A lone woman’s body on a beach rarely signals good news—just ask fans of The Perfect Couple or Big Little Lies. Prime Video’s We Were Liars, an eight-episode adaptation of E. Lockhart’s 2014 YA mystery novel, taps into that eerie vibe with its story of Cadence Sinclair Eastman (Emily Alyn Lind), who washes ashore near her family’s private island estate, clueless about how she got there or what happened to her clothes. The show, from The Vampire Diaries creator Julie Plec and Roswell, New Mexico’s Carina Adly Mackenzie, captures the tangled secrets of the wealthy Sinclair clan.
Both the book and series center on Cadence, the eldest granddaughter of media tycoon Harris Sinclair (David Morse) and his wife, Tipper (Wendy Crewson). With her cousins—known as the Liars—refusing to explain the mystery behind her amnesia, the show flips between Cadence’s fragmented memories and the events of the summer before her accident. Her mother Penny (Caitlin FitzGerald) has banned her aunts Carrie (Mamie Gummer) and Bess (Candice King) from discussing the incident, while the younger Liars—Johnny (Joseph Zada), Mirren (Esther McGregor), and Gat (Shubham Maheshwari)—remain tight-lipped. Yet beneath the surface lies a web of family infighting and dark secrets.
Condensed Timeline and Missing Characters
Unlike the book’s multiple summers chronicling Cadence’s journey, the show compresses the timeline into two: before and after the accident, all within summer 16. Key events, including grandmother Tipper’s death from heart failure, occur within this period. The series also omits Taft, Bess’s youngest son in the novel, whose concern about Cadence’s Percocet use is distributed among other characters.
Sinclair Sisters’ Stories Expanded
The TV show digs deeper into the fractured lives of the Sinclair sisters—Carrie, Penny, and Bess—who mother the Liars. While Lockhart’s book only hints at their backgrounds, the show introduces a deceased fourth sister, Rosemary, adding a new layer of family tragedy and guilt. The series further explores their romantic struggles: Bess, who remains married in the show, is caught in a secret affair, and her daughter Mirren discovers the betrayal, sparking conflict with her father who appears to have embezzled her trust fund.
Johnny’s Sexuality and Complex Relationships
Johnny’s character, a tortured soul in both versions, is more explicitly portrayed as gay in the show. His feelings for his tennis partner Blake—who is also involved with Mirren—add tension. Johnny’s violent past and blackmail by Blake escalate stakes, and his mother Carrie’s struggle with his identity deepens family drama. Carrie also faces pressure from Harris to end her relationship with Ed, to preserve “pure” family bloodlines.
Cadence’s Defiance and Racial Tensions
The show amplifies Cadence’s confrontation with her racist grandfather Harris, who disapproves of her relationship with Gat, and Carrie’s with Ed, citing fears of “Indian grandchildren.” Cadence’s refusal to participate in a PR campaign to mask family scandals, and her symbolic rejection of her inheritance by tossing her grandmother’s black pearls into the sea, highlight her rebellion and desire to break free.
The Shocking, Unchanged Ending—and What’s Next
Fans will be relieved that the show retains the book’s haunting twist: Cadence is the sole survivor of the fire she and her cousins started, having spent the past summer interacting with their ghosts. The night of the fire reveals a failed arson plan that tragically claimed the lives of Johnny, Mirren, and Gat, with Cadence escaping only after retrieving her grandmother’s prized pearls—a choice that haunts her.
However, the series takes a bold step beyond the novel’s ending, closing with Carrie’s relapse into addiction, only to be confronted by Johnny’s ghost. This chilling scene opens the door to a second season that promises to explore Carrie’s trauma and the prequel material from Family of Liars.
We Were Liars balances mystery, family drama, and supernatural elements while expanding and enriching Lockhart’s original story, leaving viewers eager for what’s to come.
