Reviews with content warning for Vomit - One of Us Is Next

This book is very slow for the first 60%. There is a lot of focus on drama unrelated to the underlying mystery and characters that don't matter past the initial burst of drama. There is somehow not enough focus on any of these characters to pull off a red herring maneuver. You can basically figure out the plot by the 70% mark aside from a few details that were mishandled, in my opinion. There is also a romance between a 17 year old and someone who is old enough to have graduated college.

There is a character blatantly introduced at the 90% mark. He is mentioned two to four times throughout the book but only in passing as the "intense guy." To no one's surprise he is one of the three culprits and not at all a red herring. There are three culprits: Emma, Owen, Jared Jackson. Jared Jackson made a deal with Emma in a revenge board. Emma did this through the use of her sister's phone as she had conveniently lost hers. Emma admits this all from the hospital bed where she is suffering from the effects of alcohol poisoning. When Emma backs out by ghosting on Jared, Owen (the little brother) steps in, steals the pseudonym, and pursues revenge against Brandon for the death of his father. Emma and Phoebe agree to act like Jared fabricated Owen's messages to protect him.

The reveal right at the end of the book is a very cheap gimmick and though it was executed properly, it feels unrealistic to how someone of that age demographic would respond to the info they'd acquired.

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markitherainbowreader's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

The story is pretty scattered and I wasn't sure what and who to pay attention to.
The tension/mystery aspect felt super inconsistent.

There was a "countdown" dowards someone dying and then we find out it was the asshole who made like a single appearance being abusive. Not really a shocker and not a pity.

Phoebe as a POV character was absolutely forgettable to me. But. I love Knox. I love Maeve and I cared about their storylines a lot. I liked the cameos by the heroes from the first book. And it all came together in the end. And somehow it still managed to keep me glued to the pages and elicit feels in me. So 4*

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sarahro's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Great sequel that picks up 18 months after book 1 and thankfully still includes the original Bayview Four as minor characters. I wouldn't have enjoyed the novel as much as I did without the Nate/Bronwyn snippets here and there.
But I have to admit that Maeve was a perfect mc and even though I struggled with Phoebe and Knox in the beginning I liked their character development throughout the story. My favourite character turned out to be Luis, which was completely unexpected since I didn't even know he played a role in the sequel.

The mystery was okay but not as thrilling as Simon's ploy in book 1. The ending felt a bit rushed and I think the very last chapter was not as satisfying as it could have been.
Still, I flew through the pages and feel at home in Bayview, despite its dark side and revenge forums. I am looking forward to part 3 this year!

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taelights's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No

3.0

Personally I didn't like this one as much as the first book until the very end because I just disliked all the characters so I just couldn't get into it. I think this author is just not for me and I should just stick the the tv adaption but i will be giving the next book a read.

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deadgirlwalking23's review against another edition

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4.0

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abbyycadabbyy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

2.0

I was so excited for this book and so let down... After finishing the first book I couldn't wait to read this book. I felt like the book was not needed.

I can't help but compare this book to the first one. I feel like the mystery and suspense fell short. I was hoping it would be like the first book where it just jumped right into the death and mystery. I felt the book didn’t really get good till like halfway through.

I really didn’t like the truth or dare game. I thought the concept was there but the execution again fell short. I thought the “twist” wasn’t all that. To be completely honest I felt this book was really stupid compared to the first book.

I think when going into a book that I had such high hopes for I will get let down.

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nataliapassos's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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