Cover Image: The Liars

The Liars

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Member Reviews

Thought this had a slow start and just needed a while for the story to pick up but I had no interest in the mother's story and little interest in Elena's.

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I honestly don't know why I expected anything more of this novel. Like her more traditional YA, Jennifer Mathieu brings a wholly surface-level affect to this supposedly tense thriller.

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This was such an interesting book to read. It was so generational. Showing how the suffering of one generation can lead to more suffering in the next, travelling from generation to generation. It was a fascinating look at abuse and fear and how it can lead to control.

I don't know much about Cuba, so I was interested to see what it was like there and how the upper classes were affected by the revolution and the evacuation of the children.

I loved the two different view points and how they lie and rebel against their mother's rules. It was such a good look at lies and deception and how each teenager handled their mothers rules in their own way.

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Unfortunately I am unable to review this book as the copy has been archived. I do usually enjoy a Jenifer Mathieu book!

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I gave this a try awhile back and was hoping to get back to it later, but I don't think that this is quite the book for me. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy!

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I received a copy from Netgalley. I honestly don't know if I liked this one or not. I found the narrative very compelling (though it's weird to think of classing a book set in 1986 as a historical when I was alive then!) I felt for both the teens in the novel, Elena and her brother. And in a way I could understand where the mother was coming from even though she wasn't the most sympathetic of characters.

It was interesting to see the chapters from the mom's point of view when she was a girl to explain the things that had happened to her and why she was the way she was when she grew up. As a reader I could be empathetic to her, but I didn't like her one little bit. Nor did I condone the way she treated her children.

However, you can completely understand why the kids acted the way they did. Life in the 80s was very different from today. But teenagers are teenagers, they act out, they lie. They do things they knew mom wouldn't approve of. It's all part of growing up. They want their own lives. Though I found it weird how we only got half of the sister's story then it switched to the older brother's point of view. He got a conclusion. While it was a believable one, it was nothing unexpected.

There was one really good twist about half way through I didn't pick up. I felt the sister's story was left up in the air. You never really find out what happened to her. It seemed like she had so much more of a story to tell and it was just....left.

I certainly liked the writing, and as I said the story was compelling. Once started it was hard to put down, but I'm not sure if I liked it or not.

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Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

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"The Liars" is a book about immigration and growing up. It's about mothers and their children, and how daughters and sons are often viewed (and treated) differently. I found it to be a quick read. The story unfolds across dual timelines and alternating narratives, which helps us empathise with both Elena, Carrie and Joaquin. I also enjoyed the h/t to Jesus and Mary Chain.

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The Liars predominantly focuses on the three members of the Finney family, namely Caridad (Carrie), Joaquin and Elena.

This book is written from two timelines, the first that takes place in 1986, from the perspectives of Elena and Joaquin, siblings both trying to deal with small town life, and the other from Carrie in 1957 during the Cuban Revolution.

The reader is first introduced to Elena who's excited for the Summer holidays. Elena lives on Mariposa Island, Texas and the Summer holidays always grant her a small amount of freedom away from the house that she shares with her mum, Carrie, and brother, Joaquin. Narcissist Carrie suffers from alcohol addiction and is sometimes abusive, and Elena often finds herself looking after her.

Elena's point of view is interjected with flashbacks from her mum's reflections of her younger years in Cuba and early life in America. In the later chapters of the book, the reader hears increasingly from Joaquin and I was able to glean something more about him, allowing a deeper insight into his feelings. Eventually Carrie's revelations provide greater context about her life and the reasons behind her behaviour towards her son and daughter. I really liked that all of the characters in The Liars were so well formed as people with their own parts to play and none were added afterthoughts. I could see how the lies and untruths that each character fabricated and perpetuated caught up with them, long-term. For me, the story-telling held some poignant messages about dishonesty and mental health issues.

I would certainly recommend reading Jennifer Mathieu's The Liars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Hachette via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

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This book baffled me, and I am still thinking about it weeks after finishing it. It is told in two parts: Elena and Joaquin's present life, and their mother's past. Their mother (mami) hides in her room and drinks a lot. Her life did not go the way she wanted it to, so she tries to micro-manage her children's lives. She is not a loving, maternal mother. The children look after her, and although I understood she had a difficult past, this made me furious. When Elena meets a boy, she has to hide it from Mami to avoid her anger. Her new relationship causes tension in her relationship with her brother, and her best friend, who don't like Elena's boyfriend. Joaquin is planning to leave the island, and is searching for more information about his dad. It is a gripping mystery. The twist in this story was next-level bonkers. I'm still reeling from it. Everyone in this book is lying about something. They are all unreliable. I didn't like any of them, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

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A lot of build up here. It was quite a boring read for me unfortunately. This is my first read from this author so I didn't know what to expect but I've heard so much about her other novels that I did assume I'd be in for a good ride. But I found that it dragged, focused more on characters than plot, and I didn't like any of the characters enough for that to compel me.

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I'm going to start off by saying this was a dark story revolving around family relations that also see drugs and violence and sometimes the harsh reality that comes with that.

The use of flashbacks was well done and interesting. It was full of twists and turns and I was gripped by this pretty much from the start!

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Published in the US as The Liars of Mariposa Island, this is a historical YA mostly set in 1986, about brother and sister Joaquin and Elena Finney. There are also chapters from the perspective of their mother, Caridad, when she was a teenager and young woman, showing how she went from a life of luxury and utmost privilege, to being a refugee from the Cuban revolution. I really enjoyed this book and the way it played with truth and lies via its very unreliable narrators.

Full review in video: http://www.betterthandreams.com/2019/11/october-2019-wrap-up-nearly-finished-the-summer-project/

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This book started slowly but the writing was engaging and drew you into Elena and Joaquin's world. I enjoyed the flashbacks to 1950s Cuba and while I had some sympathy for Caridad, she never grew out of being a spoilt, selfish child even when she was a middle-aged mother. I was disappointed that the story didn't return to Elena's POV especially after her experience of drugs. I would have liked to know more about her feelings towards JC and how she deals with her mother's secrets.

An interesting, although, dark read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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This book had an interesting premise. However, I had some technical issues whilst trying to read it.

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A complex read that offers so much. Love, lies, family, friendship. A well written and deep plot and this book delivers.
Greta read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Hachette Children’s Group for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

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I loved this exceptional story of love, lies, secrets and family. The three POV's really made this story come together and I loved trying to untangle the lies the characters have woven to see if they would uncover their realities before it was too late. A beautifully written sad but moving story.

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5 Words: Family, friendship, secrets, lies, love.

Content Warning: Alcohol abuse, drug use, child abuse, family separation.

The Liars was much more complex than I first expected, and almost like a psychological thriller at times. The story had me hooked, the unreliable narrators had me second guessing everything. And yet, I still didn't see it coming.

I really enjoyed the different narrative perspectives, how it cast a different slant on the story. Each character had their own motivations for the lies they told. And Elena was the most fascinating and it was a little bit chilling how naturally it seemed to come to her.

As much as I loved being inside Elena's head as the story unraveled, I think my favourite character was Joaquin. He is so full of love and anger and frustration and resentment and a desperate need to care for his sister. He's so torn up about wanting to help himself too and I found it so endearing. I loved how much of an excellent big brother he was, even if Elena resented it at times.

Caridad is a wonderfully complex character and my opinion on her switched back and forth with what the story revealed about her life. Sometimes I hated her almost as much as some of the other characters, other times it felt like my heart could break over what happened to her.

The Liars is also known as The Liars of Mariposa Island in the US.

Read my reviews of Jennifer Mathieu's other books:
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu - http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/2017/09/moxie-by-jennifer-mathieu.html
Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu - http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/2019/01/devoted-by-jennifer-mathieu.html

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I loved this book - I really liked Elena and Joaquin, and I loved learning about Carrie's life in Cuba and all that she had left behind, and why she had become abusive towards her children like she was. I was really surprised in the middle, and I was surprised when the point of view changed too as I had been enjoying Elena so much. It's a fantastic YA book with a very real issue at its heart. Love it. My review will go live on 5th September, the day of publication

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This book is the story of a family that doesn't function well, and full of secrets and lies. Caridad is the alcoholic, abusive mother. Elena is the daughter who makes up a babysitting job to leave the house. She represents the rebel teenage. Her uncle Jouqain is trying to work, and help Elena deal with her mother's behaviour.

Character development was the strongest part of this book. Mathieu did an amazing job out of it. We have the perspectives of all these characters, so that we have access to each part of the story.

It was a very compelling read that I enjoyed, except Elena's ending. I don't get along with open endings, so I wish the writer concluded it properly. But, if you're OK with that, the rest of the book was really strong.

Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

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