One of Us is Lying Book Review
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 2-07-25 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 9.3/10
Book Cover Rating: 8.9/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: One of Us is Lying
Author: Karen M. McManus
Pages: 416
Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Mystery
Subplots: Thriller, Romance
Series: One of Us is Lying #1
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: 2017
Number of Editions: 143
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook, Audio
Awards Won: YALSA Teens’ Top Ten, South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult, Rhode Island Teen Book Award, Evergreen Teen Book Award Nominee For High School, Gateway Readers Award Nominee, Lincoln Award Nominee, Goodreads Choice Award Nominee For Young Adult Fiction, and more.
Goodreads Rating: 3.92/5
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
Common Sense Media Age Recommendation: 14+
Movie/TV Show?? : TV Show on Peacock!
Book Type: Standard
POV Type: Multi
Pacing: Fast
Generally: The Breakfast Club + Murder, Engaging, Mysterious
Hook: One Monday, at Bayview high school, detention starts. Five students enter the room. The star athlete, the beautiful, popular girl, the smart, do-gooder, the bad-boy on probation, and finally, the outcast. The outcast, Simon, is certainly infamous at school- after all he did create Bayview’s gossip app. Unfortunately for him, Simon dies in detention. Who would the police have to blame except for the other four in detention with him. After all, he was planning on airing all of their dirty laundry just the next day. They all have motive and opportunity, so which of them was really guilty?
My Review
Going Into It:
Going into this book I had just read a couple average YA mystery books, and was looking forward to something similar. I never could have expected just how much BETTER this book would be….
Characters:
Bronwyn Rojas- Bronwyn is one of the four main characters in this book. She’s a senior in high school. She is seemingly a stereotypical ‘good girl.’ She is SUPER smart and on track for Yale. But, she also feels a lot of pressure to not disappoint others.
Cooper Clay- Cooper is another main character. He is seemingly a stereotypical ‘Jock.’ But, he is still REALLY nice, and smart. He’s a STAR baseball player and a senior in high school.
Nate Macauley- Nate is the third main character. He’s also a senior in high school, but he’s had a more troubled past. He is friends with the wrong people, and generally seems like the stereotypical ‘bad boy drug dealer.’
Adelaide Prentiss- Addy is the final main character, and another high school senior. She is the stereotypical ‘popular blond beauty.’ In reality she can be indecisive and insecure, but is also smarter than anyone thinks she is. Addy is also under a lot of pressure from her family and friends.
Simon Kelleher- Simon is only really in the first few chapters of this book, but the rest of the book generally revolves around him. He is a stereotypical ‘outcast,’ and he invented a gossip app. No one likes him, but people still listen to the mean gossip, right up until its about them……
Wow!! I LOVED ALL the main characters ❤️❤️❤️!! This is probably in my top 5 best group of characters I’ve read about. At first glance it seemed like they all had VERY stereotypical personalities, but Karen M. McManus somehow made them all seem so UNIQUE and engaging. I loved their interactions, secrets, and personalities. They honestly couldn’t be better.
Character Rating: 10/10
Setting:
This book takes place in Bayview, California. A majority of the book takes place at Bayview High School.
I have absolutely nothing to complain about: the setting was described well enough to picture it, and some parts had great tension and energy, but overall the setting didn’t stick out in comparison to some other books I’d read recently.
Setting Rating: 6.8/10
Plot:
Wow!! Gripping, exciting, energetic!! This plot was FULL of twists and turns, and second guessing everything you thought you knew two minutes earlier. This plot and ‘whodunit’ sort of idea stood out dramatically in comparison to other books I’d read recently. I’ve heard this described as “YA breakfast club” and (even though I haven’t ever actually watched breakfast club), I tend to agree.
Plot Rating: 9.8/10
Writing:
I ABSOLUTELY understand why people call Karen M. McManus the “Queen of YA”. This writing was perfect!! I was never confused, and could always feel the emotions and energy in her writing. I’m immediately going to go buy any other Karen M. McManus books I haven’t already read 😊.
Writing Rating: 10/10
Ending:
YES!! I was SO worried the ending would ruin some of the LOVE I had for the other parts/characters in this book, but it didn’t!! It was the perfect amount of “wow I DID NOT expect that,” while still making sense and wrapping the plot up FLAWLESSLY.
Ending Rating: 10/10
The Overall:
Overall, I LOVED this book. Definitely my favorite YA mystery book I have read recently!! The plot, characters, writing AND ending were PERFECTION!! I would strongly recommend this book!
Overall Book Rating: 9.3/10
I would strongly recommend this book
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Karen started writing when she was only in 2nd grade
Karen has written five standalone novels
She has gotten inspiration for her books from people and TV shows
For more information, view Karen M. McManus’s website: karenmcmanus.com
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