BOOK BASICS:
TITLE: One of Us Is Lying
AUTHOR: Karen M. McManus
RATING: 4/5 Stars
SYNOPSIS (Goodreads): 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?
OVERALL: One of Us is Lying was a very fun and captivating read about four very different characters accused of the murder of a fellow classmate.
WHAT I LIKED:
“ “She's a princess and you're a jock," he says. He thrusts his chin toward Bronwyn, then at Nate. "And you're a brain. And you're a criminal. You're all walking teen-movie stereotypes.” ”
To be honest, I feel like there’s something comforting about reading a book with well written albeit cliche characters. One of Us is Lying is no exception - somehow, Karen M. McManus managed to take some overused character arch-types, and turn them into interesting characters, all of whom experience some personal growth throughout the book.
I also really liked the juxtaposition of the slightly creepy-feel of a murder mystery and the setting of a normal high school, it was an interesting way of looking at a setting familiar to me.
WHAT I DIDNT LIKE:
The multiple character POV: There were times when I really enjoyed reading “One of Us is Lying” through the lens of all four characters - it allowed me to get to know a character’s backstory, struggles, and personalities a bit better in the beginning of the book. However, I feel like towards halfway through the book and onwards, the author decided to focus more on Bronwyn and Nate’s POVs. This led to me losing some interest towards Addy and Cooper’s side of the story up until the end of the book, when the characters met up and talked amongst each other more often.
YOU WOULD LIKE THIS BOOK IF:
I would recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a fun murder mystery in a setting of a high school.