Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

31 reviews

leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition

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

4.0

How is it that five students walk into detention, but only four make it out alive? That's what Bayview Police are trying to find out after one of five students in detention suffers what investigators are calling a non-accidental death.

After Simon Kelleher dies in detention with only Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper, and Nate present, the four students are totally shaken, and all of them insist that they didn't do it - but the police are convinced that it had to be one of them. That is until the killer starts sending cryptic messages via a Tumblr post. Now, the four unlikely comrades must band together to prove their innocence before one of them is pinned with murder.

This multiple POV story was quick-paced and kept me guessing all the way through. The characters were quirky and definitely had flaws, yet they were still likeable. The high school setting was realistic as well. There were lots of twists in this book, and while I did figure out the killer a little bit ahead of time, I still enjoyed reading about their motives through the end of the story. I had a hard time putting this book down, and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good YA mystery/thriller. 

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oliviaferlazzo's review against another edition

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bookbitch111'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? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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mackadams's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25


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readwithde's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny 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

3.75

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I'm not disappointed. 

While there are clear Breakfast Club vibes, the "Bayside Four" don't begin investigating until over 2/3rds through the book, once they're secrets have been revealed and they are mitigating the damage. 

I liked their personal stories and growth, but it felt a bit like a Bait-and-Switch when you are sold a closed-door murder mystery, followed by 100 pages of teen drama before the investigation. 

All that to say, I still liked it. It was fun, tense, surprising, and I didn't realize they weren't investigating because the narrative was so engaging -- I couldn't put it down. 

So, if you're expecting a tight mystery, skip this one, but if you're interested in coming-of-age stories wrapped around a murder, this will be perfect for you.

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creepypiespice'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

4.5


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steppecreature's review against another edition

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

3.0

I liked it fine enough, but this book kind of made me realize that I think I'm at the point where I'm aging out of reading YA books set in high school. Some YA books are still favorites, but I have no desire to read about teens in high school any longer.

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sapphoslover's review against another edition

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

4.0


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erica_noelle's review against another edition

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

3.25


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kate_mccort's review against another edition

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

3.75

The ending was somewhat predictable, but it was entertaining for the most part. I probably wouldn't read it again, but if you like murder mysteries with multiple POV's, then you would probably enjoy this book.

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