We Fell Apart A We Were Liars Novel by E Lockhart

Lockhart wanted We Fell Apart to feel fresh – not a rehashing of the same themes. She delivered fairy tale elements, intense romance, and big plot twists in a new way. She even cut an entire subplot to make the book work better. The result is a tight, compelling narrative.

The writing is so similar to the other books in the series, which I loved. It references characters from those books but is not a continuation of the original story. It is a standalone that enriches the world without rehashing the same themes.

I was intrigued by the uneasy dynamic of the Cello family and the mystery behind Matilda’s father. The facades that people put up to appear as something they are not can be life-creating or life-ruining. It all depends on the upkeep of these secrets to keep the lies going.

While this book is a bit slower than We Were Liars and Family of Liars, the same underlying suspense kept me turning pages. The story leans more into romance than the earlier installments and offers a more hopeful ending. I appreciated Lockhart’s clever insertion of myth and fairy tale into Matilda’s quest.

Lockhart visited a decaying island property on Martha’s Vineyard that inspired this story. The real-life brutalist architect’s summer home was incredibly beautiful but falling apart – and that setting translates perfectly to the page. The crumbling castle with its algae-filled pool is a character in itself.