(both the TV show and the book series) know that Sara Shepard
can be...pretty effed up. And I mean that in the best way possible. I am completely addicted to Pretty Little Liars (the show) and while I haven't read the books, I understand that they are just as compelling, just as addictive and just as totally. Messed. Up. But that's the fun of it, right?I was so looking forward to The Lying Game. I just finished reading the first book of the series
and it was exactly what I wanted it to be: intriguing and sinister. Wicked and fun. I couldn't put it down in that wonderful guilty pleasure kind of way. The show...not so much.
I don't want to give anything away, because any differences I list will spoil the books for everyone, but the novel compared to the TV pilot is like...comparing a cheese danish you get out of a vending machine to a piece of New York cheesecake. One will do in a pinch to satisfy a sweet tooth, but the other is rich and fulfilling. You want to devour every drop, and then you still want more.
Maybe this show will pick up. Maybe it's too soon to tell. But based on the pilot, it's a snoozefest compared to the fun I had reading Sara Shepard's book. From what I understand, Pretty Little Liars may have differences, but it stays true to the dark feel of the book series. The Lying Game feels like a Hallmark card version of the novel. My advice? Stick with the books.