Set just five days after the infamous Sinclair house fire, this novel follows 18-year-old Matilda Avalon Klein, a quietly resilient teen preparing to start college and design 3D games.
She lives with her mom's ex-boyfriend, Saar-the only stable adult in her life after her mother abandons her (yet again), this time fleeing to Mexico City and washing her hands of parenting altogether. When Matilda receives an unexpected email from legendary artist Kingsley Cello claiming to be her father-and inviting her to his coastal home on Hidden Beach
-she's skeptical, but curiosity and longing win out.
Upon arriving, she's driven by a moody, unwelcoming young man named Tatum and quickly learns Kingsley is conveniently away in Italy, with no clear return date. The only person who seems to be expecting her is Meer, Kingsley's son and Matilda's half-brother, who is overjoyed by her arrival. In sharp contrast, Meer's mother June is frosty, strict, and clearly unaware of any invitation.
Joining the household are Brock, a former child star in recovery from addiction, and-surprise-Tatum, who turns out to be a permanent fixture in the house, bearing more responsibility than any teen should. Matilda is soon swept into the group's strange but captivating world-trespassing in empty homes, picnicking, and playing experimental games on the eerie island-all while June enforces strange rules, confiscates their phones, and feeds them a strict, herbal-laced diet. Mysterious locked rooms in the house and unsettling truths about her father's past only heighten Matilda's curiosity.
To complicate things further, Matilda is being watched-by Holland, a queer member of the Sinclair family with a hidden agenda and secrets of their own. As Matilda begins to uncover pieces of her father's past, she starts to realize that this house, and the people in it, are far more dangerous and fragile than she imagined. The truth she's chasing could destroy everything.

Another great installment for this series. It has everything we have come to expect from the world of the liars, just with a different group. If you enjoyed the other books in the series, you will not be disappointed (but definitely recommend reading the others before jumping into this one if you haven’t).

This book is the best kind of slow burn with found family tropes. Tilly has been resurrected and I am here for it. From the shocking twist in We Were Liars to Family of Liars which follows Carrie through her addiction and struggles with her sister’s death. We Fell Apart fits perfectly into this world to give background to the grandparents and their love story. Both books and show are phenomenal. I cannot express how much I absolutely recommend the series!! I ate this book up and could not put it down which is the best type of feeling.

Thank you so much to RHCBEducators, NetGalley, and E. Lockhart for this ARC!!

We return to the world of the Sinclair’s! Mystery, eeriness, suspense, tension, enemies to lovers slow burn? Yes, please! E. Lockhart knows how to write well an emotionally intense story of dysfunctional families. There were scenes that I could have done without and honestly one I wish hadn’t been included but overall a good third installment! A solid 3.75 star from me. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the early review copy!

Loved this a lot—gothic yet summer. I was unsure about returning to this world after not loving Family of Liars, but We Fell Apart delivers on the romance, summer atmosphere and twisted family histories that I loved about We Were Liars while introducing new compelling characters and mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this new book from E. Lockhart!

With all the hype around the new show adaptation of We Were Liars on Amazon Prime, I was excited to see another installment/companion novel set in the same universe, just days after the events in We Were Liars. This story follows a young woman named Matilda, who for her entire life, has had an extremely transient life with her mother, who considers herself to be a muse. Growing up never knowing her father, one day Matilda is surprised to get an email from Kingsley Cello, a famous artist, inviting her to come meet him and receive a painting. Although hard to believe, Matilda takes him up on the invitation and flies out. Once she arrives, she meets her brother, step-mom, and a whole other slew of characters....except for her dad. In true E. Lockhart fashion, a mystery that is both creepy and intriguing forms as you follow Matilda along in her quest to get to know her dad. I found this story to be sadder than I thought it would be, but it also ended with some heart warming messages about found family and re-defining labels.

3.5 stars!

I really enjoy the We Were Liars franchise and was so excited to read this next book early! Even though I don't read a lot of YA, this is one author I will still pick up! While it's part of the We Were Liars series, it's very much a stand alone book with character cross over, really giving it the ability to cross over to many readers. Just enough angsty drama to keep the reader really engaged. I think this book will be a big hit!

E Lockhart and this world is always going to have such a special place in my heart. is it necessary for us to keep going? no. was it really fun and interesting to see the rest of this world that is not from the POV of the Sinclair family? absolutely. i want to see lockhart do adult thiller so bad.

Thanks to the television series We Were Liars this book will be highly anticipated. This can be read as a stand alone it does link WWL but it expands the story either way all new characters. I actually would have like a new book highlighting one of the sisters or Liars-like Family of Liars- instead of starting a whole new saga. I did enjoy this the characters are well developed and the plot moved along well. But it doesn't have the magic of WWL.

ARC, Pub Date Nov 04, 2025

We Fell Apart
A We Were Liars Novel
by E. Lockhart

This is the third book in the We Were Liars series. We Fell Apart is about a girl named Matilda and her journey in finding her estranged father. Matilda lived a childhood bouncing home to home with her single drifter mom. Matilda, a young adult, gets notification from her estranged father, stating that he wants to see her. She gets on a plane and goes to the island where he lives, only weeks after the fire that took place in the first book We Were Liars.

She falls in love with the family on that island and makes a home there until she can see her father and connect with him.

I wasn’t sure where this book was headed because it discussed video games, paintings and the Sinclair family that lives nearby. There’s tragedy, plot twists and unconditional love. A perfect read! It could be the end to the series but I hope it continues. Thank you for the ARC. It was a privilege to read.
#WeFellApart #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a messy one. All of the characters our MC meets give untrustworthy vibes so this reads as a suspense but it’s really not that complicated. Matilda has had shitty parenting from her mom and craves a connection with someone who loves her unconditionally. So naturally the father she has never known enters the picture in a cryptic email inviting her to his home. She doesn’t get the family she expects but she does find the connection she’s always missed. The tie in to the We Were Liars books was well done.

Another NetGalley ARC for me, which was exciting because I loved “We Were Liars”. This was a great fast paced read for me. I don’t want to give any spoilers but there were several times where I thought, “OMG get it together!!!”

After having just immersed myself back in the world of Beechwood Island and the Sinclair family with the show on Prime, I was beyond excited to receive the ARC for We Fell Apart. While not exactly about the same family and island, this book does take place 5 days after the events of We Were Liars and in the same general location of Martha's Vineyard. Matilda has been invited, by the father she's never known, to visit his estate, Hidden Beach, the summer before she starts college. When she arrives she meets a whole host of different characters, but noticeably missing is her father Kinglsey. As she assimilates to Hidden Beach's way of life she falls in love while trying to get answers to who she is and where she came from.

I devoured this book. As soon as I got into I couldn't stop. Some sections were so beautifully written it was like reading a poem. Almost every character is lovable and the ones who aren't have very good reasons why and will make you see them in a different light. I really enjoyed the main character Matilda and especially loved her perseverance and making the best of the hand she was dealt. If you're a fan of We Were Liars and Family of Liars, this will be your next favorite read.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Childrens' Books for this ARC.

Unfortunately, this book doesn't capture the same magic as the others in the We Were Liars universe. While I was hopeful for another gripping and emotional story, it ultimately fell short for me. The characters felt less compelling, and the plot lacked the depth and intrigue that made the original so memorable.

i truly love e. lockhart and the we were liars universe, but unfortunately We Fell Apart fell…short for me. this book felt unnecessary, predictable, and discombobulated. i was bored and confused waiting for the twist and then was unimpressed when it came. the best parts were the references to the sinclair characters we already know and love.

while a tipper prequel interests me, i think maybe we should let the sinclairs rest for a while. this book really exhausts the mystery and intrigue of the family.

Thank you Random House Children’s Books, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the arc!

I loved We Were Liars, but We Fell Apart didn’t quite capture the same magic for me as book 1 and 2. The emotional depth was there, but the pacing and connection just didn’t hit the same. Still appreciate the themes—just not my favorite in the series. ⭐⭐.5/5

What a wonderful story of families, those we are born into and those we choose. Sometimes we go in search of what we think we need, when it is there in front of us all the time.
This is an engrossing tale featuring young characters who are most endearing and Matilda, the central character has a wonder arc to her story that is so satisfying. She comes to High Beach to meet the father she never knew she had. Her mother, who has just abdicated to Mexico with her latest lover, never told Matilda who her father was. Then she gets an invitation to visit the home of her father, a famous painter, Kingsley Cello. When she arrives, he is not there. Instead she meets his partner, June, and her brother Meer, and two other young men who have come to the hidden beach to find their way out of their own problems.
How all those personalities intertwine, sometimes coming together and sometimes pushing each other apart, adds many layers of tension to the story. Then there all all the lies. All the little deceptions. Is anyone telling the truth?
Not your typical coming-of-age story and all the better for it. Toward the end of the story I had a hard time putting the book down, so great was my need to know how the various threads would all come together to make a cohesive whole. It did most satisfactorily and I highly recommend the read to everyone who enjoys a solid story with wonderful characters.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my favorite book in the We Were Liars series!

Matilda is lost in a world where she isn’t her mom’s priority and she never met her biological father. When she has the opportunity to meet him, she takes off on an adventure she wasn’t prepared for.

This book shows the reader how family isn’t always made up of blood relatives and how forming relationships isn’t always easy but there are some people who are meant to be in your life.

It was compelling to see the growth in Matilda’s character and the development in the secondary characters.

I keep waiting for an E.Lockhart book to hit me the way that We Were Liars did. I had high hopes for this as it was set in the same timeline, but it was just ok for me. I do enjoy her writing style and the story was ok for me, but I keep holding out for that magical moment her first book made me feel. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I did enjoy having a story set in the same universe as We Were Liars. But I felt like it tried too hard to connect the stories, it was distracting and just didn’t work. And even though I wanted hard to find out the “mystery” of her father, I didn’t enjoy the ride. The characters felt one dimensional and the story just unrealistic.
Wanted to love it, but unfortunately did not.