Flawless By Sara Shepard

Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars

Overall Rating: 3/5 Stars

Synopsis: In the exclusive town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where the sweetest smiles hide the darkest secrets, four pretty little liars-Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna--have been very bad girls...  Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya ... as much more than a friend. And Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is literally making her sick. But the most horrible secret of all is something so scandalous it could destroy their perfect little lives. And someone named "A" is threatening to do just that. At first they thought A was Alison, their friend who vanished three years ago . . . but then Alison turned up dead. So could A be Melissa, Spencer's ultracompetitive sister? Or Maya, who wants Emily all to herself? What about Toby, the mysterious guy who left town right after Alison went missing?

I was slightly hesitant to read this book because I didn't really like the first one but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Although the book wasn't one of the best I've read I really love the idea of it. Four girls bound together by secrets that they shared but also ones that only their best friend knew - their dead best friend. But then they start to get messages from the mysterious A. They all think that Alison must be back until the police find her body. The messages keep coming though. A knows all their secrets new and old and they are threatening to ruin the girls lives. They need to find out who A is but the girls have a lot more enemies than they knew. I don't know why but the idea of not knowing who A is intrigues me. I still much prefer the TV series but the books are growing on me.

I am not all that fond of any of the characters really. Aria is strange and normally I like that but this time it was just a bit much. It also annoyed me just how quickly she would betray her friend to get a guy. Emily is sickly sweet and very annoying for me, she just whines a lot and then doesn't make much attempt to get what she wants. Spencer is selfish and a bit cowardly unlike in the TV series where she's a hot head but I prefer a girl to have a bit of a temper. Hanna I think is my favorite but just because she actually has a consistent personality. The spoiled rich girl persona stays the same whereas the other girls seem to change constantly. All four girls seem to jump to conclusions much to quickly. The more minor characters I felt were a bit flat. Toby was more like a failed attempt at a bad boy but he just didn't work. Wren was the same. I think my favorite character was Alison, we didn't really meet her but she seems like the only developed character even if she is dead.

Overall this book was much better than the first but not really up to par with a lot of other books I've read. The Pretty Little Liars series deals with many important teenage issues and although it doesn't deal with them all well some of them it does and that improves the books significantly. Flawless was a fun, light read. I would recommend this book to people who are not in the mood for a heavy read but it does have a mixture of intrigue and mystery that will keep people coming back for more. I would give this book 3/5 stars and will probably read the next one.

My Favorite Quote:

“Don't get too comfortable. It's not over until I say it is. -A” 

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Pretty Little Liars By Sara Shepard

Hello everyone, I really don't know why I read this book. I love the TV series of it and I knew the book would be a disappointment. Nonetheless I read it. Pretty Little Liars follows Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily's lives after the disappearance of their best friend Alison. All of the girls are grief-stricken but underneath the grief there's relief. Alison no longer controlled their lives or that's what they thought. Each of them has a secret that no one knows. No one but Alison that is but three years after her disappearance could Alison really be alive? That's what it seems like when each girl begins to receive anonymous messages about their secrets. All signed A. But who is A? Alison is still controlling there lives when she's not even there.

Here's the synopsis:

"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"

This book was a disappointment. Even for my low expectation. The problem with Pretty Little Liars is it has an awesome storyline but I don't think it is executed very well. I found this book very predictable which may be because I've watched the series or it could be that it's just a predictable book. I don't really like the characters, I feel that the are not very well developed and kinda annoying. I much prefer the TV series of this as with Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle. The only thing that kept me reading was the need to know who A was but apparently you still don't know in book 10. It's not likely that I will keep reading this series but you never know. Curiosity may get the better of me. I would give this book 2/5 stars. I don't think I would recommend it but I do recommend the TV series!

My favourite quote:
“Only two can keep a secret if on of them is dead.”
Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK