Unbelievable is the fourth novel in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard.
Finished on: 21.2.2026
[Here are my reviews of the other books in the series.]

Content Note: homomisia

Plot:
After A.‘s attack against Hanna, Hanna is slowly recovering from her head injuries, but she still has no memory of the accident and what came before it – including her realization who A. actually is. Meanwhile Emily knows nothing about the attack, having been exiled to her religious relatives in Iowa where her parents hope she will learn to not be gay. Aria has to move in with her father Byron and his new girlfriend Meredith – and she can’t imagine a worse fate. Spencer has the Golden Orchids looming over her. After Melissa learned that Spencer plagiarized her essay, Spencer thought that her parents would want her to drop out of the competition, but instead they expect everybody to continue as if nothing happened. And A.? Is keeping silent – for now.

Unbelievable is the final book in the first arc of the series (that has four arcs), and I think it will be the final book that I read. It’s not worse than the other books in the series, I think , but my interest has waned. I enjoyed reading up to this point, but for the rest, the wikipedia summaries did the trick.

The Pretty Little Liars series (both books and TV show) are probably the soapiest thing I ever read or saw, and I really liked it – for a while. The last couple of seasons of the TV show weren’t so much my cup of tea anymore, and with the books, I have already had my fill now. It is just generally not so much my thing, no value judgement.

The books certainly know what they are, so we get convenient amnesia, suspicions and unclear communication, shocking (and less shocking) plot twists en masse. (Later-on, we get surprise twins, one of them pretty much evil, of course.) There is no pretending that this isn’t a soap opera, and I definitely like that.

I also like the characters – Emily, Aria, Hanna and Spencer, as broken as they often are (and what else could they be in those dysfunctional families), always remain relatable and likeable. Their various romantic entanglements are less interesting to me than the way they relate to each other. Unfortunately, the books don’t seem to share my priorities.

All of the books, including this one, were quick reads, but I grew a little slower with each, a little less curious about finding out what happens next, a little more annoyed at the twists and turnst hat started to feel less and less realistic. When I thought about whether I wanted to buy the rest of the series to continue reading, the answer was a clear no. I consider checking them out at the library, but I soon realized that I didn’t really want to spend my reading time on the series anymore. I am happy to call it quits at this point, especially since there is a bit of closure here. Maybe I will dip my toes back into the TV show, but for now, that’s the end of me and the Liars.

Summarizing: knows what it is and is entertaining, but I have had enough.