summary
The story starts out by introducing us to the main characters of the book, Alison, Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna all at a sleepover after the last day of 7th grade. Spencer gets mad at Ali and Ali runs out of the barn and Spencer follows her, returning 10 minutes later. The story then goes to a point in their lives, three years later, where they don't really speak or pay attention to each other. Aria goes to the local bar and meets a guy and falls for him. She returns from a three year business trip for her dad. Hanna has become skinny and befriended the former geek, Mona Vanderwaal, and trying not to revert back to her old ways of bulimia. Emily has just become friends with the new girl in Alison's house, Maya, and soon develops romantic feelings for her. Spencer is still competing against her perfect older sister, Melissa, in their family rivalry. Shortly after Aria returns to Rosewood Ali's body is found under the cement her family was using to build deck for her family's many parties. Right after Emily's been a swimmer since, well, forever without the intent to ever stop. Everything changes when she meets Maya, the girl next door. Aria finds out that the guy she met at the bar is really her AP English teacher. Hanna went from fat and a loser to popular and pretty. Hanna will do anything to stay beautiful, because she can't stand to be fat again, a loser, and lose her boyfriend. Hanna has a dark past that may be repeating. And she has to save herself. 'A' is ruining the girls' lives, trying to bring out their dirty secrets, and bring back all of those brutal memories, and no one knows who it is.