Pretty Little Liars is a series of young-adult novels by American author Sara Shepard, beginning with 2006's inaugural entry of the same name.
The series follows the lives of four girls – Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin, Aria Montgomery, and Emily Fields – whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their leader, "Alison DiLaurentis". Three years later, when the girls are juniors in high school, Alison's body is found, and they begin receiving various messages from someone using the alias "A" who threatens to expose their secrets and get revenge.
The novels explore several serious issues such as bullying, cyberbullying, murder, adolescent pregnancy, family issues, drug addiction, underage drinking, eating disorders, homosexuality, peer-pressure, infidelity, and mental illness. Moral ambiguity and the consequences of lying are featured prominently in the series; the girls constantly create their own problems through their unwillingness, to tell the truth about certain events and misdeeds they have done. The novels have frequently appeared on the The New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2010, a TV series loosely based on the novels began airing on ABC Family (now known as Freeform). The series aired for seven seasons until it ended in 2017.
The 13th book in the series, Crushed, was released on June 4th, 2013. The 14th book, Deadly, was released on December 3, 2013. Sara Shepard recently revealed that she plans on having two more books (Toxic and Vicious), with Vicious being the last. But in a more recent interview, Sara stated that she may do two or three more books after Deadly (the 14th book). Toxic, the 15th book, was released on June 3rd, 2014. Vicious, the 16th book, was released on December 4th, 2014. Two companion novels, Pretty Little Love and Pretty Little Lost were released on June 16, 2017. The Liars, the 21st book and only audiobook, was released on June 16, 2022.
Overview
The series is loosely divided into four arcs of four books each, chronicling the introduction and reveal of each "A". The series follows the lives of four teenage girls;— Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, Hanna Marin, and Spencer Hastings— whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their leader, Alison DiLaurentis. Three years later, they begin receiving text messages from an anonymous source, "A," who threatens to expose their secrets— including long-hidden ones they thought only their close friend Alison knew. But shortly after, Alison's body was discovered. The first arc covers Mona Vanderwaal's reign as "A" and the second arc focuses on solving the mystery of Alison DiLaurentis' murder, as well as Alison DiLaurentis' run as "A". The third and current arcs feature an "A" whose identity is currently Nick Maxwell who is helper A and all the girls knew him as someone else. There are two companion novels: the first, Pretty Little Secrets, is set between the first and second arcs. The second companion novel, Ali's Pretty Little Lies, is a prequel to the series. The four girls are nicknamed the Pretty Little Liars or simply the Liars.
Book Order
Arc 1
Arc 2
Arc 3
Arc 4
Companion Novels
- Pretty Little Secrets - set between Unbelievable and Wicked
- Alison's Pretty Little Diary - short story
- It’s Not Easy Being “A” - short story
- Pretty Little Love - the Emison stories
- Pretty Little Lost - the Emison stories
- The Liars - audible exclusive, set fifteen years in the future
Characters
Although the series features an extensive cast of characters of varying significance, the novels focus predominantly on six main characters:
Spencer Hastings
Spencer Hastings
An extremely competitive girl who strives for perfection in everything she does. A high-strung over-achiever, Spencer is willing to do whatever it takes to win, often to the detriment of herself and others. She is often quick to jump to conclusions and suffers from IED. Spencer was half-sister with Alison and Courtney DiLaurentis, her father had an affair around the time of Spencer's conception; her parents' divorce, when the affair comes to light. When she attends a summer program at Penn to improve her GPA, she becomes addicted to Easy A, leading her to frame a friend for possession in order to get admitted to Princeton. In Ruthless, she experiences hallucinations and paranoiac while suffering from withdrawal and guilt over her actions.
Hanna Marin
Hanna Marin
A pretty, popular girl who struggles with both bulimia and anorexia due to insecurities about her appearance. Flighty and occasionally air-headed, Hanna often acts purely on impulse. In Alison's absence, she became best friends with Mona, not knowing that Mona was "A". Hanna's parents divorced when she was younger after her father had an affair. Hanna dislikes her father's new wife, Isabel, and her daughter, Kate, with whom she forms a rivalry. For a short time, Hanna is sent to a mental institution, her father believing her eating disorders would resurface due to stress.
Aria Montgomery
Aria Montgomery.
An artistic, independent girl whose family moved back to Rosewood after her father took a three-year sabbatical in Iceland. Prior to Alison's disappearance, Aria became aware that her father was having an affair with a student of his (Meredith); having promised to keep it a secret, she is kicked out of the house after the first "A" reveals the affair to her mother. Her parents' divorce and Aria's father marries Meredith, and she becomes pregnant. Aria often feels out of place in Rosewood and tends to be attracted to older, more worldly men, which frequently causes conflicts for her.
Emily Fields
Emily Fields
Emily is a dedicated swimmer and a shy girl with a sweet personality. She is bisexual, a fact which she takes great pains to hide until she is outed by the first "A". Although at first, her parents make attempts to "de-gay" her, they eventually come to accept her. Best friends with Alison, Emily was also in love with her, which caused her great anguish and continuously affects her judgment in the present. It was revealed in Twisted that she had hidden an accidental pregnancy from her family, later giving her child up for adoption. Despite this, she received a swimming scholarship to attend UNC.
Alison DiLaurentis
Alison DiLaurentis.
Alison DiLaurentis was the most popular girl at Rosewood Day middle school. Unfortunately, she never got to have the full middle school experience as her twin sister Courtney fooled their parents into taking Ali to the mental institute instead of her. In revenge, she killed Courtney two years later and attempted to get revenge on her sister's friends as well. She was the second "A", and serves as the central antagonist of the series.
When she first arrives in Rosewood Day in third grade, Alison holds commanding reign over the school, with every girl wanting to be her and every guy wanting to date her. During a Thursday afternoon in sixth grade, Ali spots a flyer for the Time Capsule Tradition and boasts that she will have a piece flag given to her by her brother Jason. That weekend, Courtney was home from The Radley, her old mental institute that was being turned into a hotel, in order to switch to a new clinic, The Preserve at Addison-Stevens. Sometime that Friday, Ali's signature "A for Ali" ring was stolen by her twin. On Saturday morning - the day Courtney was to be taken to the Preserve, Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily each arrive at the DiLaurentis home to steal Ali's flag piece. However, Courtney spots them shortly after arguing with Ali and immediately comes out and pretends to be her sister.
Courtney DiLaurentis.
Courtney DiLaurentis
Courtney DiLaurentis was psychologically troubled and wanted to be Alison, but it is revealed in Ali's Pretty Little Lies that it was actually the other way around. Courtney was more popular than Ali, and Ali forced Courtney to be Ali. Fed up by this, Courtney attacked Alison because she was sick of her tormenting her. Their parents found Courtney's hands around Ali's neck, and tests were performed but nobody believed Courtney. The family moved to Rosewood and Courtney was placed at The Radley, a mental institute. She occasionally came home on the weekends, but she was forced to stay in the house, as the DiLaurentis family pretended they only had two children (Jason and Alison). She stayed there for about three years until the Radley was closed down. Her parents planned to send her to The Preserve at Addison-Stevens in Delaware, but Courtney was upset because she was expecting her parents to let her stay with them.
One weekend, when Courtney was switching from the Radley to the Preserve, she got into a fight with Ali and took her ring. Hanna, Aria, Emily, and Spencer wanted to steal the piece of the flag Ali bragged about for the Time Capsule competition. Courtney saw them sneaking around the yard and talked to them for a while. Their mom Jessica thought it was Ali because Courtney doesn't have a high school and doesn't have any high school friends to talk to. And her plan worked. Her mom, seeing that the real Ali didn't have her ring (therefore thinking Ali was Courtney) brought Ali to the institute. Courtney's reckless plan succeeded. She was now Alison DiLaurentis.
Now Courtney was best friends with Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna, and in one way or another, she learned all of their deepest secrets. She often used the girls' secrets against them in order to keep them in line, along with "The Jenna Thing", making them promise to never tell anyone what really happened. Courtney mysteriously disappears one night at a sleepover, at the end of seventh grade. Three years later her body was finally discovered buried under the gazebo on her family's former property, launching a murder investigation. It is finally revealed in Wanted that the person the girls had all been friends with back in seventh grade was in actuality Ali's secret twin sister, Courtney, and that the real Alison had murdered Courtney for stealing her identity.
"A"
A's targets.
A is the main antagonist of the series. A is an anonymous extortionist who is privy to the Liars' deepest and darkest
secrets and uses these secrets to exact revenge on the Liars for (often) perceived wrongdoings. There are four different "A" characters throughout the series. The first "A", Mona Vanderwaal, was able to discover the Liars' secrets by reading Alison's old journal. During a physical confrontation with Spencer Hastings, Mona was pushed over the edge of a quarry and died. The second "A" is the true Alison DiLaurentis, who had her identity stolen by her twin sister Courtney who is also the one that really died. The third "A" is Nick Maxwell, Courtney's ex-boyfriend.
Novels
| Cover | Title | Published | Numbers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Ali's Pretty Little Lies | January 2, 2013 | 14 | 0.5 | |
| Before there was A, there was "Alison DiLaurentis". Boys wanted to date her, girls wanted to be her, and somebody wanted her dead.... It's the end of seventh grade, and Alison DiLaurentis and her friends are known as the girls of Rosewood Day. Ali runs her clique with an iron fist, and she's got enough dirt on Hanna, Emily, Aria, and Spencer to keep them in line. But Ali's hiding a dark secret of her own, something so huge, it would destroy everything if it ever got out. She's desperate to keep the perfect life she's worked so hard to build, but in Rosewood, deadly secrets have deadly consequences.... Set in the weeks leading up to Ali's murder, this special Pretty Little Liars tale is told by the prettiest little liar of all: Ali herself. For the first time ever, we see how the mystery began...and how Alison DiLaurentis's life ended. | |||||
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Pretty Little Liars | October 3, 2006 | 1 | 1 | |
| Everyone has something to hide—especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna. Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. And Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful. But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished. How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and all the dirty secrets they've kept. And guess what? I'm telling. -A | |||||
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Flawless | March 27, 2007 | 2 | 2 | |
| Four pretty little liars have been very bad girls. Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya . . . as much more than a friend. Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is making her sick. But their most horrible secret yet is so scandalous that the truth would ruin them forever. And why shouldn't I tell? They deserve to lose it all. With every crumpled note, wicked IM, and vindictive text message I send, I'll be taking these pretty little liars down. Trust me, I've got enough dirt to bury them alive. | |||||
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Perfect | August 21, 2007 | 3 | 3 | |
| In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem. Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister. Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say . . . or else! | |||||
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Unbelievable | May 27, 2008 | 4 | 4 | |
| Four pretty little liars' charmed lives have turned into living nightmares. Emily has been shipped of to Iowa to live with her ultraconservative cousins. Aria's boyfriend is behind bars-because of her. Spencer is afraid she was involved in Ali's murder. But Hanna's fate is much worse: She's clinging to life in the hospital because she knew too much. If these girls don't start listening to me, Hanna's gonna look like the lucky one. - A | |||||
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Pretty Little Secrets | January 3, 2012 | 11 | 4.5 | |
|
Taking place between UNBELIEVABLE and WICKED, Pretty Little Secrets is a very special Pretty Little Liars tale revealing the liars’ never-before-seen misadventures over their junior-year winter break. What happens on holiday break stays on holiday break - right? But guess what. I saw. And now I’m telling. -A | |||||
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Wicked | November 25, 2008 | 5 | 5 | |
| In idyllic Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four very pretty girls just can't help but be bad... Hanna will do anything to be Rosewood's queen bee. Spencer's digging up her family's secrets. Emily can't stop thinking about her new boyfriend. And Aria approves a little too strongly of her mom's taste in men. Now that Ali's killer is finally behind bars, the girls think they're safe. But those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. And they should know by now that I'm always watching. . . . | |||||
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Killer | June 30, 2009 | 6 | 6 | |
| Rosewood, Pennsylvania, seems picture perfect, but pictures often lie-and so do Rosewood's four prettiest girls. Hanna's on a mission to corrupt Rosewood's youth-starting with a very attractive sophomore. Aria's snooping into her boyfriend's past. Spencer is stealing... from her family. And pure little Emily's abstaining from abstinence. -A | |||||
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Heartless | January 19, 2010 | 7 | 7 | |
| Four gorgeous girls are telling very ugly stories. First Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Spencer claimed they found a dead body in the woods behind Spencer's house, only to have it vanish without a trace. Then, when the same woods went up in flames, they swore they saw someone who's supposed to be dead rise from the ashes. And even after all that, the pretty little liars are still playing with fire. Call me heartless, but it's about time someone shut these liars up for good. After all, nobody likes a girl who cries wolf—least of all me. | |||||
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Wanted | June 8, 2010 | 8 | 8 | |
| Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily have been through a lot together—childhood pranks gone horribly wrong, not one, but two stalkers—blackmailers who know all their dirty secrets, not to mention their best friend’s murder investigation. Now these pretty little liars are finally going to uncover all the answers they’ve been searching for, and they can finally put this awful chapter of their lives behind them. Or so they think. | |||||
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Twisted | July 5, 2011 | 9 | 9 | |
| It’s been a year since the torturous notes from A stopped and the mystery of Alison DiLaurentis’s disappearance was finally put to rest. Now seniors in high school, Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily are older, but they’re not any wiser. The pretty little liars have more secrets than ever - twisted secrets that could destroy the perfect lives they’ve worked so hard to rebuild. Worst of all: Last spring break in Jamaica, they did something unforgivable. The girls are desperate to forget that fateful night, but they should know better than anyone that all secrets wash ashore . . . eventually. | |||||
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Ruthless | December 6, 2011 | 10 | 10 | |
| For years scandal has rocked Rosewood, Pennsylvania — and high school seniors Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer have always been at the center of the drama. They've lost friends, been targeted by a ruthless stalker named A, and narrowly escaped death. And it's not over yet. A is determined to make them pay for their crime, and the only thing scarier than A is the fear that maybe, just maybe, they deserve what's coming to them. | |||||
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Stunning | June 5, 2012 | 12 | 11 | |
| In the eleventh novel, A is still out there, lurking in the shadows and digging up the liars’ latest secrets... Emily's reconnecting with an old flame, one baby step at a time. But is she headed toward true love or another bundle of heartache? Spencer's learning about the highs and lows of campus life on a trip to Princeton. Aria's seeing a whole new side to Noel's dad—and it could drive a wedge between her and Noel. And, for better or worse, Hanna's getting in touch with her inner A. Secret by secret, lie by lie, the girls get tangled in A's dangerous web. A knows about everything, from their tiniest transgressions to the awful incident in Jamaica. Soon A will have enough ammunition to pull the trigger and end the pretty little liars, once and for all.... | |||||
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Burned | December 4, 2012 | 13 | 12 | |
| It's spring break, and the pretty little liars are trading in Rosewood for a cruise vacation. They want nothing more than to sail into the tropical sunset and leave their troubles behind for one blissful week. But where Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna go, A goes, too. From scuba diving to tanning on the upper deck, A is there, soaking up all their new secrets. The liars better tighten their life jackets. A perfect storm is brewing, and if they aren't careful, A will bury them at sea.... | |||||
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Crushed | June 4, 2013 | 15 | 13 | |
| It's springtime in suburban Rosewood, which means iced soy lattes, fresh manicures in shimmering pastels - and prom. But while everyone else is flipping through the racks at Saks in search of the perfect prom dress, Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria are on a different kind of hunt: They're looking for A.... Hanna puts her campaign for prom queen on hold to volunteer at a burn clinic, where one of A's victims is recovering. Emily digs into Ali's past at the mental hospital with some very crazy consequences. Spencer contacts a private eye to help her stalk her stalker and Aria's worried that A is even closer than she thought. The liars are finally taking the fight to A. But no matter what they do, A's always one step ahead, ready to crush the girls completely. | |||||
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Deadly | December 3, 2013 | 16 |
14 | |
| Deadly, the fourteenth volume in Sara Shepard's YA Pretty Little Liars series, delivers more juicy scandals, dark secrets, and shocking plot twists. High school seniors Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer have all done horrible things—things that would put them behind bars if anyone ever found out. And their stalker "A" knows everything. So far A has kept their secrets, using them to torture the girls. But now A's changed the game. Suddenly the girls are hauled in for questioning, and all their worlds begin to unravel. If A's plan succeeds, Rosewood's pretty little liars will be locked away for good.... | |||||
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Toxic | June 3, 2014 | 17 | 15 | |
| One A has been captured…but the most dangerous A of all is still out there in the penultimate installment in Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series. High school seniors Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna barely survived their most recent encounter with A. And it's not over yet…. The police don't believe there's another, deadlier, A out there, but the girls know what-and who-they saw. If they don't track down this final tormentor soon, A will silence them forever. | |||||
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Vicious | December 4, 2014 | 18 |
16 | |
| High school seniors Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer have been through a lot since their best friend, Alison DiLaurentis, disappeared five summers ago. A stalker named "A" has harassed them for their past mistakes and revealed their darkest secrets to the world. They've been on TV, hounded by the press, kicked out of school, arrested, and even put in jail. With time running out, and their lives on the line, one of the Liars does something so terrifying and shocking, fans will be left breathless. | |||||
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The Liars | June 16, 2022 | 21 | 17 | |
| Fifteen years ago an anonymous tormentor known only as A terrorized Emily Fields, Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin, and Aria Montgomery. Now A is in jail and the Pretty Little Liars have grown up and moved on. Their lives are perfect. Or so they say. Turns out, Emily is hiding a big secret from her wife. Spencer has used some dirty tricks to claw her way to the top. Hanna’s family isn’t nearly as perfect as it seems. And Aria will do anything to win that fellowship. After all, once a liar, always a liar. And guess what? A is still watching.... | |||||
Other
| Cover | Title | Published | Order | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Alison's Pretty Little Diary | September 6, 2010 | 6 | 6 | |
| The content is almost a repeat of the prologue of Killer. The entry that just surfaced provides a creepy inside look at the day Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer spoke to Ali for the first time – in the DiLaurentis's backyard. Catch Alison's secret thoughts when she first met Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily. | |||||
Trivia
- The Pretty Little Liars Wiki is proud to partner with the compressive database, Pretty Little Timeline, an independent fan site that hosts information related to the book series and the timelines. Please visit them for all your timeline needs!
- Sara Shepard, the writer of Pretty Little Liars, commented that the characters of Hanna, Emily and Aria have aspects that she experienced as a teenager. With the exception of Spencer, who according to Sara, looks more like a friend of hers. She said: "Hanna was me in junior high, wanting to be popular. Emily was me in that middle period between junior high and late high school, being a swimmer and not sure that’s what she wants to do and being a good girl. Aria was me at the end of high school, just totally different and over the suburbs and wanting a different life and sick of the lacrosse players." [1]
- Originally, the Pretty Little Liars book series was going to be very different, with only four books: Pretty Little Liars, Flawless, Perfect, and Unbelievable. And of course, with only one "A" being Mona Vanderwaal and Alison's killer being Ian Thomas which is exactly Arc 1. But when author Sara Sheppard was working on the second book the editor asked her if she wanted make more books and she agreed. Creating Arc 2: Wicked, Killer, Heartless, and Wanted, along with the story of the DiLaurentis twins, the second "A" and the truth behind the disappearance of "Alison". And Sara had planned to end like this, but when the TV series started to go viral and become an international hit, she decided to create more books.
- The TV series influenced the books in the way of characters returning that Sara loved in the show.[2]
- She brought Ezra Fitz back into the book series for one novel.
- She wanted to re-introduce Toby Cavanaugh, as she had fallen in love with him in the TV series.
- There are eighteen books in the series, not including the additional Emison novels.
- Sara Shepard uploaded five TikToks talking about plots that may have been in the books, but were never used.[3] [4] [5]
- Maya St. Germain was thought of as a possible "A."
- Spencer Hastings was originally the one who had an affair with her teacher Ezra Fitz and not Aria Montgomery.
- Emily Fields was considered a possible murderer of "Alison", after being rejected romantically.
- Hanna Marin originally did not survive the car accident in Perfect.
- Aria's family were originally swingers.
- In Pretty Little Liars, A would force the Liars to walk around town naked.
- Ashley Marin, Hanna's mom and Darren Wilden become an official couple.
- Ashley failed to save her daughter Hanna and Hanna goes to jail for shoplifting.
- A possible reason for Mona Vanderwaal being "A" was that she was in love with Hanna but she rejected her and began torturing her and her best friends.
- The entire series was a dream for Alison DiLaurentis at The Preserve.
- Emily and Toby Cavanaugh become an official couple in Flawless.
- In Unbelievable, Spencer accepts Mona's deal and joins the A-team.
- Alison's body was never found in book one and she and her twin Courtney DiLaurentis are alive.
- In Vicious, Hanna ends up dating Lucas Beattie.
- Emily and Aria kiss but it doesn't lead to anything serious.
- Ezra and Mona have a relationship in the end.
- Melissa Hastings, Spencer's sister, was a possible "A", and Spencer lies to her friends and Mona to protect her sister.
- Alison (or Courtney) was in love with Toby and purposely blinded Jenna Cavanaugh in "The Jenna Thing" to get her out of the way.
- Also Hanna was a possible murderer of "Alison" because she was tired of her bullying and harassment.
- Hanna has a twin who is A.
- A huge fight divides the girls into teams. Emily and Hanna, and Spencer and Aria.
- Noel Kahn finds out about Aria and Ezra and blackmails Aria into being with him or he will ruin Ezra's life.
- Ezra kills Noel to be with Aria.
- Jason DiLaurentis was gaslighting Alison and Courtney into hating each other.
- Melissa and Wren were also getting blackmailed by A.
- Emily goes to an away swim meet, gets really drunk at a party, and meets a girl who looks like and says she's Alison and they share a kiss. Emily thinks it was just her imagination but it really was Ali.
- When Aria catches her father cheating it is believed to be Meredith Stevens but it is actually Alison.
- When Mona hits Hanna with her car she was actually aiming for Alison because she was also there.
- Mona was reporting to Ali the whole time and Ali was controlling her every move.
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References
- ↑ https://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/11/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/sara-shepard-pretty-little-liars/index.html
- ↑ https://www.bustle.com/articles/52444-pretty-little-liars-author-sara-shepard-talks-ending-her-beloved-series-starting-new-ones-and-seeing
- ↑ Instagram (@saracshepard): Better late than never!! I’m officially on Tiktok. Account link in bio! 🫶🏻 #pll.
- ↑ Instagram (@saracshepard): In case you missed it on TikTok.. here’s a part two of my “exposing PLL almost plotlines” little series🙃.
- ↑ Instagram (@saracshepard): Exposing Pll Almost Plotlines Part 3! 🤩 (link to preorder my next thriller NOWHERE LIKE HOME in my bio 🐍) #prettylittleliars #author.



















