Book #86: Stunning

Title: Stunning (Book #11 of the Pretty Little Liars series)

Author: Sara Shepard

Date started reading: June 21, 2012
Date finished reading:  June 21, 2012

Publish date: June 2012
ISBN: 9780062081896
Number of pages: 320

Official summary: "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." (http://prettylittleliars.alloyentertainment.com/)

How I obtained the book: Pre-ordered for $13.88 through Barnes & Noble

Memorable quotes:

• "In Rosewood, the only way to keep your secrets safe is to have none at all." 
• "Money isn't everything, you know." ~ Aria to Emily
• "(Hanna) knew what Their Ali would say if she were still alive: All's fair in love and pole dancing."
• "It's not fun to keep secrets. But sometimes you have to do it to protect yourself. And to protect people around you." ~ Meredith to Aria
• "I do love a good costume." ~ Mr. Kahn 
• "Reefer opened his closet doors and stepped away. Inside was a tall, clear plastic cabinet with at least thirty pullout drawers (full of pot). ... (Spencer had) figured Reefer would have his stash in a dirty sock under his bed, or rolled up in a bunch of Socialist newspapers. The organizer was pristinely clean. ... It was in alphabetical order. Spencer smiled inwardly. If she were a pot fiend, she'd probably organize her drug stash like this." 
• "In some cultures, distinguishing different brands of pot is much more refined than having a good palate for wines." ~ Reefer 
• "Popularity had turned Ali, Mona, and Hanna into remorseless bitches."  
• "(Emily) was so scared that any minute, the delicate house of cards that was her life would topple over." 
• "We're the Pretty Little Liars. People send us fake notes all the time, and this was all just a terrible coincidence." ~ Emily lying to police 
• "Secrets can eat you alive. They break down your soul. It's always better to have things out in the open." ~ Meredith to Aria 
• "Exposing a secret was only important when you felt threatened by someone -- when they made you feel insecure or had something you wanted or made you scared." ~ Hanna
• "The last thing this family needs is more scandal." ~ Spencer's mom 
• "Everything felt so screwed up and wrong; the perfect plan for her life had fallen to pieces." ~ Spencer
• "This wasn't a tragic story of a messed-up girl Emily could rescue -- it was a story about a psycho bitch who wanted to get Emily any way she could." 

My commentary:

• First thing I did, of course, when the book came in the mail was to look at the message from "A" inside the dust cover. I always love looking for it on the hardcovers. It's always like a little hidden secret just waiting to be discovered.

 

• I'm still totally amazed at all the crazy storylines that Sara Shepard comes up with. She seems so normal, but her brain works in a really twisted way. It has to be twisted to come up with this stuff. In this book alone, she adds in pole dancing, cross dressing, drug buying, a crazy woman who wants to steal a baby, and a mysterious murder. So crazy.
• The book closes with the usual note from "A" foreshadowing what will happen in the next book. I think the next one is also supposed to be the last, and it sounds like the girls are going on a cruise. If I were those girls, I wouldn't set foot on a cruise ship... 

Buy on Amazon.com: Pretty Little Liars #11: Stunning