Why You'll Love One Of Us Is Lying

Title: One of Us Is Lying

Author: Karen M. McManus

Publication Date: May 30th, 2017

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On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. 

Browyn, 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 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.

Review

Another 2017 read, guys please bear with me while I get through my last few reviews of 2017! 

This was a killer read - pardon the pun. I love a good mystery that’s well set out to lead to a shocking ending alongside having characters that I can invest in. One of Us Is Lying is exactly that. I was on edge for most of the story and knew that I couldn’t put it down until I finished. It’s a fairly short read that delivers an immense amount of impact, not only from the mystery itself but from McManus exploring diversity, acceptance and other social issues that crop up within high school as well.

McManus delivers a clever and surprising plot twist, which took the book from a 4 stars to 5.&nbspThere was no way I could’ve suspected that was the resolution to the novel, but it was well thought out and explained, that I wasn’t questioning how ludicrous it seemed to be. The plot was fast paced and suspenseful, being an absolute page turner.

I didn’t expect to see such strong character developments or feel attached to them either. The personalities introduced are somewhat cliches to novels set in high school however, they have a lot more depth to them that is revealed and explored as the plot progresses. Each character will come across as relatable, with issues that most of us have dealt with or are dealing with currently. Honestly, I didn’t expect to like them that much but they were pretty much all flawed characters and I am a sucker for that.

Throughout all the crime solving and character development is another aspect that made One of Us Is Lying an engaging read. McManus addresses social issues that have been and continue to be discussed amongst our social sphere. Trigger warnings for bullying, school shootings, suicide, abusive relationships, mental health, discrimination against LGBQT+ community. As much as I love a gripping read, nothing is more satisfying than reading a novel that engages me with real life concerns that gets me thinking and is challenging.

Bottom line. You should read it.