Fantastic book. Really good twists and turns, unexpected and easy to read. The plot is very good. I love the way the author describes each of the main four characters lives, pulls the, apart while pushing them all together. This would be a brilliant film. The students from different peers and background are all pushed together unexpectedly, forging friendships and pull together to find out the truth. Which one could it be? Who would lie?

This started out as a intriguing twist on a familiar setup - five teenagers in detention, all from different cliques, caught in a murder scene - The Breakfast Club gets deadly. While this was initially exciting, I found Cooper to be quite flat compared to the other three narrators, and by the time I was two thirds of the way through the book, I knew not only the perpetrator, but the motivation behind the murder, so as a thriller it was disappointing as I never felt particularly surprised by the unfolding events. However I enjoyed the characters, and the writing was pacy and flowed well. Not amazing, but not bad either.

Where do I begin? The description is what initially drew me to this book and as soon as I started reading it I was hooked. It has only taken me a matter of days to read this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although this is a teens and YA book I think anyone of any age could read it and be impressed with the storyline and characters that are introduced. This is a very impressive debut novel and I can not wait to see what Karen McManus publishes next.

One of my earliest thoughts when starting this was it was a little Breakfast Club-esque with regards to the main characters, and I know another reviewer has referred to it as a cross between The Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars, and I'd have to agree, although this has an extra edge. Here we have a group of kids who were in the room when another died, and it seems like everyone is looking to pin the blame on them without asking who else would be likely to kill Simon, so they have to resort to figuring it out themselves.

I devoured this book in one sitting. Unable to put this down until I knew how things were going to develop, I needed to know who was responsible for killing Simon, who was leaving the messages on his app after his death and I needed to know everyones secrets. The fact that McManus has done an incredible job writing this book made it so much easier to keep reading. This is an amazing debut book and I will be looking out for future works from McManus.

I love a good murder-mystery but it's rare to find one targeting the YA market, so I was really intrigued to see what this book would be liked. The murder takes place in a high school, the victim is a student, the four main suspects are students, but the writing, the pace and the intrigue are most definitely equal to an adult crime fiction novel.
McManus makes it easy for the reader to not only suspect the four students at the centre of the investigation, but the other characters with a vendetta against victim – it's high school, there are lots! In all honesty, I didn't really believe any of the four were the murderer, and tried my hardest to work out who had actually killed Simon (I was half-right in the end). But I flew through the book in two days, eager to get to the big reveal, which was delivered with as much drama as you'd expect from a classic Agatha Christie.
I also really loved the way the four main characters developed. Each had a secret they were worried about sharing – though not necessarily the one Simon threatened to expose, and each underwent a transition by the novel's end. Cliched? Perhaps, but it worked.
I was gripped by this novel, and will definitely be keeping an eye-out for more from Karen McManus!

One of Us Is Lying is a fabulous debut YA thriller which starts with five students ending up in detention after having been found with phones in class. They hardly know each other but that’ll change drastically and they’ll know ALL about one another after one of them ends up dead in detention class.

They start out as the biggest high school clichés, Bronwyn is little miss know-it-all, the straight A-student going for a Yale scholarship, Cooper is the hot hunk and star of the baseball team, Addy is the blonde with ‘perfect hair’, and Nate is the rogue guy with the motorcycle, the one everybody whispers about because he was (or is) dealing drugs, but people don’t really know him at all because he allways keeps to himself.

All stereotypes are there but they all change and grow so much througout the story that they outgrow their cliché, or maybe it just becomes clear they weren’t that cliché after all and it took this unfortunate event to make their true selves come out.

The story is set out to be a whodunnit but as I read on and on, I actually became more and more invested in each and every one of these characters and who they really are and their voices – the story is told by 4 POV respectively – and interactions with each other even got on the forefront. I found it unlikely one of them to be a killer, they were so diverse but very easy to love, so this didn’t make it any easier because I couldn’t suspect anyone more than the others.

They all have their secrets which Simon was going to publish if he weren’t killed. Unfortunately they turn up in tumblr posts for the whole school to see. These make up the many twists and turns in the story and they gave me tiny little jolts each time something new came to light. It was an interesting and exciting journey for all of them with very different consequences depending on the person involved and a big difference in how they were treated after the truth came out. Some are forgiven more easily than others, some have the right looks and status, some can afford fancy lawyers who give them advice on what to say and how to act and some don’t. Throughout the story friendships and love interests are formed, the kids’ families react very differently to the truth, some truths are also easier to hear than others.

Even when they all did something they shouldn’t have done, I still emphatised with each of them. I did guess Cooper’s lie quite early on even though it was just a hunch but some other lies were fessed up by themselves and were a nice surprise. The question is which one of them had the biggest to lose? Which mishap was worse than the others? The story is told in alternating voices by all four of them and really keeps you on your toes. The police even think some of them are in it together. I finally kind of guessed the real killer but it did not make it any less fun to read so this shouldn’t put anyone off for picking this one up.

The plot development is outstanding, there’s depth to the characters and they all come out better in the end. I’ve tremendously enjoyed this mystery.

Five kids go into detention. There's Addy's the popular one; Nate the druggie; Bronwyn - well, you'd never expect to find her in detention; Simon who spreads nasty, but true, gossip round school with his malicious ap; and Cooper, the jock, destined for baseball glory. Plus one teacher, who leaves for a few minutes.

Four kids come out alive.

They were the only ones in the room. But no one did it. So... one of us is lying.

McManus has created a compelling, spellbinding, horrific and beautiful work of art here. The points of view shifts between each of the four surviving characters, so you are completely in belief that none of them did it. But what else makes sense?

It turns out Simon died from drinking water contaminated with peanut oil. The water came from the tap. The cup was in the lab. And all the epipens were missing from the nurses's office. Where, incidentally, Addy had been earlier in the day...

But, Nate's the obvious one, right? He's already on probation for dealing drugs (and is still dealing them through his probation). His father's an alcoholic and he lives in squalor; his mother's dead. It's got to be him. Not necessarily his fault, but the way he was brought up. Poor kid.

But Simon knew their secrets and was about to display them all on his ap the following day. So, doesn't Bronwyn have just as much reason? The model student, destined for Yale, managed to raise her D to an A in one term, but not due to hard work. And Cooper's perfect baseball streak is just a bit too perfect, isn't it? And drugs are going to ruin all chances of his getting the scholarships he's primed for.

There's so much going on in this book. Death, glory, envy, friendship, love, class, disability, expectations... I won't say too much. I don't want to spoil it. You NEED to read this. Seriously. Why are you still reading this review? Why aren't you ordering it from the library (or Amazon, as second best) RIGHT NOW? There's so much to say that I can't! Read it and then I can discuss it with you!

Oh, I took it down a star because there were some rather unlikely parts towards the end. Slightly... out of character. Oh, damn, I can't say anymore! Just read it, damn you!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read it - brilliant.

One of Us is lying is the hotly anticipated new YA novel from Karen M McManus. The concept instantly intrigued me. Five students are all in detention when one of them dies. The other four are instantly under suspicion. One of the people in that room knows what happened but nobodies owning up.



The novel is a very very easy read, not because of the subject matter or the writing style but because it's so interesting. A murder mystery for teen readers.



All of the students have a Secret which they wanted to keep quiet. There's Nate who despite being on probation is still drug dealing. Bronwyn is super smart and heading for valedictorian or is she..? Cooper is the all star baseball player who goes out with the prettiest girl in school, but is she who he really wants to be with? And then there's Addy, super pretty, popular and devoted to her boyfriend Jake but maybe being on the inside means she can't see what's going on.



Simon ran a gossip app, like Gossip Girl but doubly as cruel and he had secrets about all of the others that they wouldn't want to come out.



The novel has plenty of twists and turns and suspicions jump from person to person so that even the reader doesn't know who to trust. There's the usual teen spats and bitchiness but with a darker undertone that I really loved.



I really enjoyed this book, it was perfect in a very different way to the usual YA storylines. It was well written and all the characters were likeable and engaging. I really loved one of the relationships which developed along the way although I won't say who it is though as I like to avoid spoilers. What I will say though is that I loved, loved, loved, this book and everyone should read it!

One of us is a YA High School book - but it's not your average angsty teen love-triangle type.

A nerd, a jock, a criminal, a beauty and the one who knows EVERYTHING that's going on and is happy to pass on the knowledge. Yes, it does sound like a book of The Breakfast Club, and I believe that is entirely what the author planned, but it has a good dose of thriller chucked in to make it contemporary.

The five teens have all been called to detention - for the same violation - having their phones on in class. Except they all claim that the phones weren't theirs.

So, when catastrophe strikes, and it looks like one of them must be to blame, we are forced to deduce who is telling the truth, and who is lying.

Some great characters, good plot and a decent thriller - what more could you ask for?

The Breakfast Club meets Gossip girl in this murder drama. Five very different students walk into detention, but only four walk out alive. Bronwyn, Nate, Addy and Cooper all find themselves under investigation for Simon Kelleher’s murder. All four have secrets that Simon was going to reveal to the whole school, so all four have reasons for wanting to shut him up. So did one of them do it, or are they being framed?

I enjoyed this book a ridiculous amount. It’s the perfect hybrid of a murder mystery/thriller and a YA high school drama – an unlikely combination, but one Karen McManus pulls of exceptionally well. The mystery aspect is very good: I knew who didn’t do it but I never guessed who did. The mystery and investigation fitted into the story very well, with no genre-clash at all.

The teen drama part was GREAT. I haven’t read a non-fantasy YA in ages and I forgot how much I love them. My favourite part was the relationship between Bronwyn and Nate. It was totally predictable but so sweet and I was really rooting for them. The other characters were great too: Addy and Cooper both developed well and turned out to have a lot more depth than they first appeared to. Even the side characters like Maeve and Janae were interesting and (somewhat) likeable.

One of Us is Lying is a clever murder mystery, as well as a well-written and enjoyable drama. I loved it – I read it in two days, only putting it down because I had to sleep. If you like teen drama and murder (in books, of course – not actual murder), look no further.

Loved this one. The plot was thrilling. Although I admit I could guess the mystery but I was still interested to know how it all happened.

An interesting take on the typical high school story, this book is very different to how I first thought it was going to be.

The characters are by far the best thing about the story. They start off as the stereotypical high schoolers, but as we hear from each of them we see they are so much more. The ending is pretty easy to figure out but this doesn't detract from the enjoyment.

The description states it is The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars which I would agree with. If you are a fan of either, or both, you should definitely give this a read.

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 is an enticing cross between The Breakfast Club and Desperate Housewives.
“A sex tape. A pregnancy scare. Two cheating scandals. And that’s just this week’s update. If all you knew of Bayview High was Simon Kelleher’s gossip app, you’d wonder how anyone found the time to go to class.”
Simon’s app ‘About That’ is well known in the school for causing trouble for the subjects of the gossip. It has made him a figure of hate because he carefully chooses his sources to ensure that only the truth is repeated.
In Simon’s own words the people involved ‘bring it on themselves.’ He argues that if people didn’t do these things then there would be no app.
The book begins with five teenagers saying in detention, all of whom claim to have been set up. Each person in the room had their phone confiscated by their teacher Mr Avery and each one claims the phone is not their own.
Each one of the people in the class falls into a classic stereotype and had me feeling a bit dubious initially that the rest of the book would share the predictability. Thankfully I was wrong.
‘She’s a princess and you’re a jock,’ he says. He thrusts his chin toward Bromwyn, then at Nate. ‘And you’re a brain. And you’re a criminal. You’re all walking teen movie stereotypes…I’m the omniscient narrator.”
At one point Mr Avery has to leave the room and whilst he is gone Simon takes a sip of water from a cup and falls to the floor choking. The children and the teachers try to help but Simon dies.
The story alternates between the point of view of Bromwyn, Addy, Cooper and Nate.
Each of the characters has more to them then their stereotype thankfully and each one is a massive part of what made this such a good book to read.
Nate McCaulay has been in trouble on and off since he was in fifth grade. He has recently been on probation for DUI and drug dealing among other things. Nate's home life is unstable, his father is an alcoholic and his mother was an addict and died.
Addy Prentiss is one of the popular crowd, the princess. She and her boyfriend Jake are one of the power couples of the school. Addy’s mum thinks she is not good enough for Jake and is constantly telling her so. Homecoming princess, not queen. Not bad, but not good enough to attract and keep the kind of man who can take care of you for life.
Cooper Clay is also a member of the popular group at school. He is a successful member of the baseball team and good looking, both of which ensure he remains part of the group. Cooper’s dad is his biggest fan and is always pushing him to better himself in the sport, to the point where he has become controlling and wants him to succeed even if it means sacrificing other aspects of his life.
During the resulting police investigation, it comes out that each of the teenagers had things to hide, secrets that they wouldn’t want to be on the app and thus a motive. As the investigation escalates so does the media circus surrounding the case and the teenagers become known as ‘The Bayview Four.’
As the story progresses, the teenagers find themselves increasingly ostracised by their so-called friends. Each one of them has a reason for not being able to fully confide in their parents or the police and so in desperation they turn to each other to discover who killed Simon and why.
Their task is not an easy one though because as the killer explains, everyone at Bayview High hated Simon. I was just the only one with enough guts to do something about it.
This book was suspenseful and entertaining. I would definitely recommend it.

I liked how the characters in this were written: there's decent perceptiveness and character analysis - but I wish there had been more depth. Most of the characters are clichés, perhaps with a little twist, but not enough to raise them into something more interesting. The plot, again, is good, but not explored very thoroughly, even though the pace of the book is fairly slow. It's light reading, something for when you don't want to stretch your brain much - maybe a holiday by-the-pool read - but it didn't make me impatient to turn pages to find out what happened next, or what happened in the end. In other words, enjoyable, but not exciting.

A compelling read for a YA novel. Quite predictable but I kept reading on and enjoying the book all the same. Well written and addictive!

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus (2017)
Page count:
368
ISBN:
9780141375632

When five students attend detention and only four leave alive, the surviving students are thrown into the spotlight as suspects in the deceased’s murder investigation.

When it’s discovered that the deceased was going to publicly reveal secrets that could ruin the four survivors, the geek, the jock, the princess and the criminal must work out which of them is capable of murder.

I love The Breakfast Club and I love crime novels so when I saw the tagline “A Geek. A Jock. A Criminal. A Princess. A MURDER.” I knew that I had to read Karen M. McManus’s debut novel. I finished it in one sitting and can confirm that One of Us Is Lying is everything I had hoped it would be and so much more.

One of Us Is Lying had me hooked by the end of the first paragraph. Unusually for me, I was surprised when it was revealed “whodunnit”. There are twists in the tale, a dash of romance, some deep issues addressed and genuine heart-wrenching moments. Yet One of Us Is Lying doesn’t feel too convoluted or overlong. It is tightly written and the pace always moves appropriately for what is happening.

McManus has managed to create central characters who are not only unique, but who are likeable. Because I didn’t know whodunnit for most of the novel I didn’t want to get too attached to anyone, but I just couldn’t help myself. Each of the four main characters start the novel as who they think they should be and develop seamlessly into who they actually are. It’s a rare and transfixing thing to read such good character development.

One of Us Is Lying is a great entry into the world of mysteries and crime thrillers for young adults, but is also an enjoyable read for adults who enjoy the genre. With compelling characters, a few well placed red herrings and plenty of surprises, One of Us Is Lying is definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 
5/5

Nate (the Bad Boy), Cooper (The Baseball Hero), Addy (The Popular Girl) and Bronwyn (The Clever One) find themselves in a detention they don't deserve with Simon, the author of a school app which discloses people's darkest secrets. Then Simon has an allergic reaction and dies. Who did it?

I thought this was a great book; a real cut above the usual writing about teenage angst. All four of the central characters are so well written and the nature of the story means that their characters are revealed slowly and with so much care that you really feel you have got into their minds.

Other than the four main characters, there is a really excellent supporting cast; I particulalry liked Bronwyn's sister and Cooper's "Nonny", but even the minor characters do have a part to play in bringing the story together and are equally as well written as any of the main four.

Of course, it wasn't really hard to guess who did it and how but by that stage it wasn't really the point. This is a book about having to come of age quickly and finding out who your real friends are when you need them and it does that brilliantly. Definitely a recommended read.

Even though the mystery isn't hard to figure out this is a fantastic read. Well written, fast paced, you won't want to put it down.