Book Review: Flawless (Pretty Little Liars Book 2) by Sara Shepard

 “There are all these perfect people here. And it's like if you're not one of them, then you're messed up. But I think, inside, the flawless-looking people are just messed up as we are.”

― Sara Shepard, Flawless

The second volume of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series is titled Flawless. HarperTeen released it on March 7, 2007. The ladies are still trying to identify the elusive A in this book, which picks up where Pretty Little Liars left off. More background information about Toby Cavanaugh, her stepsister Jenna, and "The Jenna Thing" is provided in Flawless. The girls discover additional details about what transpired that evening and sinister information that Ali withheld from them.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

In the exclusive town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where the sweetest smiles hide the darkest secrets, four pretty little liars--Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna--have been very bad girls. . . .

Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya . . . as much more than a friend. And Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is literally making her sick. But the most horrible secret of all is something so scandalous it could destroy their perfect little lives.

And someone named "A" is threatening to do just that.

At first they thought A was Alison, their friend who vanished three years ago . . . but then Alison turned up dead. So could A be Melissa, Spencer's ultracompetitive sister? Or Maya, who wants Emily all to herself? What about Toby, the mysterious guy who left town right after Alison went missing?

One thing's for certain: A's got the dirt to bury them all alive, and with every crumpled note, wicked IM, and vindictive text message A sends, the girls get a little closer to losing it all. 

My reaction to the novel...

This book series was fantastic. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Every chapter seems to make me more interested. Although it is intended for younger adults, I found it to be so excellent that I did not feel like I was an adult already. This novel is chock full of teenage drama and all the fun stuff. Getting back into the mystery and suspense is done without missing a beat. Characters by Sara Shepard are realistically flawed and well-written. Even if these people have made some terrible choices, you still want to support them. I absolutely want them all to triumph over "A." But they undoubtedly need to address some of their own problems first.

Actually, I made a lot of assumptions while reading this novel, including who Toby is and what he has done in the past. Even though I truly did predict it properly, I was astonished when the author revealed it. There came a time in the novel when I was so engrossed that I began to fret about what might happen next. I'm really considering who "A" might be, and even though I've made a lot of speculations here, I'm still unsure of who "A" is. I'm genuinely curious.

The book was quite good to me. The speed barely sometimes slowed for a split second. But aside from that, the characters are growing in complexity as the chapters go on. The viewpoints of Aria, Emily, and Hanna are my favorites. Despite the fact that I adore all four of them, I simply cannot relate to Spencer. I just had the impression that she had a somewhat odd quality about her. I suppose it was her selfishness that led me to believe that everything that occurred to her  was what she deserved.

Reading the following book in this series is something I am really looking forward to, so hopefully it won't let me down. As of right now, I haven't seen the TV series since I don't want to ruin my reading because I am curious to see where the plot will go. For those who have not yet read it, I heartily suggest this book. This is a really simple and fascinating read.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)

“The sweetest smiles hold the darkest secrets...”

The majority of the time, those that smile at you the sweetly will be doing it out of need or with intentions. I don't want to imply that everyone who smiles at us has malicious intentions, but sometimes, especially with individuals we don't know well, we can't tell what's going through their heads. Giving someone our nicest smile may improve their mood, but if you don't constantly give them the smile regularly, they can start to suspect anything.