You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
wjreadsbooks 's review for:
One of Us Is Next
by Karen M. McManus
One of Us is Lying is the sequel to the inimitable [b:One of Us Is Lying|32571395|One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)|Karen M. McManus|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490084494l/32571395._SY75_.jpg|49825436], taking place in the same Bayview High that the four teenagers were previously framed for murder. Now all four of them have grown up and there's a new generation of kids attending Bayview High, including Bronwyn's little sister Maeve who was key to unravelling Simon's twisted plans in the first book. Instead of a twisted gossip website like Simon's, their new tormenter instead runs a Truth or Dare game by threatening to reveal each target's secrets. As Maeve, our main narrator knows, there's no such thing as a harmless game when it comes to Bayview High and the stakes get increasingly high with each target.
First there's Phoebe, who initially seems like an open book. When asked to pick between Truth or Dare, she refuses to make a choice and her truth is broadcasted to the entire high school, damaging her relationship with her older sister Emma. While her peers play along with the game, upping their social cachet and popularity, Maeve refuses to participate and her truth leads to embarrassing consequences not just for her but also for her ex-boyfriend and best friend Knox. While having their secrets spilled for all to see is humiliating enough, eventually the game turns deadlier than any of them could've guessed.
Honestly, I think the book might've done better as a standalone than as a sequel because McManus tries really hard to try to slip in the original Bayview Four as much as she can into this book's plot, sometimes distractingly so. For example, while I thought that Bronwyn and Nate's romance was pretty adorable in this book, there's an on-and-off relationship that's playing in the background throughout and Nate literally describes them as "endgame" which feels like a weirdly fanboy-ish way of describing their romance? Both Cooper and Addy are also prominently slipped (or forced, if you will) into scenes.
Setting aside this, I actually thought that the central mystery was pretty interesting as there are a couple of red herrings thrown in as to the motive and identity of the person who's initiating the Truth or Dare game. Bits and pieces of the puzzle are gradually revealed, such as the connection to a subreddit and I thought that the eventual reveal was really quite satisfying as to why someone would plan such a high stakes game. There were a few moments that definitely required a suspension of disbelief, however, such as the fact that nobody told their parents or teachers or even the original Bayview Four about the game - I mean, there's definitely going to be a tattletale among a student population that's as gossipy as theirs?
Finally, all three of the narrators were pretty likeable in their own way. Phoebe is struggling with reconnecting with her family three years after her father's fatal accident, especially as distance has grown between her older sister Emma and her. Maeve is frightened that she will never get a chance to truly live her life, not when it seems like her leukemia is coming back after four years in remission. But telling anyone about this risks it becoming true. Knox has never felt like he's lived up to his father's expectations as to how his son should behave, not being athletic nor good with construction like his father. Each of the teenagers are dragged into the game and reading about their teenage sleuth adventures was really quite a fun.
First there's Phoebe, who initially seems like an open book. When asked to pick between Truth or Dare, she refuses to make a choice and her truth is broadcasted to the entire high school, damaging her relationship with her older sister Emma. While her peers play along with the game, upping their social cachet and popularity, Maeve refuses to participate and her truth leads to embarrassing consequences not just for her but also for her ex-boyfriend and best friend Knox. While having their secrets spilled for all to see is humiliating enough, eventually the game turns deadlier than any of them could've guessed.
Honestly, I think the book might've done better as a standalone than as a sequel because McManus tries really hard to try to slip in the original Bayview Four as much as she can into this book's plot, sometimes distractingly so. For example, while I thought that Bronwyn and Nate's romance was pretty adorable in this book, there's an on-and-off relationship that's playing in the background throughout and Nate literally describes them as "endgame" which feels like a weirdly fanboy-ish way of describing their romance? Both Cooper and Addy are also prominently slipped (or forced, if you will) into scenes.
Setting aside this, I actually thought that the central mystery was pretty interesting as there are a couple of red herrings thrown in as to the motive and identity of the person who's initiating the Truth or Dare game. Bits and pieces of the puzzle are gradually revealed, such as the connection to a subreddit and I thought that the eventual reveal was really quite satisfying as to why someone would plan such a high stakes game.
Spoiler
The final twist that Phoebe's little brother was involved in planning the game too was just icing on top of a fun, complex mystery.Finally, all three of the narrators were pretty likeable in their own way. Phoebe is struggling with reconnecting with her family three years after her father's fatal accident, especially as distance has grown between her older sister Emma and her. Maeve is frightened that she will never get a chance to truly live her life, not when it seems like her leukemia is coming back after four years in remission. But telling anyone about this risks it becoming true. Knox has never felt like he's lived up to his father's expectations as to how his son should behave, not being athletic nor good with construction like his father. Each of the teenagers are dragged into the game and reading about their teenage sleuth adventures was really quite a fun.