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niori_1709Think back to high school. Remember your friends? Remember what they were like, how close you were? Most importantly, remember what secrets you told them? I’m willing to bet that some of those secrets were ones that you never, ever wanted anyone to find out (as is the nature of secrets). But of course, there’s that friend who did know…and it really is impossible to keep a secret once someone else knows. Wouldn’t it just be easier if that friend just…disappeared?
That’s the plot of Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars, the first book in the series of the same name. Allison was the best friend of Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer. She was the one who knew their deep, dark secrets. We don’t see Allison very long, but the reader gets the sense she was one manipulative queen bee, the type of ‘friend’ who would subtly send out nasty barbs about those secrets. She would, without saying it outright, remind you that she knew, and it could destroy you if she wanted to. Then, one night Allison just disappears without a trace, and deep down, beneath the fear, sadness, and grief, the other girls feel just a little relieved. No Allison, no risk of exposure. Flash forward a few years, and the girls have all dramatically drifted apart. They’re all dealing with normal teenage girl issues- boys, girls, pressure from parents, weight issues and, a whole slew of others (though in a more dramatic, overblown way than I remember from high school). Allison hasn’t been heard from and her disappearance remains a mystery…until the girls begin to get messages, signed only with the letter A. These messages are taunting and coy, telling each girl that they don’t only know their new secrets, but their old ones as well. The secrets that only Allison knew. These messages are genuinely threatening, and it makes them that much more menacing.
This is a fun book, so ridiculously dramatic and over the top that it’s enjoyable. It never takes itself seriously and never tries to tone down the melodrama, but it also keeps in mind that it’s touching on some really serious topics, such as eating disorders. The book is ridiculous, but it never treats those issues as though they’re funny. Is it the best portrayal of them? No, but it takes them seriously in a book that is far from serious. The only complaint I have is that I felt the mystery could have lasted a little longer, at least into the next book. A new mystery replaces it, and it promises to be just as good, but I still wish they had drawn the original one out a little longer. Other than that, I thought the book was a good one, especially for reminding me just how vicious and catty high schoolers can be. If there’s ever a book that demonstrates that you should keep your secrets to yourself, it’s this one.
That’s the plot of Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars, the first book in the series of the same name. Allison was the best friend of Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer. She was the one who knew their deep, dark secrets. We don’t see Allison very long, but the reader gets the sense she was one manipulative queen bee, the type of ‘friend’ who would subtly send out nasty barbs about those secrets. She would, without saying it outright, remind you that she knew, and it could destroy you if she wanted to. Then, one night Allison just disappears without a trace, and deep down, beneath the fear, sadness, and grief, the other girls feel just a little relieved. No Allison, no risk of exposure. Flash forward a few years, and the girls have all dramatically drifted apart. They’re all dealing with normal teenage girl issues- boys, girls, pressure from parents, weight issues and, a whole slew of others (though in a more dramatic, overblown way than I remember from high school). Allison hasn’t been heard from and her disappearance remains a mystery…until the girls begin to get messages, signed only with the letter A. These messages are taunting and coy, telling each girl that they don’t only know their new secrets, but their old ones as well. The secrets that only Allison knew. These messages are genuinely threatening, and it makes them that much more menacing.
This is a fun book, so ridiculously dramatic and over the top that it’s enjoyable. It never takes itself seriously and never tries to tone down the melodrama, but it also keeps in mind that it’s touching on some really serious topics, such as eating disorders. The book is ridiculous, but it never treats those issues as though they’re funny. Is it the best portrayal of them? No, but it takes them seriously in a book that is far from serious. The only complaint I have is that I felt the mystery could have lasted a little longer, at least into the next book. A new mystery replaces it, and it promises to be just as good, but I still wish they had drawn the original one out a little longer. Other than that, I thought the book was a good one, especially for reminding me just how vicious and catty high schoolers can be. If there’s ever a book that demonstrates that you should keep your secrets to yourself, it’s this one.
