Reviews

A classic who-done-it story with a twist on the Breakfast Club. This thriller follows four students who all fit some distinct high-school stereotype. After being caught with phones in a classroom with strict rules against them, they're all sent to detention, surprisingly, all for the same circumstance and yet none of them could figure out just how they were planted... Now, the four kids meet up in detention with another named Simon, AKA: the school's head gossiper. His app controls the schools gossip, never actually saying if it's true, but somehow it always ends up being so. So, just how did they all end up in detention, and how come Simon never makes it out alive?

One of Us Is Lying is an edge-of-your-seat, young adult thriller designed for fans of both the Breakfast Club and mysteries. As someone who enjoys both of these things, I was still a little skeptic of going into the book anyway. Someone had already half-way spoiled me for the ending which made me think that I wasn't going to enjoy the book if I already had expectations for the ending. However, I was still pleasantly surprised by the end.

McManus does an excellent job keeping the mystery alive while also sprinkling in a little bit of contemporary-style romance throughout. Each of the characters had a strong character arc and were able to grow quickly, but naturally as the novel went on. Several times while reading my favorite characters would change between the four main characters, because I found so many things I liked about each one.

Although, I will say that McManus should focus a little more on making each character sound a little different. The character's voices tended to blend together and it became confusing, there were times when I had to go back to the section heading just to figure out who was talking. There were times when I wasn't sure who's point of view I was reading, which kept an otherwise 5-star book from its full potential.

Each of the character's close family members also played a heavy role in the book; with each giving off different family dynamics it created an interesting view on each of the character's lives. The main four family interactions was really fun and enjoyable to read about and brings something good to the young adult genre which typically features absentee parents or "ghost parents" as I like to call them. The parents in young adult books who are essentially there in spirit, but never actually act like a parent. It's almost like a glorified baby-sitter for whenever it was necessary to the plot, then they would fade to the background.

I think McManus' debut novel was really well done and has a lot of great things about it. I now plan to read everything she owns and I'm super excited to read her next book!

disneynerdsworld's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

kirstinisnt's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

demsta's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

lisaar91's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoy a good YA book every now and then. This didn’t disappoint

tearearly's review against another edition

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4.0

The book One Of Us Is Lying tells the story of five high schoolers that go into detention, but only four walk out alive. Nobody in the school is surprised when the person killed is Simon, the infamous school gossiper everyone hates. Addy, Cooper, Nate, and Bronwyn are unfortunate to be the four kids caught in the middle of this crime. Although they are all part of different groups and different backgrounds, they must all work together to find out who killed Simon to keep their reputations clean. After all, they are all valid suspects as they all hide dark secrets and killing Simon would ensure no one found out what they were. The characters in the book are often called "walking teen-movie stereotypes": Addy is the popular blond, Bronwyn the pretty nerd, Nate the criminal, and Cooper the jock and baseball star. As the plot develops all the characters show their complexity and uniqueness as their lives change after Simon's death. Getting ignored, hated, and shamed on, are a few of the challenges the students go through every day as they are accused of murder. This makes the characters very complex as they are all being judge by their parents, officers, and classmates. Addy grows rebellious, Cooper learns to embrace himself, Bronwyn starts to live in the present, and Nate learns to love. That also makes the characters very realistic and believable, as they seem like teens nowadays, and their issues are common. The novel shows readers that everyone has complex personalities and that stereotypes only segregate people. This book is one of the best books I've ever read. It's a perfect mix of mysterious and realistic, which makes the story amazing. I would highly recommend this book, as not only is the story amazing, but the message behind it is too. Believe me, once you start reading it, you won't be able to stop!

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