Review: We Were Liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Grade: I'm not even sure.  Maybe 3 stars?
Release date: May 13, 2014
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to Read Between the Lynes for providing me with a physical ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: It's been over a week since I read this and I still can't quite put my thoughts into words.  This book was utterly shocking.  The metaphors were beautiful.  The ending turned me upside down and left me with the worst book hangover.  I didn't see it coming, not at all, but just like with Cadence, when I looked back, I recognized the hints.  I enjoyed the descriptions of the island, and the little stories Cadence wrote.  I had trouble connecting with most of the characters, however, and the romance was a bit predictable.  I wasn't happy with a lot of the characters' choices.
Romance was pretty typical of YA, there was some underage drinking, and the language was pretty foul at times.

The Verdict: This is honestly a book that you'll have to judge for yourself.  I know a lot of people are loving it, and I can't even decide what to think.  I'm pretty sure it's not a favorite, but it also wasn't horrible.  I'm just still in shock.