Title: The Elizas
Author: Sara Shepard
Published: April 2018, Atria Books
Format: ARC E-copy via Netgalley
Source: Publisher
Summary:
When debut novelist
Eliza Fontaine is found at the bottom of a hotel pool, her family at
first assumes that it’s just another failed suicide attempt. But Eliza
swears she was pushed, and her rescuer is the only witness.
Desperate
to find out who attacked her, Eliza takes it upon herself to
investigate. But as the publication date for her novel draws closer,
Eliza finds more questions than answers. Like why are her editor, agent,
and family mixing up events from her novel with events from her life?
Her novel is completely fictional, isn’t it?
The deeper Eliza
goes into her investigation while struggling with memory loss, the
closer her life starts to resemble her novel until the line between
reality and fiction starts to blur and she can no longer tell where her
protagonist’s life ends and hers begins.
My thoughts: This is my first book by Sara Shepard…and while I never got into the whole Pretty Little Liars series, I thought I would give her first foray into adult fiction a try. I think I would definitely categorize this type of book as a binge-worthy popcorn type of read – it’s fun, it’s got some suspense and paranoia, but it’s not the typical dark, heavy, gritty read I have been drawn to and that’s ok…this was perfect and just what I needed.
I love the whole book within a book concept and enjoyed that aspect. Having this story alternate between Eliza’s POV in the present and chapters of the book, “The Dots” made the story quite intriguing, especially as you get further and further into the book and you start to piece everything together. At first, I think I was more drawn to Eliza’s story, but as time went on, I found myself equally invested in both.
Right from the beginning, you find out that Eliza is an unreliable narrator. And the more you find out about her, the more you realize just how unreliable she really is. Yet, for some reason, you really feel this pull to find out what really happened to her. You get sucked into the story – and on top of it, she’s not really the most likeable of characters. But there’s just something about her that just draws you to her and what has happened to her. It’s quite bizarre.
This is an enjoyable, fun book. It has quite a few twists and turns, and is filled with paranoia and tension that builds slowly throughout. It’s a captivating read that would be perfect for a day at the beach!
About the Author:
Sara Shepard is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series. She has also written other Young Adult series and novels, including The Lying Game, The Heiresses, and The Perfectionists. Sara now lives in Pittsburgh with her family.
Authors Links:
The Elizas by Sara Shepard
Atria
April 17, 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 9781501162770
E-book ISBN: 9781501162794
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I loved PLL (the show and books, although I gave up on the books after a while). This is actually her second adult book. The Heireses was the first one. I tried reading that, but could not get through it. Maybe I’ll give this one a try.