Flawless

Shepard, Sara. Flawless. Book 2 of the Pretty Little Liars series. 2007. 330p. ISBN 0-06-088735-4. Available at FIC SHE on the library shelves.

In middle school, Alison, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer were at Alison’s house, and they decided to prank Toby Cavanaugh, the town creep and step-brother of their friend Jenna. Toby was always lighting fireworks, so Alison sneaks to Toby’s treehouse and releases a firecracker. Unfortunately, it burns the treehouse, and Jenna, who was inside, is permanently blinded.

Now juniors in high school, the girls are receiving strange messages from someone referring to themselves as A, who threatens to reveal all of their secrets. They suspect that it is Alison, who disappeared back in 7th grade, but in Pretty Little Liars, Alison was found dead beneath the concrete floor of a gazebo in her backyard. Her four former best friends were relieved, but they are still worried because A is out there, knowing all of their secrets.

When they realized that Toby, Jenna’s step-brother, has moved back to town, the girls think he’s the one going by the initial A. Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer keep receiving messages, and their personal lives are slowly degrading. And Toby seems to be everywhere they look. Meanwhile, Aria is still attracted to her Ezra, her English teacher, but when the secret that her dad and one of his graduate students are sleeping together comes out, her mother can’t forgive her. Spencer is still attracted to Wren, her older sister’s former boyfriend, and she travels to Philadelphia to meet with him several times. But her heart’s about to be broken. And Hanna reconnects with her father, who has ignored her for the last few years. On a weekend getaway, he surprises her with the presence of his new wife and stepdaughter. Hanna had a bad experience with her the last time, but this time both girls appear to be cool with each other. Emily is still unsure of whether she is gay. She’s attracted to Maya, but her parents frown upon this relationship because of Maya’s race. They don’t know their perfect daughter is a lesbian, so Emily once again attempts to date a boy, and she and Toby become an item.

With the stakes even higher, the girls all try to keep their secrets from each other, but A’s taunts force them to once again gather and attempt to solve this mystery. If is it indeed Toby pretending to be A, how can they stop him?

The story continues in Perfect.