One of Us is Lying is McManus’ debut novel. For me, this is the best book I have read so far. I read it all in 2 days!!! This standalone thriller was partially inspired by the 1980s movie The Breakfast Club. The novel is written in alternating first person chapters between Bronwyn, Nate, Addy, and Cooper as they try to make sense of what happened to Simon.

Despite the numerous narrators each character manages to sound distinct and stand out in their own sections. Anyone who is familiar with teen movies or YA novels will recognize some of the plot points (such as staight-laced Bronwyn pursuing a relationship with the resident bad boy) but they manage to feel fresh and interesting within this story. McManus keeps a tight rein on the plot as the story’s twists which are revealed at a satisfying pace throughout the novel. Unlikely friendships, surprising romances, and quite a few surprises make One of Us is Lying a winning mystery for even the most jaded fans of the genre.

Summary:

Bronwyn always follows the rules. She’s heading to Yale next year and she would never risk that or disappointing her immigrant father.

Cooper is an all-star baseball player. His pitching abilities are sure to lead the Bayview team to victory and pave Cooper’s way to the majors–just like his father wants. But Cooper wants other things that he’s afraid to talk about out loud.

Addy is homecoming princess and not much else. She isn’t ambitious or independent but she isn’t sure why she has to be when she already has the perfect life with her boyfriend.

Nate really belongs in detention. He’s always doing something wrong and has been for years. What do you expect from a guy who’s already on probation for drug dealing.

Simon is the outcast of Bayview but he’s also one of the most powerful students there thanks to the gossip app he created that dishes all of Bayview High’s worst secrets.

All of them were caught using cell phones during school hours. All of them claim they were framed. On Monday afternoon the five of them walk into detention at Bayview High. Only four of them walk out alive. Every one else has a motive for killing Simon. But no one has any proof. Yet. As the investigation heats up Bronwyn, Nate, Addy, and Cooper all have to decide how far they’ll go to keep their secrets in One of Us is Lying (2017) by Karen M. McManus.

Set roughly one year after the events of the first book, One of Us Is Next is the thriller sequel to One of us is lying. Here, the focus is to Bronwyn’s younger sister Maeve; she’s determined to continue gossip app creator Simon’s legacy with a dangerous new game of Truth or Dare. The rules are simple: if you’re tagged, you have 24 hours to make your choice – or, if you don’t choose, it’s a truth anyway. As the Bayview students are glued to their phone screens waiting to see what will happen next, friends Phoebe, Maeve and Knox are soon drawn deeper into the game than they ever wanted to be. But when things take a deadly turn it’s clear that there’s a whole new set of rules to play by, and if Phoebe, Maeve and Knox want to get to the bottom of things before it’s too late, they may just have to take the investigation into their own hands.

While One of Us Is Lying may not have seemed like a novel that warranted a sequel, it doesn’t take long for One of Us Is Next to prove that it hasn’t just been written for the sake of it. With the Bayview Four having graduated and begun moving on from their harrowing experiences in the first book, One of Us Is Next very much keeps the action firmly in high school, introducing two new characters to join Maeve in this latest mystery. Fans of the first book will probably be happy to hear that Maeve’s presence does mean that we get to know updates about the characters from the first book – with Addy and Nate featuring most prominently, and Cooper and Bronwyn making appearances too – but this is very much a new story, with new stakes and new relationships to question, challenge and explore.

One of Us Is Next is gripping from the get-go, and unfolds as organically and naturally as you can expect a YA suspense thriller centred on a voracious school-wide need for gossip to unfold. And if the ending does stray a bit too far into action territory movie, it’s to McManus’ credit that by that point readers are wholly accepting that it doesn’t feel too beyond the realms of believability.

The bottom line is, if you loved One of Us Is Lying, then you’re likely to love its follow-up just as much, if not more. If One of Us Is Next has proved anything, it’s that there’s something about the goings-on at Bayview High that draws us in – and when you’re reading this book there’s no place else you’d rather be.