One of Us Is Lying

There has been a lot said about this novel so I will just post my thoughts on the novel. I liked all the secrets that everyone was harboring. It’s not only that they were the only individuals who were in the room when Simon was killed, there are other motivators that make these teens the likely suspect. It’s all the ghosts in the closets that everyone felt they are hiding but in reality, Simon knew. When all the ghosts start showing their faces, a finger could be pointed at any of them. I enjoyed the variety of characters that made up this novel. From the original five who walked into detention that day, to the parents and to the secondary characters who made up this novel, they brought their own personality and flair to the novel.

I really enjoyed that the author showed us life outside the investigation. She showed us that there was a life for each of them outside this drama. As they tried to go about their day, the investigation looming over their heads, they still had to function in the real world. Sure, the investigation might have affected them as they moved about their day, but they still had a life to lead and expectations that needed to be followed. The author caught me in her trap, I kept narrowing down my suspects but I couldn’t find the evidence that I needed to tie it all together. Then came the big reveal and I started to talk to the novel, placing the pieces where they needed to go. I really enjoyed this novel and can see why everyone is talking about it. 4.5 stars

Based on review copy.

One of Us is Lying is a refreshing mystery with complex characters.

Plot: One of Us is Lying began with five high school students in detention and none of them were in the same social circles. Theses unlikely friends found their paths crossing after witnessing their classmate, Simon, dying. While the characters were very much aligned to the Breakfast Club characters, I found that the overall story was reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars. Simon had dirt on each one of our characters and they would do anything to keep those secrets under wraps. As someone who reads a lot of Young Adult murder mysteries, I find that I've exhausted all of the possible Great Reveals, but I was thoroughly impressed by how McManus crafted her story and led us to the ending. I can't give One of Us is Lying full stars because the ending surprisingly dragged. Everything was well paced and engaging until the mystery wrapped up, but then it kept going on for three of four more chapters; I wholeheartedly think that those additional chapters could have been wrapped up in one final epilogue.

Characters: One of Us is Lying explored all characters through multiple perspectives and I thought that McManus did a wondrous job capturing everyone's independent voice. While this book follows everyone's involvement with Simon's death, Bronwyn (the brain), and Nate (the criminal) were clearly the stars as they had the majority of the chapters. This isn't a complaint, but I would have loved to learn more from Addy's perspective as well as Cooper's. Cooper didn't feel like a fleshed-out character until 3/4ths of the book but that was because he had the least amount of chapters from his perspective.

Worldbuilding: The setting was very diverse and the voice was authentic. The characters all read like real teens and they seemed like actual people in this town. I also loved the observations that the author made and how she used every aspect of her world and people.

Narrator(s): I love when multiple perspectives are told by multiple narrators and each narrator in One of Us is Lying was A+! We had Kim Mai Guest, MacLeod Andrews, Shannon McManus, and Robbie Daymond leading us through the mystery and each captured their character's voice well. I had listened to Kim Mai and MacLeod in various other audiobooks and they were great additions to this novel. Each narrator did an exceptional job performing various voices and it was easy to lose myself in this story thanks to them.

Short N Sweet: One of Us is Lying is an addictive mystery that will make you think.

**This is the review for the audiobook on Audible**

I pre-ordered One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus because right away it sounded like an episode out of Gossip Girl (and I'm telling you, I loved Gossip Girl!). I also liked that there were multiple narrators, which I haven't experienced too much in audiobooks. I'm glad I spent the credit on this book, and if you like teen drama or the "whodunit" type mysteries, you will enjoy it as well.

I couldn't decide whether to give it 4 or 5 stars. If I could, I'd have to settle on a 4.5 rating. I liked the fact that there were 4 narrators for 4 different main characters, but even though there were only 4 of them, it seemed like I got lost a bit keeping track of 'who was who' & 'who did what.' When you listen, make sure you pay attention to detail or you might get lost as other people are introduced into the story. I tried to multi-task while listening, and I found myself wondering what was going on in some places, mostly because my mind wasn't fully focusing on the story....learn from my mistake. I plan to listen to it again to get the full experience, even though I know how the murder of the 5th student happened. I liked it so much that I don't mind...plus I'm sure I'll come across a bunch of details that I overlooked the first time through. :-)

I thought both the writing and narration were great! It's told in alternating points of view by each of the 4 teens. Throughout the entire story I was thinking I knew who the murderer was. It wasn't until the last part that I realized I was totally off base. Wow! I didn't expect that one at all! It kept me guessing.

I recommend this audiobook to those who like mysteries, drama, and teen characters. It's not a thriller, nor is it an "edge of your seat" read; it is just a really good murder mystery that starts right away and ends 10+ hours later. It kept my interest throughout, and I felt like I got to know each of the kids well. It was a mix of Gossip Girl (TV show) and Clue (the movie & boardgame)....might be a bad comparision, but just know I used to LOVE them both! :-) I definitely think it is worth the credit, and I am looking forward to listening to it again in the future!

Thank you for reading my review. :-)

This wasn't even on my radar at first. I'm not sure why it wasn't since contemporary mysteries are my favorite books! But when I did find out about it, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I really wanted to get my hands on it. I was so happy when I did.
On a normal day, there's many different kids who have detention, but this particular day, most of them don't belong there. They include a criminal, a beauty queen, a smarty pants, an athlete, and an outcast. Unfortunately, not all of them make it out of the room. What happened in that short time, that caused Simon to die? Did it have anything to do with the fact that he planned to uunearth their darkest secrets the next day?!
I loved the writing style in this one. It was all over the place with the multiple POVs and it felt a bit clunky and disjointed. In a mystery, that makes the reader confused and causes them to miss out on guessing who the real person is. I also really enjoyed all the POVs she had. They were all different, but were all developed so they all had their own voice. As a character driven reader, I was impressed on all the ways she was able to tie things together.
But even with the great writing style, I wasn't really a fan of the plot. I called most of the plot twists throughout the story, which didn't make it really a "thriller" for me like I see some people shelving under. I was also able to call some of the "BIG" reveal at the end. Since I only got part of it right I won't take anything away from it, but still some parts of it were a bit obvious.
As for the characters, I didn't really connect to any of them. And that was extremely unfortunate because there were so many of them. But to be honest, I didn't really care for anyone in that book. Not the main characters ot any supporting ones. Maybe that's the way the author wanted the reader to feel, but as a character driven reader, I was not a fan. I got the point of why it was written that way, but it still wasn't my favorite. (If that makes sense.)
It was overall an addictive, murdery twist on The Breakfast Club and I really did like it. I can't wait to see what else McManus has in store!

"It’s a great story: four good-looking, high-profile students all being investigated for murder. And nobody’s what they seem..."

"Now here’s your assignment: connect the dots. Is everybody in it together, or is somebody pulling strings? Who’s the puppet master and who’s the puppet? I’ll give you a hint to get you started: everyone’s lying. GO!"

I must crow a bit...I KNEW this was going to be awesome WAY before the library loving released it into my anxiously awaiting clutches. It's high school drama with a dollop of Breakfast/ Kill Club mixed in. The writing was extremely laid back which made it easy to devour large portions in a single sitting. In fact that might be my super power of late...capable of tackling great tomes in a single bound...fights off even the worst case of late-night bleary eye.... motto: one more chapter...can't leave things off like that...just a hundred pages til the end...oops, is that the last page?... I know it's long, I'll keep working on it....aaaaand I digress (frequently)...back to the book at hand. One Of Us Is Lying is unsurprisingly easy to consume in absolutely no time at all. After just a few hours I turned to the epilogue and silently swore because it was quickly coming to an end (great sign). The world building was a little sparse but the characters were sufficiently complex though undeniably trite. It was told via multiple POVs which got a bit confusing at times, causing some pack peddling to find out which character's head we were in, but in the end it worked out well. Be warned: There are some heavy triggers (which I will not disclose...no spoilers here but be aware) within BUT the ugly spots are effectively sterilized, lacquered over and buffed to a PG tint. The ending wrapped things up so neatly as to almost be too saccharine....not my thing but right up your alley if you're one who likes their endings nice and tidy for all. The takehome is: this is a quick, easily addictive read with a minimally showcased, predictable yet insta-love free romance.

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus is a contemporary novel that feels like the brainchild of the Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars. Five students are sent to detention, although they all swear they are innocent – each had a cell phone planted in his or her backpack. They are a motley crew: a princess, a jock, a brainiac, a trouble maker and the omniscient narrator.
Addy, the princess, is popular and has the perfect boyfriend. Cooper, the jock, is being scouted by college baseball coaches and dating the prettiest girl in the school. Bronwyn, the brainiac, is top of her class and from a hard-working family. Nate, the trouble maker, is a drug dealer and currently on probation. Simon is the final student in detention. He created an app and uses it to divulge the secrets of the students in the school. One of the students ends up dead and the other four become suspects – but who really did it?
I was really intrigued by the premise of the book because it was a mystery and it immediately reminded me of the Breakfast Club (with a little addition of murder). The app that everyone at school fears reminded me of “A” from Pretty Little Liars. Gossip is bad enough in high school, imagine having your secrets revealed in detail? The reason the students dislike Simon so much is because so far what he has written has never been wrong. Simon always wanted to be included, but when he didn’t get the attention he felt that he deserved he decided to show that the school wasn’t so perfect after all.
Throughout the book, you grow to like the four suspects and wonder how any of them could have been the murderer. Each grows from being a cliché stereotype into a dimensional person with faults, loves, and depth. This book is very character driven and I liked getting to know each person better through chapters told from their point of view. They felt authentic and flawed, which made me invested in their well-being.
I think it’s best to go into this book not knowing what to expect because then you don’t have any preconceived notions. While I did guess who the murderer was fairly quickly in the book, I don’t feel like it was super obvious so you’re not going to feel bored with the plot. I was also able to guess Cooper’s secret immediately and it did not surprise me in the least. Although I was able to figure out or predict parts of the plot or character relationships really early on there were a number of other reveals though that I didn’t entirely expect.
This was an engaging read and I definitely love the premise, so I’d be interested in reading more books from the same author or along the same lines (YA murder/mystery). I would definitely recommend this to young adult/teen readers who enjoy contemporary novels set in high school that are full of drama and a dash of whodunit?

I really liked this. The Breakfast Club with a murder twist LOL 5 students walk into detention, but only 4 walk out..

Addy is the beauty , Cooper is the athlete, Nate is the criminal, Bronwyn is the brain, and Simon is the outcast.
Simon is the creator of a gossip App called About That. Simon is the one who ends up dead, the day before his app was going to publish gossip on the other four that were in detention. So did one of these four kill him or are they being framed?

The book is told through the point of view of Addy, Cooper, Nate and Bronwyn. I loved the twists and turns in this book. Just when something in the investigation was pointing one way, something else would pop up to point in another direction. I never guessed what the outcome was.

I really liked all the characters too. I liked how they changed from their stereo types throughout the book. But I do have to say Nate was my favorite lol

I think the only problem I had with the book was I had to keep checking back to remember whose point of view I was reading, as some times it was not very clear.
But other than that I really enjoyed this. I like when I am reading a book and get attached to the characters. Something good or bad happens to them and you get the emotions that go right along with them. Also love when a book can keep me guessing until the very end.

Synopsis: Pay close attention and you might solve this.

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

Bronwyn, 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 of 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.

- - -
"This is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide."

The blurb for this book is definitely not wrong! One of Us Is Lying is a clusterf*ck of mystery—and I mean this in the best way possible. Everyone in this book indeed carries a secret!

Likes:

• First of all, I LOVE the premise and I love that the author actually delivered us a great mystery. You know the mystery is a good one when you literally cannot stop guessing. At at least three points in the book I thought I knew who the killer was, but then some clue threw me off. I jumped to someone else, then... again. Same thing. I was on my toes until the very end, and that's what I want in a mystery.

• Diversity. There is a gay character in the book, and this I appreciate. I think he was written very well and his being in the closet added a nice suspenseful touch to the book. I can't imagine going through what he did and still coming out on top.

• The characters. Keep in mind, this book is from the POV of four different people. It would be easy to get them mixed up if the author didn't do a phenomenal job of distinguishing them from one another with very specific and well-written personalities. Which, of course, she did. Very very well done! They were also quite relatable and lovable. It was easy to like each of them and want them to get through the situation at hand.

• Romance. Yes, there is a romance in this book. Now, it is subtle, but nicely done. Two of the suspects become very close and we get a hint of blooming feelings and stolen kisses, but it doesn't take over the story in the least. This book, at it's core, is a mystery—the romantic aspect doesn't change that. In fact, I think it enhanced it because... the two teens getting into a relationship during the investigation leaves a lot of room for distrust and questionable movies, etc.

• The ending. I had a love/hate thing going with the ending. I feel that the end of a book is, arguably, the most important part of the book. I always seem to criticize the end more than anything else. This is the case here as well. The part I enjoyed was the end/answer to the mystery portion. The big reveal of who the murderer was intrigued me! I'd definitely guessed who did it at that point, but there were pieces that didn't make sense until the actual reveal. Once that happened, it all came together perfectly. I think it was extremely well done and I am greatly impressed.

Now, my one and only dislike: (This will be spoilery!!!)

The other part of the ending... the part that had nothing to do with the actual mystery storyline. It was the romance. Oh boy! Now, the two teens who had a romance going... they sort of “broke up” after the killer was outed. The guy felt useless and like he wasn't good enough for the oh-so-smart girl. So, he ignores her and she starts to move on, yeah? Well, some months later, she is going about her life and he decides to make some grand gesture to get her back. It was cute, but so incredibly cliché! lol A bit eyeroll worthy, but again, still cutesy. I can't hate on it too hard.

So, overall, this book was a winner for me. I loved almost every single thing about it from the character development, to the romance, to the mystery. Aside from the tiny pet peeve about the ending, this book goes onto my favorites list. I definitely recommend it if you enjoy a good high school drama/mystery. Extremely well done!

When I read the back of this book at work, I knew I wanted to read it as the book sounded a little like The Breakfast Club movie but with a twist and as I was reading the book , the tagline that could sum up One of Us Is Lying could be The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars. Like The Breakfast Club, there are five people in detention one Monday afternoon. You have the Outcast, Homecoming Princess, Brain, Jock, and Criminal. On this particular detention day, the Outcast Simon ends up dead. The only ones in the room were the other four. So which one killed him or did they work together? The thing is that each one in the room had a dark secret they were hiding and Simon - the deceased ran a Gossip App called About That which was about to expose them all. As the week goes on and then the month as the investigation goes viral, someone is publishing their secrets and making them look as guilty as one another. Who is trying to set them up for the fall and why? I have to admit when I saw the ending and discovered who was doing the Tumblr posts, that was a surprise for me as I never saw them as a suspect. One of Us is Lying is a YA book set in the final year of high school and shows readers that we all have secrets and some of us hide them better than others. If you are on the lookout for a YA Suspense novel, then check out Karen McManus's One of Us is Lying today.

Four reasons why it was solid…

First, The multiple POVs was surprisingly good, at least for me. I’ve always said First Person is not my favorite, especially YA [like really who wants to go over all that angst again??], so I was… MULTIPLE FIRST POV?? WHT??? BUT THAT WAS GOOD! SOLID!

Second, this book is quite diverse! WOOOOOHOOOO!

Third, apparently I enjoy reading about high school drama and cliques. Again, WHO AM I?? [lately I have no idea]. So, I like them. At least when they are not the core of the story but the background. At first the characters are purposely stereotyped [the jock, the geek, the nerd, the queen bee, the outcast, etc. etc.] and then one of them dies, and all their real personalities are exposed. It was like a personality striptease, pretty entertaining! ?

Fourth, The end and how a Mental Health topic was handled… SOLID, SOLID, SOLID. I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH IT! ?

BUT, as I said, even diamonds have flaws.

There was this ONE thing: At the beginning all the characters’ voices sounded EXACTLY the same. For a good 50% of the book these multiple POVs sounded like a univoice. So, I wished it would have been written in third person but then, when the striptease show stars and I got quite connected with each character. And the book shined like a diamond. A slightly flawed diamond, but a diamond nonetheless.

One of Us Is Lying is a pretty engrossing YA Mystery novel. Told in multiple POVs, it has great writing, a fantastic set of characters, and a beginning that will hook readers right away. The mystery is executed very well, with twists and turns that catch you by surprise.

Karen M. McManus is a new author worth keeping an eye on. Her debut novel is refreshing and well-written, breathing new life into Contemporary YA novels. The plot is compelling, but the characters are what makes this story great.

At the beginning, One of Us Is Lying seems like a remix of The Breakfast Club. It does not take long for me to realize that that isn’t true. McManus might use the concept of students stuck in detention and high school stereotypes to help tell her story, but she smashes them right out of the gate.

Each POV character, Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, and Cooper, is fleshed out and layered. They each have unique voices and personalities, providing glimpses into the story. They are the ones who pull the reader in and keep things interesting as the plot progresses, secrets are uncovered, and truths are exposed.

There is also a little bit of Gossip Girl thrown in. McManus incorporates social media into the story, making it a very interesting part of the mystery. It adds another layer to the plot, which she explores very well. It does bring up a few difficult themes, though.

I also have to mention the romance and heartbreak. There is a little bit of both in the story, but it is developed and well-paced. There is no instalove in this book, and the romances are also written. One in particular I found super realistic, especially with the way it ended.

In the end, One of Us Is Lying is a entertaining and engaging book. It has great characters, an interesting mystery to solve, and the pace is steady. It is very easy to lose yourself while reading it, which only makes things better. Recommended to YA fans who like mysteries and unconventional groups of friends.

Mystery isn’t my favourite YA genre (I’m a fantasy girl all the way) but occasionally I like to sink my claws into a story that will leave me at the edge of my seat with the WHO-DUNNIT element.
And that’s the sole reason why while One Of Us Is Lying was a GOOD book, it didn’t make me suspect the four teenagers in the room – NOT ONCE – making it seem slightly off. That vital blame game was missing and while I was curious to see who did it, I NEVER FELT THAT INTENSE NEED TO KNOW.
Thoughts:
1. THE PLOT OF THE BOOK WAS REALLY INTERESTING, and that’s the reason I requested it! Five teenagers locked in detention, a car crash to send the teacher out and the boy with a gossip website and a horrifying secret about everyone in that room dies from an allergic reaction. GREAT PLOT.

2. I also loved that the book was told from the viewpoints of all four potential murderers. It made you get to know them a lot more and piece together stories of the story.

3. While I liked the above point (^), it was also the reason the book didn’t have the who-dunnit element. NONE OF THE CHARACTERS HATED SIMON ENOUGH TO KILL HIM, and I fully believed that they didn’t making me uninterested in finding out which of them killed him. Honestly, I LIKED the characters too much to see them as murderers.

4. One of my favourite characters was Addison. I adored her character development in the book. She took huge steps to from a girl that made every decision based on her boyfriend’s whims and fancies to one who one who cut her hair and turned badass. I loved her spirit and I really liked how much she changed.

5. Honestly, I liked the book. The characters were well developed, the plot was definitely unique but I didn’t SUSPECT ANYONE. It didn’t make me blame anyone and I just accepted the ending as it came.

A very well constructed book with interesting characters that is definitely worth a read! 4 stars

One of Us is Lying starts out as the Breakfast Club, with a group of disparate teens forced to spend detention together, and quickly veers off into a mystery novel when one of them is murdered. The plot is full of red herrings as every character is lying to protect their secrets. Are those secrets worth killing for to keep them out of a tell-all blog that has ruined many students at their school? Each stereotypical character is slowly stripped of their veneer to reveal a complicated person underneath. The novel deals with many issues facing high-school students (depression, family issues, homosexuality, relationships, etc), which are made even more difficult by the ubiquity of social media.

Even though I figured out who the killer was from the start, the twists and turns kept me amused throughout. There really was only one person it could have been. I'm glad I'm not in high-school today when every detail of life gets posted online, whether you want it or not.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in a GoodRead's giveaway.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book from the beginning. I'm definitely not the target demographic for this book (considering I was actually in high school when the Breakfast Club was released in theaters), but I do enjoy reading novels written for younger readers (both YA and MG) and read them frequently. This is a tough book to review without giving too much away, and I would hate to offer spoilers, but I will give it a try.
First, I appreciated how the 4 main teen characters changed over the novel, especially Addy. People may think of this blonde homecoming court character as a trope, but one of my closest friends was this character. She struggled for years with bulimia and boyfriends like Jake before finally learning to accept and love herself. I found Addy's change to be believable and I was cheering her on as I read.
One thing that detracted from my appreciation of the book was the portrayal of authority figures (parents, teachers, and police mainly) and found much of these interactions hard to swallow. Given the POV was from teen characters, I understood to a certain extent, but I'd have liked to see more positive parental interactions especially.
The mystery part of the story was handled well. I didn't know who killed Simon until over half way through the book. You can figure it out if you pay attention to the clues, but it's well done. One thing I noticed was that with all the frequent switches in POV, I found myself having to flip back and double check whose head I was in a few times. This could be an issue if listening to the book in audio format.
Overall, fast paced and engaging. Great debut for Ms. McManus!

One of Us is Lying begins with five Bayview high school students entering detention together, because of breaking a no cellphone rule. All five claim the confiscated phones aren’t theirs. After an hour one of the students is dead. Simon, the victim, writes and runs a school gossip app, so he had many enemies. Did one of the students in detention kill him, did all four together or was it someone else entirely? Who had such a terrible secret it was worth killing to keep Simon silent?

The Bayview Four (as they are dubbed in the press) are initially introduced as stereotypes - the Jock, the Brainiac, the Princess and the Bad Boy. As the story progresses it's revealed there is so much more to each of them than that and they all have something they'd desperately like to hide. I loved getting to know each of the suspects, finding out the secrets they want to keep hidden and how they individually deal with the accusations by the police and grow from their experiences as a result.

The story is told through multiple viewpoints and it's a testament to the author's writing ability that I was easily able to distinguish the different characters from chapter to chapter. I found the four main characters well-developed and very likeable, so I anxiously looked forward to the conclusion to find out who the killer was and why Simon was killed. This was a fun YA mystery, with an uncomplicated style I really enjoyed. Highly recommended.

4.5 Stars
This is a great mystery / crime story aimed at young adults but can be enjoyed by anyone from teens upwards. I can just remember my teens but I often read Young Adult, I love the fresh originality with a touch of fantasy after some of the more heavy going women's fiction I read, although this one doesn't have the fantasy element.

The opening chapters find five teenagers getting detention at a privileged school, Bayview High. Three are unlikely to step out of line but one, Nate, is often found in detention. The three unlikelies rightly feel annoyed that they are suffering a detention because they all think that mobile phones (cells), which aren't allowed in class, were planted on them. The fifth, well, he ends up dead. With only those four present in the room this is a really intense twisty turny who-dun-it style story. For most of the book I honestly couldn't make up my mind who the culprit was, then it started to dawn on me. I'm not usually very good at guessing endings to books and whether you do or don't guess correctly is of little relevance. It's the journey to the end which is important and this was one very clever telling of quite an original story.

The chapters take turns with the characters and we get to know and love each of them well. The characters are well developed and each have their complexities. There's never a stuttering moment and can honestly say that my interest was kept at a high level all the way through. Karen McManus has created an amazing debut and think One of Us Is Lying will be loved and talked about by teenage readers.

This novel is more than a little out of my comfort zone – being YA, which I rarely read. It is set in Bayview High, where five teenagers are given detention. As one of them observes, they are pretty much, ‘teen movie stereotypes.’ You have the super smart student, Bronwyn, bad boy Nate, athlete Cooper Clay, the pretty Addy Prentiss and Simon Kelleher, who runs a gossip app, giving everyone in the school news that is all too accurate.

During what should have been a routine detention, one of the students collapses and dies in circumstances which seem more than a little suspicious. In fact, it seems that these were an unlikely group to be given detention at all – well, apart from Nate, who is on probation. Yet, all of the group have a secret that they wanted to keep away from the all knowing Simon Kelleher. Nobody wants to air their tawdry secrets in public, but would one of the group have gone as far as murder to prevent that happening?

This is an interesting novel about growing up and about the immense pressure that young people feel from their parents and their peer group. You come to feel for all of the young people involved. There is Nate, whose father spends most of the time passed out drunk, Bronwyn, who is under pressure to get into a top college, Addy who is under the thumb of her domineering boyfriend and Cooper, whose father is insistent that he becomes a sports star. As well as the characters, though, this is also a pretty good mystery and an interesting read. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

One of Us is Lying By Karen M McManus Review:

One of Us is Lying is a YA murder mystery. A group of 5 teens get hauled into detention under false pretenses and only 4 walk out.
Simon Kelleher runs a gossip app that airs the dirty secrets of everyone in the school and he has something on each of the other 4 so they all become suspects in his murder.
The story is told from the perspective of each of the 4 kids in turn, following them as they try and figure out who killed Simon and clear their names.
If you want something that will keep you guessing and engage you, this is it. It was a great, quick read.
I went into this expecting it to be a 3 or 4 star read but I devoured it and the mystery was so well done and the characters so fleshed out that it definitely earned that 5th star.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!

Characters are always a big thing with me so I wanted to touch on each of the mains for a minute and mention what I liked about them.

Cooper Clay is a star baseball player, being scouted by colleges. He actually doesn’t fall into many stereotypes. None of them do, which is refreshing. Copper is southern which is great but I’m not sure McManus has actually heard a southern accent because even when mine is at it’s thickest I don’t say “ah” instead of “I.” That aside, he is sweet and kind and has a lot of love for his family. He’s gay and Simon plans on outing him to the whole school. The secrets he keeps lead him to be a little distant with people and that causes him some problems in his normal life and through the course of the investigation.

Nate Macaulay is the token bad boy. I say this in the sense that he’s on probation for drug violations that are a result of his poverty and neglectful parents but otherwise he’s a good kid. I’m always a sucker for a bad boy. Simon’s app planned to reveal his continued drug dealing.

Bronwyn Rojas is the over achieving daughter of a successful Colombian immigrant and his wife. Simon finds out she cheated to get an A in a class she was struggling in.

Addy Prentiss is the sweet, but initially weak willed beauty queen who made some poor decisions due to insecurities and cheated on her terrible boyfriend.

Simon Kelleher is an in-crowd wanna be and...kind of a psychopath. He sadistically reveals secrets that have life ruining results with no detectable remorse. He treats everyone like crap then blames them for not including him in things to the point where he decides to end it all but frame his classmates for it, effectively taking them down with him.

The four “suspects” are able to figure this out before their lives are ruined completely but not before they experience a hefty amount of emotional distress and trauma. I really appreciated how realistic their character development felt to me and how Addy’s relationship with her boyfriend wasn’t depicted as even a little bit okay, even having him be in on Simon’s scheme just to get revenge on Addy for sleeping with someone else.
I guess it could be argued that Bronwyn and Nate were a little insta-love-y but I think that for teenagers in a messed up situation it was pretty realistic for them to be drawn to each other the way they were.
Over all I loved this book and I am looking forward to the sequel with cautious optimism.

Mix Prep School Confidential with The Liar Society and throw in a dash of Dangerous Girls and you're still not even close to the plot of One of Us in Lying but you're in the right ballpark in terms of a YA murder mystery.

One of Us in Lying is the ultimate high school whodunit. When a teen dies during detention the remaining four students find themselves under scrutiny and at the centre of a murder mystery.

All the students have secrets, which victim Simon seemed ready and willing to exploit. So it's not difficult to imagine any of them murdering him as they all had motives.

The story is told from multiple POVs which means the reader gets to experience the mystery unfold right along with Addy, Bronwyn, Cooper and Nate.

The book is full of secrets and lies. Like literally all the secrets! No not really but you get the point. I had my suspicions about the culprit/culprits from the start, then promptly changed my mind and ended up being right on the money (don't worry no spoilers here).

As much as the story is about finding Simon's killer, it's also about the pressure and stress placed on teenagers today. We uncover a lot about Addy, Bronwyn, Cooper and Nate throughout the book. We see them as they face their guilt, loss, anger and tackle their own more personal issues.

One of Us is Lying is an intriguing and dramatic coming of age story with a harsh lesson and good mystery.

4 Stars in my Sky!

I received a review copy

4.5 stars

I was hooked. Kid dies during detention, four witnesses, and a whole lot of secrets. What a page turner.

Once again I’m so glad I went to high school before smartphones were invented, and most social media didn’t exist yet. Teenagers are brutal.

While most kids admit they didn’t like Simon, killing him is obvious a step too far. Author of the school’s gossip app, Simon has plenty of enemies. Though it’s the last four whose secrets he hadn’t revealed yet, who stood to lose the most.

Each has his or her secret. Some more shocking than others, though all equally life changing.

The police is relentless, and the suspects keep claiming their innocence. The media is on their case as well, though none are as harsh as their peers.

Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper, and Addy set out to find the real culprit. Honestly it’s sad when teens can do a better job than the professionals.

I loved how we’re kept guessing ’till the end. False leads, suspicious secondary characters, and the final reveal is awesome. I mean tragic, ’cause a kid died, but masterfully set up.

On Of Us Is Lying is a thrill ride, taking teenage drama, and angst to a whole new level. I loved every second of it. Impossible to put down!

*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

McManus's debut novel is just amazing. It is the perfect balance of mystery and young adult complications that simply makes it a must read. 5 students walk into detention, and 4 walk out alive. But what happened to their fellow student, the one who everyone in school seemed to have a motive to kill, especially the 4 students in detention with him? McManus tells this complex story through the eyes of all four main characters, each with their own individual point of view that all seamlessly mesh together throughout the book. I spent the entire time reading this book needing to know what happened next, and I was never disappointed. Even if you are not generally a YA reader but are looking for a fresh, new mystery, this is what you have been looking for.

Five students are in detention having been discovered with cell phones by a technophobe teacher. They are a varied group. There is Cooper, upper athlete, courted by colleges, destined for a glittering career as a baseball player. Addy is the popular girl, dating the handsome jock. Nate is the black sheep, on probation for a drug offence, trying to keep himself going despite a drunken father and an absent mother. Bronwen is the smart one, top marks in classes, looking to get into a top-class university. Then there is Simon, bit of a loner always on the edge of things and also the writer of the most hated gossip blog in the school.
When one of them dies the finger points at the other four. What secrets do they hide and who would have done this and why?
I enjoyed this book although I felt it was a bit sketchy in places. At times, I began to lose interest, only to come across another piece of the puzzle that made me keep reading. I found the characters a little stereo-typed but I guess that was the point of them.
All in all an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read and review this book.

I don’t usually read in the teen/young adult genre unless there’s some really unique hook that grabs me. In the case of One of Us is Lying, it was the implied mashup between John Hughes Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars. The story starts out very much in the mold of The Breakfast Club with five kids from vastly different high school social groupings in detention together. They become tied together through a shared experience, but that’s where The Breakfast Club connection seems to die (no pun intended).

The moment one of the kids in that room dies, the story becomes more Pretty Little Liars with secrets, gossip, a social media app., relationships and friendships change so quickly that it’s hard to know who’s a friend and who’s an enemy from one moment to the next. There is also a solid dose of Law and Order with a police investigation that leads to the easy answer, but nothing is so easily explained in Bayview.

One of Us is Lying is a 350+ page thrill ride that features action, romance, suspense and if you read this book like I did, you will be guessing right up until the final twenty-thirty pages. This book left me wanting more as in I wish there could be a sequel.

Part of me expected this to just be a young adult suspense story filled with vapid teenagers. The other part of me was thrilled with the Breakfast Club comparisons and was expecting magic. This book ended up being somewhere in the middle. It did have a very BC vibe to it, but there was so much more. The death of Simon was interesting. The secrets the Bayview Four were hiding were also interesting. Even though I figured out most of what was going on long before the reveal, I still found it all very intriguing. The reasons behind things, the people behind certain situations….they played out beautifully.

I really enjoyed the Bayview Four, Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper and Nate. I love when characters are deeper than they first appear; when they are more than what they allow people to see. These four characters embody that. It was exciting to watch them be truly unveiled. I couldn’t put this book down.

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars?

This book was filled was the basic who done it, he said she said, teenage drama and I loved every single page. This was a fun read that I did not want to end. I expected to become annoyed at some point with the high school cliché of cliques and drama, however, surprisingly, I feel like it never came to a point where the author had gone overboard and it ruined the book.

I’m not going to lie, I can tend to be gullible which usually results in me never figuring out thrillers & mysteries I read until the end, so I must say I feel like a real life detective to have figured this out partway through the book. Although, I had figured it out I did not at any point want to stop reading.

I feel like the best part about this book was that there were no fillers, everything flowed so smoothly and was needed for the story to make complete sense, at no point was I yawning and wondering why the author added this or that.

* Received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much! This doesn’t affect the review in any way. My opinions are, as always, my own.*

This is such a good book! I love that this book is both a contemporary and a thriller. There are parts that are just cute and about friendship and others that put your heart speeding up to know what’s going to happen!

The book follows Bronwyn, Addy, Nate and Cooper. They were put in detention after being found with phones in class, that turned out, weren’t theirs. Someone clearly set them up and they have to discover why because in that same room in detention was Simon – the school gossiper – and he had an allergic attack to peanut oil after drinking just a cup of water and died. Now, the four of them have been made suspects and a lot of secrets are going to come up!

Our characters couldn’t be more different from each other! But I love that as the book goes on, their friendship develops, and without what happened, they would have never been friends.

I absolutely loved how the secrets were unraveled and how realistic the whole situation felt. The writing was really good and made the book incredibly gripping and the different pov’s, which usually I’m not a fan of, were really nicely done and easy to follow.

I can’t stop thinking about this book! It was just so good and although I was kind of expecting already what happened at the end, it still managed to surprise me in many ways!

I would love if this book was ever turned into a movie – preferably a really good adaptation. It would be such a good – slightly cute – thriller! And they should also keep that cover because it’s gorgeous!

I loved this book and I would most definitely recommend it!

One of Us is Lying has been on my TBR since it first released last year. I've heard so many wonderful things about it and One of Us is Lying lived up to all of my expectations! It's advertised as a mix between Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars, which is exactly how I would describe it myself. I was constantly trying to guess who was behind the murder and I was continually surprised by the twists and turns. Some of the revelations were bigger than others, but all were perfectly weaved into the story.

This is one of the first YA books that I have really enjoyed in a long time. I read it in one sitting because I was sucked right in from the first chapter. The premise of One of Us is Lying is that five students get detention and only four leave the room alive. Sound mysterious? It really was. The story is told through the eyes of the four students who left the room. At first I wasn't sure if that was going to work for me, but I ended up liking the format. It was helpful to get all four perspectives on the situation.

I thought this was a very solid mystery. I was kept guessing throughout the entire book. I honestly could not guess what really happened on that day, so I was genuinely floored at the reveal. There were a lot of surprises and everyone had secrets. What I liked the most was I actually liked all four of the main characters. I genuinely cared about them and didn't want any of them to be guilty. I definitely recommend this one. This is a debut book and I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It was pretty slow for me at first and I was having trouble distinguishing the different characters voices. But when things started picking up about 20% in, I was completely hooked. I guessed who the killer was about halfway through but I was never quite sure, it kept you guessing the whole time.

I usually hate multiple POVs but this was done well. I didn't feel there were too many characters, though in my opinion Bronwyn was the main character. We saw more of her and I was definitely more invested in her, and her love life, more than anything. I wish we had seen a bit more of the others.

This book had you guessing and second guessing what you thought and what all of the characters were telling you.

5 very different people are thrown together in detention one afternoon under suspicious circumstances. When one of the teens experiences an allergic reaction and dies, the remaining 4 immediately become murder suspects.
I started this book with my usual wariness of high-school centered YA books. But seeing as it's a murder mystery, I decided to give it a shot.
One of Us is Lying reads a lot like a whodunit. There are plenty of clues throughout the book that point to the killer. And yet the book confuses the reader by giving each suspect a point of view, leaving you wondering just how in the world any of them could have committed the murder.
This constant switching of POVs was at first a little annoying, but I got used to it and even came to appreciate how every POV switch left me with more questions than answers, compelling me to keep reading to find out what happened next.
My favorite thing about this book is the character development. While each student is introduced as your stereotypical nerd, dumb blond, athlete, and bad boy, they each have their own story and each one develops character depth I don't get to see in many YA books.
Bronwyn is your typical preppy, all-As student who's expected to get into Yale. She's a natural leader, and easily steps into her role of (unofficial) lead investigator on the case. Cooper is a Jock who throws a wicked fastball and is expected to make the majors after college baseball. Addy is at first an air-headed, pretty girl who will do anything her boyfriend asks, until they break up and she begins to develop her own personality, which turns out to be pretty empowering. Nate is the black sheep, the troubled kid, the natural scapegoat. Already on probation for drug-dealing, he's the natural lead suspect in the case.
It was fun to try and solve the mystery, but I was a little disappointed when one clue was revealed about 2/3 of the way in that pretty much gave away who the murderer was.
Aside from that, though the book was pretty entertaining. I'd recommend it to everyone. It's YA, high-school, mystery, it discusses family problems and other matters that I won't say here because of spoilers. Basically it's worth it. Check it out.

I could not put it down. McManus wrote a wonderful whodunit book. From scene 1, I read every scene carefully– trying to find any clues. Each character has their own secrets that slowly come out throughout the book and for some it is more than one secret that keeps bringing them to the center of the investigation.

The pacing of the novel is perfect. McManus takes off from the very beginning and does not stop until the end. I needed to know how this would play out and the pacing was perfect. There were a couple of slow moments, but they didn’t stick around long. With the story being told from multiple perspectives, we are rapidly switching to each of the teenagers from detention that day.

I need this to be a television show, which it supposedly is going to be. If it pans out, I will be watching every episode!

This book was really enjoyable. When I started the first chapter I was like “Ugh this is like the Breakfast Club.” Which I did enjoy The Breakfast Club, but I didn’t want to read a book like it. This book is so much more though! Simon dies before detention is up. The four left in the room, Cooper, Addy, Bronwyn, and Nate are suspects for his death. Simon wasn’t well liked because he had a gossip site where he liked to ruin people’s lives. Think Gossip Girl, but Simon wasn’t anonymous. Also think Pretty Little Liars with secrets coming out that shouldn’t have been mentioned. I half figured out the ending before I got to it, but I was still surprised. I didn’t see some of it coming! I liked all four characters and their chapters. There wasn’t one that I was annoyed by reading. This was a great read with some nice twists and turns. So if you like thrilling mysteries, you should definitely pick this book up!

This was so much fun to read! I love the Breakfast Club setup: a jock, a brain, a princess, a delinquent, and an outsider walk into detention. And the twist: Someone dies. What follows is a fast-paced story packed with secrets and lies—and some really great characters.

The story alternates between the four teens, which I worried would leave me antsy for some characters’ chapters and slogging through others’. That wasn’t the case here. The plot moves at breakneck speed, and each character is interesting in his or her own right. Most impressive was the way McManus turned a character who I found mostly pathetic and slightly annoying into someone I could really root for.

As for the mystery: Well, I guessed the killer in the first few chapters, BUT I’m really good at that sort of thing. A lot of readers are going to be shocked by that ending, and McManus sets it up so well.

And guessing the killer so early didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book at all. While I was sure I knew the who, I was dying to know the why—and how everyone was going to get out of the mess they were in. Also, there was a really cute romance that didn’t distract from the mystery but that was still, you know, really cute.

If you like Pretty Little Liars, you’re going to adore One of Us Is Lying. —Tracey

(Review of ARC)

One Of Us Is Lying
By
Karen M. McManus

What it's all about...

Five students have detention. The one with the allergy is thirsty, takes a drink of water from a paper cup and a sink in the back of the classroom and dies soon after of an allergic reaction! What happened?

Why I wanted to read it...

This book was fascinating...not a typical YA but a YA with an edge as well as a murder! Each student was typecast...we have a brain, a beauty, a criminal, an athlete, and an outcast. I won't tell you which one didn't make it out of detention alive.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

I liked the premise, I liked the writing, and I liked the uniqueness of each student. I also loved having no clue what happened to cause that student's demise.

Why you should read it, too...

Here is my typical suggestion for potential readers...if you enjoy YA that is edgy and kind of different...you just might enjoy reading this book.

You know those books that are so good that despite the fact that you are pretty sure you have it all figured out in the first few chapters, that you just don't care because you have to see if you are right, but most of all, you just want to keep reading because the story has sucked you in?

That was this read for me. Sure, I knew pretty much everyone's secrets and I had a good guess what happened to Simon but I didn't care because I had to make sure I was right and that is where the fun came in. Really the story was so engaging that it was pretty hard to put down and knowing the who and the what, didn't ruin a thing for me or take away from the story one bit and for that, I would highly recommend reading this. It was just that good.

This is a fast faced and uniquely written story that is bound to appeal to many readers. If you are a fan of Pretty Little Liars, this book would also be right up your alley.

One of the most likable things about this story (that should apply to all mystery and thrillers but unfortunately does not) is the fact that you can't correctly figure out "who dun it" until the very end. Kudos to the author for this because it is a seemingly hard feat in this day and age.

I highly recommend this novel to fellow readers and based on this one, I will certainly be reading many more of the authors books in the future.

When five very different high school students all end up in the same detention after school from cleverly placed cell phones in their backpacks that belong to none of them, they all assume someone set them up. But the question is who? And when one of the five students drops dead not even ten minutes into detention, all eyes turn to the other four remaining students. Each of them now the center of the media circus surrounding the case. The four students band together to uncover the truth behind the case and dig up all of the evidence that the cops are overlooking to clear their names. The problem is, with each new piece of evidence they find, another one of their secrets is revealed.

Review: When I first heard of this book, I heard nothing but good things. With an open and excited mind, I dove right in. I read the book in two days. It was hard to put down and read so well. I loved how with each turn of the page, you dove deeper into each of the main character’s lives. The twist at the end had your mouth dropping and thinking how in the world would I have seen this coming? The absolute end I thought ended the book well as it tied together each of the character’s lives nicely and left you with a nice, warm feeling in your heart. I highly suggest this book if you enjoy a good page turner, mystery, and secrets.

I give this book a 4.6 out of 5 stars.

As the description of the book explains, five teens go into Detention one afternoon. But something is kind of off, four of them have gotten detention for anything before, and only one of them has habitually been in detention. One of them is an Honor student Brownwyn headed to Harvard. Anyway, five go into detention that afternoon, but only four come out. The fifth is killed by someone, but who killed him? That's where this story begins. One of the people involved is lying, but who is it? And what is he or she or they lying about, and why? Wow! This is a great thriller that will keep you guessing and wondering up until the end. I really enjoyed it. But the story is more than just a mystery; it deals with real life problems that all teens face every day through the voices of these characters. it I want to read more by this author Karen M. McManus. Check it out.

One of Us is Lying has a brilliantly thought-out, well-planned storyline. Every one of the protagonists are under suspicion and my theories followed wherever Ms. McManus led. At one point or another, I thought they were all guilty.

There are a lot of characters in this story, not only the individual POV’s of the multiple main characters but also the numerous secondary characters, including the siblings who got involved in the investigation, which I found confusing and resulted in me paging back and forth to work out who fits in where.

The twists are very clever and the final outcome unpredictable, but I don’t think the story has enough depth. It lacks the intense, dark, formidable atmosphere I was hoping for and which would have taken the book to the next level.
@crushingcinders

With how this book turned out I'm surprised I'm not hearing much people talk about this book. It was so interesting. I loved that there was enough mystery to suspect people. I loved that there was enough clues given over time to come up with a different motive and different suspected. I loved that I was able to get the perspectives of the four characters without it being too confusing or overwhelming. When it comes to multi pov I tend to find myself lost in the confusion but when it came to this book each character had their own distinct personality that I didn't have a hard time getting used to their own voices. I loved that ending and how it turned out and I totally was thrown off and wasn't expecting it. Overall it was such a fun read, and like it mentioning in the description it does have like a PPL (Pretty Little Liars) vibe going on so I think if you like PPL you will like this book.

Five high school students go to detention and one ends up dead! Simon mysteriously dies but no one is really sad because he was the Perez Hilton of his school. He was messy as hell and created an app called About That he used to spread gossip. If you had a secret Simon would find it. Ladies this is YA book but excellent and the author's first book.

I enjoy reading well written YA fiction and this book is excellent. The ending had twists and turns and I experienced some heart palpitations trying to figure out who killed Simon. There was a definite surprise at the end but I did expect a little more. Overall this book is worth reading. Was I the only person who had the movie The Breakfast Club come to mind?

I JUST FINISHED THIS BOOK AND IT MIGHT BE THE BEST IVE EVER READ
the storyline is so good and mysterious but then gets a but predictable at the end which i like
the characters are so relatable and in depth and amazing.
The author puts so much DETAIL in to everything she writes
the only thing I was upset about is that the last chapter didnt have a Nate & Browyn Kiss BECAUSE I LOVE THEM
TOGETHER! So i wished in the last chapter Nate would say "I love you"
but other then that THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING
PLEASE MAKE A MOVIE, TV SHOW, SEQUEL, ETC ETC ETC

Love, Nina

My son is 10, but I still read to him at night. It is just our thing. I ordered this book and when it came, he read the back and wanted me to read it to him. It started out okay, but then kind of stalled. We're about 2/3 of the way through it and agreed last night to just skip to the end, see who did it, and find a new book. There is no progression in the case. Nothing new has been discovered for many, many chapters. The only discovery since the murder has been stuff posted online or things that were going to be posted, but none of those put you any closer to figuring out who did it.

I really liked this. It was different than I thought it would be and is much less of a murder mystery than an analysis of teenager life.

The mystery was pretty decent, although I know that several people have said they knew who the killer was within the first chapter. And yeah... it's fairly obvious when you think about it. But I read it as less about the mystery and more about the relationships between these five people, and that's really what kept me reading.

Yes it was definitely tropey, so if you don't like classic YA tropes then you probably won't like this one. You have the bad boy (Nate), the nerdy girl (Bronwyn), the popular girl (Addy), the baseball star (Cooper), and finally the outcast (Simon). The book starts out with these tropes, but even as you go along you discover that they aren't just defined by those tropes, but also OTHER tropes too.

But you know what? It doesn't matter. I liked the book. I liked the characters. It was simple and fun. It wasn't life-changing, but I did devour it. A good YA read for me! (Which doesn't really happen all the often for me anymore)

This was more than a page turner--it was a compulsive, two nights of sleep ruined, addictively good mystery! The plot twists were incredible and the pacing so quick that I couldn't find a spot to pause (thus, two nights of sleep messed with). And the characters! They start out as Breakfast Club-style stereotypes and grow deeper and twistier with each chapter. I was definitely #TeamBronwyn at the start, but Addy really found her way under my skin and became the character I rooted hardest for my the end. There's some thrumingly good romance in there too--won't say who because: SPOILERS, just be prepared for some excellent kissing scenes.

I want three more seasons of this book on Netflix, please.

I saw a review of this book and immediately wanted to check it out, so I requested and received a copy from NetGalley. Thanks again to the author and the publisher for granting my request. This book was very clever and well-made, very fascinating. It is narrated through the point of view of Bronwyn, Addy, Nate and Cooper, the four students who get out of detention alive and all have something to hide, which leads to them all becoming murder suspects. They are what you can call unreliable narrators, hiding their secrets until the end when they can, and it’s something I really liked about the story. It just makes it more fascinating to read.

Overall, I felt like the characters were quite realistically depicted. They are in high school, they try their best, they make mistakes. In that extent, they were quite relatable. They also all had amazing characters development, which I absolutely loved.

Honestly, this book was fascinating and hard to put down. Every time a chapter ended, I had to know what would happen next. My only regret was that it was a little bit too cliché sometimes, but I guess that is also part of what makes this book what it is. Four students who have nothing in common, and are all high school cliché, entrapped into a murder case, trying to figure out who the real murderer is. Can they trust one another? They don’t even know it themselves.

I have to say, I had my suspicions as to who the real murdere was, and it turned out I was right. It was still very interesting to see everything unravel, and I have to admit, this book had some seriously interesting plot twists.

I won’t say more because I want to keep this non spoilery. But all I can say is that I definitely recommend this book!

I did it you guys. I finally read One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus.

This book was on the NYT bestsellers list for quite a while, so I had been highly anticipating this book. It starts off very reminiscent of The breakfast club-- five teens enter detention and seem to have almost nothing in common. However, things turn dicey really quickly when one student has an allergic reaction and no EpiPen can be found. Since his EpiPen couldn't be found and all the ones from the nurse's station were gone, his death was quickly ruled a homicide. Of course, all of the other teens in the room are key suspects. And what makes it even worse, is that Simon runs a gossip blog that was about to dish out major secrets on each of those students. Would one of them kill Simon in order to keep their secret from becoming public knowledge?

What I liked:
-Each character was really different and most grew a lot over the course of the story

-The writing style was very nice. We moved quickly through the story and I was riveted. I read this book so quickly because I was just absolutely hooked.

-How the mystery turned out was quite good. I actually knew what the end was going to be because I accidentally spoiled myself by watching a Youtube video, but the foreshadowing of the killer was phenomenal and I enjoyed seeing it all play out

What I didn't like:

- There were a lot of things that I found inappropriate/distasteful about this book. Here's a list:

One of the characters decided to sleep with her boyfriend (prior to the events of the book) because her mom told her that if she kept saying no, eventually someone else would say yes.
[MINOR SPOILERS] One of the secrets that could have gotten out was that one of the characters is gay. I find it inappropriate for sexuality to be a plot twist
One of the female side characters is very sexual. A comment is made about her that, if she were a guy, she would be in jail for all the groping she does. Okay. Any type of unsolicited touching is NOT OKAY regardless of the gender of the person doing the touching. This line is extremely sexist and inappropriate.
There's a lot of tossing around of the terms "whore" and "slut." I am not okay with how hyper-sexual some of these characters were being, but I don't think it's every okay to call someone a slut.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read McManus's next book, but I sincerely hope that she grows more from this book to the next and avoids the generalizations of all girls as sluts and that inappropriate touching from girls is okay because apparently all guys would like that. 

Love the storyline and enjoyed the mystery, but overall left a sour taste in my mouth

3/5 stars

One of Us Is Lying is amazing! I read it in one sitting, because I just had to know what happened. With each chapter I changed my mind on who I thought killed Simon. Finally, about halfway through I correctly guessed part of the mystery, but the twist was something in never saw coming. I loved that the story is told from the POV of each of the suspects and I found all of the characters well fleshed out and relateable. I look forward to reading more from Karen McManus.

*I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a debut novel! I was given an advanced readers copy by a friend who went to the LA Times Festival of Books. I didn't expect to be drawn in like I was. 5 students have detention after school, but before it is over one student is dead and it is presumed the killer is among the other 4. Bronwyn is the super smart mathlete. Ally is the girlfriend of the number one jock in school. Cooper is the baseball player being scouted by colleges and the major leagues. Nate is the bad boy drug dealer. All have secrets that Simon knew about and was ready to publish on the non official gossip site for the school. This book breaks down all the stereotypes we know from high school as the police, and the students themselves set out to find the killer.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book going into it, and I'm even more uncertain as to how I feel now that I've finished it. This book is 13 Reasons Why meets Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls, but with a lingering aftertaste of confusion and teen angst. I remember feeling the way that each character felt back in high school, I remember the feeling that the moment I was living in was the END ALL BE ALL for my life. The book captures this feeling perfectly, almost too perfectly. I was thrown right back to high school. I think this book makes an excellent example of the tragedy that results when bullying meets entitlement, and without spoiling it, I can see this situation actually unfolding. The only thing I will say is that there seemed to be too much of a cavalier attitude towards the *expected* unexpected plot twist, and that makes me nervous for the actual young adults reading it. Overall, worth the read.

This is a unique and fast-paced mystery drama.

Told through alternating points of view, we witness the death of Simon in the first few pages and then everything tilts on its axis.

How did he die? Why did he die? Who had the means and guts to do it?

I enjoyed the mysteries and conflict in each of the characters’ lives more than the murder mystery. My favorite character was definitely Nate...a victim of terrible life circumstances yet strong and chivalrous despite being targeted constantly.

The ending was a decent twist and all the mini-surprises were very satisfying.

A fun read.

I liked One of Us Is Lying a lot! It was suspenseful, and mostly very interesting. Just a few issues.

-The police weren't realistic.
-The characters kinda fell flat for me.
-Bit of an unrealistic and far-fetched plot.
-Minor grammar errors.
-You can't really pause a video game.

(Ignore the last one it's just one of my very many pet peeves)

I will probably keep this author on my radar, since for the most part this book was good. I recommend reading it. Just be warned, it is not without flaws.

-Vivian

OMG what a ride!!!

This book... I don't even know where to begin with. It was brilliant, the writing style is engrossing and I totally loved every bit of it. The different points of view of Addy, Cooper, Nate and Bronwyn were soo good that it felt like I was there in the same school with them and their group seeing the events happening right before my eyes.

I totally did not see this whole thing coming it was like BANG something hit your head and you don't even know what it was or where it came from. Great turn.

I dare to say that so far this has been one of the BEST and amazingly written book I have read in 2017 and I want more of it. There is nothing more to add everyone who's into this genre MUST read this masterpiece it would not disappoint I guarantee you this.

Brilliant...

I'm a 42-year old high school English teacher who doesn't usually read this type of book, but I recently bought it for my school library and wanted to read it along with my kids. That being said -- I really liked this book. It was an engaging read; I wanted to find out what happened and I read it in about two to three days. I liked the premise of the book, and though I'm not sure this is Karen McManus' intention, I think it raises some provocative questions about how easy it is to be charged with a crime based on circumstantial evidence (essentially, being in the right place at the wrong time). While the characters initially came off as one-dimensional, McManus gave them more depth as time went on and ultimately, I found this to be a thoughtful book. Without giving away the ending, by about halfway through the book, I thought the main person who plotted Simon's death was fairly obvious, but this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. I thought it was a good choice to do first-person point of view for all four of the main characters, but I think the voices of each should have been more distinctive; they all sort of had the same voice, in my opinion. Overall, though, this is a solid read that I recommend.

A modern-day "Breakfast Club" that ends (and begins) with death. Was it murder? All four of the remaining students left in detention have a secret he or she is hiding, but is the secret that they killed Simon? Simon was hated by many. This story takes you through all the different reasons he was hated and leads to the one who hated Simon the most--hated him enough to kill him. The twists and lies revealed at just the right moment made this book hard to put down. Excellent YA read for readers of all ages.

If you are looking for a dramatic, event filled, suspenseful book, One of Us is Lying stands the perfect choice. The novel portrays a murder story from the point of view of four teenage students. Bronwyn, Cooper, Nate, and Addy are four students from, what seemed to be, a typical high school. Bronwyn is a studious, preppy girl who lives in an extravagant house along with her picture perfect family. Cooper displays an American teenage boy who is a heart throb for every girl in town. Nate is the bad boy of the group. His dad is an alcoholic and his mom is not in the picture. Addy lives the popular life with her fun mom, homecoming queen titles, and bouncy blonde hair. All four students were chosen to be involved in a crisis that shook the country. None of the students had prior connections and were immensely affected by the investigation. Towards the end of the book when the main characters are holding on to as much hope as they can, Bronwyn expresses, “I haven't been on [twitter] since this whole mess started” (McManus 326). Even an app that most kids take for granted was too much for the students at the time. Before the murder, they all had lived separate, normal teenage lives. Sure Cooper and Addy are in the same friend group, but they were never murder planning buddies. If it weren’t for the four students’ accidental detention in the same room, at the same time, with the murdered person, they would never be suspected. Then, the question pondered why would those specific four students be chosen? Eventually, after avoiding each other for the first half of the murder investigation, the students connect the dots and try to connect each other. Through conversing, relationships are formed, hearts are broken, and secrets are told within those four students.
Continuing, the author has a very modern writing style. The writing is just as a person would speak. Therefore, the book is very easy to understand and very entertaining. The writing style also helps to develop the characters. If the character speaking is a student, the writing is youthful and fun, but if the character speaking is an adult, a mature tone overcomes the book. In my eyes the book is so great because it goes from a story of four relatable high school students to four suspected students. The book shows how a whole life can change in a minute, or in this case, a detention. A mix of drama and investigation, One of Us is Lying stands as one of the best books I have ever read. AN

Simon died from a peanut oil-laced cup of water. One of the people in detention did it. He question is who? I was rooting for the four from the beginning til the end. The characters we well written, and I liked how each chapter switched to one of the four ' s p.o.v. My favorite part was when the kids tried to put clues together to solve he murder. I also liked Bronwyn. Great mystery!!

I saw this on Barnes&Nobles and found the cover interesting. But I read the description and thought: “it’s a breakfast club/gossip girl/pretty little liars kinda thing. This is going to be a mess.”
Read a few pages and put it down. I decided to give it a second chance and DAMN! I’m a big fan of YA books, but have always stick to fantasy, romance or post-apocalyptic books, so maybe my review is not very trustworthy. But I loved the book. I tried several times guessing who did it, but failed every time. Just up until the end I was like “he/she didn’t actually do it, right? That would be crazy” and then a few chapters and I was like “damn, he/she actually did it”.
There is a lot going on with the book, but there are 4 main characters, what do you expect? Each of them get their spotlight and just when your thinking: “hey, I haven’t heard anything from <insert character’s name> point of view” BAM! They come up in the next chapter giving their part. And you also get a lot of minor characters with a lot of personality, who you just wish there would be more of them. It is a good pace book and it is really good for a debut novel and I can’t wait to see what other books the author will write in the future.

This is a young adult novel but adult mystery lovers should not pass this up. This was a riveting read and a great whodunnit. I found it captivating and thoroughly enjoyable. The characters were complex and not stereotypical, and besides the murder mystery, the book also addresses several other important issues (but no spoilers here!). I highly recommend this for teens and adults alike, as it was definitely one of the best books I have read so far this year.

This was a fun, quick read!! I enjoyed the fact that ALL of the narrators were unreliable as heck, because it kept the story interesting even when the plot slowed down.

I do wish the "secrets" the Liars had would have been harder to guess and also that Simon's "killer' would have been harder to guess as well.

The best scene of the book (THE cafeteria scene involving Cooper) more than made up for my disappointment with the plot. Four stars for me and I will definitely read more of Karen's future books!

Wow. Just… wow.
ONE OF US IS LYING is a murder mystery that's chock full of characters you want to hug.
Everyone has a secret. Everyone has made mistakes. Everyone is just so wonderfully human and flawed.
I constantly wanted to hug everyone, and at the same time, I was suspicious of everyone.
An author who can accomplish that… well, let's just say I'll be reading everything Karen McManus writes ever.

I was sold on this book from the minute I first read the concept behind it ("Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club"). And I have to say, in no way did it disappoint. One of the more satisfying YA reads I've come across in quite some time, I loved how the author explored modern themes (bullying, school violence, cultural differences) through her characters while at the same time employing the tried-and-true YA archteypes you come to almost expect in coming-of-age reads (the jock, the pretty girl, the brain).

It was a perfect mash-up of a character study made all the better by a fast-paced, suspenseful storyline told via multiple points of view. I read this quickly, yet tried to slow myself down multiple times just to savor my time with these well-developed characters a little longer. All the while, I found myself hoping that, like the film that inspired it, someday I might see the characters of Simon, Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper and Nate on the big screen.

One afternoon, five kids go into detention. Only four come out--because one is dead. Who did it? And why? These questions are answered throughout the story. I loved that this book had chapters from all four points of view. Teenage readers will be guessing throughout the story.

Okay, I figured it out pretty quickly, but I love a good mystery and I had to keep reading to make sure I was right. This book held my attention and kept me thinking. Such a great read!

I couldn't wait to finish this book. Despite the great reviews, I guess I will have to admit I am just getting too old to read and enjoy YA books. My mind wandered a lot because I found all of the teens rather boring and I got to the point where I asked myself "do I really care what would happen to any of them?", The answer was no but I did want to finish the book. ARGH - the ending. I thought of this myself about half-way through and then thought that the author wouldn't do that - it would be a cop-out.. Well, a cop-out it is, then. YA and I are finished.

There are some YA books where we're told many things about the characters. "This character is smart," the author insists, even as the character makes one idiotic mistake after another. "This character is an assassin...who never kills anybody." We're told things but the actual characterization doesn't back it up.

That's why this book was 5 stars for me. The smart character was actually smart and used her brain to solve the mystery. The jock was really passionate about his sport, but that wasn't the only dimension to his character. The four points of view the narrative is told in each have very unique voices, and every one of the main characters experienced huge transformations over the course of the plot. Also, the romance was A++.

I've yet to read a YA mystery where I didn't guess the big reveal within the first 15% of the book, and this was no exception. That's always a bit disappointing, but I do feel this story presented so many other theories, and so many characters had motive that I did doubt my guess multiple times. This book was twisty and addicting. A very impressive debut, and I really enjoyed reading it!

***THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SLIGHT SPOILERS***

Pretty good book! I loved how all the kids came together to figure out who the murderer was. The drama in high-school can definitely be traumatizing and I wish more people could see that. At a certain point in the book, I knew what happened. The killer was such a jerk that it was actually easy to see. However, I didn't see the second (and third?) part of the murder. I thought that was a good revelation.

Good book that I will be recommending to others!

This book had me from the get-go. I was sure I was only going to ro.ot for bad boy and the brains, and not the jock or the popular girl. But as the twists unfold and we get to know each of the characters and their secrets, I realized just how much I got to care about all of the characters, I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking to be totally absorbed. It's a page turner and it keeps you on your toes, but it will also give you major MAJOR feels

I read it in about four “sittings,” and it definitely kept me wanting more. I like that the teenaged characters felt real — they were somewhat awesome, and somewhat horrible, just like most teenagers, most humans, really. Every character we met was a potential “suspect” in the bad thing that happened, but even when things started to fall into place, it still wasn’t obvious. That’s all I’ll say, lest I unintentionally spoil things. Good book! I predict it will be a movie, and I know I’ll see it.

this book is an amazing read. But in the begining of the book simons dead. Then its just a whole lot of figuring out who the killer is. finally towards the end of the book addy goes to Janae's house and she explains it all. If you just can't wait to get to that part keep reading.
Simon hated his life and wanted to end it. He spent a long time figuring out how to kill himslef. He wanted to be remembered. He took, Nate, Cooper, Bronwyn, and addy down with him. After he had died he asked Janae to keep about that tumblr updated. she said no so he went to jake. He told him addy was cheating on him to shut him up. He pretended nothing was wrong but later he was gonna pin the whole thing on addy. Simon paid two guys to crash there cars for a distraction. He then put the penut oil in his drink and waited till theyy stopped looking to drink it. And he killed himsellf. therefor simon commited suicide.

2.5 stars?

I am all over books like this. I'm a huge fan of a whodunnit and coupled with this synopsis and a sort of nod to The Breakfast Club, I was excited to start it. Sadly, I spent most of the book bored.

There are 4 MCs and they all take turns getting a POV. While it is helpful to find out everyone's side, all of their inner monologues sounded the same. I did like Bronwyn and Nate. They were the strongest characters and most of the reason I kept reading.

There are a lot of background characters, yet instead of creating a pool of suspects, it was just noise. I never got that layer of tension and suspense I was expecting. The pacing is slow without a build up or explosion and the few reveals fizzled.

Overall, it was a promising idea, but this just wasn't for me.

**Huge thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing the arc free of charge**

This book was amazing from start to finish. The characters were amazing, the plot was unique, and the writing was great. It was really good for the proggrestion of the story getting to see the perspectives of all four of the main characters. I was blow away by the ending. I don't see it coming at all. I can't believe how much I loved this book. I was not expecting. I can't wait to read another Karen M. McManus books. This is one of my favorite books of 2017. I highly recommend giving this book a try.

I think that if I were to sit down and attempt to write a "who done it" novel this might have been an idea that would have crossed my mind. Don't know how imaginative that makes it, but I'm a Huge fan of Pretty Little Liars and the Breakfast Club will always be one of my all time favorites! The whole last couple pages felt straight out of a John Hughes movie as well! I really enjoyed the characters and the plot twists! Well done!

Excellent book! As a devoted fan of The Breakfast Club (and other John Hughes films) growing up in the 80s/90s, as well as someone who enjoyed the Pretty Little Liars series for its early books, I agree that the tagline that this book is "Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club" is spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the slow unfolding of their secrets, but then I really enjoyed the melodrama and character interaction of The Breakfast Club, so that makes sense. I went through many possibilities in my head while trying to figure out "whodunit," and although the resolution was one that crossed my mind, I had not settled on it and could not have guessed the details. While it is not all that shocking of a resolution, I really like how I got to spend so much time with the characters while they figured out what was going on (it would be like following The Breakfast Club characters around after they left detention, something I would have happily done as a young teenager), but doing so in a more contemporary setting now (cell phones, internet, etc.). It also kind of gives you a closure that you never had with The Breakfast Club group nor Pretty Little Liars for that matter (with the latter really stringing you along for quite awhile after you initially *thought* you had resolution). This is definitely worth the read if you consider yourself either a pretty serious fan of The Breakfast Club and/or Pretty Little Liars and enjoy getting lost in a book simply to enjoy the characters and the unraveling of details that brings those characters closer together. I am excited to see more from this author!

I'm three decades older than the target audience of this book, and after realizing that it was aimed an teens I considered skipping it, but I'm glad I stuck with it -- I loved this story. Lots of twists and turns, and I loved the character development. Great writing, and the voice actors on the audio version did an excellent job. I've read that this is going to be a TV series on Lifetime; look forward to watching it.

This book totally pulled me out of my reading slump. Each character was so well written and different. Every page was better than the next. On the same vain as If We Were Liars this book pulls you in and keeps you there with your heart beating and trying to figure out the ending. Totally a book that is heading to my favorites list. 10/10. Love Love Love!!!

A mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. This story feels instantly familiar, with the types of characters we've grown used to seeing since The Breakfast Club, but what sets McManus's story apart is the way these characters change and grow as the mystery unravels. The writing was great, the characters believable, and the story twisty. Definitely recommend this read!

This was a very good book. It's an up to date look at the lives and minds of high school students. Though different from years past due to technology and social media, they are very much the same when you break it down to the basic needs. They all want to feel loved, needed, and be included. This book twists and turns in four different directions and it will keep you reading until the last page.

The mystery of Simon’s death surrounds Bayview High after Simon mysteriously dies during detention. Now the four prime suspects are his classmates Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper, and Nate. With nothing but lies and secrets surrounding them, who killed Simon?
One of Us is Lying is a well-written mystery book that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. There is not a single time that I was certain who killed Simon and that only kept me reading until the end.

I wish I could say I figured out the killer before the author let us in on the culprit, but I didn't. The author kept me in suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed the different twists and turns and how they all managed to tie in together at the end. Good clean murderous fun not just for young adults, but the mature audience as well.

I finished this book in four days. It's rare for me to find a book where I can really get into it, and picture myself in the setting. But this book literally took me on a ride. A suspenseful, edgy and mysterious ride. There are tons of twists and turns and you will keep guessing who the killer is! The book ends by tying up all of the loose ends, which i really appreciate. I think this would be great as a series!

What an amazing debut novel! Perfect for the YA crowd, but this adult loved every bit of it. Well-developed, multi-faceted characters, unexpected plot twists like you wouldn't believe, and a rocket-like pace. I must admit I figured out "whodunnit" slightly before it was revealed. Will you?

I was first really excited about this book because I was immediately drawn to the cover and love a good mystery. Toward the beginning, I was also intrigued as I tried to figure out what happened. I love books that have unreliable narrators and wasn't sure who (if anyone) I could trust. Unfortunately, as the story progressed there was no ah-ha moment where I suddenly felt a moment of shock and was caught off guard. Karen McManus continuously provides a slow trickle of information that leads you to the ultimate killer/s, but the big realization came out with a fizzle instead of a bang.

I'll be honest, I wasn't into the idea of this one mainly because of the Breakfast Club comparisons. Definitely not Brat Pack superfan. I was pleasantly surprised at how sweet and charming this story was, though. I haven't been a teenager in quite a while but the relationships and social drama were nostalgic... even in a more modern setting than my own teens years. I dragged my feet before starting on it (like I started and finished it the day before my book club was planning on discussing it) but once I got into it, I was invested.

Well guys, I official don’t know how to review this book. I set on it for a day now and I think this will end up just me spilling my thoughts out the best way possible, without spoilers.

The book is about five teens that end up in detention together. Abby, the popular girl. Bronwyn, the good, smart girl. Nate the bad boy. Copper, the jock, and Simon the social pariah. Nothing too original. They end up in detention after a teacher confiscates their phones for breaking his rules. So despite the fact that after they present evidence that the phones are not theirs and this looks like a setup, the teacher refuses to believe them. Right, that happens…

So an incident occurs and Simon, the social pariah ends up dead. So despite the fact that the teacher was also in the room, the police are convinced that it was murder and the foursome is lying.

Which leads me to the title, it’s very misleading. All four of them are lying and Simon was about to expose them for their lies, but he dies (also, not a spoiler it’s in the blurb)

The book is also the first point of view with a section dedicated to each teen. So sometimes, when your mind wanders, and mine did often, you kind of forget who you are now reading. Especially since none of the teens really stood out.

So despite the fact that the police have no evidence and it’s blatantly obvious that the group was set up. They continue to grip at straws and drag these teens through the mud.

Which brings me to my next gripe. The adults in this book, are painted as major idiots. I get it, okay, teenagers can clash with adults. But this time I have to say, wtf?
The police? Idiots. The Lawyers? Idiots. The media? Idiots. The parents? Yeah, you get it.

It is just so damn frustrating what the cops/detectives put these teens through and the part where they violate Coopers personal rights made me so angry. Because one, they didn’t even bother looking elsewhere, they were so focused on destroying these young peoples lives. Like does that happen? Because the clues really kind of lead you that someone else might be involved, but they don’t even bother. So obviously they are completely incompetent and it’s up to the four to find the real killer.

So you can guess…

The cops did not solve the mystery in this book.

I love that for the teens that do end up reading this. The authorities are painted so damn badly in this, that it’s not only scary it just does not instill any sort of confidence in them or respect. See, that really bothers me.

Also

I hated the ending. No. I did not fully see it coming and when things were explained I was actually taken back by it. Because one, I was really angry and annoyed about how far one of the people involved in this let it get and the fact that another character in this continued their relationship with this person.
Like that person should have never let it get this far.
Second, the ending has been just horrible.

Which leads me to another issue.

I do not like the way bullying was handled in this book. I kind of felt like everyone was a bully in this book. The teens, the classmates, the media, the cops, the parents. Ugh. The treatment has been just horrible.

I can see the appeal of this book, so maybe I am over analyzing it. But, I do have to get one thing out there to adult authors who are writing YA books.

Stops making EVERY single adult in YA Books and IDIOT. You are doing no one a favor here, including yourself.

And dear god, if you’re going to deal with a form of bullying in your book. Deal with it better, cause this gave me a headache.

But I get the appeal and why so many people loved it. To me though, I felt there were quiet a few issues I wasn’t comfortable with.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

One of those books you devour in a single setting and then mourn the fact that it's over. Loved this book! Loved the character development, loved the twists (even the ones I saw coming, and especially the ones I "saw coming" but was wrong about), love love loved it!

Good news: the author's sophomore novel comes out January 2019!

This was a pretty good book UNTIL the ending. It was a disappointment and I had to suspend disbelief. I found it very unsatisfactory. Also how could the bad guys know absolutely all the secrets the kids had? I found it farfetched that they would know Cooper's secret, which seemed to me especially hush-hush and carefully hidden. Otherwise, I loved the authentic characters.

This is like a kind of twisted Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, but in book form. It certainly kept me guessing and my interest piqued while reading the book. Though the book is teen/young adult the writing and storyline are seem far older but still so relevant to teens and adults alike. A very pleasant surprise of a story, i must admit, due to the fact i could not see some of the twists that is what bumps this from 3.5 to 4 stars for me

Slow start, but the characters interact well together.

Simon has an app that destroys people's lives with gossip. When he dies while several people are in detention, it's a struggle to figure out who had the strongest motive.

This book had me thinking I knew for sure who did it a couple of times. I like all the points of view eventually coming together.

I really enjoyed One of Is is Lying. All the characters were likable and the story was great! I thought it was going to go one way and it didn't, which is great because I love unpredictable books. I find that YA books tend to be over the top or have overly dramatic storylines, and I was happy that this one didn't fall into that category.

I don't like long reviews on the store, so I'll keep it short. I really enjoyed this book. It did make me feel old now that I'm about 6 years out of high school, but all the characters were actually pretty well developed, and the switching timelines were very easy to follow. The entire story kept me guessing until the very end when it all makes sense. I had my suspicions about the way it played out early as an option, but played it off when more was coming out with Simon's online rip-blog. All in all, a great, quick and easy read that will actually leave you surprised and wanting more from the author!

A twisty turn of fate puts opposites on the same path ....or does it? One Of Us Is Lying doesn't disappoint the reader who actually wants to keep guessing until the reveal; and believe me, I had theories. Filled with moments of frailty and friendship this book is a stunning example of the complexity of human nature and the dynamic force possible when people see past labels and straight into the truth that we're all way more than we seem. I loved it.

For a debut novel, McManus has performed flawlessly. I probably convinced myself of every character before I finally figured out who it was. But the mystery isn't the best part of the book. Everything about these characters is raw and it takes the thinking out side the box to make them more three dimensional. It starts out with your typical classic high school stereotypes but by the end you discover that everything is isn't what it seems.

I was surprised at just how much I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel even if it wasn’t geared for my age group (40 something). I was indeed surprised to learn who the actual “killer” was . I never saw that coming. The budding romance was also enjoyable to read. Well done. I look forward to reading more from this author.

At first, I thought this book was going to be some sort of lame rip-off of The Breakfast Club, but I gave it a chance, and I'm so glad I did. For the first third of the book, I admit that I was rolling my eyes at the characterization of the four main characters. If I were an editor, I would have cut a lot of things the writer was telling the reader that we could've inferred on our own. However, when I reached the middle of the book, all of the characterization had been established, so I was able to enjoy the story and the journey that these characters were taking. I thought I knew "whodunit," but it took a turn, and while I ended up knowing who it was in the last quarter of the book, it was still enjoyable because then I got to see what happened to the characters based on their involvement with the death of their classmate. I think my eighth grade students will enjoy this book, and I plan on ordering a copy of the book for my classroom.

One if Us is Lying is an entertaining novel that kept me guessing. It's a quick read and has great pacing. There was not one boring minute of this book.

It's told in four perspectives and I liked all the characters despite their obvious cliches. However, they were not perfect and it gave them more depth. I saw them as people and not just cliches. I really liked how the author incorporated this.

So I'm pretty good at seeing foreshadowing and I can normally guess what's going to happen in books and shows. While I read this . . . I had NO IDEA who did it. I kept trying to figure it out but kept being wrong. That alone deserves five stars. Not to mention the wonderful writing and wonderful characters.

This was an okay story. Told in four different viewpoints, the story details the lives of the the characters affected by the death of a classmate. One of the main issues I had and the reason for my 3 star rating was the lack of a different voice for each character. Had it not been plot driven, I wouldn't know who each character was.

I feel like one of maybe four people in the world who just... really did not enjoy this book? I've been putting off this review for weeks because I just don't know where to start. I have so many friends who raved about this book to me, so I was so disappointed by it.

This is a very quick read; if I had enjoyed it, I'm sure I would've knocked it out in one sitting. As it was, it still felt like it moved pretty quickly.

The main romance is fairly cute. Incredibly trope-y "goody-two-shoes smart girl falls for the brooding bad boy!" stuff, but, I mean, their interactions are fine, and I was rooting for them by the end of the book, which is a big plus. I would say I was more attached to the budding relationship between them than I was to any of the individual characters in this story.

Nate, 'the criminal', is a very likable character. He's got a really dark and twisty back story that explains away a lot of his motives, and I definitely enjoyed his perspectives of the story the most. He just feels like a really authentic teen who's trying to muddle through a hard, screwed-up life, and I loved that about him. Whenever it was any other character's POV, I definitely found myself rushing to get back to his sections.

However... This book is so problematic and most of it is NEVER challenged. First of all, can we talk about the immense amounts of slut-shaming? I could handle it if it was coming just from the characters and/or was actually being challenged consistently, but 1) it isn't challenged every time in the dialogue, and 2) the author contributes to the slut-shaming narrative regarding women cheating.

We have two characters in the story who are cheaters; one is a female character, who does it one time, while drunk; the other is a male character, who carries on an emotional and physical affair for MONTHS. We spend a tremendous portion of the book focusing on the girl's one-night-stand, while the text literally does not ONCE actually name the boy for what he is: a cheater. There's no remorse shown, and there are no consequences whatsoever for him. It also seems kinda gross to me that the girl who's guilty of cheating is a "pretty, vapid, popular girl" type - can we please stop with these cliches?

Also, can we please NOT make the only queer character in the cast a horrible character who cheats and hurts people? AND can we not make the character's coming-out scene a bigger twist than the actual murderer reveal? This book also does some serious vilifying of mental illness, but I won't get started on that rant.

All in all... I almost hated this book. If it hadn't been for the quick pace and how much I enjoyed Nate, as well as his relationship with Bronwyn, I absolutely would have DNFed this. As it stands, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book, and I will probably not be picking up any future releases from this author.

Told from the alternating perspectives of four students - the brain, the jock, the princess, and the criminal - this mystery kicks off when a fellow classmate dies right in front of them in what looks like fowl play. Now, you'll have to figure out who did it. But the clock's ticking - because someone's going to go to jail, and it might not be who should.

This was an engaging, well-crafted book that I didn't want to stop reading. I loved the character development of Adi in particular and enjoyed the strong voice of Nate. Creative, well thought-out and beautifully written! I highly recommend. I listened to the audiobook and read the Kindle version both-- and the narration on the audiobook was spot-on. Pick up this book!

A great mystery/thriller told from four very different perspectives. While the characters begin as stereotypes, they each develop into unique and complex characters, with their own distinct character arcs (Addy's being my favorite!). What I most appreciated was an unexpected ending that was completely satisfying. A great read I would definitely recommend!

In this YA mystery, five high school students attend afternoon detention, but only four leave alive. The police become convinced that it is murder and that one--or all--of the four are guilty.

One of Us Is Lying switches between the point of view of all four major characters, which was nicely done to keep the plot moving. Sadly their voices are not well defined, due in part to the four being stereotyped YA characters, and without the heading it would often be hard to tell them apart. As for the mystery, it was relatively easy to solve, but McManus contrived to keep the story flowing and interesting enough to make for an enjoyable read all the way to the end. It's certainly not an outstanding novel, but it is entertaining and should be well received by the intended audience.

If anyone wanted to make this into a Netflix series, I'd watch that. I was totally engrossed in the high school drama from moment one. The characters are stereotypical high school, but that allowed me to see myself in them. I was pretty sure I had the case cracked, then an unexpected twist. The storyline was engaging until the end!

I didn't want it to end! All the characters were fully formed, flawed, and worth rooting for. I loved how the outcome was a seering commentary on society--no spoilers, but it was worth the wait to see it all come together. Highly recommended.

I picked up this book at the library. I loved it so much I bought it from here too. It is amazingly well written. It has twists and turns. Perfect teen thriller. It really gets you thinking. Job well done! Highly recommend reading this.

3.75/4.0 STARS
I thought the author did a great job of keeping the reader engaged as well as building well developed characters, creating suspicion on each character, and ending each chapter with a hint of wonder. This story grabs you from chapter one and will roller coaster you until the end.

This story grabs you from the beginning. The characters are compelling, likable and layered. The plot moves along, adding new evidence and motives to keep you guessing almost to the end. No one gets through this life without making mistakes, but they don't have to be your destiny. Highly recommend this book!

This was a fast paced and highly entertaining book. It kept my attention the whole way through. I woke up early this morning and decided to stay up to finish it rather than go back to sleep - that is really saying something. There were layers to unravel and plenty of twists. I wasn’t completely surprised by the ending but there were some ends I hadn’t pieced together myself. It was a well written book that was fun to read. I would recommend it!

I enjoyed the book - really good character development. The subtle hints weren’t all that subtle, so figuring out who the murderer was happened too quickly for me, but there was a slight twist at the end from one of the smaller characters, which keeps it interesting. Drug use, gay themes, and lots of profanity.

Take a beloved movie and plagiarize every aspect of it, slap a new title on it and sell it to the masses that are dumb enough to read it. Ten pages in and I was done. Life is too short to read awful books.

I love YA books and the mystery behind this story was fantastic. The shifting narrators allowed me to get to know the players and understand their predicament. I felt for them and wanted them to follow fire out who had concocted this mess. Very entertaining read.

I do not understand why this book has to be classified as YA. Why not reason the fact that an adult has written smartly about youngsters ?

And this penchant to compare to the Breakfast Club. BA would not stand alone without the Simple Minds' song.

The plot was well written, except that it did leave the relationship between Brownyn and Nate as a cliffhanger. It would have been nice to read what happened between them after the epilogue but it did keep the story interesting. It has a mixture of different topics from relationships and abuse you can experience through there, familial issues, bullying, and suicide. It also makes you think about how much society focuses on social media and thrives on gossip.

This book started off with a 'The Breakfast Club' vibe and off and on throughout I got a '13 Reasons Why' vibe. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The way it was written, the relate-able and somewhat annoying characters, the bits of romance, and watching all of the characters grow painted this book as a winner for me. If you are looking for a quick high school whodidit read this book is for you. Though I think people of all ages would enjoy this book.

Loved this book!
Definitely made me think of Breakfast Club. It was a lot of fun getting to know all the characters and guessing along with everyone else. Fast-paced, and gripping. I look forward to more from this author. Perhaps, a Pretty in Pink murder mystery?

3.5/5 stars, but I didn’t want to bring the rating down. Super fun book to read. I always like books that have many narrators. I figured out early on who killed Simon, but it was fun to see how it played out.

ONE OF US IS LYING was a fantastic read I absolutely could not put down!

It can be difficult to pull off a narrative with alternating points of view, but McManus does it flawlessly. I found myself pulled into the story within the first few pages, desperate to know the mystery behind Simon's "accidental" death.

This is one book you definitely want in your library.

I ADORED this book from start to finish. The characters and all their secrets are so compelling. You should win a prize if you can manage to guess all the twists this book has, because it’s basically impossible!

Enjoyed the heck out of this book! Great character development, interesting story and great mystery. Captures young people without coming off as trite or forced. Breezed through this, can't wait for her next novel- definitely a fan!

I really liked the four main characters and the suspense surrounding the plot. I love books written in alternating voices with a good mystery. This one fits the bill.

What was hard about this book is the fact that the teenagers had no parental leadership in their lives. Maybe I live in a fantasy world, but it is hard to imagine teenagers with so much freedom, independence, and autonomy. It definitely landed them in some unfortunate situations. Oh well, I know it’s just a book...not real people.

I enjoyed the book and the characters. It was very well written. However, I expected to be out of my mind wondering who did it or at least suspecting one of the four. Nope, I suspected (or at least guessed) "HE" did it to a few chapters after the death. I kept reading to figure out the why he did it. I knew Janae was involved somehow. I also suspected Cooper was gay the moment his girlfriend was introduced. The only surprise to me was Jake's involvement.

I mainly read adult fiction but this Young Adult mystery was excellent and totally worked for me. One of Us Is Lying is an intriguing story with rich character development that keeps you turning the pages. A really entertaining and well-plotted read.

This story is nothing like your everyday mystery. The best thing about it is that it has a different storyline and isn’t predictable. It covers a lot of issues that teenagers go through today including how social media can go very wrong. I would definitely recommend this book. I like how it shows the perspective of all of the main characters. The best part about the book is that we all have issues and those issues don’t have to define us. To make a mistake is human, and life goes on.

Fun mash-up of The Breakfast Club and Gossip Girl. Five kids in detention and one murder. Which of the four would kill Simon to keep their secret from coming out? This mystery has juicy secrets and a couple of surprising twists.

An easy read. It sets up an interesting plot and develops some of its very cliched characters. Addy for example started out annoying and obsessed with her boyfriend, but evolved into an independent girl. Bronwyn and Nate's relationship could have been developed more, but I enjoyed it. I was disappointed in who the "killer" was because it felt like a copout. Had lost of potential, but the author played it safe.

From start to finish O loved this novel. The odds are this happening in real life is so high that I couldn't help but wonder when we would hear a story like this in the news. I wish there were a sequel!

The author hooked me from page one. Ms. McManus kept me turning the page to see if I'd guess the truth before she revealed all the who, what, why, and how. She gave us the where.

More importantly is that Ms. McManus showed us how prevalent phones in the schools and cyber bullying is and the effects.

Reading One of Us Is Lying isn't going to be some mind blowing experience. It is, however, fun and entertaining. I found it to be an enjoyable reading experience and a bit of a guilty pleasure when I couldn't put it down.

Absolutely addictive! I couldn't put this book down, and I really wished it was longer when I was done. I loved this book and can't wait for more from this authur. This novel did not feel like a YA book to me, and I mean that in the best way possible.

I loved this book so much. I thought it was going to be so obvious who it was that did it. Not the case. I haven't read a book in a long time that had me going all the way through. It is a must read.

The opening was like Breakfast Club, But the deeper you go it gets like Pretty Lityle Liars. McManus did a amazing job at giving you deatils so it can set the stage but you can also fill in the blanks. You think you know you killed Simon but You turn the page and then you change your mind. The charctders are so well writ out they just come to life. I read this in one sitting. I highly recommended that. I will not be suprised if it turns into a Tv series or Movie. Hope to see more from McManhs.

I have not read this book, but my 14 yo daughter could not put it down. She started it one morning and had it finished before she went to bed the same night. It has been so long since she has spent a day without a device and just read. 5 Stars from me!

This is the thought that went through my head when I first began this book. I was so convinced of this that I nearly put it down. However, I’m not one who quits a book that I’ve started, so I pushed through. It actually got interesting in the final part. A surprisingly good twist. I can’t say I wasn’t coming to the conclusion on my own; but I have to admit that the author had me fooled for most the book as to who the killer turned out to be.

So I didn't get the book on amazing, but I did get it at Target. This book is amazing and keeps you on the edge of your seat all the time! I read this book in a day and it has so many twists and turns. I wouldn't recommend it as a children's book, but I would totally recommend it!

Bought this from Target due to it being a Skimm Recommendation. Finished it in 2 days during the Hurricane. Good plot, interesting characters overall good read. Didn't feel like a YA read that was too juvenile although it is set in a high school

This a great, easy read. Great story line and effective way to tell it. It also serves as a reminder of how superficial kids can be in high school. Those four years are just a tiny blip on life’s timeline, and school work should be the only thing taken seriously, not what others think. I look forward to Karen’s next book.

I waited for a month to get this book, I was excited when I got the email from the library saying the ebook was available. After downloading it, I started to read it. It gets started right away by killing Simon, but after that, I lost interest it. I continued reading it to see what happened next. I had no connection to any of the characters, they just seemed flat to me. I don't think I'll be recommending the book anytime soon.

Great read! Sure made me glad to have my teenage years far behind me though. Those years were fun at times, but they were also quite difficult. I loved how the main characters in this story became closer to one another as the plot thickened. It truly was an exciting and suspenseful read.

I received this book on NetGalley as an eARC this does NOT change my review at all.

Originally, Angelina was going to read this book because it is a very Angelina like book, she loves suspenseful, thrilling books. I mean, I like them too but this was her book and she ended up giving it to me to read because she couldn’t get into it… and honestly, neither could I.

One of Us is Lying is kind of hard for me to review… I don’t have a lot of thoughts on this book really but I’m going to do my best to give a mini review.

-One of Us is Lying was really slow for me. I was expecting shocking reveals, thrilling twists and moments of suspense. I was expecting lies and deceit and “oh no he/she didn’t” moments and… I feel like none of that really happened. I think I was expecting too much, like I was hoping this book was going to be full of twists and there was only really one at the very ending.

-Other than that ending twist, I felt like nothing happened at all. The secrets Simon spilled weren’t that shocking (not to sound rude but I could kind if see them coming.) While I really did enjoy the characters, I never felt invested in their stories. The stakes didn’t feel high enough, there wasn’t a lot of drama (or that’s how it felt).

-I like the characters though! They were a well written, unique cast I just didn’t feel invested in their story, yet by the end of the book I wanted to bring them all into a big hug. There was a lot of character development as well and I love seeing characters change over time. The development of their personalities was really realistic considering what they went through. The writing was really good too!

-The twist. I didn’t like the shocking twist in the end on who killed Simon. Honestly, it felt wrong to me… and I don’t want to spoil it but I just think it wasn’t a really good idea to have a twist like that.

Overall
-While I wasn’t a fan of this book, I am DEFINITELY the odd one out. A lot of people did enjoy this book so I recommend it :). I think I just wasn’t in the mood for a mystery book. The characters were great, the writing was great, but the story felt slow and unexciting to me. I hope you like it more than I did!

Love love love! At first it’s hard to figure out that each character has their own point of view but you catch on quickly. I couldn’t stop thinking about the book when I had to set it down to ya know live life ?. You’d never guess a lot of the secrets which is great! Also yes Netflix needs to make this into a movie ASAP

I just finished this book. It was pretty amazing. I haven't been so engrossed in a book in a long time. So many twists; it's almost impossible to figure out who did it, and I was (mostly) surprised when I found out. But the characters! They truly make this story great. I felt so invested in their lives and rooted for each of them all the way. So well written; I can't wait until the author releases another book.

As I write this I have over 300 the store reviews under my belt, many of them YA books, so I feel I can identify a marker.

A marker, as in how you know something is going to be bad without actually taking part in the thing. A marker that a diner is bad is a "Help Wanted" sign in the window. You know a play was bad, or good, without even seeing it by observing how many people took their programs with them after.

A marker that a YA book is overwrought and bad is any form of the word "lie" in the title. Liar (by the usually great Justine Larbalestier. We Were Liars. And now this.

Is it that unreliable narrators are just too hard to handle for most writers?

That was part of the problem here, but by no means all of it. In an old-fashioned, grip the pearls way, the author paints the people who are gay and who have mental illness as horribly shocking. The author does the alternate voice thing and seems to have put no work at all into making the voices any different. The characters seemed so shallow and mean and undeveloped. And the ending was . . . bad. Just bad.

The biggest reason not to read it is the way the author treats gay and mentally ill characters. It is really so old fashioned and not at all interesting. One gets the feeling that the author wrote those characters just to be edgy but didn't try very much to get in the brains of people with those challenges.

I hope that for the next book the author writes more of something she knows.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

TW: suicide step by step, forced to come out.

That was... eeehhh?

I knew who did it about 30% in so I was underwhelmed I guess? I love love LOVE whodunnit novels but this was mostly a cute romance and friendship book, which is okay, but nOT WHAT I EXPECTED. More Pretty Little Liars, less Serial if you know what I mean. I mean NONE OF THEM ARE LYING WTF.

Idk, I just didn't care. It was a fast read and that's that.

I recommend Dangerous Girls if you're into YA mystery novels with teen murderers by the way!

This book is sooo good!!! I can't wait for her publish more work because if this book is any indication, I think she could be the next big thing. The twists are great, an you easily become invested in their lives. I read this before my students did, and they are all loving it as well. A great read!

So this one is sold as a mystery/breakfast club suspense book. However I didn’t see any comparison to the breakfast club other than the book started with 5 kids in detention. I enjoyed this, it’s full YA, I am particular on this trope. The MC’s in this story were different therefore telling something new about their high school experience/perspective. The mystery kept my instead through the book, but I liked reading the MC’s character development the most. The audio was great.

this book is very good.
if you like murder mysteries then this is a tasty book for your toes.
it really sucks you in like a black hole and it kind of reminded me of walnuts.... i dont know why
i am 6 years old and i read this to my 3 year old son. we both enjoyed it very much. i will admit sometimes i had to get my mommy to help me with the words but not the sight words i learned all of those last year in kindergarden.
But this book was so good but sometimes it scary because there was dieing in it. also it was sometimes gross because there was kissing. it is almost my bedtime now its almost 6:30 so i might end my review now and go to sleep. Or should i play with my new power ranger action figures? I cant even decide any more. i think i will sneak my power rangers into my room so i can have battles. in about a year for my 7th birthday i will get more power rangers to play with because i want to save the world with them. lets talk about burritos. they taste good with beans. i will sing you the bean song!! beans beans the magical fruit the more you eat the more you toot. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. well now i will get my power rangers. BYE BYE

At first I wasn't sure if I would like the first person story line. But I got so caught up with the characters I didn't even notice after the first chapter. Finished it in one sitting! Great plot twists. I feel in love with all the main characters.

I enjoyed the read. I thought it had good character development, the twists were pretty good, and satisfactory ending that tied up all the loose ends. Solid who-done-it mystery, especially as a debut novel!

A gripping story with four unreliable narrators and a lot of secrets. A Veronica Mars like investigation with the characters from The breakfast club, each one of them breaking and reshaping the cliches. Very enjoyable.

Loved it could and not put it down. This is definitely a recommendion . Once you get started you will get excited to keep reading. I am one of those people who constantly have to be intertwined in a book and this definitely did it. Constant info and drama I just loved it

It has been a really long time since I’ve read a really good book, but this book blew my expectations out of the ball park! I was so impressed and it was such an easy read I was able to finish in a little over a day, highly recommend it to any type of reader, you’ll be captivated within the first 15 pages!!

This book kept me on my toes the whole time I was reading it. I didn’t want to put it down. I loved all the different plot changes. I really enjoyed the story from the main characters different point of views.

I don't usually write reviews for books but this one of damn good. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I'm really just posting this to say it was a fantastic read Karen and I hope to see more from you in the future.

There's something to be said for an author who can capture the vapid, self-absorbed nature of the teenager, and perhaps this author does it too well. I didn't like any of these kids, as people or characters. And the nonsensical nature of the whole set-up just irked me - i get that teenagers think adults are idiots, but YA books that paint all adults as idiots do themselves no favors.

How does the NYT even choose books for their bestseller list? Because this should be on zero lists for anyone to read. If you’re an avid crime reader then this book is too predictable. If I could give it zero stars I would.

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This is a fairly typical YA novel, featuring alternating first person accounts. I'm not a fan of that format. Although the author gets the female voices right, she isn't as successful with the male points of view. She takes a few stereotypical high school kids, shoves them into an artificial situation, and then adds a death so that the whole book is about the kids trying to figure out what happened, who did it, and why, while the adults are as inept as any adults in a YA book. Right off the bat, it's perfectly obvious that the kids have been set up and the first adult we meet - a teacher - is completely oblivious. That's the basic format. Teachers, parents, police...there's no adult who can really claim the title. In the meantime, the kids are kids...moody, rebellious, concerned with status and boys (or girls) and so on. Maybe I've read too many YA novels recently and just need a break from them, but this didn't grab me.

This book would have been great if it hadn't been for a few insensitive plot twists. Being gay and having a mental illness are things that are treated as scandalous and shocking. This perpetuates stigmas against these groups of people. Furthermore, the gay character is publicly outed against his will, which can be potentially triggering to LGBTQIA+ readers, and the depressed character is literally a terrorist. Sensationalizing people identities and exploiting mental illness for entertainment are tired tropes that should've been left in a bad 2003 teen movie. Can't believe something this irresponsible and damaging got past a publishing team in 2017. Be cautious before picking this up if you would be hurt by this rep.

This is an entertaining YA mystery. Five students end up in detention under rather strange circumstances and one who's definitely the least liked of the five ends up dead. Indeed, it appears that one of the other four murdered him and we go through a long investigation told from the perspective of each of the students. It's not memorable. It's certainly on the teen level and the characters are rather stereotypical. Youhave the brainy one, the homecoming princess, the sports figure, and the drug dealer. Teens will enjoy it, but it's basically just OK as a light read.

This book is mentally unhealthy to anyone with a non-corrupt brain. It has things that no one should read, and if anyone it shouldn't kids/teens. This should be an adult book. The plot isn't too bad but details are extremely disturbing. I suggest you don't get this book if you care about your brain.

First, this is a YA book. I did not see that listed in the description before offering to do a review. Don't get me wrong, there are some amazing YA books out there which I have really enjoyed reading. This was just not one of them.

Next, this book is really confusing unless you read it in one sitting. Sadly, I could not do that, it was too convoluted.

Finally, it goes from character to character with dates (as in a journal). The characters are rather cliched - though she does insert some twists which were good. However, these were not revealed until much further into the book. Had some of them been earlier, and more fleshed out, it might have helped.

Teenagers might enjoy the book. I am sure some of them can find some of their own characteristics and feelings in these pages. However, they will still need to read it in one or two sittings. Otherwise, I feel that they too, will become buried in confusion.