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    Pretty Little Liars
    Pretty Little Liars
    Pretty Little Liars
    Ebook266 pages4 hours

    Pretty Little Liars

    By Sara Shepard

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    The #1 New York Times bestselling series that inspired the hit ABC Family TV show Pretty Little Liars and the upcoming HBO spin-off series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin!

    Never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret.

    Set in ultra-trendy Rosewood, Pennsylvania, Pretty Little Liars centers around four beautiful girls who are hiding some very ugly secrets, and the one person who knows them all…and is not afraid to spill.

    Perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying, The Cousins, and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this first book in Sara Shepard’s #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series will introduce new readers to the thrilling and magnetically compelling world of Pretty Little Liars, where everyone’s got something to hide, and no secret stays buried for long.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperTeen
    Release dateOct 6, 2009
    ISBN9780061975561
    Author

    Sara Shepard

    Sara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She currently lives in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line. All the Things We Didn’t Say is her first novel for adults.

    Read more from Sara Shepard

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    Reviews for Pretty Little Liars

    4/5

    996 ratings99 reviews

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    • 4/5
      My go-to for Gossip Girl alternatives. A suprisingly complex story in a pretty package. I like it because the girls may be rich and privilaged but they encounter real consequences. Maybe that makes the series less appealing. Also features two lesbian characters that aren't written to deliver a message.
    • 5/5
      Pretty Little LiarsEveryone has something to hide- especially high school juniors Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna. While Spencer is having a secret relationship with her sister’s boyfriend, Aria’s having a forbidden relationship with her English teacher, Emily’s crushing on the new girl at school, and Hanna uses some pretty ugly tricks to stay beautiful. While these are very big secrets, these four girls have all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Allison vanished. Even with all their efforts at keeping the secret, someone has found out and is now sending terrorizing text messages. Will these four girls uncover the mysterious text messager’s identity. Or will they get themselves killed?I found the book very intriguing. There was a lot of suspence. However, there is cursing, bulimia, smoking, drinking, drugs, drunk driving, shoplifting, pranking, and all kinds of bad behavior. Even though there are a lot of bad things about it, there are also some good things about it. For example, it’s fun and easy to read. It’s also about how these four girls are just trying to live their lives with highly expecting parents. It’s a good book on teen drama. Anybody who reads it can relate to it. Even though most people can’t relate to the major issues, you can at least relate to the minor ones like your parents not understanding you sometimes and so forth. I found this book amazing because it is a genuine mystery book. It reminded me of a teen Sherlock Holmes story. This book is about murder, drama, and mystery. I highly recommend this book, but not to anyone under the age of twelve. If you are younger than twelve, you could be seriously disturbed by this book.A review written by Madeleine
    • 4/5
      This book follows the high school lives of four girls, who used to be best friends before their fifth friend Alison DiLaurentis went missing. Spencer Hastings is a highly motivated, perfectionist involved in many activities. She finds herself always competing with her older sister, Melissa to be the best. Hanna Marin was a chubby, average girl when she was friends with Alison and now has transformed herself, along with her best friend Mona, to become the slim, beautiful, queen bees of their school. Aria Montgomery often describes herself as kooky, and artistic. She is independent and was abroad in Iceland for three years after the disappearance of Alison where her father was taking his sabbatical. Emily Fields is very shy, and committed to following the rules. She is a champion fly swimmer, and is the most devastated over Alison’s disappearance. Alison herself was extremely popular; all the boys loved her, and all the girls wanted to be her. However, she also was cruel at times, and held secrets over her friends and enemies alike. Although this book is for young adults, and this novel has many twists and turns the reader will not expect, and is a page-turner. I would recommend this book to teens, and young adults who enjoy series such as Gossip Girl, or The Clique. Overall, a very good read that keeps you thinking, and twists the story just when you think you know what is coming next. Nicole M.
    • 4/5
      An addictive, fun read in the vein of Gossip Girl.
    • 3/5
      I don't want to say I liked this book, because mostly I felt like the whole storyline was jerking me around, but I have to admit that even before I managed to warm up to the characters I wanted to know what was coming next. I'd grabbed it looking for a quick YA read and didn't realize I was into some sort of 12+ volume saga with a tv series attached, though, so I'm not sure it's going to really be worth the investment to find out what comes next after that cliffhanger ending.
    • 4/5
      To be honest, I didn't think that I would like this book much, even though I read my fair share of YA fiction. But I was pleasantly surprised! The first few chapters are a slow start, and there are way too many names and characters thrown in at once, but once the book gets going, it's interesting. Each chapter deals with one of the former friends.I thought that the secrets that each girl keeps were well done. Sure, some of them seem fairly "common" - Emily doesn't want to swim anymore and finds that she likes kissing her new friend Maya more than kissing her boyfriend Ben, Hanna struggles with an eating disorder and shoplifts, etc - but when you're sixteen, like these characters are, that's a BIG deal. Heck, I still haven't told some of my family members that I'm gay (which, I presume, Emily is as well), and I'm more than double the characters' ages. So who am I to say what a big secret is or isn't?The book ends on a cliff hanger; A is just getting started, it seems. I swore up and down that I wouldn't start yet another continuing series, but, well, here I am, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
    • 2/5
      When I picked this up I was bored.

      It's a good beginning to an OK story, but it could have been much more and the writing isn't very strong at all.
    • 3/5
      A fast, sleazy read that delivers everything you expect from it.
    • 5/5
      Imagine you are BFF with the most popular girl in school. Everyone else wants to be you. Of course you love the power you have that so many people are envious of you, but secretly you truly wonder if being her BFF is a blessing or a curse. Now imagine it's the start of the summer between seventh and eighth grade and you and your BFF are celebrating by having your annual summer sleepover. Things don't go quite as planned and the two of you end up fighting and she walks out of your house. The very next morning you hear from her mom and you just know something terrible has happened. Suddenly days turn into weeks and before you know it the summer has ended, school has started and still no word from your BFF. She just simply disappeared off the face of the earth. Although you do not wish her any harm, you have to admit, there's a part of you that's relieved that she's gone. You start to feel freer and less burdened because all the secrets she knows about you, have vanished along with her. Horrible to think, some might say, but if they knew what she knew about you, they might feel exactly the same.This is how it is for Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily. Alison, Ali, disappears during their slumber party. After her disappearance, the four friends gradually drift apart until no one can even recall they were once friends. It's now three years later and the teens are about to start their junior year. Spencer is very anal, in competition with her older sister about everything (and a certain someone); Hanna is now the new "it" girl, but carries a terrible secret about her drastic makeover; Aria is back from Iceland with her family and has a crush on a new boy, unfortunately she just found out he's her new English teacher; and Emily is the all-american good girl doing what she can to please her parents, that is until she meets Maya...All four have secrets, secrets that they want to stay buried. Secrets that only one other person knows about: Ali. During the first week of school, each start to receive texts about their secrets, threatening to expose them. Each text is simply signed "A" and naturally the girls think Ali is back. But is she? Not only does "A" haunt them with their past, "A" knows what they are hiding now. It's as though each girl is being watched.I really enjoyed this first book of the series and devoured it in one sitting. It's fast-paced, with short chapters and you just want to keep reading to learn more about what each girl is hiding. The story goes back and forth between past and present, but it's not confusing at all. After each girl receives a text, the author will go back to the past to explain its relevancy. Actually, I thought it added to the suspense.Although this is a young adult novel, I have reservations about preteens reading it. There are mature themes discussed in the book and if younger children read it, I suggest the parents read it as well and have a conversation about these topics.
    • 4/5
      Alison knows a a dirty little about each of her four best friends in their little clique. She is the most charasmatic of the group, the leader of them. One night before the start of eighth grade, she disappears with no trace. Without Alison to guide them, they each go their separate ways. The, at the beginning of 11th grade, they each begin receiving text messages about their individual secrets from someone claiming to be Alison. The book races to a suspenseful conclusion and sets it up for a sequel.I enjoyed this book. Had romance and mystery and the suspense made me race to finish it. Good for fans of Gossip Girl books.
    • 3/5
      Four estranged friends start receiving weird messages from a classmate they thought they'd lost four years before. Worrisome because the missing girl knew all their secrets.For fans of Gossip Girls and A-List this book for older teens sucks you right in.
    • 3/5
      I love this series. It's just like watching your favorite high school drama on the television, but better. This group of girls were just aweful to everyone - until their best friend, Alison, went missing. With Alison gone, the girls slowly stopped talking to each other, and tried to not be so nasty to everyone. But the past comes back to haunt each and every one of the girls, and each has her own dark secret to hide from the others. Just like watching a really good and aweful high school drama.....I can not stop myself from reading the rest.
    • 3/5
      Summary: It's the summer of seventh grade when, back-stabbing/queen bee/best friend/popular, Allison goes missing. She disappears without a trace and that's when the friends split up. Spencer, Emily, Heather, and go seperate ways, and they hit high school. When a certain "A" begans to haunt them, suspicion arises in the group. Who's watching them? And even worse, why do they know all their secrets? It couldn't be Allison.....she's been dead for years! It could never be her right! Right.....right?Review: A really good book I NEED to read the second one!!
    • 2/5
      This book had no plot resolution. Why, oh why, did I just waste my time reading a book that was merely setting me up to read the next (several) book(s)?! Aaaargh. I understand series (I read fantasy, after all) but there's usually some reason that a book ends where it does; some sort of resolution, some sort of time constraint (e.g. freshman year), SOMETHING. This had nothing. I was left extremely dissapointed (can you tell?).
    • 3/5
      5 girls used to be friends, but one went missing and the rest of them drifted apart. 3 years have gone by, and the 4 are now receiving notes from someone who knows all the secrets their missing friend knew. Secrets they don't want known....Parts of the book were good, and they really left it hanging at the end. A lot is predictable, but then Shepard throws in some twists you aren't expecting, and I do kind of want to read the sequel.
    • 1/5
      I did not care for this book: the plot was fine, but not particularly engaging. There is not enough resolution towards the central mystery; instead, it is used just to set up a series of sequels, but never has its own payoff. Mostly, though, I did not find one redeeming character in the bunch. The POV jumps between a former group of friends who sleep with teachers, steal boyfriends, flat out steal, drink, crash cars in drunken joy rides, and without any discernible consequences or reproach. I really had it when one girl's mother sleeps with a cop so that the daughter will not get into trouble. Not something that I would recommend to teens or adults, and not a series I would have any interest in continuing with, except to find out what other horrible things the author has in store for her vapid, immoral, and generally unappealing characters.
    • 5/5
      This book is really good. If you like the TV show series, this is a must read book. It was a quick read and it kept you captivated throughout the book. The end definitely left you hanging, but that's normal in book series. The book is about Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and Aria, four girls that are trying to get through a disappearance of Alison, their fearless leader, from a few year ago, when they start getting messages from a mysterious "A". "A" knows all of the girls dark secrets and only one person knew them, Alison. The girls are afraid that if "A" knows their secrets, then "A" will tell everyone secrets from a few years ago. As for the ending, you'll just have to read the book to find out.
    • 4/5
      I really like this book. I think it's a very interesting book and once you get into it, it is obviously written to attract teens.
    • 3/5
      I started watching the show before I read the books; so I had pre-conceived feelings about it which changed as I read, I preferred characters in the book than I did in the show. I didn't much care for the message it seems to hammer home, that every single one of them needs a boyfriend to be popular, and how they so seemingly abandoned a strong friendship after the core of their group goes missing; but I'm hoping there's more to that as I keep reading.The mystery is really great, the secrets and the drama are what kept me reading. Hopefully things get better from here :)
    • 5/5
      The book I read was Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. The book Pretty Little Liars is mostly about how 4 girls try to find the person who killed one of their best friends Alison. But while they are trying to find out who killed her they get texts, emails, and IM’s from A and yet still trying to live a normal teenage life. But life’s not so normal when there’s people out to get you. This book was a fantastic read and a good mystery but at the same time a great girly read with romance, drama, and crime.
    • 5/5
      I thought this book was a great book. The author did a great job of introducing the characters. I think it is the best book i have ever read. Now i can't wait to read the second book. I highly reccomend this book.
    • 4/5
      Book talk: (8th grade only)I'm kind of mad that I read this book because now I'm hooked, and I don't want to be hooked on a series; I have too many other books I want /need to read. But, darn it, I got sucked in to the mystery.First off, there is a YA label on this series because of strong language and kids being in adult situations. I will just tell you that these are not nice girls; even some of their parents aren't nice, which explains some of the girls' behaviors. In the beginning I had a hard time liking any of them. I felt like I was looking at a catalog of designer labeled, high priced items while I was becoming more and more engrossed in the mystery of what happened to Ali. Here is my 40 word review:Five friends, Hannah, bulimic, Gucci sunglasses, kleptomaniac; Spencer, overachiever, Kate Spade handbags, steals sister's boyfriend; Aria, loves her English teacher, Pigtunia, NOT a follower; Emily, the good girl, Vanilla Coke, questioning her sexuality; Ali, dominating, knows their secrets, she's MISSING. Don't expect your questions to be answered by the last page, and don't expect to understand what they mean when they keep mentioning "The Jenna Thing." After all, it's a mystery!
    • 2/5
      I started reading this series because I've been enjoying the TV show on ABC Family. I was surprised to find that the books are not better than the show. They're incredibly superficial and catty and the characters and plots lack depth. The show is a much more satisfying experience overall.
    • 3/5
      So I *think* this may be the modern equivalent of a Sweet Valley Twins book. These girls are seventh-graders, at least at the beginning of the story. But boy have the themes changed from what I recall! Alongside the familiar petty squabbling, social bullying, and intermittent backstabbing that seem to be the hallmarks of feminine adolescence, there are: student/teacher affairs (oddly the legal implications of a high school teacher having an intimate relationship with an underage girl are never addressed), extramarital affairs (of parents, witnessed by children), murder, incest (well, if you consider stepbrother/stepsister to be incest... otherwise it's just molestation), bulimia, and lesbianism. It's soap opera all the way, in book form, but with disturbingly young characters. However, the hint of mystery is very well done (I seriously can NOT figure out how the author is going to explain it) and the book ends on something of a cliffhanger, which unfortunately sent me immediately in search of the next installation. I'm a little ashamed of myself, but this is book was like a potato chip -- once you have one, you're going to keep eating them regardless of how bad they are for you.
    • 2/5
      Most of my thoughts about the books are about the characters themselves...so I thought I'd try something a little different for this review and just talk about each of the four girls. Hanna I feel sorry for Hanna. Her character goes through what a lot of YA characters do. She is insecure when the book starts off and the girls are just finishing seventh grade. She is overweight, and her friends and family aren't very supportive. In fact, her dad is dating someone new with a daughter her age that is beautiful and he clearly favors her over Hanna! I'm not at all surprised that, because of these factors (as well as the stress caused by Alison's disappearance) she ends up with an eating disorder. She does turn out to be one of the most popular and beautiful girls in high school, but she is still miserable. I hope she grows to love herself as the series goes on, but I have my doubts that it will happen anytime soon. Emily This poor girl...she is confused. She has a boyfriend, but are he and the swim team enough to keep her distracted from thoughts of the new girl at school, Mia? The fact that Mia moves into Alison's old house -and her old room-probably don't help her confusion. Will the threats from the mysterious "A" be enough to keep her from finding out what she really wants? Aria Fresh off the plane from Iceland, she wastes no time in falling for a man she meets in a bar. When he turns out to be her English teacher...many complications and devious maneuvers come into play. Will she convince him that they should still see each other, even though she fibbed just a bit about her age and he is her teacher? Will the weird messages from "A" ruin things before she even has a chance? Spencer Of all four girls, I relate to Spencer the most and I also feel the sorriest for her. I relate to her over-achiever side. She works so hard to live up to her older sister, but still always feels like she is falling short. When she does finally accomplish something she and her whole family can be proud of, they all turn against her. Her parents actually tell her they can't stand the sight of her. That was hard to read. I would feel so horrible in that situation, it would be a nightmare. So, I really liked this book. It is very addicting! Full of teenage drama. I recommend it if you're in the mood for a read like that. You certainly aren't cracking open a philosophy textbook here, just picking up a quick, mostly mindless, read. My one complaint, though, is that I'm not a fan of holding off explanations for everything just to rope readers into having to get the next book. I hope at least some things are answered in Flawless. I hope everyone else plans on watching the show tonight! If you do, make sure and tell me what you think.
    • 5/5
      I saw most of the first season of this show before reading the book of it. I thought I'd know most that happened and it'd be an easy read. While it wasn't difficult to read it, I did have a different view from what I saw in the Tv show. I feel like you learn more about the girls past, before alison was killed. I liked this aspect of the book. But, I didn't like how in the Tv show the girls looked different then their discription from the book. Overall I thuroughly enjoyed this book.
    • 4/5
      My Review: I enjoyed reading Pretty Little Liars. For me, because I live a drama free life (for the most part), reading about other peoples drama can be somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine!The characters in this book are these rich, young and beautiful girls who really shouldn't have much to worry about about at their age. But with money comes power and lies and secrets. And all of the girls in this novel have their share of those.We meet the group of 5 girls; Hanna, Spencer, Aria, Emily and Alison and we get a glimpse into their (twisted) friendship where one of these "life-long" friends calls all of the shots. Right away, I'm reminded of the new 90210 TV series. The whole who's dating who, who's wearing what, and just the look into the lives of these young, rich people and their parents are similar to each other. I had no idea that Pretty Little Liars would draw me in the way it did. I was always eager to read and find out a little more and I needed to know what would happen next. I loved that Shepard used short chapters, these are my favourite because I can then sneak in some reading wherever (the line up at Tim Hortons, waiting at the bus stop, you name it!) I like stopping at the end of a short chapter as opposed to in the middle of a long chapter. Overall, I cannot wait to read the next books in the PLL series, Spencer and Aria are my favourite girls of the group and I want to dive back into their lives, and see what "A" has in store for them and the others!
    • 5/5
      This was a really good book. I really liked the ending, it made me want to read the next book in the series.
    • 5/5
      Didn't know if I'd like this at all, but I loved it. The characters are surprisingly interesting, though not all of them are sympathetic, though they all have moments. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series.
    • 4/5
      I can see why this book often gets called a "guilty-pleasure", because it is not really the kind of book that you necessarily want to admit you've liked. It is full of spoiled-rotten, back-stabbing rich girls. Girls who think they can do whatever they want...including sleeping with a teacher. Which seems almost perfectly acceptable in this book, which I think sends the wrong message to the actual age group this book is geared towards. I think that probably the only reason I like this book is because it is, on some very basic level, a good mystery. The rest of the story is shallow and I couldn't really relate to it, but I love a good mystery, and in spite of myself I found myself wanting to know who "A" is. And I will definitely read book 2. Possibly read on at least until I find out who "A" is, and then I'll see how I feel about the series from there. This is definitely a guilty-pleasure, but not one I can bring myself around to fully enjoying yet. As stated above, I just have too many issues with the book to have fully enjoyed it. Maybe I'll come around more with book 2.

    Book preview

    Pretty Little Liars - Sara Shepard

    1

    Oranges, Peaches, and Limes, Oh My!

    Someone finally bought the DiLaurentises’ old house, Emily Fields’s mother said. It was Saturday afternoon, and Mrs. Fields sat at the kitchen table, bifocals perched on her nose, calmly doing her bills.

    Emily felt the Vanilla Coke she was drinking fizz up her nose.

    I think another girl your age moved in, Mrs. Fields continued. I was going to drop off that basket today. Maybe you want to do it instead? She pointed to the cellophaned monstrosity on the counter.

    "God, Mom, no," Emily replied. Since she’d retired from teaching elementary school last year, Emily’s mom had become the unofficial Rosewood, Pennsylvania, Welcome Wagon lady. She assembled a million random things—dried fruit, those flat rubber thingies you use to get jars open, ceramic chickens (Emily’s mom was chicken-obsessed), a guide to Rosewood inns, whatever—into a big wicker welcome basket. She was a prototypical suburban mom, minus the SUV. She thought they were ostentatious and gas-guzzling, so she drove an oh-so-practical Volvo wagon instead.

    Mrs. Fields stood and ran her fingers through Emily’s chlorine-damaged hair. Would it upset you too much to go there, sweetie? Maybe I should send Carolyn?

    Emily glanced at her sister Carolyn, who was a year older and lounging comfortably on the La-Z-Boy in the den watching some animal video on YouTube. Emily shook her head. No, it’s fine. I’ll do it.

    Sure, Emily whined sometimes and occasionally rolled her eyes. But the truth was, if her mom asked, Emily would do whatever she was supposed to do. She was a nearly straight-A, four-time state champion butterflyer and hyper-obedient daughter. Following rules and requests came easily to her.

    Plus, deep down she kind of wanted a reason to see Alison’s house again. While it seemed the rest of Rosewood had started to move on from Ali’s disappearance three years, two months, and twelve days ago, Emily hadn’t. Even now, she couldn’t glance at her seventh-grade yearbook without wanting to curl up in a ball. Sometimes on rainy days, Emily still reread Ali’s old notes, which she stored in a shell-top Adidas shoe box under her bed. She even kept a pair of Citizens corduroys Ali had let her borrow on a wooden hanger in her closet, even though they were now way too small on her. She’d spent the last few lonely years in Rosewood longing for another friend like Ali, but that probably wasn’t going to happen. She hadn’t been a perfect friend, but for all her flaws, Ali was pretty tough to replace.

    Emily straightened up and grabbed the Volvo’s keys from the hook next to the phone. I’ll be back in a little while, she called as she closed the front door behind her.

    The first thing she saw when she pulled up to Alison’s old Victorian home at the top of the leafy street was a huge pile of trash on the curb and a big sign marked FREE! Squinting, she realized that some of it was Alison’s stuff—she recognized Ali’s old, overstuffed white corduroy bedroom chair. The DiLaurentises had moved away almost nine months ago. Apparently they’d left some things behind.

    She parked behind a giant Bekins moving van and got out of the Volvo. Whoa, she whispered, trying to keep her bottom lip from trembling. Under the chair, there were several piles of grimy books. Emily reached down and looked at the spines. The Red Badge of Courage. The Prince and the Pauper. She remembered reading them in Mr. Pierce’s seventh-grade English class, talking about symbolism, metaphors, and denouement. There were more books underneath, including some that just looked like old notebooks. Boxes sat next to the books; they were marked ALISON’S CLOTHES and ALISON’S OLD PAPERS. Peeking out of a crate was a blue and red ribbon. Emily pulled at it a little. It was a sixth-grade swimming medal she’d left at Alison’s house one day when they’d made up a game called Olympian Sex Goddesses.

    You want that?

    Emily shot up. She faced a tall, skinny girl with tawny-colored skin and black-brown curly hair. The girl wore a yellow tank top whose strap had slid off her shoulder to reveal an orange and green bra strap. Emily wasn’t certain, but she thought she had the same bra at home. It was from Victoria’s Secret and had little oranges, peaches, and limes all over the, er, boob parts.

    The swimming medal slid out of her hands and clattered to the ground. Um, no, she said, scrambling to pick it up.

    You can take any of it. See the sign?

    No, really, it’s okay.

    The girl stuck out her hand. Maya St. Germain. Just moved here.

    I . . . Emily’s words clogged up in her throat. I’m Emily, she finally managed, taking Maya’s hand and shaking it. It felt really formal to shake a girl’s hand—Emily wasn’t sure she’d ever done that before. She felt a little fuzzy. Maybe she hadn’t eaten enough Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast?

    Maya gestured to the stuff on the ground. Can you believe all this crap was in my new room? I had to move it all out myself. It sucked.

    Yeah, this all belonged to Alison, Emily practically whispered.

    Maya stooped down to inspect some of the paperbacks. She shoved her tank top strap back onto her shoulder. Is she a friend of yours?

    Emily paused. Is? Maybe Maya hadn’t heard about Ali’s disappearance? "Um, she was. A long time ago. Along with a bunch of other girls who live around here, Emily explained, leaving out the part about the kidnapping or murder or whatever might have happened that she couldn’t bear to imagine. In seventh grade. I’m going into eleventh now at Rosewood Day." School started after this weekend. So did fall swim practice, which meant three hours of lap swimming daily. Emily didn’t even want to think about it.

    I’m going to Rosewood too! Maya grinned. She sank down on Alison’s old corduroy chair, and the springs squeaked. "All my parents talked about on the flight here was how lucky I am to have gotten into Rosewood and how different it will be from my school in California. Like, I bet you guys don’t have Mexican food, right? Or, like, really good Mexican food, like Cali-Mexican food. We used to have it in our cafeteria and mmm, it was so good. I’m going to have to get used to Taco Bell. Their gorditas make me want to vomit."

    Oh. Emily smiled. This girl sure talked a lot. Yeah, the food kind of sucks.

    Maya sprang up from the chair. This might be a weird question since I just met you, but would you mind helping me carry the rest of these boxes up to my room? She motioned to a few Crate & Barrel boxes sitting at the base of the truck.

    Emily’s eyes widened. Go into Alison’s old room? But it would be totally rude if she refused, wouldn’t it? Um, sure, she said shakily.

    The foyer still smelled like Dove soap and potpourri—just as it had when the DiLaurentises lived here. Emily paused at the door and waited for Maya to give her instructions, even though she knew she could find Ali’s old room at the end of the upstairs hall blindfolded. Moving boxes were everywhere, and two spindly Italian greyhounds yapped from behind a gate in the kitchen.

    Ignore them, Maya said, climbing the stairs to her room and shoving the door open with her terry-covered hip.

    Wow, it looks the same, Emily thought as she entered the bedroom. But the thing was, it didn’t: Maya had put her queen-size bed in a different corner, she had a huge computer monitor on her desk, and she’d put up posters everywhere, covering Alison’s old flowered wallpaper. But something felt the same, as if Alison’s presence was still floating here. Emily felt woozy and leaned against the wall for support.

    Put it anywhere, Maya said. Emily rallied herself to stand, set her box down at the foot of the bed, and looked around.

    I like your posters, she said. They were mostly of bands: Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Adele. I love Adele, she added.

    Yeah, Maya said. My boyfriend’s totally obsessed with her. His name’s Justin. He’s from San Fran, where I’m from.

    Oh. I’ve got a boyfriend too, Emily said. His name’s Ben.

    Yeah? Maya sat down on her bed. What’s he like?

    Emily tried to conjure up Ben, her boyfriend of four months. She’d seen him two days ago—they’d watched Dune at her house. Emily’s mom was in the other room, of course, randomly popping in, asking if they needed anything. They’d been good friends for a while, on the same year-round swim teams. All their teammates told them they should go out, so they did. He’s cool.

    So why aren’t you friends with the girl who lived here anymore? Maya asked.

    Emily pushed her reddish-blond hair behind her ears. Wow. So Maya really didn’t know about Alison. If Emily started talking about Ali, though, she might start crying—which would be weird. She hardly knew this Maya girl. I grew apart from all my old seventh-grade friends. Everyone changed a lot, I guess.

    That was an understatement. Of Emily’s other best friends, Spencer had become a more exaggerated version of her already hyper-perfect self; Aria’s family had suddenly moved to Iceland the fall after Ali went missing; and dorky-but-lovable Hanna had become totally undorky and unlovable and was now a total bitch. Hanna and her now best friend, Mona Vanderwaal, had completely transformed themselves the summer between eighth and ninth grade. Emily’s mom had recently seen Hanna going into Wawa, the local convenience store, and told Emily that Hanna looked really slutty. Emily had looked at her mom. Who said slutty anymore?

    I know how growing apart is, Maya said, bouncing up and down on her bed as she sat. Like my boyfriend? He’s so scared I’m going to ditch him now that we’re on different coasts. He’s such a big baby.

    My boyfriend and I are on the swim team, so we see each other all the time, Emily replied, looking for a place to sit down too. Maybe too much of the time, she thought.

    You swim? Maya asked. She looked Emily up and down, which made Emily feel a little weird. I bet you’re really good. You totally have the shoulders.

    Oh, I don’t know. Emily blushed and leaned against Maya’s white wooden desk.

    You do! Maya smiled. But . . . if you’re a big jock, does that mean you’d kill me if I smoked a little weed?

    What, right now? Emily’s eyes widened. What about your parents?

    They’re at the grocery store. And my brother—he’s here somewhere, but he won’t care. Maya reached under her mattress for an Altoids tin. She hefted up the window, which was right next to her bed, pulled out a joint, and lit it. The smoke curled into the yard and made a hazy cloud around a large oak tree.

    Maya brought the joint back inside. Want a hit?

    Emily had never tried pot in her entire life—she always thought her parents would somehow know, like by smelling her hair or forcing her to pee in a cup or something. But as Maya pulled the joint gracefully from her cherry-frosted lips, it looked sexy. Emily wanted to look sexy like that too.

    Um, okay. Emily slid closer to Maya and took the joint from her. Their hands brushed and their eyes met. Maya’s were green and a little yellow, like a cat’s. Emily’s hand trembled. She felt nervous, but she put the joint to her mouth and took a tiny drag, like she was sipping Vanilla Coke through a straw.

    But it didn’t taste like Vanilla Coke. It felt like she’d just inhaled a whole jar of rotten spices. She hacked an old man–ish cough.

    Whoa, Maya said, taking back the joint. First time?

    Emily couldn’t breathe and just shook her head, gasping. She wheezed some more, trying to get air into her chest. Finally she could feel air hitting her lungs again. As Maya turned her arm, Emily saw a long, white scar running lengthwise down her wrist. Whoa. It looked a little like an albino snake on her tan skin. God, she was probably high

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