Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

57 reviews

wild_mustang's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

3.25

It was fine.
Pretty much just teen drama - sex, drugs, alcohol and depression. Oh, and trying to stay out of jail - but to be honest there wasn’t heaps of focus on the murder mystery. At least there wasn’t until the last 100 pages or so.

Personally, I didn’t really care for the romance sub-plots either.

The writing was also in a more juvenile voice than what I normally read, which makes sense because it’s first person perspectives from teenagers, but it took me a little while to get used to. Additionally, many of the plots were very trope heavy and painfully stereotypical at times

However, if was a very easy read and only took like 7hrs so it gets an average 3 star rating. The extra quarter of a star is an appreciation of some of the authors writing choices and the execution of perspective narrations to reveal relevant things in the intended literary light and at the right narrative time.

I recently studied Reader-Response Theory and I think, in this light, McManus did a very good job at writing for the implied reader (so the rating is bumped up), however, I really don’t think that I am the implied or intended reader (so it’s still a fairly average rating).

To take a strategic leaf from Simon’s tumblr…
JT recommended this to me and I’m not mad I read it but I certainly don’t care to continue the series.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Outing

Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Cursing, and Homophobia

Minor: Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Vomit, Abandonment, Sexual content, Cancer, Car accident, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, and Self harm

dramagirl2003's review against another edition

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

5.0

ah this was a clever plot. so many twists and turns. I loved the MCs growing relationships with each other

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Outing, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Murder

Minor: Blood, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Mass/school shootings

pink_princess_24's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

I loved this book it took me 2 months to read even with being busy. The book seems really long but it's not. I liked how the book would change in different perspectives.  The book kind of gives it away on how Simon died in the middle of the book and then you end up just reading the rest of the book for the romance. It also leaves you on a cliff hanger. I liked the book so much I got the second one so i'm not left wondering what else happens.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Addiction, Blood, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Suicide, Drug use, Grief, and Suicide attempt

prairieraven's review against another edition

mysterious tense 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? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Outing, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Grief, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

jessicayaun's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Homophobia, and Child death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Stalking, Medical content, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Outing, and Grief

avidreader12345's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Sexual content and Violence

Minor: Car accident and Homophobia

abbley5's review against another edition

emotional 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Self harm

Moderate: Alcohol

duchess16's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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

4.25

I love this book

but Cooper being gay kinda threw it for me and knocked it down for me, plus allllll the secular talk about hooking up and all that was not my cup of tea. otherwise this would’ve been a 5 star read. THE ENDING THO BRO IT WAS SO DEPRESSING AHHH I mean I knew who it wasn’t the wholllle time. I knew it wasn’t any of the 4, for a while I thought it might be the teacher and for a split second I thought it was Maeve and thennn for a while I thought it was jake but never did I think it was a dark suicidal murder pinning conspiracy. It was well written tho. The characters all had their large flaws. But good moments as well. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Violence, Sexual content, and Suicide

maeri's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

it was good and fun. it wasnt anthing that shocked me or made me feel any intense emotions but i enjoyed it. i guessed the ending about 82 pages in and i wasnt amazed. i would reread it if i needed a little more frenemies to lovers in my life but other than that it was okay.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, Infidelity, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Child abuse, Bullying, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Self harm, Alcoholism, Outing, Murder, Addiction, and Abandonment

yasneaker's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

When I first started reading this book, I did not have high expectations but it proved me wrong. I expected to give this book 3 stars at most but now I think it’s worth a 4.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Suicide, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Violence, Cursing, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, and Blood