Although we’re still months away from the series finale of Pretty Little Liars, there’s already a new “A” back in town! Sara Shepard, author of the PLL books that spawned the Freeform show, has released the first novel in her new series, The Amateurs, and it’s taking us on another roller coaster ride of mystery, tension, threat and romance.
Shepard told Us Weekly exclusively during a book release party for The Amatuers that the novel is “less about secrets and more about this very personal murder that has happened five years ago, and they’re all connected to it in some way.” In true PLL fashion, “it ends in a really big twist.”
However, unlike PLL, where fans are constantly questioning A’s identity, Shepard said that certain chilling chapters of The Amateurs are written from the villain’s perspective, and clues are revealed to the readers right from the source!
Shepard was on the PLL set on Wednesday, October 26, when the cast wrapped filming and bid farewell to Rosewood once and for all. So much is at stake as the finale approaches, and Shepard revealed that she has certain hopes for how the show will end, especially in regards to the romances: “I want all the original couples back together — and Emison!” Marlene King, are you listening?
Loyal fans know that King, who created the show, took things in a different direction than Shepard’s novels, and up until this point, the series has not incorporated Ali’s twin, Courtney, who exists in the books. Could Courtney be the show’s final “A”? Shepard hints, “Maybe they’ll bring a Courtney. I love her. I would scream if there was a Courtney!” However, Shepard reveals that of all the characters she has created “I love Alison the most. She’s my baby.”
The author also discloses that she has no idea how the series ends, as she hasn’t been directly involved in production. Nonetheless, she does ease our minds by hinting that “it’s not all a dream. [Ali doesn’t wake up and suddenly realize] ‘Oh, I’m back in seventh grade and not missing! I’m fine!'”
Pretty Little Liars returns to Freeform for its final 10 episodes in April 2017. The Amateurs is now available online and in bookstores.
