This book hooked me right from the beginning! Absolutely loved it! The flow waa perfect, Thank you for the ARC!

The third and final(?) book in the popular YA gothic mystery series We Were Liars.
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Matilda and her mom have moved around her entire life due to her mom’s free-spirited and selfish nature so when Matilda gets an email saying her father is the world-renowned and reclusive artist, Kingsley Cello, she is shocked. She never knew her father and now he’s asking to meet her at his home in Martha’s Vineyard. Matilda arrives to find, not her father, but Meer, her half-brother who is like a big puppy dog, Brock, a former child actor in the throes of substance abuse treatment, June, her father’s partner of twenty years, and Tatum, who warns her away from their castle on the cliffs. When Kingsley doesn’t show up for days, then weeks, Matilda does her own investigation into his world of Hidden Beach, and what they all seem to be hiding here.
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This is the second novel this week I’ve read that is set on Martha’s Vineyard in the summer and I’m so here for it! My literary heart just adored the return to the island setting and this dysfunctional family. It had the same vibe and feel as the other two books in the series and the connections between all three stories was a puzzle piece that Lockhart fits perfectly together. Old and new #booktok fans and, now TV show fans, will love this return to the Sinclair family and the skeletons in their closet. This title releases November 4!

CW: emesis, death, fire (recounted), child death (recounted), addiction, medical content, animal death, animal cruelty, dementia, emotional abuse, parental abandonment, violence, physical abuse, confinement, alcohol

E. Lockhart’s We Fell Apart is a quick, engaging read that kept me turning pages—I finished it in under two days. The plot is straightforward and easy to follow, making it accessible even as it touches on themes of identity, memory, and emotional unraveling. I found myself drawn into the story despite some mixed feelings. While the mystery element is present, it left a lot to be desired. It felt more like a background thread than a fully fleshed-out puzzle. That said, the pacing made up for it, building toward a great ending that tied things together in a satisfying way. The characters were fine, though none besides the narrator truly stood out to me. They served their roles but didn’t leave a lasting impact. What did distract me was the naming of certain things—whether places, organizations, or labels used throughout the book—they sometimes pulled me out of the story and felt oddly chosen.

We Fell Apart - NetGalley Review

After speeding through We Were Liars (and binge watching the Prime Series) and Family of Liars, I was so excited to receive an ARC of We Fell Apart! This series was definitely a great read that I didn't want to put down!

We Fell Apart started a little slower for me but quickly turned into a quick page turner.

When 18-year old Matilda gets an invitation out of the blue to visit her father, a reclusive artist, that she never met, she decides to go. When she arrives at Hidden Beach and her father is nowhere to be found, she has to find the answers she's come to find but everyone here is lying! The occupants at the Hidden Beach castle are slowly unraveling and everything comes together as it ties into the Sinclair Family and the secrets are revealed.

I highly recommend reading the first two books before this one as there are mentions of the past of the Sinclair Family and it actually takes place about a week after Family of Liars.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books and Delacorte Press for the early advanced copy!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

This is the third book in the We Were Liars series. Matilda is going to visit her father who she has a strained relationship and events get weird. It happens il around the same timeline as the first book. Maybe because this is the third book, it lost some of its charm and intensity. If you enjoyed the first two books then I recommend you read this. It is with the time but don't expect the surprises you had in the first book.

This book had me SO intrigued from the get go, however it unfortunately falls flat with the ending. The characters are not likeable, the storyline is repetitive and dull in spots.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about a young woman with indifferent parents who finds her people and her. place in the world.

In the third book in We Were Liars series, Matilda goes to meet her reclusive artist father for the first time before she heads off to college. But not all is as it seems. This books takes place the same summer as the fire from the first book and on nearby Martha’s Vineyard. I found this book to have a more hopeful ending than the other two books and the characters weren't rich spoiled brats to the same extent. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I loved we were liars and I was so happy to get to read another one of her books! This book was so good! I could not put it down.

I devoured this book. Stayed up till midnight finishing it because I just could not put it down.

We Fell Apart is a standalone novel that takes place in the same world as We Were Liars. You 100% can read it as a standalone, but I think it hits harder if you've read We Were Liars (and maybe even Family of Liars) first.

Matilda never knew who her father is. At age 18, she gets an email from him inviting her to come visit at Martha's Vineyard. Turns out, he's a famous artist. But when she shows up, he's not there. While waiting for him to return, she gets to know the others living in his house.

Just like with most E Lockhart books, I think the less you go in with, the better.
If you enjoyed We Were Liars and Family of Liars, you should definitely pick this up.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an early copy for review.

3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

We Fell Apart is the third installment of E. Lockhart’s young adult mystery series “We Were Liars”. I read the first book many years ago, loved it, and returned to the series after watching the Amazon television show (which I loved).

As a teacher, I’ll certainly stock this in my classroom library and recommend it to students who have enjoyed the other books. As an independent reader, however, I was left a bit disappointed.

CHARACTERS:
The poetic tone and grandiose internal monologue from Cadence in We Were Liars makes a return here, but it makes no sense given our protagonist. Matilda has grown up without wealth and large flaunts of status, so it feels as if you’re reading Cadence… with blunt reminders you are not.

The side characters are just the liars from the first novel in different fonts. It seems Lockhart is really comfortable with the organization and quantity of moving pieces from the original novel, and it feels repetitive for book three.

PLOT/GENRE:
The plot was a bit slow moving in full honesty, and the choices made by Matilda were questionable at best. I think Lockhart would benefit from trying out a mystery that isn’t so obvious. Characters repeatedly saying “I can’t tell you” becomes frustrating because you know at some point, they will. Instead, making the reader question whether or not there’s anything truly suspicious happening would have been a better fit for this narrative.

SERIES (🚨Spoiler Warning🚨):
The trope of this series that has been present in each book is noticeably absent here. Specifically, the ghosts/spirits of dead characters coming back and serving as an important plot point. Lockhart had something cool going on, and the character's discussion of the afterlife and being “pulled” back to the living for a purpose is completely gone. I thought perhaps that would be the throughline connecting this seemingly “unrelated” story to the series as a whole, but I was wrong.

Overall, We Fell Apart had major potential, but falls short of being as acclaimed and celebrated as its predecessors. Fun for the ride, but don’t expect it to hold a candle to the other installments.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It wrapped up the other two books and the tie ins were excellent. You can read this as a standalone, but I don’t recommend it. It meant so much more to me knowing what happened in the other two books. Loved this book, love this author, I highly recommend.

I was so excited to discover that the author of "We Were Liars" and "Family of Liars" had written a new book. I eagerly jumped at the opportunity to review it. Although this book can be read as a standalone, it is set in the same universe as "We Were Liars." I recommend reading that series first to gain context and fully appreciate the connections. This story centers on Matilda, who travels to Hidden Beach to meet her father for the first time. Having just graduated from high school, Matilda is contacted by a father she has never met—an eccentric and wealthy artist. Intrigued by the art he creates, his life, and the home he inhabits, Matilda learns upon arrival at his home that he is not there. However, she decides to wait it out to see him. During the summer at her father's beach house, she forms connections with and spends time with her previously unknown half-brother, Meer; a romantic interest, Tatum; a former movie star, Brock; June, a female caretaker; and Glum, the sweet dog she adores. Like E. Lockhart's other books, there are twists and turns in this new book! I don't want to give too much away, but I enjoyed learning about these new characters and watching their relationships and stories unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for the ARC.

We fell apart is such a powerful story about the decisions we make to help the people we love. Are the decisions always the best? Do we always see things through the eyes of the person we are trying to help or are we swayed by our own preferences. Matilda is such a relatable character who is trying to discover who she is while dealing with the abandonment of her mother and the discovery of a brother she did not know she had. Definitely a good read and while it is the third book in a series, I can honestly say I did not miss anything or feel confused.

When I saw this ARC posted on NetGalley I had to jump on and apply for it. I was thrilled to be approved and be able to review "We Fell Apart". Previously I had enjoyed both "We Were Liars" and "Family of Liars". I loved the idea of throwing us back into the turmoil of the Sinclairs, but in a different light and twist of Hidden Beach. Sharing Matilda's tale of how she finds and seeking understanding of her father, who she spent her entire life lacking a father figure and feels estranged and cut off from even her mother. Suffering a break up Matilda decides to take a risk and go meet the famous artist himself. The intrigue of the art pieces that her father paints, his life, and large home that he lives in. Amongst the outcasts of society, living semi-off the grid, Matilda realizes that her father isn't there upon her arrival, but wants to wait it out to see him. Spending the summer at her father's estate with her half brother (Meer) , a romance interest, (Tatum) a former movie star (Brock), June (female caretaker), and Glum (gosh, I loved sweet doggo Glum). I appreciated the mystery, intrigue and ties to Luigi's Mansion, the video games, Narnia, and Hamlet. Set amongst the same storyline of 2012's "We Were Liars" and small easter eggs of fairytales just helped me want to continue to read. It captivated my attention and kept me wondering what Matilda would discover. I highly recommend to anyone who has enjoyed WWL, FOL, this is a great third of the trilogy. Thank you so much NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and E. Lockhart for this quick summer read!

We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart is a coming of age story starring Matilda who is traveling across the country to meet her father for the first time. She is coming off a break up and is feeling abandoned by both her friends and family. When she arrives on Hidden Beach, it is not at all what she expects. While there is a bit of mystery throughout the book, it is more character driven and about the relationships that are formed as Matilda waits to meet her father and spends the summer with her new brother, new friends and tries to get used to a very different way of living. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, Delacorte Press for the ARC!

2.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really liked We were liars and I remember that story very well even though I read it many years ago because it was interesting, unique and suspenseful. Unfortunately I can see myself forgetting the plot of We Fell Apart in a matter of months. I usually like books with a weird and ominous at atmosphere but it felt like it was trying to hard.

Matilda was also an unusual character and again I like unusual characters but girly did not even have one survival instinct in her. Someone you have never met tells you that you can only have your phone for a certain number of hours a day and also takes away your devices without even asking and you still continue to stay in that house??? It made no sense to me, maybe I missed the whole I dont know.

I will forever love an E. Lockhart novel. The writing style is so unique and I could devour Lockhart’s grocery list. This novel was no exception. I love the names of all of Lockhart’s characters, Matilda especially. This novel takes place after a big event from the first Liars book, so I highly recommend reading the first 2 so you don’t feel a bit lost. The romance in this one though was my favorite type: enemies to lovers 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 all-in-all, I don’t want to give too much away but I loved every minute of this.

Wow. I just love this world so much!
I read We Were Liars back in 2020 & it’s a book I will never ever forget. When I saw there was another one coming out in the same world, I was SO excited!
This book is wonderful & I loved every second of it. The new characters were so fun to get to know. They all were struggling & watching their bond come together was so sweet. I loved that the timeline was the same as We Were Liars. Reliving those characters & locations pulled on my heartstrings.
Thank you SO much to the publisher, Netgalley & E. Lockhart for allowing me the pleasure of reading this early. I will forever love this world!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's Books and Delacorte Press for the arc of this book. We fell apart is the third book in the Sinclair Universe. This book is set five days after the tragic incident on Beechwood Island. This book is independent from the original two books in the series but does have some crossovers. This book was easy to read and had some twists and turns. I read this book in two sittings. I highly recommend reading if you read the first two books in this series.