Pretty Little Liars #4: Unbelievable

by Sara Shepard

Book Overview

#1 New York Times bestselling series

The fourth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that inspired the hit ABC Family TV show Pretty Little Liars.

Four pretty little liars' charmed lives have turned into living nightmares. Emily's been shipped off to Iowa to live with her berconservative cousins. Aria's boyfriend is behind bars--because of her. Spencer's afraid she was...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060887419
• ISBN13: 9780060887414
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

The End... or is it?

The answer is obviously not, as there are four more books in the series. When it was first put out this book was supposed to be the last, but the author agreed to put out more due to pressure from the publisher. (Thanks publishers!) The now not so fab four have all new problems on their hands. Emily has been sent out to the country, only to find that her problems will follow her wherever she goes. Hanna's still in a coma, but will she still remember A's identity when she wakes up? Aria's trying to piece not only her life together, but also the pieces to the enigma that is A. Meanwhile Spencer still hasn't learned her lessons about cheating or forbidden fruit- lucky for her, A is an ever patient tutor in those matters... I liked this book for the most part. I agree with many reviewers who felt that A's identity seemed a bit rushed & anti-climactic, so I was relieved that there were 4 more books in the series. This means that while you know who was A, there was undoubtedly someone in the back pulling the strings ensuring that "A" discovered the right secrets and sent the right texts. That being said, I was glad to finally see the humanity in many of the families. The whole "mean, ruthless, and competitive" thing made for good reading for a while, but it wasn't entirely believable that everyone would turn their backs on their kids. Whether that will continue into the next book is anyone's guess, but it was still nice to see that some of the parents really cared for their kids' well being. 4.9/5

The end...

This review will be as spoiler-free as I can make it, also I'm writing about the series as a whole, not just book 4. Okay guys, I'm not gonna lie, I LOVED the first three books: Pretty Little Liars Pretty Little Liars #2: Flawless (Pretty Little Liars) Pretty Little Liars #3: Perfect (Pretty Little Liars) you MUST read each of these books in order or the story wont make any sense. The first three books set up a murder/stalker mystery that gets solved at the end of this 4th book. There are 4 main characters/storylines that are interconnected with each other and unlike other teen series where there is one star and several back-up dancers, in this book Sara Shepard makes sure that all 4 of her main characters get equal time and interesting storylines. Each of the 4 girls could have held her own in her own book just with the backstory, auxillary characters and the plot that Sara gave her. Sara gives her characters real depth and flaws so that you can't really love them or hate them but you still wanna know what they're gonna do next. I'll be honest, even though I'm giving this final book 5 stars, I was a bit disappointed at the ending. I suppose I was expecting something spectacular and way over the top (OMG ALISON COMES BACK FROM THE DEAD! LOL j/k) the payoff just wasn't where I personally wanted it to be, but then again I was literally speed-reading to get to the ending so, I think I will change my mind once I sit down and read all 4 books again in a row. I've been with this series since PLL#1 came out in 2006 and it was an unbearable wait between books. I always had to pre-order them to make sure I got them the moment they came out and I have them all in hard cover. They are very colorful and pretty, if it means anything, they look nice on your bookshelf. Usually I'm very blabbly and spoilery in my reviews so I'm sorry that I'm not being like that in this one, I just don't wanna ruin the ending for you guys! I wouldn't write a review at all but I gotta give this series 5 stars and give Sara Shepard her props, it's kept me interested and excited since 2006 and that's pretty tough! I hope Sara keeps writing and comes out with an even better series soon and I hope this review was at least a little bit helpful for you.

Simply...unbelievable!

Being an avid fan of the previous three books, I eagerly awaited "Unbelievable." When I finally got it, I devoured the book in one day! Ms. Shepard's writing is excellent like always, and there are plenty of plot twists to keep you reading til the end. I thought I had figured out who A was several times in the beginning, but none of those theories were correct. That being said, I figured out who A was right before the girls did, so that reveal wasn't as shocking as I hoped. However, the ending pages were filled with unresolved storylines and plot twists that left me on the edge of my seat. I would definitely recommend this book, and the whole series, to anyone.

Can't Wait For More

I've been patting myself on the back ever since I finished reading this. The week leading up to its release, I re-read the other 3 books, going chapter by chapter jotting down possible suspects, possible motives, and clues, and was thrilled when I correctly guessed who A was. Which is not to say it was easy, the author threw a lot of curve balls. And while a lot of questions get answered in this book, even more get raised. I cannot wait for Book #5. Hurry up, Miss Shepard!

A jaw-dropping conclusion to an 'unbelievable' series!

It seems like only yesterday that Hanna Marin, Alison "Ali" DiLaurentis, Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, and Emily Fields were carefree, fun-loving seventh graders at posh private school Rosewood Day. Planning sleepovers, gossiping about boys, braiding each others hair, sharing secrets. But like the flip of a switch, everything changed. Ali mysteriously disappeared, and the four other girls parted ways. That was years ago. Now the mysterious "A" has dredged up the past once more; barraging Hanna, Spencer, Aria, and Emily with painful memories of the past via text messages. It's obvious that "A" is Ali's killer; but if the girls tell, one of them will be the next to die. Hanna Marin has always been so full of life. Shopping as much as possible, prancing around in sky-high platforms, and perusing fashion and gossip websites to get her daily fix of all things celebrity. Seeing her lying in a hospital bed, unable to speak, bruises dotting her face, in a coma seems completely out of the ordinary. Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings, and Emily Fields know Hanna, and this isn't her. But it is a reminder of just how close "A" truly is to them; and how "A's" threats are absolutely true. But Hanna isn't the only one in turmoil at the moment. Emily Fields has suddenly been shunned by her family. The fact that she has come out of the closet, so to speak, shames her parents, and even her sister, and has landed her on a one way trip to Iowa to live with her strict aunt and uncle, along with their children. Iowa seems like the worst place on earth. But some of the people there are actually pretty cool; and very into Emily. Spencer Hastings has finally come to the realization that she has black-outs at times, and can't help but wonder if she is the one responsible for Ali's death. With the Golden Orchid competition coming up, however, Spencer has no time to think about the past - only the future. After stealing her older sister's essay, and having it nominated for the Golden Orchid, Spencer can't believe that her family is supporting her in this competition. But it's up to her to do them proud. Too bad she has a strange feeling that somehow, her lying, stealing, cheating ways are going to come back to haunt her. Aria Montgomery wants nothing more than to be with her older teacher, Ezra. But after "A" spilled the beans about Aria and Ezra's little affair to Aria's boyfriend, that's impossible. Suddenly, Ezra is under scrutiny, and Aria has been cast out of her temporary living space. The only thing left for her to do is to turn to her cheating father, Byron, and his artsy girlfriend, Meredith. But turning to the two of them is right up there with selling your soul to the devil, and Aria doesn't know if she's ready to do something so drastic. It seems like decades since I completed PERFECT, and finally UNBELIEVABLE is here. Sara Shepard has outdone herself with this fabulous fourth book. After the cliffhanger in PERFECT, I didn't know that it would be poss