Lacking the magic of "We Were Liars" since the twist is used as a significant (but ultimately stagnant?) plot device in "Family of Liars". The criticism of "We Were Liars" - affluent white people having first-world problems - seems even more applicable here. ( )

Family of Liars is the prequel of We Were Liars, where we skip back a generation. Summer at Sinclair Island, where it seems that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to betrayal and liars.
I really enjoyed this book, I felt totally wrapped up in the story, it was paced well and it was full of suspense.
I did wonder how this would pan out when I heard it was a prequel to the original, however, E. Lockhart did it again, it was fantastic! ( )

The whole time I was reading this book, I felt like I was watching Kennedy clones through a sepia tone window. Carrie is very sympathetic, more so as her story unfolds and her angst over her youngest sister really makes the story richer. Many of us have similar 'ghosts' in our lives, but how often are we willing to admit to them? ( )

The prequel to We Were Liars, Family of Liars is set 27 years earlier, and also has tragic events.
Do not read this if you haven't read We Were Liars as there are spoilers!!
Johnny, and his mother, Carrie are sitting in the kitchen and he asks her to tell him the worst thing she ever did, so she recounts the summer when she was a teen and she began to see her dead sister, Rosemary, and when the boys came. This is the start of them being a family of liars. Pfeff is an irresistible boy that Carrie likes. She witnesses him doing things she doesn't like, and that changes everything. Her sisters help her, as does her father - thus cementing their lives as liars.
Carrie tells all this to Johnny, also a ghost.
This wasn't as good as We Were Liars, in my opinion, but does give some context and background as to the aloofness of the sisters. ( )

Like so many others, I was blown away by E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars. It was such a gut-wrenching story that I knew I wanted to read the prequel, Family of Liars. While not as strong as the first book, I appreciate the Sinclair family much more after reading about what happened to the previous generation.

Unfortunately, most of what I would want to say would create spoilers for anyone who has not read the first book, and that is something I do not want to do. I can say that Family of Liars is just as atmospheric and that setting still captivates me. I particularly enjoyed the chance to understand the family better, and much of the dynamics that play out in We Were Liars make a lot more sense now. You do have to read that one before you get to Family of Liars, but that is Ms. Lockhart’s intention anyway, so you lose nothing by reading the prequel last. Either way, you are in for a delicious, mysterious treat! ( )