Hi everyone! Today I’m going to be reviewing Five Little Liars by Amanda K. Morgan.
Rating: ✯✯✯✯
Five Little Liars deals with an altercation after a summer psychology class, where a teacher ends up dead. Ivy, Kinley, Tyler, Mattie and Cade barely knew each other before the class started a couple of weeks ago, but suddenly they all find themselves thrown together in a desperate bid to get rid of the body and cover up their tracks. But can they trust each other to keep quiet?
I really enjoyed Five Little Liars… I ended up flying through it in a matter of hours, only a week and a half before my first A Level! I completely whizzed through the pages and I truly couldn’t put it down. This was the sort of book which has you telling yourself “one more chapter” only to find yourself reading another hundred pages, which are always the best kind!
I think a large part of this definitely came down to the writing style. I found Morgan’s style really engaging whilst being easy to digest, which meant for a quick read. I also really appreciated the chapter lengths – I always prefer shorter chapters, so I was glad to see that here! What really sealed the deal for me, though, was the fact that she managed to have different characters’ perspective and still managed to maintain a distinct, different voice for them all – which can be quite the challenge!
Of course, I really enjoyed the characters themselves. I loved how different they all were as well as the different layers to them. I think my favourite would have to be Kinley, despite her secrets… I loved how many layers there were to her character and I never knew quite what to make of her, which is always the sign of a really interesting read!
I also loved the general mystery. This was quite different to my usual mysteries in that the reader already knew who was responsible and it was simply a matter of knowing whether or not they got away with it. It was really refreshing to read and I found myself whipping through the pages to find out what happened with it. It definitely added to the tension and it added an extra dimension in that we got to see the characters’ response to the events!
Of course, lots of this tension resulted from all of the twists. Nearly all of the main characters had a major secret, and these were gradually revealed during the book. They really helped keep things interesting – particularly considering the fact that most of the action was in the first part – and also helped with developing the characters further. I also really enjoyed the final twist at the end, which added that extra punch!
The romance was another aspect I really enjoyed. It made up a reasonable portion of the book, and, as a big contemporary lover, this was something I really enjoyed. I found Kinley and Tyler’s relationship in particular fascinating – I don’t want to spoil too much but they each had different secrets to protect, which led to a very unusual relationship between the two.
However, that’s not to say that I enjoyed everything about this. One big issue I had was how unrealistic some of the groups’ actions were, the biggest example being not calling an ambulance. It was really stupid and reckless of them, particularly considering it was an accident. I was definitely questioning their actions at some points, which I suppose is partially understandable due to their age, but not to this extent.
The ending also annoyed me a little. I have never been a fan of open endings in books, and it’s safe to say Five Little Liars didn’t change my perspective. I thought it was way too ambiguous and open, and it’s definitely frustrating not knowing what happened next! I really hope there’s a sequel so this issue is resolved.
I feel like now’s also a good time to mention that there were a lot of stereotypes in this. Each of the characters fulfilled a stereotype – the bad boy, the good girl, the popular girl, the awkward dork and the Asian kid – which was central to the book. Personally this didn’t bother me that much – I always find it interesting reading the different layers behind these – but I know that this will be an issue for some, so that should also be taken into consideration.
Overall, I would recommend Five Little Liars for any fan of mysteries, as this was a really enjoyable one, and definitely something fans of both Karen McManus and Holly Jackson would enjoy. I’d also recommend it to anyone just looking for a quick, fun read, as I whizzed through this in a matter of hours!
Have you read Five Little Liars yet? Will you be adding it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed this review!
Ceri
Read And Review It 
This sounds like an interesting read and definitely something I would read. For me it feels like pretty little liars vibe. Thank you for sharing!
Lauren x
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It definitely is – and I’m so glad to hear that, I hope you enjoy it if you do! Yes it definitely does, thank you so much for reading and commenting x
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I haven’t heard of this book before but it definitely has me intrigued! As Lauren suggested, it does have a Pretty Little Liars vibe! Great review!
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Ooh I’m so glad to hear that Jodie, I’d really recommend it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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This has Pretty Little Liars vibe, I love love it! I will definitely enjoy this one as I was a huge fan of Pretty Little Liars, lol! Thank you so much for sharing, Ceri! xx Penny / http://www.whatdidshetype.com
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It definitely does haha – and yes, I love the TV show too, it’s great! Thank you so much for reading and commenting Penny xx
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We want to read this! We liked the group dynamic and figuring out exactly what happened.
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Ooh I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did, I loved the group dynamic and the mystery! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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This sounds so interesting and captivating. Definitely something worth reading. Great review. I’m not a fan of open-endings either but maybe another book may be on the way.
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It definitely is, I can guarantee you’ll be hooked! Yes absolutely, I’m really hoping for a sequel but we’ll have to see! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Interesting book. Sounds like something that I need to read. Going to add it to my list. Thank you for sharing.
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It definitely is, I really hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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This sounds like my kind of book! Mystery, great characters and easy to read.
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It’s definitely the perfect combination! I hope you enjoy it if you do end up picking it up, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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I love the cover of this book! This sounds like something I’d love. I’m glad that the writing style was easy to digest, I’m always looking for books that you can’t put down! Wonderful review Ceri, thank you for sharing!
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Agreed, it’s so intriguing! Ooh I really hope you do love it if you end up reading, this has all the ingredients for the perfect book you can’t put down. Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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I hadn’t heard of this book before but it sounds so good
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Ooh I’m so glad I could bring it to your attention then, I’d really recommend it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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I know I have both read some scenes and seen some scenes in movies that are just utterly unrealistic. I acknowledge the story depends on the scene going the way it did, but it still bugs me that common sense sometimes gets shoved aside in order for a reasonably good story to be told! Love that you touch on that in this lovely review! ❤
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I completely agree with you, it can definitely be annoying when that happens – although I do allow a bit more leeway in YA! I’m glad you enjoyed my review, thank you so much for reading and commenting ❤
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I love an easy read but I’m not a fan of an open-ended book either! I love closure and a bit of after story.
Corinne x
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Yes it’s so important – here’s to hoping for a sequel! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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This book sounds interesting and will definitely captivate readers since the crux of the plot is whether or not the characters will get caught. Something to keep the reader on their toes! Thanks for the review!
Corinne
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It definitely is, I had to keep on reading to find out what would happen – and if they’d get away with it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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This sounds like a really interesting read. I love books like this and the idea of a will they or wont they get away with it seems really engaging. I loved how detailed your review is as well. Lots of information without ruining the ending of the book – I’ll definitely be making a purchase of this book!
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It definitely is, I’d really recommend it – and it definitely makes for a tense, unputdownable read! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed my review and I really hope you enjoy the book too. Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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The plot of this book definitely gives me “How to get away with murder” show vibes. I like the idea of the twist to the murder mystery where you don’t wonder who did it, but if they got away with it. That’s a neat twist!
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Ooh I haven’t seen that show but I’ll have to check it out! So do I, it definitely made for a more unique read and kept things interesting. Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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This sounds like such a great book. I love that each characters secrets were revealed throughout the book because it means you just can’t stop reading. Great review.
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It definitely is, I’d really recommend it! Absolutely, I was completely hooked. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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This sounds really interesting, this is something I could see myself reading, especially with a mystery theme. Great post!
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I’m so glad to hear that, I really hope you enjoy it! I love a mystery too and this one was fab. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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