The Liars are back and so is A because Ali may be gone but the girls haven’t learned their lesson about keeping secrets.

One year later, it’s the anniversary of the real Ali’s death in the Poconos fire and everything has changed but also stayed more the same. The Liars are no longer speaking to each other though People magazine paints them as closerthanthis, and they have a whole new bunch of secrets after their ill-fated spring break in Jamaica.

Shepard’s skills are still top-notch as she builds suspense about what happened in Jaimaca. She gives hints as the girls try their best to shove the memories away but eerie events and guilt bring it to the forefront, using each chapter from each POV to build a terrifying climax.

Meanwhile, after Jaimaca the girls’ dirty little secrets didn’t end there. As senior year begins, Spencer is trying to adjust to her mother’s new romance that comes with two new step-siblings. Prissy Amelia and hot Zachary whom she immediately clicks. The tension was sizzling and though Zach claims he was gay, even I was wondering if he was just saying that so she’d feel more free to change in front of him.

Speaking of family matters and getting changed in front of strangers, Hanna’s father gearing up for his senatorial campaign where she surprisingly shines as a natural on camera (take that Kate!), giving her something new to bond with her father. She also catches the eye of a photographer who promises to make her a supermodel with his photos. Yeah it’s just as skeezy as it sounds. I had to agree with Mike that she couldn’t be so naieve but inside Hanna is still the insecure chubby girl and she falls for his lines hook line and sinker. And leaves her open for blackmail.

Emily has one of the biggest secrets that my jaw just dropped. I can’t believe she kept it from her parents and her friends for so long, and continues to do so. However, she does spill to her new friend, Chloe who moves into the Cavenaugh’s house. The only problem is her new BFF has a pervy dad. Poor Emily, she always seems to get hurt in love and friendship. I was really rooting for her to have a healthy one this time.

Meanwhile Aria only has love problems at the moment when Noel’s new Finnish exchange student turns out to be a hot leggy blonde who has it out for her boyfriend. Such a shame too since she made a convincing best friend act, something Aria really had been missing since the girls’ split. But things come to a head when her attempt to knock off her foreign competition echoes her criminal act in Jaimaca.

A has been watching and just like she wrote, Jamaica was only the tip of the iceburg and she wants to bring them to justice, and get her revenge. What’s worse? This time, they might actually deserve it.