid off, making it a believable story.
I’d have liked Ryder’s part to have been explored a bit more though. I felt he had a key part to play and that his character disappeared a little too early in the book.
4/5 - would read from this author again.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy.
A gripping, yet sad, tale of the Jackman family and how murder and lies has affected them all. This reads like a true crime story and the author has a clever and unique writing style. I feel like I learned things in parts of this book, which I enjoyed. The research that has gone in to the psychology was obvious, and paid off, making it a believable story.
I’d have liked Ryder’s part to have been explored a bit more though. I felt he had a key part to play and that his character disappeared a little too early in the book.
4/5 - would read from this author again.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy.