Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus

14 reviews

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have been really liking this series, and I thought this installment was a particularly strong one. Families are so messy, and it's interesting to look at the effect of having the perfect family can have on your social capital. 

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itzbrianna's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

It’s not secret that the One of Us Is Lying series is one of my favorites. And this book brought a lot of nostalgia back from the first two. 

The mystery in this particular novel was woven into the plots from the first and second book. And the new characters added a nice touch of humor and/or angst when needed. 

In this third installment we get the POVs from Nate, Phoebe, and Addy while getting backstory pov from Simon and Jake on occasion. I loved Nate’s personal development throughout this book and how it highlighted his friendship with Addy. 

This story really completed the trilogy with a nice bow. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Still, the 2nd installment is still my favorite. But I do love the climax of this one. Let me tell you, it’s a doozy! If you enjoyed the first two I think you’ll like this one almost as much. 

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bookishexpat's review against another edition

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Lots of filler, too large a cast, and most of the people affected don’t even have POVs which makes everything feel remote and detached. 
It reads like what it is, a portion of a story that was already finished but was made into a THING, possibly also to provide more material for the TV adaptation. 

My recommendation: read the first book maybe, but skip the rest (including the adaotation).

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kfergy's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An enjoyable conclusion to the trilogy (at least, I think it's a conclusion 🤔) - some of the twists were well telegraphed so there was that enjoyment, but others were a bit unexpected, so all-in-all a satisfying read

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lochnessvhs's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm not sure if this is truly a 4-star book. I loved the last chapter so much with Addy at the beach. And maybe I'm nostalgic because this was my final book of 2023. Either way, I think it was a great end to my reading year, and I am thankful to Karen McManus for creating this crazy world.

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kirstenpod_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

The characters are diverse in that there are LGBTQ+ characters. All characters feel very white, even though some of them may not be. This may just be an error in reading on my part or some sort of internalized stereotype however. 
This book starts as possibly the slowest and most boring book of the trilogy. The first forty percent of the book contains a lot of set up and very little suspense. The characters also feel like they should all be in their late twenties, even though two of them are in their late teens. They don't feel old in the way most other traumatized characters do either. They seem mostly unphased by the events of the last two books other than when there is an active threat. 
There are several potential antagonists being hinted at throughout the novel.  This is often a very nice technique however I felt the technique was a bit fumbled upon the reveal.
It winds up being none of them. It is two characters, one who shares a work place with one of our main characters and another character you lowkey forget exists until the reveal.
 
The world is also unrealistic in how it handles certain events
Owen being revealed to be complicit in the actions of Jared in book 2. The whole town just seems to shrug and go 'huh. okay.' The town also seems fine with revealed accusations that Jake's legal father killed his biological father.
There was also very unrealistic use of an ankle monitor. This is partially justified by the incompetence of the local police.
You have only a few minutes before the ankle monitor alerts the police of any potential tampering. Jake would have been found before he even had a chance to be missing.
 
The ending is a happy one with promises at a good future for all of them. Well for everyone who survives. Hooray for therapy!

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hales_1243's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

While this isn't my favorite book in the trilogy, I do like how it ended. I love that the Bayview crew gets a happy ending, while also growing and acknowledging what they've been through. The pacing was nice and I really enjoyed the story. It did get a little dull halfway through, but I think it picked up again after the final reveal in part 1.
I loved the discussion about privilege and how it plays into the legal justice system. </Spoiler>

In regards to a potential drug use trigger,
a character was roofied at a party.


In regards to a potential sexual violence trigger,
there is a storyline discussing nonconsensual recording of sexual acts.

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emmajh91's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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styxx's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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