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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the post-Simon times, a few copycats emerge but none succeed until someone launches a sinister truth or dare game-by-text that turns deadly.
McManus makes a valiant attempt at creating another dramatic mystery to match the suspense of One of Us is Lying and I like her initial concept. Unfortunately, this cast of characters just isn't as strong as the first and so when the gimmick falters there's not much to fall back on.
To her credit, she had almost an impossible task with the concept of the first being very much one-and-done. I liked the truth or dare bit, unfortunately there's surprisingly little of that and much more filler. With the strength of the first crew the interstitials (between drama bombs) were just as goodl, but in the sequel Phoebe, Maeve and Knox virtually blend together. Multiple times I had to go back and check the chapter heading to remind myself who was the narrator. The original Four do pop up but as little more than cameos.
Unfortunately too, the mystery here is pretty easily decoded.
It would have been tough competing with the first anyway, but definitely a bit of a come down.
McManus makes a valiant attempt at creating another dramatic mystery to match the suspense of One of Us is Lying and I like her initial concept. Unfortunately, this cast of characters just isn't as strong as the first and so when the gimmick falters there's not much to fall back on.
To her credit, she had almost an impossible task with the concept of the first being very much one-and-done. I liked the truth or dare bit, unfortunately there's surprisingly little of that and much more filler. With the strength of the first crew the interstitials (between drama bombs) were just as goodl, but in the sequel Phoebe, Maeve and Knox virtually blend together. Multiple times I had to go back and check the chapter heading to remind myself who was the narrator. The original Four do pop up but as little more than cameos.
Unfortunately too, the mystery here is pretty easily decoded.
It would have been tough competing with the first anyway, but definitely a bit of a come down.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of Us Is Next - 4.25 stars
Spoiler-Free Summary:
Set in the same high school as One of Us Is Lying, One of Us Is Next follows a new mystery at Bayview High. This time, it’s not an anonymous gossip app—but a dangerous game of Truth or Dare that starts turning deadly. A new generation of students are caught in the chaos, and the tension only builds as the stakes rise. If someone refuses to pick between Truth or Dare, a dark secret is revealed about them. At first, it seems like a continuation of Simon's legacy from One of Us Is Lying, but this time it’s more invasive—and dangerous.
My Thoughts (Spoiler-Free):
This book was not my favorite out of the series. I felt like the blurb of the book didn’t really follow the story and I wasn’t connecting to the characters as much as I did in One of Us Is Lying. Again, Karen M. Manus’s writing is more character driven than clue heavy as we don’t get the main ‘clue solving’ throughout the book and it all comes together in one chapter of the book. The plot twists in here were mind-blowing and there was a couple of times my jaw dropped.
Rating Breakdowns:
Plot - 8.5/10 - I enjoyed the premise of the plot but not how it was laid out.
Characters - 8/10. I didn’t connect with them as much as I did with the characters of One of Us Is Lying. I didn’t really care about Knox and Phoebe. The only character that I really enjoyed was Maeve.
Writing Style - 8/10 - I usually enjoy Karen M. Manus’s writing but this this around it didn’t really hit unless it was Maeve’s POV or at the very end when everything was coming together.
Pacing - 9/10. I think it was well paced where it kept me hooked through out the entire story.
World Building - 9/10. The world-building is the same as One of Us Is Lying. While it’s set in a high school, the town of Bayview feels lived-in and the references to past events add depth without it being too overbearing.
Spice Level - 2/10. Very mild romance. Some kisses and flirtation, but nothing explicit. Appropriate for 13+
Tropes - Truth or Dare with a twist, secret and lies, multiple POVs, sibling loyalty.
Spoiler Summary & Thoughts:
Final Thoughts
This wasn’t my favorite Karen M. Manus books, I had really high hopes for this but it didn’t really reach. The new casts don’t feel as ‘real’ as the old ones but I did enjoy the emotional stakes and it kinda helped me want the character to get the HEA. This book isn’t just about solving a mystery, it’s about how easily fear, secrets, and pressure can spiral out of control and I love how Karen writes stories on these problems that teenagers are facing on a daily bases.
Content Warnings:
Graphic: Cancer (one of the main character), child death, death to a parent (past but referenced a lot throughout the story)
Moderate: Cursing (uses of F & S word used frequently), Grief, Alcohol Abuse (one of the side characters starts drinking alcohol and is usually found drunk), sexual assault (not too graphic)
Graphic: Cancer (one of the main character), child death, death to a parent (past but referenced a lot throughout the story)
Moderate: Cursing (uses of F & S word used frequently), Grief, Alcohol Abuse (one of the side characters starts drinking alcohol and is usually found drunk), sexual assault (not too graphic)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual assault, Grief, Alcohol
i tried to like it i really did but ill give it an extra star cus it’s not fair of me to review it without finishing the book completely. that being said,im not gonna finish it anytime soon. idk i liked the first one(review otw) but maybe this one isn’t for me
this book is so good !! i think i liked the first one better, but the way this one ended like ???? do i just make my own ending or what. i kinda wish there was a bit more romance in this one but overall it was really interesting
I think I liked the main characters in the first book better, but I liked this book's mystery a lot more. I somewhat called the reveal/twist about who was behind the truth or dare app, but I was still surprised by how it all went down.
This book was basically something I'd expect to appear on the CW network when I was a teen. Ha. But I like how I keep guessing about whodunnit in these books.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No