One Of Us Is Lying By Karen M. McManus was published by Delacorte Press of Penguin Random House and is sold at £4.99
What is the book about?
One of us is lying behind in a detention in which every student in the room has a secret that was about to be posted on the school’s gossip app until the creator of the app, Simon dies by what seems to be an accident during the detention.
The four students’ lives are all turned around instantly when they all become suspects in the investigation of each other. The book switches between the perspectives of Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper and Addy, telling each of their secrets to the reader one by one as the truth of Simon’s death draws closer with each page.
Who is it aimed at?
This book falls well into the Young Adult category, and based on some of the darker themes explored should not be recommended to people younger than 12 or 13.
What was your favourite part?
By far my favourite part of reading this was that I was always rooting for and defending in my mind, whichever character’s perspective I happened to be reading at the time. It made for a fascinating experience and because of this I found the characters incredibly interesting to hear from.
What was your least favourite part?
Though the main plot definitely had surprising twists and turns, I found a lot of the smaller details and secrets to be quite predictable and found myself uninterested in some parts which is unfortunate.
Which character would you most like to meet?
Before his death, I think the character I would most like to meet would have to be Simon due to his unique ability to become so quietly and carefully involved in other people’s lives.
Why should someone buy this book?
I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone as it’s one of the mysteries I’ve read that truly held my attention. Whether it’s teenage family members, fans of The Breakfast Club of friends.
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