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Pretty Little Liars #4
Unbelievable
#1 New York Times bestselling series
The fourth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that inspired the hit ABC Family TV show Pretty Little Liars.
Four pretty little liars’ charmed lives have turned into living nightmares. Emily’s been shipped off to Iowa to live with her überconservative cousins. Aria’s boyfriend is behind bars—because of her. Spencer’s afraid she was involved in Ali’s murder. But Hanna’s fate is far worse: She’s clinging to life in the hospital because she knew too much. These liars have tried to keep their scandals secret, but the truth is about to rock their pretty little world!
Full of unexpected twists and shocking revelations, Unbelievable is the fourth book in New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard’s compelling Pretty Little Liars series.
The fourth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that inspired the hit ABC Family TV show Pretty Little Liars.
Four pretty little liars’ charmed lives have turned into living nightmares. Emily’s been shipped off to Iowa to live with her überconservative cousins. Aria’s boyfriend is behind bars—because of her. Spencer’s afraid she was involved in Ali’s murder. But Hanna’s fate is far worse: She’s clinging to life in the hospital because she knew too much. These liars have tried to keep their scandals secret, but the truth is about to rock their pretty little world!
Full of unexpected twists and shocking revelations, Unbelievable is the fourth book in New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard’s compelling Pretty Little Liars series.
335 pages, Hardcover
First published May 27, 2008
1201 people are currently reading
33422 people want to read
About the author
Sara Shepard
125 books14.7k followersSara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She has lived in New York City, Brooklyn, Tucson, Arizona, Philadelphia, and now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,841 reviews
September 2, 2021
The real mystery is how this mystery lasts 12 more books...
October 15, 2012
The end of this cycle of Pretty Little Liars, although sadly the series is somehow continued.
We commence with a prequel rehashing absolutely every dull thing that happened before the disappearance of the infamous and appalling Alison, and reminding us of Shepard’s obsession with Bratz dolls. Then we’re back where we left off, as all the characters gather in a hospital waiting room to hear whether Hanna has survived her cliff-hanger car accident. Emily is not present however, as she has somehow managed to get onto a plane to Iowa whilst everyone else was distracted with this whole accident business. Aria has attended, but is less concerned with her friend’s potential death than with telling the police that another friend (Spencer, for ‘reasons’ mentioned in the previous book) is probably the mystery killer. Luckily Officer Wilden, the only local policeman, is fully aware of the details of every teenage girl in Rosewood’s love-life from 3½ years ago and is also slightly less stupid than Aria, so he is able to point out that none of the previous book made sense and Aria is wrong. Clumsily forced prime suspect this book is Melissa, Spencer’s sister. We know this because Shepard suddenly starts inserting jarring references to people suspecting her, although there is no particular reason to do so at this stage, or indeed at all.
Meanwhile Hanna has some sort of near-death-experience vision thing that makes no sense and basically consists of the whole prologue written out again, presumably for padding. Aria’s teacher-boyfriend loses his job due to his inappropriate sexual behaviour, but thanks to the typically lacklustre Rosewood Police Department there are no legal ramifications and he is free to continue to molest young girls as he wishes. He then immediately moves away in order to draw the storyline to a close, leaving Aria with the romantic parting gift of a William Shakespeare bobblehead. Three paragraphs later she has forgotten all about him and decided to take a course on “Mindless Art”, for which she is obviously well fitted. Elsewhere, Emily’s trip to Iowa turns out to be a disappointment; although the phrase ‘American Gothic’ is used a few times, in lieu of Shepard actually evoking it (not a possibility with her limited skills), it almost immediately turns out that Iowa is exactly the same as Rosewood, but with less money and a backdrop the author admits to lifting from the lazy American remake of the Ring Ring 1 film. Emily’s cousins all turn out to be obsessed with parties and sex, and she immediately meets a sexy lesbian who fancies her. Directly after this it turns out that Emily’s cousin is a bitch, just like every other female in these books, and Emily is sent straight back to Rosewood. She has the misfortune of having to briefly come into contact with poor people on the way, but mercifully makes it through the horror unscathed and returns to her parents, who have forgotten that they are racist and homophobic. This leaves her with no problems, but she swiftly corrects that by deciding that she’s in love with Trista from Iowa instead of her girlfriend, even though she only met Trista once and all they talked about was chocolate.
Spencer, meanwhile, is rewarded for trying to kill her sister with a luxury beach holiday. She spends her time reminiscing with her sister about their childhood torture of ponies, and planning a candlelit vigil / glamorous social event for Hanna. Aria’s brother Mike continues to be a sex obsessed pig and potential rapist, but no one cares. Hanna remains in a coma, although she does still have a “taut, young body” and attentive boyfriend to read her magazine articles on Lancôme Soleil Flash Browner tinted mousse, so it’s not all bad. The Rosewood Stalker is mentioned once a chapter, but continues to refrain from actually doing anything. Everyone continues to be drowning in expensive possessions, none of which they’re grateful for.
Hanna eventually wakes up, but is unfortunately suffering from a very specific form of plot-assisting amnesia which causes her to be unable to remember all the relevant murder-related stuff she realised just before her accident. She is however well enough to immediately demand a private room, a portable DVD player, an orthopaedic mattress and a masquerade party. Meanwhile an awful lot of nothing happens. Spencer’s dull essay fraud drags on. Spender and Mona indulge in some therapeutic knicker-flashing. Mike the pervert sexually harasses some nurses and the bed-bound Hanna for a bit, even though there’s no reason for him to be at the hospital. Mona reveals that she’s been getting mystery texts from ‘A’ as well, which have exactly as much impact on the plot as all the previous texts. Aria becomes furiously jealous that the girl she helped blind is going to have her art exhibited, even though she herself has shown virtually no interest in art throughout this series (She is the “Artistic One”, but that mainly entails her dressing like the world’s richest hipster rather than doing anything creative). Mike sexually harasses Emily again about her lesbianism, but she’s pretty sure he isn’t doing it in a mean way, so that’s okay. One of Melissa’s boyfriends sexually harasses Spencer again, but as usual she has no feelings on the matter and just placidly waits until the assault is interrupted. Hanna frets over whether her latest sexual obsession is cool enough to date. Emily and Maya are voted ‘Couple Most Likely to be Together at the 5-Year Reunion”, presumably on the strength of that one photo of them kissing at a party that did the rounds of the school. Everybody gathers periodically to restate everything they know about the murder/blackmail stuff, come up with no new ideas, and then leave. Aria is briefly worried because her brother refrains from making a sexist remark for over a minute, but mercifully he is soon back on form. Spencer’s recovered memories and Hanna’s prophetic dreams continue periodically, just in case the reader was in danger of taking any of this seriously for a second.
By this point in this series each individual event is taking place purely for the sake of drama, and makes no narrative sense. Trista from Iowa suddenly flying to Rosewood and turning up unannounced in the middle of the school? Aria trusting ‘A’’s helpful advice even though ‘A’ has repeatedly threatened all her friends and possibly tried to kill one of them? I don't suppose it's worth asking why.
Eventually everyone attends Hanna’s masquerade party, which charmingly features dozens of scantily-clad “man-slaves”, presumably dying inside as they carry a spoilt little rich girl around on a tasselled bed. The mask theme forces us to endure Hanna and Mona talking at some length in hushed and reverential tones about their Dior masks, previously used at a fashion show, as though they are holy relics. The party also serves as an opportunity for Rosewood’s second police officer to appear and start questioning teen girls about a delicate matter right in the middle of a massive social occasion. This seems an unusual way to handle a police investigation to me, but at least it gives Officer Simmons a chance for a night out. Aria skips the party however in order to hang around on her own, in the dark, in a thunderstorm, waiting to be attacked, even though this is completely unnecessary. Jenna reveals that her accident was even stupider than it first seemed. Then the four girls decide that they must stick together to stay safe, before immediately separating so that some of them can meet Justin Timberlake. Surprisingly enough this leads to one of them being in danger, although unfairly not the Justin Timberlake fan.
The dénouement is your standard “where are you taking me?” victim-trapped-with-a-person-who-they-realise-too-late-is-the-perpetrator scenario, coupled with a car chase where the Rosewood police once again inexplicably let teenagers accompany them on sensitive and dangerous official business. The Jenna Incident is also moved up to a new level of ridiculousness in order to try to explain events. Matters are then quickly resolved when Mona the Blackmailer falls into a convenient quarry. Hanna gives a swift eulogy fondly recalling the time when she and Mona came to the same quarry to deliberately sexually tease young boys with a swimsuit “fashion show”, and the blackmail problem is solved. Moving on to the issue of the murderer, the police immediately head to arrest Melissa’s ex-ex-boyfriend-ex, or whatever he is now, Ian on the hearsay evidence of the accusation of a potential crazy blackmailer. He isn’t at home, so they panic and ask the teenage girls what to do. Nobody is sure, so they all head home for now, and the police leave then unattended somewhere on the road where the murder took place, in the dark. They immediately bump into Ian, and he is promptly arrested.
Afterward a number of minor details of the characters’ lives, none of which I care about, are wrapped up. Nobody questions Spencer about throwing Mona into a quarry because Mona was a bit of a bitch, so that’s fine and no legal issues remain to concern anyone. Hanna’s parents swap houses for some reason, whilst Hanna reflects on how her best friend’s death will leave her with no competition for the position of most popular girl in school. She also deletes vital evidence from Mona’s phone in order to avoid the vague possibility of some social embarrassment for herself. Everything is fixed and there is no need whatsoever for the series to continue. But wait…whose were the blue eyes Emily saw peering from a blacked-out car? Could she have seen Alison? Granted none of the other sightings were actually her, but still, for cliffhanger reasons maybe this time it is? Maybe things aren’t over after all. Maybe there’s profit to be made in recycling this whole series of over again?
Worst Competitive Swimming Slogan
LOVE AN ANIMAL, HUG A SWIMMER
Stupidest Names
Dyson
Brett, Todd and Xavi
Trista Taylor
Most Obvious Sign of an Eating Disorder Which Goes Unquestioned
Hanna demanding to know how many calories she’s getting via her hospital IV drip, and realising delightedly that she’s lost some weight whilst she was in her coma.
Most Ridiculous Product of Which I Was Previously Unaware
Orbit Mint Mojito gum
Worst Gift From a Mother to Her Newly Out Lesbian Daughter
Finding Nemo, because in it “Ellen DeGeneres …[is]… a fish—a lesbian swimmer, just like Emily.”
Most Pathetic Attempt to Show Off
“Nah, I bet they’re giving her painkillers.” Mason’s parents were doctors, so he always busted out his medical knowledge.”
Leaving aside the use of the term “busted-out”, can guessing that a girl who’s been in a major car accident will be on painkillers really be considered insider medical knowledge?
Least Exciting Debate
“Bisque or ivory napkins?”
Most Cliched Sentence
Although the competition was stiff, I’m going to go with a classic:
“We all wear masks in our own ways, don’t we?”
Said during a mask-making class, to a girl who will soon be attending a masquerade ball. Ms.Shepard has never been one for subtlety.
Most Inappropriate Teacher
Ezra Fitz has held this title with ease for the last 3 books, but is now challenged by P.E teacher Mr.Draznowsky and his habit of giving the girls regular impromptu advice on contraception, whether they want him to or not.
Weirdest Potential Hooters Waitress Names
“Randi? Fifi? Oh! What about Caitlin?”
Caitlin? Have I missed summat here?
Most Self-Injurious Highlighting of a Plothole Which Remains Unexplained
“Why didn’t the cops find …[Alison’s]… diary when she went missing?” she sputtered. …
“Who the hell knows?””
Most Snobbish Social Comment
“Hanna crammed into the back of Wilden’s squad car next to Aria and Emily. It was where criminals—not that Rosewood had many—typically sat.”
No criminals in Rosewood. Although there was that murder. And that time Hanna was arrested for shoplifting. And that time she stole that medication. And Aria’s molester teacher. And the hit-and-run perpetrator. And the stalker. And the blackmailer. And all that sexual harassment. But that was all perpetrated by elegant upper class people who were just making mistakes, or were excitingly crazy for narrative reasons, not criminals. Criminals are lower-class people with no respect for the law and morality. Totally different thing.
As it turned out, the basis of this series seems to be a re-working of Twin Peaks with all the characters removed and the life and originality sucked out, for the benefit of idiots. A beautiful blonde girl dies in mysterious circumstances leaving behind a potentially clue-filled and scandalous diary and a whole town of people obsess over her death, trying to uncover her secrets and discover the identity of her murderer. Unfortunately in this case all her secrets were terrible, and everyone she knew was horribly boring and obsessed with themselves and their hair. I wish I’d re-read The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer instead.
My main problem with this book was the almost complete lack of momentum caused by the poor plotting, lack of content and unbelievable characters. It basically amounts to a clutch of blank spaces in different outfits standing about waiting to reach the last chapter. It’s pretty much impossible to build up suspense when nobody’s actions make any sense or have any logical consequences. The biggest puzzle of all is how, given Shepard ran out of any ideas somewhere near the beginning of the second book, this series can be continued. Sadly, I’m probably stupid enough to try to find out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2016
Sigue en la línea de Shepard. Lo leí muy rápido.
A ver si el siguiente mejora un poquito!
A ver si el siguiente mejora un poquito!
November 3, 2017
Pros:
- writing is getting better
- I liked some twists and turns a lot
- plot is still very interesting
Cons:
- the book felt way too long and drawn out
- I feel like A reveal wasn't dramatic enough
- It was kinda boring at times
- Girls don't get enough page time together, they are always separate in almost all of the scenes.
- Hanna is so annoying.
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- writing is getting better
- I liked some twists and turns a lot
- plot is still very interesting
Cons:
- the book felt way too long and drawn out
- I feel like A reveal wasn't dramatic enough
- It was kinda boring at times
- Girls don't get enough page time together, they are always separate in almost all of the scenes.
- Hanna is so annoying.
My WEBSITE
My INSTAGRAM
My WORDPRESS BLOG
Read
September 10, 2023A reveal gagged me… i knew who big A was but i didn’t know that there was a different one in this book. i also didn’t know how much they actually did take from the book and some of the parallels were fun to see!
June 13, 2010
Unbelievable continued to follow Spencer, Aria, Hanna and Emily as A stalks and threatens them.
However this one marked the end of the (what I call) "original four" books. The book begins in the hospital after "Perfect" ended with Hanna getting hit by an SUV and ending up in a coma. Luckily she ends up ok. Aria is forced to move in with her father and Meredith, Emily is forced to move to Iowa and Spencer is forced to compete in the Golden Orchid competition.
Melissa continually gives off vibes as though she is the killer, with periodic flashbacks to life with Ali still alive. Spencer ends up doing the right thing by telling the Golden Orchid guy that she cheated (once he calls to tell her she won, that is), become closer to Melissa, and retrieve her blacked out memories. Aria and her Mom make up and Meredith gets knocked up. Emily and her parents also come to terms with her sexuality.
Oh yeah and A is revealed. Spanning over one week, this is the most intense of the first four and at the end of the book, everything is synthesized as Mona Vanderwaal is revealed as A.
However, there are still four more books (at this time) in the series, so Sara Shepard will continue to enthrall readers with this web of lies and deceit among upper class Pennsylvanians.
However this one marked the end of the (what I call) "original four" books. The book begins in the hospital after "Perfect" ended with Hanna getting hit by an SUV and ending up in a coma. Luckily she ends up ok. Aria is forced to move in with her father and Meredith, Emily is forced to move to Iowa and Spencer is forced to compete in the Golden Orchid competition.
Melissa continually gives off vibes as though she is the killer, with periodic flashbacks to life with Ali still alive. Spencer ends up doing the right thing by telling the Golden Orchid guy that she cheated (once he calls to tell her she won, that is), become closer to Melissa, and retrieve her blacked out memories. Aria and her Mom make up and Meredith gets knocked up. Emily and her parents also come to terms with her sexuality.
Oh yeah and A is revealed. Spanning over one week, this is the most intense of the first four and at the end of the book, everything is synthesized as Mona Vanderwaal is revealed as A.
However, there are still four more books (at this time) in the series, so Sara Shepard will continue to enthrall readers with this web of lies and deceit among upper class Pennsylvanians.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2015
Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars
This book was much better than the last two, it was thrilling, and kept me wondering what was going to happen next (even though I basically knew, because of the TV show)
The plot that this particular instalment is entered around was one of my favourite episodes, so that was really enjoyable!
I also feel like towards the end of this book, the characters started to become less annoying! Hallelujah, haha.
Going to take a break from this series now, and start back up again later! :)
This book was much better than the last two, it was thrilling, and kept me wondering what was going to happen next (even though I basically knew, because of the TV show)
The plot that this particular instalment is entered around was one of my favourite episodes, so that was really enjoyable!
I also feel like towards the end of this book, the characters started to become less annoying! Hallelujah, haha.
Going to take a break from this series now, and start back up again later! :)
July 15, 2019
4.5 stars
August 7, 2012
I have decided not to read anymore of these until the last one is published. I just want to know "who done it" without having to read all of the HS drama. I really liked this series at first, but once I got to the third book, all of the drama got old and started to annoy me. Of course, I am WAY past my teenage years; I'm sure that has something to do with it. ;)
August 16, 2010
I don't know if I saw it coming. Who A. is I mean. I guess I did and I guess I didn't. Oh yeah, I'm such a wiz with words, I just blow your minds, don't I. (Hey, it's Monday morning, go easy on me)
I added a lot of drama in my reactions while I was reading this, since I think these books bring out my inner queen.
I'm very curious about what will happen next. Like deadly curious. *grins*
Silly little story I want to add: I was reading this on the train and some girl was trying to explain drugs to somebody else. It was the funniest thing I've heard all year. You take the idiot's guide and then try to simplify so even a goldfish would jump out of his bowl and smack you around for thinking he's that stupid. I seriously think she had mental problems, because she asked the same question five times in a row in the exact same manner. I never even heard the voice of the person who was with her, so it's quite possible she was talking to her imaginary friend.
ETA: I reread my review and I realize this thing has nothing to do with the book. I enjoyed reading it, I want to find out more and I wonder how much deeper the entire backstory will go. Just when I think I've got it figured out, something else happens that completely mixes things up. Gimme more!
I added a lot of drama in my reactions while I was reading this, since I think these books bring out my inner queen.
I'm very curious about what will happen next. Like deadly curious. *grins*
Silly little story I want to add: I was reading this on the train and some girl was trying to explain drugs to somebody else. It was the funniest thing I've heard all year. You take the idiot's guide and then try to simplify so even a goldfish would jump out of his bowl and smack you around for thinking he's that stupid. I seriously think she had mental problems, because she asked the same question five times in a row in the exact same manner. I never even heard the voice of the person who was with her, so it's quite possible she was talking to her imaginary friend.
ETA: I reread my review and I realize this thing has nothing to do with the book. I enjoyed reading it, I want to find out more and I wonder how much deeper the entire backstory will go. Just when I think I've got it figured out, something else happens that completely mixes things up. Gimme more!
November 16, 2018
It's funny, had I read these as they were released I would have been like "OMG A was revealed!!!". But alas, I know there are 16 books and I watched the entire TV show to know that this is nowhere near the end. But honestly, it could have ended here and been just fine.
Also, does anyone else notice how Shepard just likes to kill off people when she's done with them? Just like 'oh this was revealed and now you die'.
So plot? It's still the same. Who killed Ali? Who is stalking the girls? We also still get flashbacks to when Ali was alive and the same question still stands - why was anyone friends with Ali? She was horrible. But then again, these girls aren't much better when left to their own devices.
One thing I won't be sad to see go (and I hope it is gone) is the Emily/Maya relationship. Aside from Emily being so freaking boring, Maya was obnoxious and how they were saying 'I love you' after like one kiss - sure children. You're in love.
Hanna is still a bitch, only caring about being popular and not about who is actually a real person. But it's ok, because her family supports her eating disorder and bitchy attitude, so why would she change - even after getting hit by a car?
And it's four books in and the girls still aren't really talking to each other or even close to being friends again. So we just keep getting four completely different story lines that somehow all come together by the end of the book so we can have all of our Liars together at once.
I really hope these get better because right now I'm just rooting for A to destroy them because they all deserve it for being horrible and childish human beings. Sorry if I sound cranky, but again, after four books I expect to see some sort of growth in these characters, especially with what's been going on with them, but no, they are just stagnant with no change in sight.
Sigh...
Let's see how Shepard continues this drama.
Also, does anyone else notice how Shepard just likes to kill off people when she's done with them? Just like 'oh this was revealed and now you die'.
So plot? It's still the same. Who killed Ali? Who is stalking the girls? We also still get flashbacks to when Ali was alive and the same question still stands - why was anyone friends with Ali? She was horrible. But then again, these girls aren't much better when left to their own devices.
One thing I won't be sad to see go (and I hope it is gone) is the Emily/Maya relationship. Aside from Emily being so freaking boring, Maya was obnoxious and how they were saying 'I love you' after like one kiss - sure children. You're in love.
Hanna is still a bitch, only caring about being popular and not about who is actually a real person. But it's ok, because her family supports her eating disorder and bitchy attitude, so why would she change - even after getting hit by a car?
And it's four books in and the girls still aren't really talking to each other or even close to being friends again. So we just keep getting four completely different story lines that somehow all come together by the end of the book so we can have all of our Liars together at once.
I really hope these get better because right now I'm just rooting for A to destroy them because they all deserve it for being horrible and childish human beings. Sorry if I sound cranky, but again, after four books I expect to see some sort of growth in these characters, especially with what's been going on with them, but no, they are just stagnant with no change in sight.
Sigh...
Let's see how Shepard continues this drama.
March 4, 2012
"There's a lot you can't tell about people, looking in from the outside"
After the explosive events of the last book, a LOT is happening. Emily has a one way ticket to Iowa. Aria is still homeless, waiting in the hospital with her ex-friend, Hanna, as Hanna struggles in a coma. And Spencer is shaken by what she did to her sister. The girls just wait; will Hanna remember who "A" is? Will they ever be free of "A"'s grip?
I came roaring into this one straight off Book 3. I just had to find out what happened next, after the events of Book 3 left me dangling. And Book 4 did not disappoint; the end to this story arc is edge-of-your-seat madness.
This review, however, is probably going to be extremely boring. I don't want to give away TOO many spoilers, so I can't go into much detail about what happens. As for the conclusion, for the big reveal of "A" and Ali's killer...well, that DEFINITELY can't be revealed.
Also, a lot of the compliments I had for the previous book remain. Characters are great, writing is great, pacing is great, the story is interesting in that soap-opera-y, over dramatic way, and so on and so forth. So instead of breaking down each and blathering on and on about them, I'll just bring out the highlights of the final book to the story arc.
Each girl continues to be unique, to have her own problems, and come to her own (sometimes false) conclusions. Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily start to learn that maybe they need to try to work together and find out who "A" is. The little tendrils of friendship, from Aria in the waiting room of the hospital, worried for her friend, Hanna, to Spencer helping Mona plan Hanna's vigil, begin to show how these girls aren't so different, how they could really be friends again if they tried. It is when they work together that the mystery is revealed. It is when they stop hiding things that their lives begin to go back to normal.
What I adored most was how each girl had some sort of satisfying resolution to her story. From home life, to new friendships, to breaking down the walls between family, each girl doesn't end the story as messed up as they began.
However, that doesn't mean they are 100% cured. After the events of this book, I want to know what happens to Emily/Maya (after, of course, smacking Emily around for how she treated Maya). I also am not sure if Hanna will be back together with the adorkable Lucas. And there is the hint that a new "A" will be popping up, thus why this series is longer than 4 books.
I definitely have plans to continue this series...only, I need a break. Reading the first four Pretty Little Liars books nearly straight through is threatening to make me PLL'ed out. So I'll take a break with a few other books, before continuing my PLL marathon!
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
These books are surprisingly clean when it comes to language. I've read some teen books where they drop the f-bomb more than adult books, but no so with PLL. There are a few b--ches, but that is as strong as they get.
Hanna and Lucas make out; Emily goes to a party where the teenagers do a lot of "exploring" and "grinding". Mona hires hot males to carry Hanna to her party and to do all the serving.
There is a scuffle at the end of the book with "A" that ends up in a death. Also, Ali's killer is revealed.
As with the other books in the PLL series, I would recommend this to mature teens, 16+.
After the explosive events of the last book, a LOT is happening. Emily has a one way ticket to Iowa. Aria is still homeless, waiting in the hospital with her ex-friend, Hanna, as Hanna struggles in a coma. And Spencer is shaken by what she did to her sister. The girls just wait; will Hanna remember who "A" is? Will they ever be free of "A"'s grip?
I came roaring into this one straight off Book 3. I just had to find out what happened next, after the events of Book 3 left me dangling. And Book 4 did not disappoint; the end to this story arc is edge-of-your-seat madness.
This review, however, is probably going to be extremely boring. I don't want to give away TOO many spoilers, so I can't go into much detail about what happens. As for the conclusion, for the big reveal of "A" and Ali's killer...well, that DEFINITELY can't be revealed.
Also, a lot of the compliments I had for the previous book remain. Characters are great, writing is great, pacing is great, the story is interesting in that soap-opera-y, over dramatic way, and so on and so forth. So instead of breaking down each and blathering on and on about them, I'll just bring out the highlights of the final book to the story arc.
Each girl continues to be unique, to have her own problems, and come to her own (sometimes false) conclusions. Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily start to learn that maybe they need to try to work together and find out who "A" is. The little tendrils of friendship, from Aria in the waiting room of the hospital, worried for her friend, Hanna, to Spencer helping Mona plan Hanna's vigil, begin to show how these girls aren't so different, how they could really be friends again if they tried. It is when they work together that the mystery is revealed. It is when they stop hiding things that their lives begin to go back to normal.
What I adored most was how each girl had some sort of satisfying resolution to her story. From home life, to new friendships, to breaking down the walls between family, each girl doesn't end the story as messed up as they began.
However, that doesn't mean they are 100% cured. After the events of this book, I want to know what happens to Emily/Maya (after, of course, smacking Emily around for how she treated Maya). I also am not sure if Hanna will be back together with the adorkable Lucas. And there is the hint that a new "A" will be popping up, thus why this series is longer than 4 books.
I definitely have plans to continue this series...only, I need a break. Reading the first four Pretty Little Liars books nearly straight through is threatening to make me PLL'ed out. So I'll take a break with a few other books, before continuing my PLL marathon!
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
These books are surprisingly clean when it comes to language. I've read some teen books where they drop the f-bomb more than adult books, but no so with PLL. There are a few b--ches, but that is as strong as they get.
Hanna and Lucas make out; Emily goes to a party where the teenagers do a lot of "exploring" and "grinding". Mona hires hot males to carry Hanna to her party and to do all the serving.
There is a scuffle at the end of the book with "A" that ends up in a death. Also, Ali's killer is revealed.
As with the other books in the PLL series, I would recommend this to mature teens, 16+.
September 19, 2011
I think it's hard to rate individual books in a series, especially a long one like PLL, but I honestly believe that each book is great and the only one I'd say maybe wasn't a full 5 stars like I rated it, was probaby book 1, just cuz it was a little bit boring.
But this book is amazing! It's actually starting to get a little deeper and the characters are stating to have more depth to them as well.
I like the fact that with each book, I keep trying to figure out which girl is my favorite and I really can't figure it out. I think that each girl has her flaws of course, who doesn't? BUT they each have huge hearts and I just fell in love with all of them! But as of right now if I had to choose, I think throughout the whole series, I've been leaning towards Aria, especially her relationship with Ezra, I really really hope he comes back in this next book! She's just a really well developed character and shes sweet and has so much crap going on, you can't help but feel for her.
Overall, I definetly recommend this book for anyone who's read books 1-3.
But this book is amazing! It's actually starting to get a little deeper and the characters are stating to have more depth to them as well.
I like the fact that with each book, I keep trying to figure out which girl is my favorite and I really can't figure it out. I think that each girl has her flaws of course, who doesn't? BUT they each have huge hearts and I just fell in love with all of them! But as of right now if I had to choose, I think throughout the whole series, I've been leaning towards Aria, especially her relationship with Ezra, I really really hope he comes back in this next book! She's just a really well developed character and shes sweet and has so much crap going on, you can't help but feel for her.
Overall, I definetly recommend this book for anyone who's read books 1-3.
September 9, 2020
Synopsis:
Who is A? Who tried to kill Hannah? Secrets will be revealed in the fourth novel (and final arc in the first quartet) of the Pretty Little Liars series.
My Review:
The fourth book in Sara Shedpard's Pretty Little Liars gave a great ending to one of the many plot lines - who is the first A? I was very happy that this story arc came to a close, since the mystery of A was beginning to become more of a bother than an interesting plot line.
Some of the characters do seem whiny and annoying, at least by an adult's standards, but it is fitting in the setting of the high school teenagers dealing with a crazy murderer.
This book will get you hooked from start to finish. With the tease of knowing who A is, you'll be grasping onto this book desperately and not wanting to let it go. Each character has a different chapter and it rotates so the reader gets many points of views within this final novel within the first quartet in Pretty Little Liars.
This book moved at a good, fast paced and the plot line was well thought out. There wasn't much more I wanted out of this book! The plot arc coming to a close made the four books arc perfectly over. I can't wait to get the fifth book in this series! This book was not as slow in the movement of plot as the first three were! Sara Shepard seems to be getting better and better with each PLL book that comes out.
If you have watched the television series you must be aware that this series does not follow directly with the show. This series was made first, and thus there was changes.
For readers who are not as impressed with this series as I am - every quartet is a great place to stop if you don't want to leave things off on a bad ending. Each quartet seems to have a good ending if you felt the need to stop, but there will still be a few unanswered questions. That being said, if you chose to stop here, it would help tie up most of the loose ends.
Five out of five stars! A good, quick read with great movements in plot!
Who is A? Who tried to kill Hannah? Secrets will be revealed in the fourth novel (and final arc in the first quartet) of the Pretty Little Liars series.
My Review:
The fourth book in Sara Shedpard's Pretty Little Liars gave a great ending to one of the many plot lines - who is the first A? I was very happy that this story arc came to a close, since the mystery of A was beginning to become more of a bother than an interesting plot line.
Some of the characters do seem whiny and annoying, at least by an adult's standards, but it is fitting in the setting of the high school teenagers dealing with a crazy murderer.
This book will get you hooked from start to finish. With the tease of knowing who A is, you'll be grasping onto this book desperately and not wanting to let it go. Each character has a different chapter and it rotates so the reader gets many points of views within this final novel within the first quartet in Pretty Little Liars.
This book moved at a good, fast paced and the plot line was well thought out. There wasn't much more I wanted out of this book! The plot arc coming to a close made the four books arc perfectly over. I can't wait to get the fifth book in this series! This book was not as slow in the movement of plot as the first three were! Sara Shepard seems to be getting better and better with each PLL book that comes out.
If you have watched the television series you must be aware that this series does not follow directly with the show. This series was made first, and thus there was changes.
For readers who are not as impressed with this series as I am - every quartet is a great place to stop if you don't want to leave things off on a bad ending. Each quartet seems to have a good ending if you felt the need to stop, but there will still be a few unanswered questions. That being said, if you chose to stop here, it would help tie up most of the loose ends.
Five out of five stars! A good, quick read with great movements in plot!
May 19, 2022
#1) Pretty Little Liars ★★★☆☆
#2) Flawless ★★☆☆☆
#3) Perfect ★★★☆☆
#5) Wicked ★★★☆☆
2.5 stars
I wasn't a huge fan of this edition. After the last addition to the series, Perfect, I thought the books were getting better but yeah, they're obviously not if this is any indication. There wasn't anything definitively wrong with this but it was nothing special. In fact, it was pretty dull. There was no climax and it was just too boring for me to get into.
I also have to add that some of the MCs are really getting on my nerves. I'm not a fan of Hanna, and Emily's constant mood swings and screaming - she screams and yelps a lot - pissed me off for the most part.
However, I love the mystery and drama of the series. It's suspenseful and amusing. I have no idea where the next few books are going now that Mona is revealed to be A and well, dies. I'll have to see.
➸ Trigger warnings for .
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January 26, 2014
Oh My Sara. Me ha mantenido enganchado creo que como ninguno de los anteriores. Las revelaciones que se hacen en este libro son espectaculares, aunque me ha faltado un poco de racionamiento en algunos. La línea que deja abierta para el siguiente arco argumental me encanta, y quiero seguir con la saga. Fuerzas renovadas.
February 8, 2017
4.5 stars / 5 because i am a little disappointed of who "A." was. The good news is that is going to be a new "A" in town starting from volume 5.
Besides that, it was amazing! At last, the 4 friends started working together and they made it! The atmosphere was intense, the secrets were incredible, and the ending left me wanting to find out more!
I recommend this series.
Besides that, it was amazing! At last, the 4 friends started working together and they made it! The atmosphere was intense, the secrets were incredible, and the ending left me wanting to find out more!
I recommend this series.
January 6, 2019
Este libro fue súper adictivo, es increíble todo lo que se revela y es más emocionante aún lo diferente que es a la serie, me encanta! Sin duda seguiré leyendo...
September 24, 2009
Hanna is still in a coma in the beginning of the book and when she wakes up she can't remember anything about her accident or remember who "A" is. Her best friend ends up being someone bad and her mom tells her that she got a job in another sate and leaves Hanna the option to move with her, or move in with her dad and his fiance and her evil stepsister.
Aria who is my favorite in the series is dumped by Sean when he finds out she was with her teacher, Ezra. Ezra ends up getting fired and moving away. I am hoping that in the next book he comes back. Aria and her mom were still not talking in the beginning of the book so Aria lives with her dad and his girlfriend. After Aria and her brother start talking again, Aria tells him about "A" and he makes her tell the cops which puts her in danger. She also runs into Jenna at her art class and later in the book Jenna reveals that Alison and her had planned the whole Toby thing because of what Toby was doing to her. But Jenna wasn't supposed to get hurt like she did.
Spencer and her sister start to get along. Spencer debates through the whole book if she wants to tell the truth about the paper she stole from her sister to the people at the Golden Orchid award. She also finds out Alison had a thing with Ian which means Ian cheated on Spencer's sister.
And Emily is sent to Iowa to live with her Aunt and Uncle but her cousins get her in trouble which gets Emily sent back home. But while she was in Iowa she meets Trista. Who she has feelings for only to find out Trista fools around with anything in site and Emily ruins things with Maya because of Trista.
Aria who is my favorite in the series is dumped by Sean when he finds out she was with her teacher, Ezra. Ezra ends up getting fired and moving away. I am hoping that in the next book he comes back. Aria and her mom were still not talking in the beginning of the book so Aria lives with her dad and his girlfriend. After Aria and her brother start talking again, Aria tells him about "A" and he makes her tell the cops which puts her in danger. She also runs into Jenna at her art class and later in the book Jenna reveals that Alison and her had planned the whole Toby thing because of what Toby was doing to her. But Jenna wasn't supposed to get hurt like she did.
Spencer and her sister start to get along. Spencer debates through the whole book if she wants to tell the truth about the paper she stole from her sister to the people at the Golden Orchid award. She also finds out Alison had a thing with Ian which means Ian cheated on Spencer's sister.
And Emily is sent to Iowa to live with her Aunt and Uncle but her cousins get her in trouble which gets Emily sent back home. But while she was in Iowa she meets Trista. Who she has feelings for only to find out Trista fools around with anything in site and Emily ruins things with Maya because of Trista.
September 19, 2020
3.9 Estrellas ⭐
Debí haber escrito la reseña cuando terminé el libro, ahora ya no recuerdo exactamente muchas cosas.
El libro comienza fuerte, pues el final del tercero cerró con un final de infarto donde surgieron muchas dudas, las cuales se responderían al fin en este cuarto libro. Creo que el libro estuvo muy bien, las historias de las cuatro chicas fueron buenas y el final lo hizo mejor, nuevamente con este terminando abierto.
Claramente al tener cuatro historias distintas, te inclinas más por unas, en mi caso fue la historia de Spencer y ya por la recta final la de Hanna, ¿serán ellas dos mis personajes favoritos? en dos libros seguidos me han gustado solamente sus historias, así que no sé. Tambien tengo que resaltar el momento que tuvieron Aria y Mike en el bar o lo que fuera eso, me gustó muchísimo como se apoyaron, se notó el amor de hermanos que se tienen, fue muy lindo leer eso.
Debí haber escrito la reseña cuando terminé el libro, ahora ya no recuerdo exactamente muchas cosas.
El libro comienza fuerte, pues el final del tercero cerró con un final de infarto donde surgieron muchas dudas, las cuales se responderían al fin en este cuarto libro. Creo que el libro estuvo muy bien, las historias de las cuatro chicas fueron buenas y el final lo hizo mejor, nuevamente con este terminando abierto.
Claramente al tener cuatro historias distintas, te inclinas más por unas, en mi caso fue la historia de Spencer y ya por la recta final la de Hanna, ¿serán ellas dos mis personajes favoritos? en dos libros seguidos me han gustado solamente sus historias, así que no sé. Tambien tengo que resaltar el momento que tuvieron Aria y Mike en el bar o lo que fuera eso, me gustó muchísimo como se apoyaron, se notó el amor de hermanos que se tienen, fue muy lindo leer eso.
March 12, 2025
took a break and now im back reading and watching the series... nothing happens, it's boring, all the important things that happen are like 50 pages max so why did we get this?.very anticlimactic ending... anyway moving on
April 1, 2023
painfully 2008 but i can't wait to see how the rest of the series differs from the show
August 2, 2023
just as salacious as it was in sixth grade
October 25, 2015
At A Glance
Genre: Young Adult; Mystery
Love Triangle/Insta Love?: Love Triangle, but it's more revenge than love!
Cliff Hanger: Slight.
Rating: 4 Stars.
Score Sheet
Cover: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
World Building: 5/10
Flow: 9/10
Series Congruity: 10/10
Total: 8/10
In Depth
Best Part: A is getting even more involved and shit is hitting the fan big time!
Worst Part:
Overall Feels Felt: oh snap!; i knew it!!; you all gonna get it now!
Conclusion
Continuing the Series: yes!
Recommending: yes!
Misc.: Triggers; eating disorders.
Short Review: This book seamlessly starts from where the last book left off. Hanna is in the hospital after her crash. A is revealed! I knew it was the certain person already from foreshadowing but it was nice how it played out. I find myself getting caught up in this story, and reading them in a matter of hours. i love it!
Review In GIF Form
Genre: Young Adult; Mystery
Love Triangle/Insta Love?: Love Triangle, but it's more revenge than love!
Cliff Hanger: Slight.
Rating: 4 Stars.
Score Sheet
Cover: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
World Building: 5/10
Flow: 9/10
Series Congruity: 10/10
Total: 8/10
In Depth
Best Part: A is getting even more involved and shit is hitting the fan big time!
Worst Part:
Overall Feels Felt: oh snap!; i knew it!!; you all gonna get it now!
Conclusion
Continuing the Series: yes!
Recommending: yes!
Misc.: Triggers; eating disorders.
Short Review: This book seamlessly starts from where the last book left off. Hanna is in the hospital after her crash. A is revealed! I knew it was the certain person already from foreshadowing but it was nice how it played out. I find myself getting caught up in this story, and reading them in a matter of hours. i love it!
Review In GIF Form
November 5, 2015
For the amount of secrets revealed in this installment, it is easily the most boring of the series so far. How is that possible? I don't know.
The entire book felt like one long rehash of what has already happened. I know that's needed in series, most do it either within a few chapters or lightly sprinkled through out the whole book. But this book...it was the entire thing. Until the last 10 chapters or so, the whole thing was "Previously on Supernatural--" if you know what I mean.
So. Meh. Disappointed in this one but will continue on with the others anyway.
The entire book felt like one long rehash of what has already happened. I know that's needed in series, most do it either within a few chapters or lightly sprinkled through out the whole book. But this book...it was the entire thing. Until the last 10 chapters or so, the whole thing was "Previously on Supernatural--" if you know what I mean.
So. Meh. Disappointed in this one but will continue on with the others anyway.
April 20, 2015
Who the heck is A? I really do enjoy this series, this book didn't seem to have as much going on in it as the first three, but I still really enjoyed it. I just don't think we know who A is, and we have no idea who the killer is. I think we are being misled! One thing I am very glad of is that Emily's parents seemed to finally accept her for who she is. Thank goodness finally a parent with a brain in the series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2017
Oh my gosh.
I can't even believe it. Mona? And now there is a new A? Was she even A in the first place? Is Ian even guilty?
Such a great mystery book. Maybe my favourite Pretty Little Liars books so far! -June 2015
Re read: August 2017
I can't even believe it. Mona? And now there is a new A? Was she even A in the first place? Is Ian even guilty?
Such a great mystery book. Maybe my favourite Pretty Little Liars books so far! -June 2015
Re read: August 2017
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2008
I hate these books but I can't stand not knowing what happens. I bought and read this one, hoping it would be the last, but it looks like there's still more for me to read. Argh!
December 3, 2021
better than the previous one, but still a little boring.
for those who watched the tv show, this book is the end of season 2, but not the full season 2.
at the end of book 3 Hannah was hit but a car and now she doesn't remember what happened that night.
if you watched the show, the reveal of who's A is different here, Hannah finds out after she remembers that one of A's messages came from , and just like in the show when they figure it out Spencer is with her.
do i think the books are worth it? they have better plots than the show, but my God these books are boring! the only reason I'm reading this is that i have the audiobooks.
for those who watched the tv show, this book is the end of season 2, but not the full season 2.
at the end of book 3 Hannah was hit but a car and now she doesn't remember what happened that night.
if you watched the show, the reveal of who's A is different here, Hannah finds out after she remembers that one of A's messages came from , and just like in the show when they figure it out Spencer is with her.
do i think the books are worth it? they have better plots than the show, but my God these books are boring! the only reason I'm reading this is that i have the audiobooks.
March 12, 2018
ESTA SERIE ES LO MÁS!
NECESITO SABER YA QUÉ PASA CON LUCAS Y CON A
NECESITO SABER YA QUÉ PASA CON LUCAS Y CON A
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