one of us is lying – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Thriller
Length: 368 pages
Author: Karen M. McManus
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: July 25th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From international bestseller, Karen McManus, comes the explosive third and final thrilling instalment in the acclaimed One of Us… series.

Ever since Simon died in detention, life hasn’t been easy for the Bayview Crew. First the Bayview Four had to prove they weren’t killers. Then a new generation had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now, it’s beginning again.

At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview. But when a member of the crew disappears, it’s clear this ‘game’ just got serious – and no one understands the rules.

Everyone’s a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things are starting to get deadly.

Simon was right about secrets – they all come out in the end.

The thing is, Simon was right about secrets-they all come out, eventually. And Bayview has a lot it’s still hiding.

PRETTY GOOD.

At first it took me a bit just to remember everyone and alllll of the things that had happened in the previous books (I did not reread them). Once I had a handle on characters and places I feel like the book settled in a bit better.

I always love multi-POV in thriller type books. Getting to see multiple angles from the cast shed a lot of light on past grievances and what things were happening a little more behind the scenes. I enjoyed all of the characters and seeing where their stories ended up.

The mystery was great. I admit at not catching on to many of the twists. I like that I was kept guessing and not quite sure who would survive until the end of the book. There’s some devastation mixed in with the hope of a better day and I thought things were wrapped up well in those veins.

Overall audience notes:

YA Thriller
Language: some strong
Romance: kisses
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, murder, kidnapping, drugging someone, cheating (side character)

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Mystery/Thriller
Length: 384 pages
Author: Karen M. McManus
Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers
Release Date: January 7th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling thriller everyone is talking about, One of Us Is Lying! There’s a new mystery to solve at Bayview High, and there’s a whole new set of rules.

Come on, Bayview, you know you’ve missed this.

A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one’s been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.

Until now.

This time it’s not an app, though—it’s a game.

Truth or Dare.

Phoebe’s the first target. If you choose not to play, it’s a truth. And hers is dark.

Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.

But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it’s that they can’t count on the police for help. Or protection.

Simon’s gone, but someone’s determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there’s a whole new set of rules.

ANOTHER GREAT READ BY THIS AUTHOR.

Oh guys. We all know I’m not a big thriller fan, but McManus continually sways me to that side with her compelling YA centered novels. I loved this second book and thought it wove the characters from One of Us is Lying seamlessly together to bring another book that kept me on edge.

I can’t be the only one that doesn’t love NOT knowing who’s the bad guy in mystery books? This one did a great job of keeping me in the dark until almost the reveal. I was super excited when I started whispering to myself, OH IT’S —- [redacted, of course]. One of Us Is Next always had a heightened sense of drama to it. It wasn’t a basic tale of why they were doing such things, but a deeper tale of grief and anger that can consume someone.

As a romance lover, I adored the tiny tidbits throughout for our characters. It never overshadowed the plot, but gave the characters another layer. Phoebe, Maeve and Knox each had a nuanced level of complexity and personal issues that made me love each one on their own and as a group of friends.

The story was twisted and had a good flair for theatrics. I was surprised by some of the details and secrets that came out. Plenty of tense moments and quick flipping pages to get to the bottom of the mystery!

Overall audience notes:

Young adult mystery/thriller
Language: some throughout
Romance: some kisses/make-outs, general discussion of sex life
Violence: murder, physical
Trigger warnings: sexual assault (unwanted kissing/grabbing – Ch. 8), slut shaming, bullying