Customer Reviews

Pretty Little Liars #4: Unbelievable

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 possible for Ms. Shepard to concoct an even more perfect conclusion; but she has done just that. The suspense found in UNBELIEVABLE is, quite possibly, greater than any of the three previous books. Each word peaks the reader's interest, and with each page read, you can't help but find yourself dying to find out what will happen next. A jaw-dropping conclusion to an UNBELIEVABLE series!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

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.

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

This book was amazing. Sara shepard definitely knows how to keep you in suspense. I am so glad that there are four more books after this one. I can't get enough of this series. The ending was unexpected. Even with A being revealed, you still can't help but wonder who else may be involved. There are also many more secrets to be revealed. The characters also start dusting off memories that they have tried so hard to forget. They then start realizing that these memories are all part of A bigger puzzle. I highly recommend reading this book if you are into suspense. You might want to have book five on hand to get started immediately after you finish this book. I have been plowing through these books. I can't put them down.

Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily are back, some in better state than others, and ready to bring down A. When we last left the pristine Rosewood Hanna had just discovered who A was, but she knew too much and A made sure she couldn't say anything by "accidentally" hitting her with a car. Now as Hanna fights for her life, the other three girls have to clean up the mess that A has made.

Spencer finally remembers what happened the night of Ali's death and what she remembers isn't good. Could she really have killed Ali? Not only does she have to deal with the thought that she could have really killed her best friend but she's got to reason with the guilt of stealing her sister's AP Economics paper which got Spencer nominated for an award her sister should have won. With the feeling that A is constantly breathing down her back will Spencer be able to keep her cool composure or will she finally pop?

After A let it leak that Emily likes girls, Emily's been living on the edge of sanity. Her parents don't know what to do with her so they send her off to her hyper conservative relatives in Middle of Nowhere Iowa. When she arrives Emily knows she won't last long, then she meets Trista, an interesting girl who seems to understand Emily and doesn't mind talking to her. Will Emily last, or will she flee back to Rosewood and hope that she is accepted by those who love her most?

Aria's been kicked out of her mother's house after her mom found out Aria had been keeping the secret of her father's affair a secret for the past three years. Once again we have A to thank for unveiling this bit of information. With nowhere else to go Aria moves in with her father and horrifyingly peppy girlfriend Meredith. All Aria wants is for her life to go back to normal. When she starts an art class over at the neighborhood college her partner is none other than Jenna Cavanaugh, the girl who was the terrible victim of a nasty prank that Aria was a part of. Can Aria ever escape her past or will it keep catching up with her?

Then there's Hanna who really is hanging on for dear life. She can't remember anything from the night of the accident, especially the identity of A. The rest of the group doesn't want to pressure her too much, but they really want to know who A is. If this isn't enough Hanna has to deal with her feelings for Lucas. She remembers hanging out with him a couple of times, but that's it. It seems though that a lot more happened. Will Hanna be able to get her memory back and solve they mystery of who A really is?


This has always been a favorite series of mine. I mean who can resist the scandalous secrets of others, especially of those who live in Rosewood? Unbelievable completely blew all three of the books out of the water. It could almost be a stand alone book if all the information we learn in the preceding books wasn't crucial to the plot.

It seems that the author finally became comfortable with the characters in this book. The characters felt like real people and some of their issues became more realistic. I also felt that it was much easier to relate the characters in this book. They didn't seem as stuck up and it was easier to like them. In my opinion this is a particularly important part of a book because if you can't relate then it's hard to actually imagine the feelings that the characters in the story have. While, in my opinion, this was a weakness in the other books the author has completely redeemed herself with this installment of the series.

The plot itself was great. Suspense has a totally different meaning to me now! At no point did I find myself knowing what would come next. I eagerly turned the pages hoping to devour more secrets and uncover more answers. The author did a great job hanging the identity of A over our heads until the final chapters of the book. And just as you thought you knew who killed Ali, wham the author threw another curveball at you. Before I had even started the book I had known that A would be uncovered in this book and was truly wondering how the story would continue afterwards as there will be a total of eight books. I found that as some answers were told more questions surfaced. Again the author left us with too many questions left unanswered. Now I simply cannot wait for the fifth book. In the meantime though I urge you to pick up this book as it is simply impossible to put it down.

Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily are back, some in a better state than others, and ready to bring down A. When we last left the pristine Rosewood, Hanna had just discovered who A was, but she knew too much and A made sure she couldn't say anything by "accidentally" hitting her with a car. Now, as Hanna fights for her life, the other three girls have to clean up the mess that A has made.

Spencer finally remembers what happened the night of Ali's death and what she remembers isn't good. Could she really have killed Ali? Not only does she have to deal with the thought that she could have really killed her best friend, but she's got to reason with the guilt of stealing her sister's AP Economics paper, which got Spencer nominated for an award her sister should have won. With the feeling that A is constantly breathing down her back, will Spencer be able to keep her
cool composure, or will she finally pop?

After A let it leak that Emily likes girls, Emily's been living on the edge of sanity. Her parents don't know what to do with her, so they send her off to her ultra-conservative relatives in Middle of Nowhere, Iowa. When she arrives, Emily knows she won't last long -- then she meets Trista, an interesting girl who seems to understand Emily and doesn't mind talking to her. Will Emily last, or will she flee back to Rosewood and hope that she is accepted by those who love her most?

Aria's been kicked out of her mother's house after her mom found out she had been keeping the fact of her father's affair a secret for the past three years. Once again, we have A to thank for unveiling this bit of information. With nowhere else to go, Aria moves in with her father and his horrifyingly peppy girlfriend, Meredith. All Aria wants is for her life to go back to normal. When she starts an art class over at the neighborhood college her partner is none other than Jenna Cavanaugh, the
girl who was the terrible victim of a nasty prank that Aria was a part of. Can Aria ever escape her past or will it keep catching up with her?

Then there's Hanna, who really is hanging on for dear life. She can't remember anything from the night of the accident, especially the identity of A. The rest of the group doesn't want to pressure her too much, but they really want to know who A is. If this isn't enough, Hanna has to deal with her feelings for Lucas. She remembers hanging out with him a couple of times, but that's it. It seems, though, that a lot more happened. Will Hanna be able to get her memory back and solve the mystery of who A really is?

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS has always been a favorite series of mine. I mean, who can resist the scandalous secrets of others, especially of those who live in Rosewood? UNBELIAVALBLE completely blew all three of the previous books out of the water. It could almost be a stand-alone book if all the information we learn in the preceding books wasn't crucial
to the plot.

It seems that the author finally became comfortable with the characters in this book. They felt like real people and some of their issues became more realistic. I also felt that it was much easier to relate the characters in this installment. They didn't seem as stuck up and it was easier to like them. In my opinion, this is a particularly important part of a book, because if you can't relate then it's hard to actually imagine the feelings that the characters in the story have. While I think this was a weakness in the other books, the author has completely redeemed herself with this addition to the series.

The plot itself was great. Suspense has a totally different meaning to me now! At no point did I find myself knowing what would come next. I eagerly turned the pages hoping to devour more secrets and uncover more answers. The author did a great job hanging the identity of A over our heads until the final chapters of the book. And just as you thought you knew who killed Ali, wham!, the author threw another curveball at you. Before I had even started the book I had known that A would be uncovered in this book and was truly wondering how the story would continue afterwards, as there will be a total of eight books. I found that as some answers were told more questions surfaced. Again, the author left us with too many questions left unanswered.

Now I simply cannot wait for the fifth book. In the meantime, I urge you to pick up UNBELIEVABLE, as it is simply impossible to put it down.

Reviewed by: Tasha

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.

This wonderful book fits it's title. The book is definitely UNBELIEVABLE. The girls have all sorts of drama going on in their lives but then again when do they not. Hanna, the fashionista of the group, is trying to recover from her brutal hit by "A". With bruises on her face Hanna isn't her-fun bubbly-self. Emily, our favorite sporty chick, is shipped off to Iowa to live with her strict aunt and uncle because she decided to show her true colors but that doesn't work so well jeopardizing her relationship with Maya. Aria ,the most creative one, breaks up with her boyfriend Sean and her teacher she's in love with gives her some shocking news which forces her to move in with her cheating father and his artistic,young girlfriend. Spencer our ,preppy perfectionist, is trying to get a Golden Orchid award for an essay she submitted in economic class,with one catch, it's not her essay. She's feeling lot's of guilt for what she has done can she accomplish her goal without giving up?

To top off this already dramatic book "A" refuses to give the girl's a break. They even let someone else join their group of people being targeted by "A". The only thing you need to know about this book is that the "eye's could be deceiving".I suggest you read this book when you have plenty of time to waste because you won't take your eyes off this book.

Also reviewed on my blog, The Vintage Bookworm. [...]

As some of you may know, I started this book right after finishing Perfect. I know I said that I thought Perfect was my favorite so far of the series, but I have found a new one. Unbelievable certainly lives up to its title. I just can't believe everything that happened in the fourth book. I'm still sitting here stunned, and all I'm going to say on that matter is 'A' is revealed in the fourth book. After learning who it was, I went through so many different emotions. Astonishment, victory of having this person on my suspect list, and then annoyance at thinking it was someone entirely different in the end before 'A' is revealed.

Sara Shepard definitely knows how to throw you off the track. She gives you clues here and there to make you suspect someone, who may or may not just be the person, but then she steers it toward someone completely different and makes you believe that this person could possibly really be 'A'. But then in the end it's the other person you may have suspected. It's very clever!

I know a lot of people may think that this is just a girly, fluffy series. But it's not. It's full of mystery and suspense. Even though I'm still a little weirded out by how different, but sometimes how close, the series and books are together, I still love the books and they have become a favorite series of mine.

In my opinion, I think this one is the most intense of the first four Pretty Little Liar books. In the beginning of this book, I thought I knew what to expect from this one. But I was wrong. I mean, some things I thought were going to happen, happened. But I never thought that maybe 'A' would be revealed, and even though I suspected the person who is revealed as 'A', at the same time I didn't think it could of been this person.

Overall, this is a great series and I can't wait to continue the series. Even though 'A' is revealed in this book, the pretty little liars aren't being let off that easily just yet. There are more lies and mystery to be revealed. After all, who really killed Ali?

I found this book to be a very fantastic read and really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the excitement of it all. This book added to the story line and helps peak the interest of the reader. Reading the books of the Pretty Little Liars series was more enjoyable then watching the tv series. The books flowed really nicely and showed how the story should truly be told unlike the tv series. Highly recommend to all...