A review by pisceslibrarian
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

4.0

I rarely get hooked by a contemporary YA novel, however this book managed to keep me engaged with the plot the whole way through. It sells itself as a murder mystery and whilst it seems to me that it is not the main focus of the book it is still interesting enough to keep the reader guessing and excited for the big reveal. Being notoriously hard for an author to keep the differences between first-person narrators consistent, I wasn't expecting much but somehow this book succeeded in making the four main characters voices varied and unique so that I only had to flick back once or twice to see who was narrating. The character development didn't seem forced and finding out who they were underneath their teenage movie stereotypes was very interesting to read. What romance there is was a bit insta-love at first but I warmed up to it more as the book continued and the dynamics between the characters was explored. The interactions between all the characters in the book felt realistic to their personality as well.

I give this book:

4.5/5 stars for the characters
3.5/5 stars for the plot
4/5 stars for the writing

Overall 4/5 stars