My Five Word TL:DR Review: Very Easy to Fall Into

I really enjoyed Two Little Liars. It has plenty of tension, an almost closed room feel (being set on an island with the only means of exit being a causeway that lies beneath the waves at high tide) and a dual timeline which is something I particularly enjoy. I love to switch my reading between fantasy, magical realism, history, murder mystery and horror and Two Little Liars was the perfect fit between some of my other reads.

Effectively there are three time periods involved but strictly speaking the story flits mostly between two. During the summer of 1990 Erin and Bee (reluctant friends at best) tell a series of lies that have terrible consequences. The two become despised by the general public and henceforth are known as the ‘two little liars’. In 1996 the two end up on the same college retreat (Erin has been living under a different identity for the past few years and Bee has also changed her name). Unfortunately, what should be a fun college trip also ends in disaster with Bee becoming a murder victim. Jump forward to 2016, Erin is a successful illustrator but she lives in constant fear, always looking over her shoulder. At this point she receives an invite to return to the Island where Bee died and although its the last thing she wants to do she eventually takes the step.

So, what did I enjoy about this.

Firstly, it’s very well written. It’s a contemporary story so requires very little set up apart from Erin and Bee’s back story. Harrison manages to create a real sense of tension and fear. At the same time she taps into the different time periods with ease and manages to convey the difference in each era so well. She really portrays the college girls very well for the 1996 storyline. There’s this decadent heady feel. They’re there to have a good time with smuggled in alcohol and other ‘substances’. They have their crushes and they feel almost invincible. I really liked the way the author leads you down the wrong path. I won’t give away examples but I was totally convinced throughout that Bee was up to no good and I couldn’t help blaming her – and to be honest she made mistakes but also, she was a young girl with her very own set of problems.

Secondly, I liked Erin. Yes, she also made mistakes and briefly stepping into ‘mean girl’ territory was definitely not one of her finer moments. But, again, she was a very young girl when everything first went dreadfully wrong. The impact it had on her and her family, not to mention others, was absolutely devastating and it’s not something that even in the later storyline that she can get over. She still suffers from guilt and anxiety but also this is coupled with feelings of dread and fear. It’s like Erin isn’t really living, she feels she’s simply going through the motions, always aware that somebody might recognise her or a newspaper might rerun the story and drag up all the old hatred. She’s like a ghost of herself, a ghost waiting for her past to catch up and her life to end.

Thirdly, the storyline is really intriguing. We have the early 1990 hazy summer that all goes to hell in a handcart. Then the giddy college visit that also goes disastrously wrong and also has a big impact on all those present. Finally in the current day we have some of the key players all meeting on the infamous island to thrash out what really happened that night. I loved this element of the story. The truth starts to come together as the characters finally decide to share with each other secrets that they all kept hidden at the time for fear of falling under the spotlight.

Overall this was a really enjoyable read. I think my only slight criticism was I guessed who the killer was – which isn’t to say I had all the details nailed down but more that I realised which character on the island was the ‘one’. Tense and intriguing. I will definitely look out for more by this author.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4 of 5 stars