Sunday, October 20, 2013

Review: Flawless (Pretty Little Liars: Book Two) by Sara Shepard


Title: Flawless
Series: Pretty Little Liars #2
Author: Sara Shepard
Publishers: HarperCollins Publishers
Date of Publication: March 15th, 2007
Genre: Young Adult, Suspense
Format: Hardcover
Length: 330 pages
My Source: Ebook (epub)


A Short 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?
One thing's for certain: A's got the dirt to bury them all alive, and with every crumpled note, wicked IM, and vindictive text message A sends, the girls get a little closer to losing it all. (Link to Goodreads)

My Review: The events of "Flawless" occur immediately after "Pretty Little Liars". The four girls meet after the funeral of their deceased friend and share some of what the mysterious "A" has threatened. They separate, swearing to keep each other posted...but when "A" returns to taunt them, they find themselves unwilling to reveal their deepest secrets. Aria has her eyes on a boy who used to be Hanna's boyfriend. Hanna's actions in the last book come back to haunt her, and she is forced to work in a burn clinic. Her relationships are all over the place--Mona is feeling left out, her dad reappears, her boyfriend dumps her. Spencer's relationship with Wren is proving to be more difficult than she thought...how can she balance all her AP classes AND Wren? And what about how her parents have been ignoring her? And Emily is more confused than ever about who she is when she meets a really hot guy...Toby, the stepbrother of Jenna.
One of the things I like about this series is the characters- all five girls and the subsidiary characters as well. Each girl has her own struggles, her own style, her own likes and dislikes. I love how each one makes excuses for hiding her secrets; I love how each one has a different take on who "A" is; I just love the diversity that is brought to the table.
The thing I find most impressive is how Shepard is able to push the story forward while still keeping it interesting. This is a mystery at heart; to keep the mystery of "A" shrouded for even this long is impressive. And not once does it feel forced. We get to learn more about "The Jenna Thing"--and there is a revelation about "The Jenna Thing" that I expected, but was still shocked to see. And yet, while we learn more about this mysterious event in the girls' past, not once was I bored or no longer interesting in reading more. Instead, I am more curious...I want to know who "A" is!
I don't want to provide every little detail of the book and ruin your interest in reading the book, my review is just a synopsis of why you'll enjoy reading the book.
Also the little flashbacks of past at the beginning of each book is adorable. The story has its own pace. You've to have guts to write a series of 14 books! And Sara Shepard has done that remarkably well! Though sometimes, I repeat, only sometimes things get boring but you can't simply put the book down because of the curiosity like you have to know what happens next! 
And the best part is its such a fast read (all the books of the series actually)! You're just carried away by the flow of events and you're deep inside it without realising! You'll finish reading much sooner than you can think! 
So yes, I'm in love with this book an the series. It may not be perfect but its good enough for sure. I'll recommend it strongly for all YA and suspense lovers! You're gonna cherish it.

About The Author: Sara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line. 


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