Review: Pretty Little Liars - Sara Shepard

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4.5 stars
Cover Rating: 3.5 stars (Interesting, I like that there is a doll on the front and the real girl on the back. The bold color is nice too.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 1, 2007
Publisher: HarperCollins
Page Count: 286 p.

Everybody has secrets. Ali has everyone's secrets stored in her pretty little head. When Ali goes missing in the summer between seventh and eighth grade, her friends are devastated. They keep hoping that she'll just show up like nothing happened. While feeling worried, they can't help but feel a breath of relief. After all, she knew all their secrets and if she was dead, their secrets died with her. Three years later, just when they thought they could get past Ali, they start getting mysterious texts from "A". A seems to know all their dirty laundry and a whole lot more, and A seems itching to air it. These friends who long ago drifted apart, might have to reunite to solve this mystery.

Well, I can honestly say I was not expecting that at all. I was expecting snotty, shallow, catty girls being rude and nasty. These were normal girls with a big 'ole mystery to solve. I will be tearing through the rest of this series quite soon. It's addicting. The girls shared this friendship that breaks up soon after the novel begins, with the disappearance of their friend, Ali. Because of how close they were, they have all these inside stories that they reference, but do not reveal what they are about. It was a little confusing at first switching between the different girls' lives, but after you got to know each girls' niche it was much easier to tell them apart. Sometimes it seemed like the characters were a little too normal, a little too not popular. I mean Hannah is popular but she's not super popular, not "too good to talk to my old friends" popular. If you enjoy a good mystery of LOST proportions, that will probably end better, pick this up. This first book in the series introduces you to a ton of mysteries and does not give away a hint of what might be going on, or what is to come. I recommend this to avid and reluctant readers alike. If you haven't started this series, I suggest you do it soon. I will certainly be Netflixing the T.V. show as soon as it's available. I am interested to see how it will unfold on screen.

First Line:
"Imagine it's a couple of years ago, the summer between seventh and eighth grade."

Favorite Line:
"They'd watch TiVo'ed episodes of American Chopper, eat pizza delivered from Disilvio's and feel underneath her unsexy sports bra."