Stunning (Pretty Little Liars, Book 11) [Hardcover]

Sara Shepard (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 5, 2012 | Series: Pretty Little Liars (Book 11)

Now a hit ABC Family TV show, Sara Shepard’s #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series continues with Stunning.
 
In the eleventh novel, A is still out there, lurking in the shadows and digging up the liars’ latest secrets...
 
Emily’s reconnecting with an old flame, one baby step at a time. But is she headed toward true love or another bundle of heartache? Spencer’s learning about the highs and lows of campus life on a trip to Princeton. Aria’s seeing a whole new side to Noel’s dad—and it could drive a wedge between her and Noel. And, for better or worse, Hanna’s getting in touch with her inner A.
 
Secret by secret, lie by lie, the girls get tangled in A’s dangerous web. Soon A will have enough ammunition to pull the trigger and end the pretty little liars, once and for all….

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the Pretty Little Liars series:“Shepard writes a suspenseful page–turner that will have teens thirsting for more.” (School Library Journal )

Praise for Pretty Little Liars: “Shepard does a fine job of writing an intriguing tale full of provocative exploits and adventure…It will not disappoint the fans.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) )

“Expect this teenage soap opera to fly off the shelves.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) )

From the Back Cover

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four stunningly beautiful girls are haunted by a very ugly past. Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily want nothing more than to forget Alison DiLaurentis, their former best friend who tried to ruin their lives. But someone refuses to let her memory die. A is still out there, lurking in the shadows and digging up the pretty little liars' newest secrets.

Emily's reconnecting with an old flame, one baby step at a time. But is she headed toward true love or another bundle of heartache? Spencer's learning about the highs and lows of campus life on a trip to Princeton. Aria's seeing a whole new side to Noel's dad—and it could drive a wedge between her and Noel. And, for better or worse, Hanna's getting in touch with her inner A.

Secret by secret, lie by lie, the girls get tangled in A's dangerous web. A knows about everything, from their tiniest transgressions to the awful incident in Jamaica. Soon A will have enough ammunition to pull the trigger and end the pretty little liars, once and for all. . . .

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (June 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780062081896
• ISBN-13: 978-0062081896
• ASIN: 0062081896
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Teens > Mysteries

More About the Author

I am originally from outside Philadelphia, and PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is based on my experiences there...kind of. Sort of a hyperbolic version of them. Plus some random stuff thrown in.

Well, after many years of avoiding the area, I've moved back to suburban Philadelphia again. I spend most of my time eating chips and cereal straight out of the bag. I am also a proud hypochondriac. I took out my tongue piercing when I was eighteen because I thought it was giving me a sinus infection. And I often think I have a brain tumor when it's really just a headache.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#9 in Books > Teens

#9 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars How much more stunning can you get? June 15, 2012

By thehydrogenpoptart

Format:Hardcover

First Sentence: Have you ever done something so shameful, so shocking, so unlike /you/ that you wanted to disappear?

How I Acquired it: Borrowed from town's library.

The Review (*spoilers from past 10 books beyond this point*): When we last saw the Pretty Little Liars, Spencer was suffering from hallucinations, Hanna was plotting to steal her father's money, Aria was trying to rekindle an old relationship, and Emily was revealed to be pregnant. This, for me, was the huge twist of Ruthless, aka Book 10. Now in Book 11, Stunning, we see that Spencer's getting hooked onto drugs again. Aria has some troubles with her relationship, Hanna is jealous of Mike's new girlfriend, and Emily's baby is in more danger than ever. Drugs, love, action, sex, crazy stalkers and awesomeness abound!

The premise of Pretty Little Liars is still the same: four girls are tortured by a stalker, code name A, who threatens to reveal every dirty little secret they have, and every crime they've committed. If you haven't read the previous books in the series, this is not a good place to start. Sara Shepard does a good job of recapping the plot of previous books for people like me who read Book 10 seven months ago, but it's no excuse for the first 10 themselves. The characters are still the same as in previous PLL novels; if you liked them before, you'll like them now. If you hated them before, you'll hate them now. Not much to be said here.

And the plot is still as twisty and turny as ever. I won't spoil anything, because it's most likely that you're going to read Stunning for its plot, like all other PLL novels. I will say, however, that Emily's baby plays a huge role in the novel, and I liked that. Also, I really liked Emily in this novel, for being strong. The other three girls were kind of stupid, but I could understand their actions.

Overall, Stunning is a good addition to the series. It's not stellar, but it's not poor either. Fans of the previous installments will not be disappointed. I did take off a star, however, because Ms. Shepard has been dragging out the series too much. Stunning sets up the end, Burned, nicely, and I can't wait for it to come out.

-reviewed by a teenager. (I apologize for any teenagery and/or snarky comments in this review, if they have offended you. I understand they can be very annoying, just like teenagers themselves. In any case, thanks for dealing with them and thanks for reading this review.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BAby, Come BAck! A is BAck! June 25, 2012

By BeatleBangs1964 TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The Pretty Little Liars are 4 little girls with VERY big secrets. The Rosewood Pennsylvania Quartet have returned from Jamaica with a whole new series of secrets.

We know from the previous books that Aria was trying to hook up with an old flame; Spencer framed someone for drugs; Hanna was involved in theft and Emily was expecting a baby. In "Stunning," Aria and Noel share a secret from each other that involves each other; Spencer is involved in the seemingly uppercrust side of learning about Princeton life only to discover a real dark underside; Hanna and her stepsister Kate seem to have reached a truce, although Hanna discovers she can learn something from A as she wants to re-hook up with Aria's brother Mike and Emily has made decisions for her baby.

Drugs, sex and scandal - all are part of the Liars' lives in this installment. A never lets them forget and somehow manages to stay below everybody's rAdAr. Who is A? A could be anybody skulking in the shadows, lurking on the periphery. A knows everything about the girls. A knows where they are and what they are doing at all times and even sends them text messages taunting them.

Be sure to read the first 10 books including Pretty Little Secrets so as to know each character and what the background for this installment. Sara Shepard does a good job of summarizing the high points of previous books. It is like she is jumping from mountain top to mountain top as opposed to walking up each mountain and enjoying the sights along the way. This is done for brevity and for literary focus - readers new to the party get an idea of what the Liars' lives have involved and the people they encountered along the way. And the casualties. Yes, there are casualties. This book is no exception.

There are no spoilers here and readers beware - you are in for a harrowing ride with the Liars in this installment. Emily's baby does have a role in this book, but what that role is readers will have to find out for themselves in the book. Emily, whom readers know is bisexual has some hard thinking and develops strength she didn't know she had. One thing that bothered me is that in the Fields' home, nobody seemed to communicate much. Emily's parents have no idea they have a grandchild and Emily's sister, who gets a brief nod in this book is the only member of the Fields family who knows. Her treatment of Emily is deplorable.

On the flip side, Aria and her mother and stepmother reconnect also because of a baby. Aria's paternal half-sister, now nearly 1 is inadvertently the catalyst that helps her listen to her stepmother Meredith and also clear the air with her mother regarding her father's remarriage.

This book makes readers want more and eagerly await the next book in the series, "Burned." Given the pairings, hook-ups and break ups in this installment, Player's 1978 "Baby, Come Back" could easily be the soundtrack of this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Ahhh. Yawn December 30, 2012

By Cherelle Gobinda

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

These books are draaaaaggiiinngg..... I just wanna know who A is already. I love reading but seriously this series need to be concluded.