Began reading: 23.8.2017
Completed reading: 29.8.2017
Overall rating: 4 stars
Five students walk into detention.
Only four leave alive.
Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly broken a rule.
Sports star Cooper only knows what he's doing in the baseball diamond.
Bad boy Nate is one misstep away from a life of crime.
Prom queen Addy is holding together the cracks in her perfect life.
And outsider Simon, creator of the notorious gossip app at Bayview High, won't ever talk about any of them again.
He dies 24 hours before he could post their deepest secrets online. Investigators conclude it's no accident. All of them are suspects.
Everyone has secrets, right?
What really matters is how far you'll go to protect them.
Trigger warning: this book contains alcoholism and drug references.
One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus is a contemporary young adult novel that contains mystery and thriller themes. I have been so excited to get into this book! It was pretty good, and I loved how I was hooked from the very first page. Let’s discuss this book!
Being sent to detention for something that no one was guilty of, five students from Bayview High are somehow involved in a mystery murder – one of their fellow students suffers a severe anaphylactic reaction, which later kills him. The remaining four students are thrown into an extensive investigation, especially when the police discover that each student has a secret worth killing to keep hidden. The students are forced to work together to determine how someone managed to die when no one from outside entered the room, as well as who is responsible. Tensions rise when the media gets involved and word spreads across the school, causing everyone to turn against the ‘Bayview Four’. The student will have to learn to stay strong as their secrets are laid bare for their classmates and the media to warp, but when they realise who is responsible for the murder, they will have bigger problems to worry about.
The book was well-written, in particular the pacing – it was fast, which matched the atmosphere of the plot. The various literary techniques that appeared in the book added detail to the narrative, especially the use of flashbacks, foreshadowing and point of view. There were also a couple of great quotes thrown in, including:
[…]if you say no too much, pretty soon someone else will say yes (pp. 45-46).
When the whole school’s starting to turn against you, you need somebody on your side (p. 138).
More quotes from the novel can be found here.
As I briefly mentioned above, the use of point of view to increase intrigue in the novel was notable. The book was separated by different sections, but also by the points of view by the four protagonists. This enhanced the story because we got insight into how each of the characters reacted to the news of Simon’s death, as well as what they thought of their secrets being revealed. Each protagonist had unique experiences prior to the detention that involved Simon in some way. This amplified the mystery because each of the characters were set up to look guilty in some way. This aspect of the novel was executed with meticulousness, which was the main reason why I enjoyed this book.
The primary reason why I read mystery novels is because their plots promise an interesting and shocking narrative. I have to know what happens and the reasons behind the mystery. Of course, the blurb of this book had me eager to read it immediately. It was intriguing, full of suspense and provided opportunities for a range of sub-plots. While the main plot remained the over-arching storyline, there were a few minor plotlines that added depth to the book.
I’ve said it numerous times, but I was fascinated with the plot before I even purchased it. For a debut novel, I think that this novel was almost perfectly designed, with a lot of attention to detail.
I like a good surprise, and McManus didn’t disappoint – two almost-forbidden romances were something that I didn’t see coming, but did not disagree with. Although I dislike fluffy romances, this novel did not exaggerate the romance, nor did it feel out of place. There was a decent amount of romance, which suited me. I hate when romance overpowers the storyline – that makes me sound grouchy, but big romances aren’t my thing. I was worried about the good-girl-falls-for-bad-boy cliché, but it turned out fine. The relationships felt justified and realistic, which is a testament to McManus’ writing skills.
Speaking of surprise, the plot twists in this book were a mixture of predictable and unpredictable, which is what I love! I had a feeling that the ultimate plot twist (Simon’s death) was predictable, but I enjoyed being suspicious of almost every character as they were introduced – I thought it would be the teacher! Furthermore, discovering who was behind the blog posts was an unpredictable shock, but made sense in the end. Despite being able to predict some of the twists, I still enjoyed the novel.
I had only one minor issue with this book, but at the same time it felt relevant to the narrative. There were some moments in the book that felt dumb, which made the scene somewhat laughable. For example, the moment when Addy’s phone went off felt silly – it was either unrealistic or she just had sh*tty luck; I’m gonna go with the former reason. Another example was the way in which the police handled the investigation – it was definitely unrealistic and frustrating. Like I said, it was only a minor issue so it didn’t really impact on my overall rating.
My favourite character is Bronwyn because she was protective of her younger sister (just like me), ambitious, rebellious, studious and responsible. Out of all the characters in the book, I related to Bronwyn the most. I really liked how she was with Nate, and I was relieved when they decided to get together.
I didn’t like how the popular group handled the situation. I wonder if it’s an accurate representation of that clique group. I thought that their behaviour helped bring the four protagonists together, so I don’t hate what they did – I just didn’t like that they turned against their friends.
My favourite part of the novel was the conclusion because it was sweet, swoon-worthy, and provided closure. I liked that it didn’t feel completely finished; instead, it left enough to the imagination.
Recommendation time! If you like The Perfectionists series by Sara Shepard, The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee, and the Wicked Games series by Sean Olin, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes How To Get Away With Murder tv series, Pretty Little Liars tv series, The Breakfast Club, and St. Elmo’s Fire.
Happy reading!
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