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santa_rosa_de_mitla's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Sexual assault, Suicide, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder
ms_tropicana's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Suicide and Medical content
luverofbooks's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved it !! It was hard to get into at first, but after a while I couldn't put it down. It was predictable at all, in my opinion, and had me shocked the entire time. I'm mad it ended on a cliffhanger:(( ... but i cant wait for the new one, if theres going to be one. 4/5, recommend
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Bullying and Sexual assault
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicide, and Lesbophobia
sallenreads's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Suicide
thecourtofreading's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Child death
Minor: Suicide, Vomit, and Death of parent
lalalayna's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
i enjoyed this book so much more than the first i’ll be honest. even tho i was able to figure out some stuff the satisfaction of knowing i was partially right paid off. i also really like the ending.
maeve and luis are my otp. i also briefly thought that owen was smarter than what he was letting on tooo so that was so interesting to see
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, and Vomit
lilythebibliophile's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I am noticing more and more that Karen M. McManus' books, especially the ones she published in 2020 (The Cousins and One of Us is Next) rely heavily on mundane details as filler for the story. The amount of times a character will "fill a glass half full" before drinking it or turn the light switch on or tap a few buttons on their phone is truly astonishing. Some monotonous tasks can be necessary for the story, but I felt like I was reading about these pointless details because McManus couldn't find anything else to put into the story to get the readers from Point A (the crime) to Point B (the culprit/unmasking). McManus comes up with these amazing plot ideas, and then readers are left floundering around, watching the characters talk about nothing and do nothing until the climax of the book. I did think the solution to the mystery was satisfying and not too predictable, and the same goes for all of her other works (except One of Us is Lying, ironically). Yet I can't remember anything important that occurred after the inciting incident and before the climax, except maybe two bread crumbs for who the mastermind behind the game and the murder is.
Also, I wholeheartedly feel that representation is important, but reading about Maeve's culture and knowing the book was written by a white woman made me feel weird. I hope she used sensitivity readers.
I never go into a McManus book looking for character development, but The Cousins showed slightly more development than her other works, so I was hopeful for this one. I shouldn't have been. None of the characters developed at all, except maybe Knox, but it was such cookie-cutter and one-dimensional development that I don't think it should count.
The romances in all of McManus' books are also so generic that at points I literally thought Maeve was dating Knox and Phoebe was dating Luis instead of the other way around. I feel like McManus pairs up her characters for no reason other than "kids like reading romance, right?" I didn't ship any of the relationships, and that's coming from me, one of those kids who likes reading romance. It sounds strange to say the characters had no chemistry when I'm talking about a book, but they didn't. I couldn't understand why the characters were supposed to be good romantic counterparts to each other.
One last thing: aside from a few minor crossover characters (the Bayview Four appear in the book occasionally) and Maeve, there didn't seem to be a reason for making this a sequel to One of Us is Lying. Maeve could have been any other teen and the new gossip game had nothing concrete to do with Simon except for one throwaway line. If Simon got attention simply because of his app and not because of him, the high school doesn't need to have a history with Simon's gossip app in order for teens to pay attention to the new game. It felt like McManus took an unrelated plot idea and decided to write a sequel to profit off of her previous success. Which I get. Go get it, girl.
Did I enjoy this book? Sometimes. Are there better mysteries, even better books by Karen M. McManus, out there? Absolutely.
Also, I wholeheartedly feel that representation is important, but reading about Maeve's culture and knowing the book was written by a white woman made me feel weird. I hope she used sensitivity readers.
I never go into a McManus book looking for character development, but The Cousins showed slightly more development than her other works, so I was hopeful for this one. I shouldn't have been. None of the characters developed at all, except maybe Knox, but it was such cookie-cutter and one-dimensional development that I don't think it should count.
The romances in all of McManus' books are also so generic that at points I literally thought Maeve was dating Knox and Phoebe was dating Luis instead of the other way around. I feel like McManus pairs up her characters for no reason other than "kids like reading romance, right?" I didn't ship any of the relationships, and that's coming from me, one of those kids who likes reading romance. It sounds strange to say the characters had no chemistry when I'm talking about a book, but they didn't. I couldn't understand why the characters were supposed to be good romantic counterparts to each other.
One last thing: aside from a few minor crossover characters (the Bayview Four appear in the book occasionally) and Maeve, there didn't seem to be a reason for making this a sequel to One of Us is Lying. Maeve could have been any other teen and the new gossip game had nothing concrete to do with Simon except for one throwaway line. If Simon got attention simply because of his app and not because of him, the high school doesn't need to have a history with Simon's gossip app in order for teens to pay attention to the new game. It felt like McManus took an unrelated plot idea and decided to write a sequel to profit off of her previous success. Which I get. Go get it, girl.
Did I enjoy this book? Sometimes. Are there better mysteries, even better books by Karen M. McManus, out there? Absolutely.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death of parent
erin_a_ziraphale's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
OH. POR. DIOS. KAREN M. MCMANUS LO VUELVE A HACER. ESTA SEÑORA ES UNA MÁQUINA DEL THRILLER JUVENIL MODERNO.
al inicio me preocupaba que estuviera yendo tan lento y honestamente el misterio estaba blando, ¿PERO UNA VEZ QUE AGARRÓ RITMO? 10/10, *chef's kiss*, nuevamente un thriller emocionante, con una resolución que me paro el corazón y me dejo reflexionando sobre la cultura toxica online de hoy en día. una secuela sólida que aparte se sostiene por sí sola, además que se nota que McManus va agarrando ritmo y mejorando con sus personajes. ¡MIS DIECES Y ESPERANDO CON ANSIADAS QUE "the cousins" SE TRADUZCA AL ESPAÑOL!
al inicio me preocupaba que estuviera yendo tan lento y honestamente el misterio estaba blando, ¿PERO UNA VEZ QUE AGARRÓ RITMO? 10/10, *chef's kiss*, nuevamente un thriller emocionante, con una resolución que me paro el corazón y me dejo reflexionando sobre la cultura toxica online de hoy en día. una secuela sólida que aparte se sostiene por sí sola, además que se nota que McManus va agarrando ritmo y mejorando con sus personajes. ¡MIS DIECES Y ESPERANDO CON ANSIADAS QUE "the cousins" SE TRADUZCA AL ESPAÑOL!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, and Violence
bmignano's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Murder
evavstheworld's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One Of Us Is Next is a sequel to the well-known and loved book by McManus, which I read at the beginning of my bookstagram journey. I absolutely love the YA mystery thriller vibes and McManus’ books are super fast paced and read super quickly! I enjoyed OOUIN, it was able to pull me out of a little reading slump I was experiencing and I’m really glad I finally read it. It was good to revisit Bayview and some of the OG Bayview characters, alongside some new protagonists. The plot is well designed and suspenseful, so I’m sure thriller and mystery fans will enjoy this!⠀
⠀
That said, I found the book to contain a lot of triggers- the full list will be at the bottom! With my first McManus book, I was oblivious as to how certain topics could affect readers, but I took that lesson to heart whilst reading the sequel. I think McManus likes to put all her teenage characters through a LOT, all in a very short span of time. ⠀
⠀
That said, I found the book to contain a lot of triggers- the full list will be at the bottom! With my first McManus book, I was oblivious as to how certain topics could affect readers, but I took that lesson to heart whilst reading the sequel. I think McManus likes to put all her teenage characters through a LOT, all in a very short span of time. ⠀
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism