I think I went off on the wrong foot with this book; I wrongly and mistakenly assumed that this book wasn’t for me – boring, full of high school dramas and teenage angst which, to tell the truth, were not my thing at the moment.
It indeed took a while for this book to grow on me. As I mentioned earlier, except for the first chapter where Simon, a notorious gossip mastermind of Bayview High, mysteriously died from a severe peanut allergy, I spent a huge chunk of the first half frustrated and feeling detached from the story. I knew the book was in the middle of build up, but what I thought endless, too detailed descriptions about the four suspects – the four students – and their backgrounds and emotional conflicts were a bit too much for me. I was expecting more of the mystery – whodunnit – elements (as this book is supposedly YA mystery), definitely NOT high school dramas involving drama kings and drama queens where they whine and go on and on about what they have done wrong. To be honest, I wasn’t remotely interested in such kind of stuff. It may sound harsh, but I was pretty close to giving up on this book.
But I didn’t want to.
So I tried to throw all my preconceived ideas about this book and start over with a clean slate, seeing this book as a mere YA contemporary rather than a YA mystery.
And I’m glad to say, it worked. It actually took me another 20% of the book to get me fully invested in this book, it worked nonetheless. I think it was where a big secret of the Mr. Nice guy was finally out and how it leads to a debacle of his future, friendship and familial relationship. The grim undertone reeled me in the story in the true sense of the word – for the first time – and I realized this book might call for readers in the right frame of mind and being patient. Your opinions might differ from mine and you may have been hooked by this book straight away, but it wasn’t the case for me. It needed me to read this book with the same approach that I usually take when reading YA contemporary/romance.
Anyways, from then onwards, I found this book pretty unputdownable; I enjoyed all the elements in this book. Friendship, budding romance, suspicion, and emotional struggles and guilt from what they have done. Such elements are really well-integrated and gelled with the main plot, and I definitely enjoyed the thrills and excitement as I was inching towards the end, as I got closer to the revelations to the whole plot.
Although I might have made this book out to be devoid of the mystery elements earlier, it isn’t true. The disturbing and mysterious ‘Tumbler’ posts which were not ought to be published because of Simon’s death certainly got me curious to know who actually killed Simon. Was it either of the four students? Or is there an accomplice??
The plot twist which I didn’t see it coming took me by surprise but this book doesn’t end there – there’s actually another important key to this murder case and I thought it was really well done. I read the last 30% in one sitting – I was kept on the edge of my seat, I couldn’t put it down.
The characters, especially the main four characters are all well-fleshed out. Their issues, secrets and consternation from unexpectedly embroiled in the murder case are well delineated with the solid writing and alternating multiple POVs, getting me emotionally close to them. I especially enjoyed how the four characters begin to close ranks to get down to the bottom of the case, supporting each other despite the fact they were not really friends nor particularly close before it happened.
When the story, or the situations surrounding the main character(s) spin out of control, multiple POV style works really well, giving readers enough glimpse of their emotional process and what is going on in their minds. It adds a lot of tension and intrigues, a sheer delight of reading. Karen M. McManus certainly pulled off in that regard.
She’s also brilliant at messing with our emotions – getting our hopes up and then crushing them on the next second. I went through this agony especially in Bronwyn’s chapters. I personally Bronwyn and Cooper’s chapters are outstanding compared to the ones of the other two characters. I might be wrong, but I felt that way anyway.
I appreciate this book ends on a light, hopeful note. The four characters have gone through their own nightmares and debacles, it has also made them stronger and be honest to themselves.
This book left me with warm feelings, wondering what their future holds for them.
Apart from the depictions of police procedural being pretty shoddy (I was like, ‘Come on, they couldn’t be this sloppy, could they?’), I am quite satisfied with this book.
This is surprisingly emotionally charged, well-written book. I am glad I ended up liking this book in the end.
Another lesson NOT to easily DNF a book; Story CAN pick up where you leave off.
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Popular Highlights in this book
You find out who your real friends are when stuff like this happens. Turns out I didn’t have any, but I’m glad Cooper does.Highlighted by 1,597 Kindle readers- But I’m starting to realize there are some things you can’t undo, no matter how good your intentions are.Highlighted by 1,304 Kindle readers
- You don’t think about what’s outside. Or who. Especially if she’s better off forgetting you exist.Highlighted by 1,199 Kindle readers
- If it ever came out that I’d actually done something to Simon, plenty of people would hate me.Highlighted by 882 Kindle readers
- I used to think about that, sometimes, when I wondered what parts of her might still be alive.Highlighted by 778 Kindle readers
From the Publisher
Praise for KAREN M. MCMANUS and the ONE OF US IS LYING series
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| One of Us Is Lying | One of Us Is Next: The Sequel to One of Us Is Lying | One of Us Is Lying TV Series Tie-In Edition | Karen M. McManus 2 Book Box Set | |
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| Price | $9.50 | $13.00 | $10.99 | $23.75 |
| Read the fast-paced story of the Bayview Four! | Four teenager's lives unwind after being the only witnesses to their classmate's suspected murder. | The electrifying sequel to One of Us Is Lying. | A TV tie-in edition with a cover based on the Peacock series streaming now! | One of Us Is Lying & One of Us Is Next |
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| Two Can Keep a Secret | The Cousins | You'll Be the Death of Me | Nothing More to Tell | |
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| Price | $11.89 | $9.57 | $10.50 | $11.28 |
| Don’t miss Karen McManus’s other pulse-pounding thrillers | A small town begins to relive its dark past after a girl goes missing before homecoming. | A gripping family drama where a trio of cousins uncover a trail of lies and betrayals. | Three friends relive an epic ditch day, and it goes horribly—and fatally—wrong. | Four years ago someone got away with murder. More terrifying is that they might be closer than anyone thinks. |
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A little torn and battered back cover and cover.
The book is a little torn and battered on the back cover and cover.
