One of Us is Lying Book Review - Leyla

     One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus is a thrilling young-adult murder mystery novel filled with unexpected plot twists and turns. It centers around four kids in detention who all seem to match high school clichés. Bronwyn the nerd, Addy the beauty, Cooper the jock, and Nate the criminal bad boy. All are suspects in the investigation of Simon Kelleher's death in which the police claim to have been foul play. Simon is Bayview High's resident gossip blogger, and it just so happens that he had planned to post a new entry revealing scandalous events involving each of the Bayview Four. Who would go this far to protect a secret that could destroy their school reputation and maybe even their future? 

    I am not extremely familiar with mystery novels so I don't know exactly what I anticipated in terms of the progression of the story. I found it effective and interesting the way McManus switched between narrating from the perspectives of Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper, and Nate. I expected to be able to piece the puzzle together quickly because as a reader I was able to see multiple sides of the story. It turns out this was not the case. After each chapter, there was always more than I initially thought. A secret would be revealed but then the narrator would allude to an ever larger secret that was yet to be discovered. This book is truly a page-turner. 

    In some ways it felt as though these first-person perspectives we're a little disconnected. The reader couldn't see everything that was going on inside the narrator's head. I generally enjoy first-person perspectives because I can analyze all of the little thoughts and personal mannerisms and get a deep understanding of the character and even find ways to connect with them. It was frustrating to have the sensation that I knew the characters very well, but at the same time I realized I didn't. I didn't notice much of a development because there was no clear picture of what kind of person they were in the beginning of the book.

    However, I do understand that this is a mystery novel and the primary theme is simply not knowing. There would be no suspense if every character was an open book and I would have little motivation to read on. Ultimately, this is a good book. It is an awesome introduction to the mystery genre. I recommend One of Us is Lying to readers who love the feeling of being on the edge of their seat. I'm also definitely excited to continue the series and read the sequel One of Us is Next. 




Comments

  1. Ellix SimonsNovember 8, 2021 at 1:35 PM

    Hi Leyla,

    This book sounds quite interesting! I'll probably have to read it. The "issues" you brought up about knowledge of the characters is something I notice often in books like this. It's always tough to balance too little knowledge and too much knowledge. However, I think it's important to give at least a bit of information about the characters. That information could be through their actions or just brief descriptions, but either way it helps the reader connect to the book in a more meaningful way. I notice that when there are more than two or three perspectives, the book can be a bit hard to follow or not feel entirely connected. I'm impressed that this book still managed to make it interesting. It might be able to give me some help with the story I'm writing.

    - Ellix

    ReplyDelete
  2. AmelieDecember 6, 2021 at 1:44 PM

    This book sounds fascinating! I love mysteries and have heard of this book, but it seems even better now. I haven't had much disappointment with 1st-person narratives before. As you said, they offer a unique perspective into the lives of the characters. However I find it interesting how in this situation, writing it in first person actually proved to be frustrating instead of engaging.

    -Amelie

    ReplyDelete
  3. CateDecember 17, 2021 at 8:03 PM

    I have heard many positive things about this book before. It sounds like a really good mystery book. I normally enjoy first person narratives, so I find it interesting that for this particular book that didn't work well and it felt as though you did not know the characters. I would still like to read this book which sounds really good overall.
    -Cate

    ReplyDelete

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