The thrilling prequel to the TikTok phenomenon We Were Liars takes readers back to the summer that the Sinclair family's lives changed forever.

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow. A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy. A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes. Twenty-seven years before the events of We Were Liars comes another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades-a story that is scandalous, tragic, and layered with mystery.

Welcome back to the Sinclair family. They were always liars.

1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The addictive prequel to the TikTok phenomenon We Were Liars: the story of another summer, another generation-and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come.

"I anticipated that at some point a shocking twist would come. And, wow, does it ever." -The New York Times

"A perfect beach read." -The Boston Globe