09 April 2019

One of Us is Lying

book cover of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Crime
Thriller
Young Adult
A 2019 Top Rated Read

By Karen M. McManus

Paperback 368 pages
Publisher Penguin; 01 edition (1st Jun 2017)

'Twisty plotting, breakneck pacing and intriguing characterisation add up to an exciting single-sitting thrillerish treat.' The Guardian


📕My Review


Aimed towards Young Adult readers, I thought One of Us is Lying worked equally well for 'oldies' like myself. I was completely immersed in the tittle-tattle and goings-on at Bayview High. I'd go so far as to say it was a brilliant teenage whodunit with a contemporary American high school setting. 

Five students walk into detention but only four leave alive. Simon, the socially awkward creator of school gossip blog About That, winds up dead. The other four students immediately fall under suspicion. All have motive for wanting him silenced - he was about to publicly reveal their secrets on the blog; secrets that would irreversibly damage their reputations and their futures. But which one of them is the killer? Who has lied?

One of Us is Lying is the author's debut novel and I thought it was a fantastic 'coming-of-age' read. The angst-ridden teenage suspects were superbly brought to life and given very different backgrounds and personalities. The writing didn't feel hurried and the pacing was spot on. Had I read this as a teenager I would've loved it just as much as I do now.

A very exciting well-plotted read.     

Book Source: Purchased copy.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📗The Blurb


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.

📘The Author


author Karen M. McManus
Karen M. McManus is the author of the New York Times and international bestselling young adult novels One of Us Is Lyingand Two Can Keep a Secret. Her work has been translated into 40 languages worldwide. Karen lives in Massachusetts and holds a master's degree in Journalism from Northeastern University, which she mostly uses to draft fake news stories for her novels.

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