Independent Reading Response - Flawless by Sara Shepard

     Recently, I began reading Flawless, A Pretty Little Liars Novel by Sara Shepard. These four girls, Spencer, Aria, Hanna and Emily used to be the best of friends, but recently they've grown distant. They barely talk anymore and they've been keeping secrets from each other. They've been hanging out with different crowds and forgetting all about each other.  Their best friend Alison has mysteriously gone missing and reported dead. And lately these four girls have been receiving weird text messages signed, "-A". Which makes me think that friendship is really important in this text because these girls need to stick together. This book reveals the fact that friendship is stronger than you think.

     In the first Pretty Little Liars book, the four girls were still hanging out and receiving these messages, but after awhile, they had assumed that '-A' was gone. They were wrong. In the first chapter it states how they haven't really hung out in three years after Alison died, but today they consider each other ex-bestfriends. As they were all sitting around on the grass they had all gotten a text from '-A' at the same time referring to all of them. They questioned each other about it and what they each thought the message meant but this was one of the last times they'd be seen all together. They began to keep in contact but not as much as they should have. Which gave '-A' a reason to mess with all of them individually.

     The first to be messed with was Spencer who kept a secret of a little encounter she had with Toby. Keeping this secret would prevent the others from being hurt according to '-A'. But if these girls keep keeping secrets, eventually someones going to get hurt and if they become even more distant the truth is going to hurt them. For example, '-A' knows more about Hanna and Aria than they do themselves. During a chapter in the book, Aria's boyfriend, Noel believes that Aria doesn't like him and wants to be with Sean, Hanna's ex boyfriend. Noel had to ask Hanna if they were still going out anymore for Aria to know the truth. '-A' already knew, which means '-A' is someone close to them or at least not to far. Which caused '-A' to leave a sticky note visible for Aria that said,

 "P.S. Wondering who I am, aren't you? I'm closer than you think. -A"

     Emily has been very distant herself. She now secretly likes girls and somehow,' -A' knows. He or she sent Emily a picture of her and Maya, a girl who likes Emily, and they were kissing in a photo booth. '-A' even sent a message to Emily that reads,

  "Em! Still enjoying the same kinds of *activities* with your best friends, I see. Even though most of us have totally changed, it's nice to know you're still the same! Gonna tell everyone about your new love? Or shall I? -A"
   
      This '-A' character is taunting these girls in several ways and I think that it's best that these girls start talking to each other before they advance themselves in certain activities, because it seems that '-A' is always watching and they are aware but they don't act like it. They may not want to claim each other as best friends anymore but they share so many secrets and they know too much about each other not to be. Even if they want nothing to do with each other, this '-A' person is going to find away to torture them even more than they have already.