Book To Screen
What Happened in ‘We Were Liars’? The Book’s Shocking Ending Explained
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.]
Back in 2014, readers everywhere were rattled to their core by the twist at the end of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars. Now, over 10 years later, We Were Liars is hitting the small screen with a Prime Video series that is certain to shock readers and viewers alike, all over again.
We Were Liars follows Cadence (Emily Alyn Lind), the oldest grandchild of the affluent Sinclair family, who lives (at least during the summer) on a private island off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Cadence usually looks forward to spending the summer with the “Liars,” the name that the family calls Cadence, her cousins Johnny (Joseph Zada) and Mirren (Esther McGregor), and their friend Gat (Shubham Maheshwari), who has spent every summer with them since Johnny’s mom started dating his uncle when they were kids.
During Summer 15, Cadence suffered a mysterious accident, leading her to forget the entire summer. Two years later, Cadence returns to the island looking for answers from her cousins and the boy she fell madly in love with. Finally reunited with her family, Cadence reconnects with the Liars, even though they refuse to tell her what happened during their last summer together.
All eight episodes of the We Were Liars TV adaptation will hit Prime Video on June 18, so now is the time to catch up on the Sinclair Family Tree, reminisce about Cady and Gat’s romance, and refresh your knowledge on everything that went down in the book.
Comment below with your favorite We Were Liars book moment, and let us know if there is anything you think they’ll change in the show!
Jessie Redmond / Prime
What happened at the end of the We Were Liars book?
At the end of the We Were Liars book, Cadence learns that the other Liars (Gat, Mirren, and Johnny) all died in a fire during their last summer together on Beechwood Island. She recalls that during their last summer there, Gat’s Uncle Ed (Rahul Kohli) proposed to Johnny’s mother Carrie (Mamie Gummer), but she declined because she knew marrying a man of Indian descent would cause her to lose her inheritance. With Ed no longer in the picture, the Liars realize that this will be their last summer together and concoct a plan.
The Liars believe that wealth is at the root of all of their family’s issues, so they decide that burning down the house at the heart of the island (Clairmont) will put an end to their mothers’ incessant arguing over who will inherit it. As children committing arson, the Liars weren’t well equipped to enact their plan, causing Cadence to light the first floor on fire too early. This trapped Johnny and Mirren on the second floor and Gat in the basement, causing all three to perish. This means that during her entire return summer, Cadence has been imagining that Johnny, Mirren, and Gat were there with her.
Ultimately, she goes to apologize to them for causing their deaths, but they tell her they don’t blame her because they came up with the plan together. Now that she remembers, she must say goodbye to her Liars and watch as they disappear into the ocean.
What happened to Cadence?
During the fire, Cadence attempted to rescue Gat and her cousins. That night, she was also the one to call the fire department. However, once help arrived, she was found “on the tiny beach, half underwater, and curled into a ball.” Cadence never recalls how she hit her head, which caused her to lose her memories. Following the accident, she is heavily sedated and becomes addicted to Percocet.
At the end of the novel, Cadence admits, “Yes, it’s true that I fell in love with someone and that he died, along with the two other people I loved best in this world.” Even so, she decides that “there must be more to know,” finishing her story with two words: “I endure.”
Does Cadence end up with anyone?
No, Cadence does not end up with anyone in We Were Liars. Cadence’s only love interest is Gat, who died two years prior. Given the hopeful ending, Cadence likely moves on to date someone new down the line, especially now that she knows she won’t be seeing Gat (as a ghost or otherwise) again.
Are there more We Were Liars books?
Yes, there are two more We Were Liars books. The second book in the series, Family of Liars, was published in 2022. The story is narrated by Johnny’s mom, Carrie, who recounts the summers she spent on the island as a teenager. Much like Cadence, Carrie struggles with addiction. During the summer, Carrie and her sisters meet “an irresistible, unpredictable boy,” leading to “a summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.”
E. Lockhart also has an upcoming We Were Liars book, hitting shelves on November 4, 2025. In We Fell Apart, Lockhart promises to deliver on “all her signature beachy gothic atmosphere, family intrigue, and high-stakes romance.” The story will follow Matlida, a teenager who discovers a father she’s never met. Invited to visit her father at his home on Hidden Beach, she arrives to find he is not there. While it is currently unclear how this story connects to the rest of the We Were Liars universe, we’re incredibly excited to reenter the world this fall!
