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avaree's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
This book was very good and I finished it within two days. There were many twists and turns that made it harder to put the book down. The ending was very interesting with Owen and adds ties to the beginning which I liked.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Death of parent, Addiction, and Suicide
violetbentbackwards1036's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Vomit, Medical content, Cancer, Sexual assault, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, Murder, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Violence, Misogyny, Bullying, Addiction, and Death of parent
conspystery's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The question I often find myself asking with sequels to mystery novels is, simply enough, why? Do we need to explore the lives of the characters from the first novel in the wake of whatever tragedy has befallen them, to examine that trauma? Are we seeing how a community heals and learning something new? Are we tying up loose ends, following threads intentionally left unresolved in the first book? One of Us is Next feels mostly like it is doing none of those things-- it might be trying, but in my opinion it is largely unsuccessful. I felt it was tacked on quite awkwardly to the first book, and didn’t do much to meaningfully develop on the existing narrative and characters.
Don’t get me wrong here: I liked getting to see the new cast. In particular, I really liked Phoebe, and I also enjoyed seeing more of Maeve-- I think from a writing standpoint, she’s the strongest character here. But once again, I have to ask why. Why these people, why this story? The connections to the first book feel contrived, almost silly. Set dressing. Why does the plot have to revolve around a copycat of Simon? It just seems to me this could’ve easily been its own story, unrelated to One of Us is Lying, with minimal changes. Ergo I feel like this book’s existence as a sequel is largely due to the fact that the previous book was pretty successful, and not because the story needed a follow up.
I understand that, though. I think that One of Us is Next does pretty well with what it’s given. Many of my problems with the last book revolved around weird tone shifts, and this book isn’t quite as bad in that regard-- it commits to its seriousness moreso than the last, as we can see in how Maeve’s leukemia storyline reflects the darker death threat plotline throughout the novel. I personally hated the romance subplot with Phoebe and Knox, but I thought Maeve’s was okay, and I liked the glimpses of Nate and Bronwyn we get to see. Their on-again-off-again thing feels realistic for their characters. Plus, I liked Nate’s limited interactions with Maeve a lot. Honestly, Nate was probably more of a favorite for me than Knox, one of the actual protagonists. Not a good sign. Of the Bayview Four, though, Addy and Cooper feel pretty detached, so once again: why these people, other than just for marketing purposes? I appreciate getting to see everybody again, but I just think this would’ve been a more interesting story on its own!
I also maintain my issues with predictability and questionable realism here, though I realize that probably wasn’t the goal-- like, not one student mentioned this to any authority at any point? How did phones NOT get banned from the school? And as surprising as I found the final plot twist to be, come on. Owen? Really? That is an entire child. I don’t know how much I believe it (even though I know this is fiction and that’s not the point.) I like its implications for the characters, though. Creates some interesting depth. Other than that, the rest of the plot was FAR more predictable than that of the first book, and, like most of the novel, feels contrived in its connection to the previous book.
Overall, this book was okay. I liked some of the characters, and some of the plot was interesting. But this was definitely not a standout to me, and I don’t think it’s an improvement on the first book. I generally don’t like sequels to mystery novels. I feel like they end up like this one more often than not: unnecessary and desperate to surprise while maintaining familiarity with the first book, which is a combination that leads to outlandish mystery/thriller aspects and contrived plot beats at once. I had the same issue with Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. It might just be a staple of the genre. But I’m still a little disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Alcohol, Stalking, and Medical content
Another pretty big trigger warning here would be cancer, leukemia specifically.leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, and Murder
luisamw's review against another edition
hopeful
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
Omg, I just looved this book 😍😍😍
I also liked "one of us is lying" a lot and I was scared that the 2nd part would be worse, but it absolutely wasn't.
A really big part of the story was the personal life of the narrators and in the first half the crime-aspect was more in the background. I didn't mind that, though that was something that I didn't expect. And I also have to say that that part was very gripping and absolutely not boring.
Then more or less at 50% of the book the murder happens and from that part on, the crime-aspect was more the main part of the story. Then the book got so tense 😨😨😨
And then the plot-twists were such a surprise 😱 And the last pages... 😨😨😨 I would have never expected that 😱
Now comes a little spoiler for the romance in the book I also really liked, that there were 2 romance stories, but those could have been a little more present.
That there are now new narrators was at the beginning a little weird (mainly because of Knox and Phoebe, because I didn't know them 😅), but when I got to know them, I really really loved them 😍 I also loved, that the old narrators were still side-characters and that you learn, how Bronwyn and Nate's story continued 😍😍😍 I was also so happy for Addy, that she got to know someone ☺🥰 .
I can't wait to read the 3rd book and I have to pre-order it right now
I also liked "one of us is lying" a lot and I was scared that the 2nd part would be worse, but it absolutely wasn't.
A really big part of the story was the personal life of the narrators and in the first half the crime-aspect was more in the background. I didn't mind that, though that was something that I didn't expect. And I also have to say that that part was very gripping and absolutely not boring.
Then more or less at 50% of the book the murder happens and from that part on, the crime-aspect was more the main part of the story. Then the book got so tense 😨😨😨
And then the plot-twists were such a surprise 😱 And the last pages... 😨😨😨 I would have never expected that 😱
Now comes a little spoiler for the romance in the book
That there are now new narrators was at the beginning a little weird (mainly because of Knox and Phoebe, because I didn't know them 😅), but when I got to know them, I really really loved them 😍 I also loved, that the old narrators were still side-characters and that you learn, how Bronwyn and Nate's story continued 😍😍😍
I can't wait to read the 3rd book and I have to pre-order it right now
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Murder, and Vomit
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent
taque's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Cancer, and Toxic relationship
georgiagirl1315's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Murder, Violence, Vomit, Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Alcohol
libraryghost's review against another edition
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Sexual assault
Minor: Mass/school shootings
marigold82's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
2.75
These are quick murder mysteries to read with my teens. They discuss toxic relationships and how secrets can mess with friendships. The cons are this one glossed over some intense issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Bullying, and Murder
Moderate: Child death
tbs250's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Stalking, Infidelity, Violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Sexual content, and Bullying
Minor: Toxic relationship