Pretty Little Liars

Shepard, Sara. Pretty Little Liars. Book 1 of the Pretty Little Liars series. 2006. 286p. ISBN 0-06-088732-X. Available at FIC SHE.

Back in 7th grade, five girls were best of friends. Alison, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer spent most of their time together. Of them all, however, Alison was the one who knew all of the secrets. She knew Emily liked girls. She knew Hanna vomited her meals. She knew Aria’s father was having an affair with one of his students at the Community College. She knew Spencer coveted her sister’s boyfriend. And then one day near the end of 7th grade, Alison vanished. The police looked everywhere for her, but she was never found. Eventually Alison’s parents sold their house and moved away, and the girls drifted apart.

Now juniors in high school, the four girls circulate in completely different social groups. Aria went to Iceland with her family for two years. Hanna has turned into a gorgeous bombshell. Emily is a star swimmer. Spencer’s about to move into her family barn, which has been retrofitted so she can live independently. They still think of Alison, but not as much as they used to. This changes when each of them starts receiving messages. Each girl thinks she’s the only one, and each message is more threatening than the next. Only one other person knows this information, but she’s been missing for more than three years. Is Alison back?

When Alison’s body is found in her backyard, the girls are once again reunited at the funeral, and they discover that each of them had been contacted. They now feel like they can breathe a sigh of relief, however, since Alison is no more, and their secrets are going to the grave with her, right? Why, then, are they still getting messages?

Beware the person who knows all of your secrets! Ending on a cliffhanger, the girls’ lives are about to change forever! Fans of realistic fiction with a hint of the paranormal will enjoy reading about the girls’ exploits and their tense psychological issues.

The story continues in Flawless.