Book Review: One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
I loved this book so much. One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus is a debut novel and I absolutely cannot wait to read her next book. I had this book on my radar for a while, but only recently got my hands on it. I read it in 2 days. I couldn't put it down. Then I gave it to my sister, and she couldn't put it down either! A classic mystery novel, set in a high school setting. I can't suggest this enough. However, I am putting a trigger warning in front of my review. During the book, suicide is mentioned a couple of times. Just an FYI.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.
MY THOUGHTS ON: CHARACTERS
We'll just go through the list of suspects, given that they are the main characters. And of course, the victim; since he plays a big role in this even though he is dead.
Bronwyn is the brainy, has to get good grades, goody two shoes. She is wicked smart, a good friend and sister, and wants to get to the bottom of this case before her secret gets out.
Addy is the doormat kind of girlfriend, but she loves Jake. Right? She has everything. The handsome, popular boyfriend. Good looks. She's popular. But she won't be for long is her secret gets discovered.
Cooper is the typical athlete. Affectionately called Cooperstown by his father because he plays baseball, he is also the sweet, good mannered southern boy. But he also has a secret that could ruin his pending baseball career and his relationships with his family and friends.
Nate was just lucky enough to get the bad end of the bargain. Alcoholic father, bipolar mother who ran off and left his family, already on probation for dealing drugs, practically lives in the detention hall.
Simon is the victim. He dies under mysterious circumstances during detention with the other four kids as the only witnesses. And suspects. The thing is, each one would have notice because Simon ran a blog that thrived on spilling secrets, and he had a secret for each classmate already lined up to post. But he dies before it can get posted.
I loved Bronwyn. I loved Nate. I loved Addy. I loved Cooper. Once the book picked up pace, you really got to see the characters grow! If I have realized anything from doing book reviews, it's that I definitely have a type. And that is the bad boy who is secretly good underneath everything, who also just happens to be handsome and kind. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
MY THOUGHTS ON: PLOT
I thought it was very suspenseful. I had no idea who the killer was until it was revealed. I never saw it coming. Sure, I was able to make guesses but it looked like literally everyone had a motive. It was hard to judge. But I loved it. My favorite part happened to be when I misread something. Towards the end, someone says to another character "You should start looking for a referral.". I misread it as "You should start looking for a funeral." It was a late night. But I thought that was taking it way too far. 😂
MY OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5 STARS
LINKS:
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Book Depository - Audible
And here is the Goodreads page for her next book, Two Can Keep A Secret!
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.
MY THOUGHTS ON: CHARACTERS
We'll just go through the list of suspects, given that they are the main characters. And of course, the victim; since he plays a big role in this even though he is dead.
Bronwyn is the brainy, has to get good grades, goody two shoes. She is wicked smart, a good friend and sister, and wants to get to the bottom of this case before her secret gets out.
Addy is the doormat kind of girlfriend, but she loves Jake. Right? She has everything. The handsome, popular boyfriend. Good looks. She's popular. But she won't be for long is her secret gets discovered.
Cooper is the typical athlete. Affectionately called Cooperstown by his father because he plays baseball, he is also the sweet, good mannered southern boy. But he also has a secret that could ruin his pending baseball career and his relationships with his family and friends.
Nate was just lucky enough to get the bad end of the bargain. Alcoholic father, bipolar mother who ran off and left his family, already on probation for dealing drugs, practically lives in the detention hall.
Simon is the victim. He dies under mysterious circumstances during detention with the other four kids as the only witnesses. And suspects. The thing is, each one would have notice because Simon ran a blog that thrived on spilling secrets, and he had a secret for each classmate already lined up to post. But he dies before it can get posted.
I loved Bronwyn. I loved Nate. I loved Addy. I loved Cooper. Once the book picked up pace, you really got to see the characters grow! If I have realized anything from doing book reviews, it's that I definitely have a type. And that is the bad boy who is secretly good underneath everything, who also just happens to be handsome and kind. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
MY THOUGHTS ON: PLOT
I thought it was very suspenseful. I had no idea who the killer was until it was revealed. I never saw it coming. Sure, I was able to make guesses but it looked like literally everyone had a motive. It was hard to judge. But I loved it. My favorite part happened to be when I misread something. Towards the end, someone says to another character "You should start looking for a referral.". I misread it as "You should start looking for a funeral." It was a late night. But I thought that was taking it way too far. 😂
MY OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5 STARS
LINKS:
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Book Depository - Audible
And here is the Goodreads page for her next book, Two Can Keep A Secret!
Comments
Post a Comment