Read every series in the right order
We Were Liars Books in Chronological Order – Complete Reading Guide
Must-Have
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We Were Liars Boxed Set Collection
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Deluxe Edition of Family of Liars
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Familia de Mentirosos: Edición en Español
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We Were Liars: The Original Novel
Table of Contents
Quick Answer (TL;DR)
If you’re new to E. Lockhart’s twisty, summer-on-a-private-island universe, read We Were Liars first, then the prequel Family of Liars, and—when it arrives—We Fell Apart. This order preserves the core mystery, keeps the most powerful reveal intact, and then deepens the mythology with the Sinclair family’s earlier sins and a new, interconnected story. Prime Video’s 2025 series has renewed interest in the books (and has already been renewed for Season 2), so this is the perfect moment to dive in.
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Family of Liars: The Prequel Book
Explore the dark secrets of the Liars
This gripping prequel dives deeper into the twisted lives of the Liars, revealing their hidden truths and lies. Perfect for fans of suspenseful family dramas.
Introduction
Some stories lodge in your ribcage and echo for years. We Were Liars is one of them: a spare, devastating YA psychological thriller about privilege, memory, and the lies families tell to keep themselves intact. What began in 2014 as a single, elegantly constructed novel has grown into a small constellation: Family of Liars (a 1980s-set prequel) and We Fell Apart (a 2025 companion/sequel). Together they form the Liars universe—three books that can stand alone but reward a full-sequence reading for the way motifs, settings, and secrets refract across generations.
This guide is your librarian-built map: quick facts, spoiler-safe blurbs, reading order logic, format advice, and where the new TV series fits in.
Must-Have
We Were Liars Boxed Set Collection
Includes two bestselling novels
This boxed set features both ‘We Were Liars’ and its prequel, offering an immersive experience into the captivating world of the Liars. A must-read for devoted fans.
Quick Facts
| Item | We Were Liars | Family of Liars | We Fell Apart* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | E. Lockhart | E. Lockhart | E. Lockhart |
| First Publication | 2014 | 2022 | Nov 4, 2025 (US) |
| Pages (US std. ed.) | 256–320 (editions vary) | 320 | 320 |
| Est. Read Time | ~5–7 hours | ~6–7 hours | ~6–7 hours |
| Difficulty | Accessible YA; psychological twist | Accessible YA; darker prequel | Accessible YA; psychological suspense |
| Primary Genre(s) | YA psychological thriller; coming-of-age | YA psychological thriller; family saga | YA psychological suspense; companion |
| Content Warnings (high-level) | Memory loss, migraines, grief, self-harm/suicidal ideation, near-drowning | Grief, addiction, death, 1980s parental dysfunction | Family trauma, privilege conflicts (publisher guidance) |
| Ideal Age Range | 12–17+ (mature themes) | 12–17+ | 12–17+ |
| Media Adaptations | Prime Video series (premiered June 2025; renewed) | Included in series mythos | Included in series mythos |
About the We Were Liars Book Series
At the heart of all three novels is Beechwood Island, the Sinclairs’ private New England garrison of wealth and denial. We Were Liars centers on Cadence Sinclair Eastman’s fractured memory of a catastrophic summer. Family of Liars rewinds to the late 1980s, focusing on Carrie Sinclair as a teen, exposing how the family’s perfected veneer curdled long before Cadence’s time. We Fell Apart (2025) expands the tapestry with new voices and fresh angles on the Sinclairs, carrying forward the recurring obsessions of inheritance, performance, love, and guilt.
Lockhart writes in brisk, lyrical strokes—poetic line breaks, fairy-tale metaphors, and pared-down chapters—so the books move quickly yet invite re-reading, especially once you know the truth.
We Were Liars Books at a Glance (with Amazon Buy Links, no summaries)
Tip: If you’re spoiler-sensitive, avoid jacket copy after We Were Liars until you’ve finished it.
| # | Title | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | We Were Liars (2014) | Buy on Amazon |
| 0 (Prequel) | Family of Liars (2022) | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 | We Fell Apart (2025) | Pre-order on Amazon |
Publishing & page details: Delacorte Press; pages as listed in retailer/publisher catalogs.
We Were Liars Chronological Reading Order
Our house style: no major twists revealed; we emphasize themes, stakes, and what you’ll feel, not what gets spoiled.
1) We Were Liars (2014)
What it is: A minimalist, memory-shattered summer mystery narrated by Cadence Sinclair Eastman. After a traumatic incident on Beechwood Island, Cadence returns two years later struggling with migraines and amnesia, trying to piece together What Happened with her three closest companions, “the Liars.” The novel is as much about class performance and love as it is about the cost of silence.
Why first: The power of the book is inseparable from how you experience its reveal. Start here to let Lockhart’s structure work on you.
Themes: Privilege and denial, grief, loyalty, the price of belonging.
Trending Now
Deluxe Edition of Family of Liars
Enhanced features and additional content
Experience the deluxe edition packed with special features that enrich the story. Ideal for new readers and returning fans alike, this edition elevates your reading experience.
2) Family of Liars (2022) — Prequel
What it is: Set in the late 1980s, this is Carrie Sinclair’s story—glittering parties, summer rituals, and the rot that money can’t perfume. The voice is rawer, confessional, and reveals how the family’s “rules” evolved. It reads like a gothic confession in pearls: the beautiful and the terrible braided together.
When to read: After We Were Liars, even though it’s a prequel. It answers questions you didn’t know you had and deepens subtext without deflating the original novel’s effect.
Themes: Addiction, complicity, secrets as inheritance, the performance of goodness.
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Familia de Mentirosos: Edición en Español
Spanish edition of the gripping prequel
Dive into the Spanish edition of this thrilling prequel, where family secrets unfold in a beautifully translated format. Perfect for Spanish-speaking readers.
3) We Fell Apart (2025) — Companion/Sequel
What it is: A new psychological suspense set in the Liars universe, interweaving past and present and expanding the focus beyond the core quartet to a wider ensemble connected to Beechwood and the Sinclair legacy. Expect Lockhart’s signature structural games with a fresh set of emotional detonations.
When to read: Third. It’s written to be accessible on its own, but it resonates far more when you’ve lived through Cadence (book 1) and Carrie (book 2).
Publication: Nov 4, 2025 (US), Delacorte Press, 320 pp.
Series Timeline & Character Development
- The Sinclair Mythos (1950s–present): The family’s “old money” image and insistent optimism create a culture of repression: don’t make a scene, don’t break the surface of the story. That pressure cooker shapes multiple generations (Cadence, Carrie, and beyond).
- 1980s (Family of Liars): Carrie’s summer establishes recurring motifs—romance curdled by power dynamics, complicity in adults’ misdeeds, and a dangerous willingness to keep the party going. We also see the early codification of Sinclair “rules.”
- Cadence’s Teens (We Were Liars): Cadence’s migraines and memory gaps externalize the psychological costs of those rules. The Liars (Cadence, Johnny, Mirren, Gat) each represent a different friction point between wealth, conscience, and love.
- Aftershocks (We Fell Apart): New and returning characters wrestle with legacies, property, and the burden of being a Sinclair—or orbiting them. Expect the island to function like a character: beautiful, isolating, unforgiving.
Novels Sorted in Order of In-Universe Events
- Family of Liars (1980s prequel) — Carrie’s summer of first love, bad bargains, and the seed of future disasters.
- We Were Liars — Cadence’s present-tense reconstruction of the pivotal summer and its aftermath.
- We Fell Apart — Companion/sequel set after the events and revelations of book 1, reflecting back across both prior timelines.
Novels Sorted in Order of Publication
- We Were Liars (2014)
- Family of Liars (2022)
- We Fell Apart (Nov 4, 2025)
Companion Works
- Deluxe Editions: Both We Were Liars and Family of Liars have deluxe paperbacks with designed edges and bonus art—nice keepsakes for fans or gift editions.
- New Audiobook Narration (2025): Prime Video star Emily Alyn Lind narrates a new We Were Liars audiobook edition, aligning the screen and page experiences.
Editions & Formats (hardcover, collector, audio)
- Hardcover/Paperback: Standard US editions run 256–320 pages (depending on trim and series edition). The 2025 We Fell Apart hardcover is listed at 320 pages.
- Deluxe Paperbacks: Designed sprayed edges/bonus features, timed with the TV series push.
- Audiobooks: All three titles available/on the way in audio; the 2025 Liars audiobook alignment enhances cross-format discoverability.
- Reading Level: Commonly shelved for ages 12–17+; themes skew mature and emotional. Lexile listings for We Were Liars cluster around 600L, indicative of accessible prose with complex content.
Why Read We Were Liars Books in Chronological Order?
Publication order = best first ride.
Top Rated
We Were Liars: The Original Novel
Award-winning tale of betrayal and love
This acclaimed novel unravels the complexities of love and deception within a wealthy family. A thrilling read that keeps you guessing until the very last page.
- Start with We Were Liars to experience the reveal as intended; its architecture depends on you not knowing the fulcrum event.
- Then Family of Liars to learn how the wheel was set in motion decades earlier.
- Finally We Fell Apart to revisit themes with fresh characters and stakes that speak to the post-reveal world.
Even E. Lockhart’s site notes that while the books can be read alone, Family of Liars and We Fell Apart contain spoilers for We Were Liars—another reason to begin with Cadence.
Author Spotlight: E. Lockhart
E. Lockhart (Emily Jenkins) is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose YA work includes The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, Genuine Fraud, and the Liars novels. She is known for structural experimentation, unreliable narrators with heart, and razor-clean prose. With the Liars universe, Lockhart has created a compact mythos where setting is fate, class performance is a mask and a weapon, and love collides with conscience. (For forthcoming Liars news and the author’s teaching resources, see the official site.)
Media Adaptations (films, TV, radio)
- We Were Liars became a Prime Video series that premiered June 2025. Written by Julie Plec and Carina Adly MacKenzie, the show stars Emily Alyn Lind (Cadence), with an ensemble cast. The series has been renewed for Season 2, signaling that the TV narrative will keep digging into Beechwood’s graves.
- Amazon Studios Press Page: Official logline and series materials confirm the adaptation focus on Cadence and the Liars.
- Audiobook Tie-In: Lind also narrates a 2025 audiobook edition, weaving screen and audio experiences.
Watch Official Trailer :
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We Were Liars: The Enigmatic Story
A suspenseful narrative with shocking twists
An engaging tale filled with suspense, ‘We Were Liars’ captivates readers with its unexpected twists and emotional depth. An essential addition to your bookshelf.
FAQs
Do I have to read Family of Liars before We Were Liars?
No—start with We Were Liars. The prequel’s emotional power escalates after you’ve felt Cadence’s story. The author’s site also cautions that Family contains spoilers for We Were Liars.
Is We Fell Apart a sequel?
It’s a companion/sequel in the same universe, interconnecting prior stories while introducing new perspectives. It publishes Nov 4, 2025.
Are these books suitable for younger readers?
They’re marketed 12–17+, but content is emotionally heavy: grief, accidents, substance abuse, self-harm ideation. Parents and educators may want to pre-read or discuss.
How scary is it?
Not horror—psychological suspense with a devastating emotional twist and a quietly haunting tone.
Will the TV show spoil the books?
Season 1 adapts We Were Liars, so yes—watching first will likely undercut the novel’s reveal. If you’re spoiler-averse, read first.
Final Thoughts
The Liars books are small in page count but huge in resonance. Read them for the gasp, stay for the craftsmanship: foreshadowing nested like Russian dolls; refrains that mean one thing at first and something else after; an island that shines and accuses in the same breath. Our standing recommendation:
- We Were Liars → 2) Family of Liars → 3) We Fell Apart (on release)
Then, if you want to compare transformations, cue up the Prime Video series and watch how Beechwood’s secrets behave on-screen.
