We’re dropped right into Adaptations Month, and Meaghan and Shirin are fired up about one of the most talked-about YA adaptations in recent memory: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, now an eight-episode Amazon Prime series.
Right away, we’re treated to some healthy debate. Shirin adores the book; she champions the writing, the twist, and the mood. Meaghan? Not so much. She found the prose pretentious and didn’t enjoy the tone at all. This dynamic sets the stage for a lively and honest conversation that’s far from sugar-coated.
The book, first published in 2014, holds a kind of pop-culture cult status. It’s a staple on “must-read” YA lists and has been adored (and criticized) for its dark twist and dreamy narration.
The show adaptation dropped in June and currently holds a 6.6/10 on IMDb and a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, with both audience and critics matching scores, which the hosts point out as surprisingly rare. There’s clear curiosity about how the adaptation stands up to the book and how viewers have received it.
Note
The following is an editorialized transcript of our weekly literary podcast. If you would like to listen to the podcast, click the play button above orlisten on your favorite platform with the links below.
Breaking Down the Sinclair Family Drama
The story follows the Sinclair family, a wealthy old-money clan who summers on a private island called Beechwood off Martha’s Vineyard. The family patriarch, Harris Sinclair, and his wife Tipper (yes, those are the names) built individual homes on the island for each of their daughters: Carrie, Penny, and Bess. Penny is Cadence’s (Katie’s) mom, our main character and narrator. Each woman has children, and their interactions form the backbone of the story.
Every summer, the family returns to the island, and the teenage cousins, along with Ed’s nephew Gat, form a group known as “the Liars.” We watch this group grow, fracture, and unravel across two pivotal summers: Summer Sixteen and Summer Seventeen.
Cadence experiences a mysterious accident in Summer Sixteen, one that leads to memory loss, trauma, and isolation. She’s told she needs to recover the memories on her own, but no one in her family will talk about what really happened. That’s the tension. That’s the story.
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We quickly learn that the family is deeply dysfunctional. The three sisters are competitive, toxic, and frequently cruel to each other and their children. There are fractures built on favoritism, inheritance squabbles, and the oppressive rule of Harris, who exerts power through manipulation.
Meaghan and Shirin are quick to point out how relatable and painful these dynamics are, even if they’re dramatized through the extreme wealth and privilege of the Sinclair family.
The Adaptation: What Worked, What Didn’t
The hosts appreciated the show’s ability to visually distinguish timelines, for instance, Katie dyes her hair brown in Summer Seventeen, which makes the back-and-forth between past and present much easier to track. That little visual clue, while simple, goes a long way in helping the viewer follow the complex timeline.
They also agree that the show did a good job capturing Katie’s slow, painful unraveling. As she pieces together the truth about what happened during Summer Sixteen, viewers are taken through fragmented flashbacks, clues, and unspoken cues from the people around her. There’s a slow burn, but one that keeps you guessing.
However, the hosts were split on the show’s tone. Meaghan couldn’t stand how much of the book’s prose, which she already disliked, made it into the show. Shirin felt the adaptation captured the dreamy, metaphor-rich storytelling of the original text. They were both impressed, though, with how well the show built out the adult characters, something the book couldn’t do because it was told strictly from Katie’s point of view.
Where the show shone was in its character development. The three sisters were given more emotional weight, especially Bess, played by Candice King (Caroline from The Vampire Diaries).
Penny and Bess are both awful mothers, but Bess in particular has a redemptive arc that adds depth to her character, even if Shereen refuses to fully forgive her. Carrie, portrayed by Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep’s daughter), is also given a solid backstory, including a history of addiction and the immense grief of losing her son.
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One of the biggest revelations is that Katie’s conversations with the other Liars in Summer Seventeen are hallucinations. Johnny, Mirren, and Gat, her beloved cousins and love interest, all died in the fire they set together the previous summer. Katie is the only survivor. The moment she remembers the family dogs perishing too hits particularly hard, both for the hosts and the viewers.
The adaptation handled this twist masterfully. Even though readers of the book already know what’s coming, the visual storytelling keeps it compelling. The Liars appear fully present, interact naturally, and are only revealed to be figments of Katie’s traumatized mind much later. The show plants subtle clues, like a little cousin asking Katie for a ghost story, and her replying that Marin should tell it, a chilling line, considering Marin is dead.
Characters We Love (And Love To Hate)
While the central romance between Katie and Gat didn’t work for either host, they found the actors had little chemistry, and Gat felt underwritten, they adored several supporting characters. Eben, a young Black man on the island, was a standout for both hosts. His observations about race and privilege injected authenticity and groundedness into the otherwise opulent storyline.
Ed, Carrie’s longtime partner and Gat’s uncle, also stood out. Raoul Cooley brought depth and warmth to the character, especially given how he was mistreated by Harris and sidelined by the family. Harris himself, played by David Morse, is despicable but fascinating. His subtle manipulation, racism, and emotional abuse are layered in such a way that his true awfulness creeps up on you, much like it does for the family.
Shirin and Meaghan appreciated how the show didn’t shy away from showing the Sinclairs as morally bankrupt, even when dressed in pastels and smiling for family photos. There’s a constant undercurrent of performative unity, especially in the final scenes when they pose for media photos to “look good,” even as their relationships are broken beyond repair.
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Subscribe to our weekly newsletterWrapping It Up: Why The Show Might Be Better Than The Book
In the end, both hosts came to a surprising agreement: the show might actually be better than the book. It doesn’t happen often, but the added character development, the expansion of side plots, and the emotionally raw performances made the TV series more compelling overall.
What really pushed it over the edge for Shirin was how the show focused on generational trauma, expectations placed on women, and the psychological consequences of wealth and privilege.
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Watching the three sisters grapple with their roles as mothers, daughters, and wives was more engaging than any teenage romance. The drama of their relationships, the fighting, the denial, the toxic parenting, was, as they said, “way more interesting than the will-they-won’t-they between Katie and Gat.”
They also discussed the series’ ending, which toys with the idea of ghosts and heaven a bit too much for their liking, but concluded that the show’s strength lies in its emotional realism, not supernatural mystery.
The final verdict? Even if you didn’t love the book, the show’s worth a watch. It’s messy, emotionally complicated, and full of characters you’ll both hate and sympathize with, sometimes at the same time.
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