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  • Title: We Were Liars
  • Author: E. Lockhart
  • Narrator: Ariadne Meyers
  • Length: 06:28:00
  • Version: Abridged
  • Release Date: 13/05/2014
  • Publisher: Listening Library (Audio)
  • Genre: Teen, Tough Topics
  • ISBN13: 9.78E+12
Hola, fellow wanderers and story lovers,

There’s something about the rhythm of an audiobook that feels like a journey unfolding mile by mile. It reminds me of a time when I was driving through Chile’s Atacama Desert, the vast, otherworldly expanse stretching out before me, while Gabriel García Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” poured through my speakers. The narrator’s voice wove magic into the arid silence, turning the surreal landscape into a living story. Listening to “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart, narrated by Ariadne Meyers, brought me back to that feeling – a tale that’s as much about the telling as it is about the secrets it holds.

“We Were Liars” drops you onto a private island off the Massachusetts coast, where the Sinclair family – beautiful, wealthy, and deeply flawed – spends their summers. The story centers on Cadence Sinclair Eastman, a girl piecing together her fractured memory after a mysterious accident, alongside her cousins Johnny and Mirren, and their friend Gat, the passionate outsider. They’re the Liars, a tight-knit group whose bond is as intoxicating as it is destructive. E. Lockhart crafts a modern suspense novel that’s equal parts privilege and pain, with a twist that hits like a rogue wave. It’s a teen story, sure, but it wrestles with tough topics – grief, identity, and the lies we tell ourselves to survive.

For me, this audiobook experience stirred memories of Oaxaca, where I once stayed with a family whose abuela spun tales every evening under a flickering lantern. Her voice carried the weight of generations, pausing at just the right moments to let the silence speak. Ariadne Meyers channels that same intimacy here. Her narration is crisp yet tender, capturing Cadence’s confusion and slow unraveling with a tone that’s both fragile and fierce. You can almost feel the salt air on your skin, hear the creak of the docks, taste the tension simmering beneath the Sinclair’s polished surface. Meyers doesn’t just read – she inhabits the story, giving each Liar a distinct heartbeat.

The book’s themes hit close to home. I’ve spent years chasing hidden histories and human connections across continents, and “We Were Liars” is a masterclass in how privilege can mask rot. Cadence’s journey – grappling with memory and guilt – echoes the stories I’ve heard from people rebuilding after loss. Lockhart’s prose is sharp and poetic, unfolding like a map you don’t realize is leading you off a cliff until it’s too late. The pacing builds a slow burn, layering lies upon lies until the truth cracks open. It’s thrilling, beautiful, and blisteringly smart, as John Green put it – utterly unforgettable.

Meyers’ performance elevates this already gripping tale. Her cadence (no pun intended) mirrors the book’s emotional waves – soft and reflective one moment, urgent and raw the next. The audio quality is pristine, clocking in at just over six hours, which feels like the perfect length for a story this intense. I listened while wandering the cliffs of Big Sur, the crashing Pacific below syncing with the audiobook’s rising stakes. It’s the kind of listening experience that begs for headphones and a long, uninterrupted stretch – maybe a coastal drive or a quiet night under the stars.

That said, it’s not flawless. The fragmented narrative, while effective, can feel disorienting at times, especially in audio form where you can’t flip back a page to double-check. Meyers handles the shifts well, but I occasionally wished for a touch more distinction between the characters’ voices – Gat’s passion and Johnny’s wit sometimes blur together. And for listeners new to tough teen topics, the emotional weight might catch you off guard. This isn’t a light beach read – it’s a gut punch wrapped in privilege.

How does it stack up? Think “The Secret History” meets “The Fault in Our Stars”, but with a salty, seaside twist. It’s less about intellectual flexing than Donna Tartt’s classic, and less tear-jerking than Green’s, but it carves its own niche with that ending you “won’t” see coming. If you loved the atmospheric dread of “The Wicker King” or the family secrets in “Turtles All the Way Down”, this’ll be right up your alley.

Who’s it for? Teens wrestling with identity, sure, but also anyone who’s ever felt the pull of loyalty and the sting of betrayal. It’s perfect for a road trip or a rainy day – anytime you can let Meyers’ voice sweep you away. And here’s the kicker: you can snag this audiobook free through certain platforms like Audiobooks.com with a trial. That’s a steal for a story this rich.

Reflecting on it now, “We Were Liars” lingers like the scent of sea spray on your clothes after a long day by the shore. It’s a tale of love and ruin, told with a voice that feels like a friend whispering in your ear. I think back to those nights in Oaxaca, the abuela’s stories weaving through the dark, and I realize the best narrators – like Meyers – don’t just tell a story. They make you live it.

Until the next tale calls us, amigos,
Marcus Rivera