It took me a while to really get interested in the story, but once I did I really enjoyed it. The concept was interesting and mostly well executed, despite the slow start. The ending knocked it out of the park for me, I was really impressed that I was completely surprised!

I forget how quickly YA books go...and how obnoxious I find so many elements of them.

Let me start off on what I found to be the primary positive thing about this book: the pacing. It was excellent. Also, this book DOES include a pretty diverse cast of character, though many of the characters rely pretty heavily on stereotypes to "explain themselves," or whatever.

This book has some pretty harmful ideas in here. The one I've seen a lot of people mention is <spoiler>the way depression is handled in this book</spoiler>. So I'm not going to talk about that, though I agree with the harmful representation and pretty much everything I've seen said about that.

Instead, I'm going to bring up MY main issue with this book, as someone who had a similar experience in high school/early college (THE TARGET AGE RANGE FOR THIS BOOK). And that is <spoiler>the fact that a controlling relationship is portrayed in this book, but it isn't really addressed in any positive way except that the girl, in the end, "becomes a total badass." That's great, really, it is, and as a 25-year-old, 6-7 years removed from the end of that terrible relationship I was in (which was full-blown emotional/physical/sexual abuse for me, though in the book they just call this girl's boyfriend a "control freak," which I think is problematic in itself), it was empowering to read. But I didn't leave my horrible break-up and feel sad for a few weeks and then "find myself." I UNDERSTAND THAT THE RELATIONSHIP IN THIS BOOK ISN'T STATED AS BEING AS BAD AS MY EXPERIENCE WAS, BUT...I think that, had I read this book post-break-up in my life, I would've felt like shit. Because it took me YEARS and THERAPY and honestly just lots of support and other stuff to get past "a control freak." And seeing this girl just "get over" that, after 3 years of exposure to that relationship (which was the exact amount of time my relationship happened, even), and become a total badass would've been harmful to me, as a person. And I think that the harmful relationship was glossed over pretty quickly after the fact. And if you've finished the book, you'd understand why some of those elements that are glossed over make me so mad. Because by the end, how am I supposed to believe he was *only* a "control freak"/controlling boyfriend? Seems to me he would've let things escalate and been way, way worse typically. There was just a lot of escalation based on what I read. My own personal experience being so similar made me see through a lot of things and BASICALLY, I was just not okay with how things were portrayed and resolved.</spoiler>

<spoiler>I also think it's total bullshit to have a "Southern" character have his whole "my dad's gonna kill me if he finds out I'm gay" thing. I understand that that still happens in the Southern U.S., I have even known people in that situation, but I'm SICK and TIRED of that being what people automatically assume people will feel "in the South." We don't call people "good ol boys" if they use the word "nigger" here. And I get so RILED UP about people giving these obnoxious Southern stereotypes page space. LET IT BE KNOWN: there are lots of parents down here who AT LEAST love their children enough to support them if they're gay, even if they need time to fully understand or adjust or get through their Bibles about it or WHATEVER. Even more parents are like "cool." WHICH WAS THE DUMBEST REACTION TO WHAT'S-HIS-NAME'S COMING OUT TO HER I'VE EVER READ IN A BOOK, HONESTLY.</spoiler>

So that was a whole lot of ranting that probably made no sense, but suffice it to say, I was kind of let down by the character development in this book. I think the characters are kind of generally forgettable as people, because they're so trope-y. SPEAKING OF TROPE-Y, if you, like me, get exhausted by YA romance tropes, maybe give this one a skip. Because I rolled my eyes so hard every other page that I'm pretty sure if I roll my eyes one more time, they'll pop out of my head and float off into space.

All said, it was well-paced, and I finished the book (which should say enough, I think). I don't know if I'd really recommend it, given all the harmful representation and poorly handled elements of certain things (can we STOP having high school "bad boys" who ride motorcycles and sell drugs??????????? Can we have O N E YA book without a romantic relationship in it?????????), but I do think it was an okay book, hence my two-star, it-was-okay rating. Read it if you're interested (I wanted to get what everyone was talking about, tbh), but be aware of those other things going forward.

(I HOPE ANY OF THIS MADE SENSE.)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well, well, this was better than I expected. I’m usually reluctant to read YA mystery, but there was something about One of Us is Lying that told me to go for it. Glad I did.

At first I thought I’d have a difficult time keeping track of which character I was reading, because it switches between four different perspectives in first person, but that wasn’t the case. Each one has a distinct voice. They might seem cliche at first, but there’s more under the surface that shows we don’t always know how people really are.

It’s a nicely done mystery that kept me wondering for most of the book. What really happened was my top scenario from the beginning, but there was always those seeds of doubt that had me working out other possibilities.

There’s some good character growth, especially with one in particular Addy. I also like how the families and the different dynamics played a part.

Overall, this is a quick and enjoyable read.

A really fun mystery that had me unsure of (but rooting for) all of the characters until the very end!

One of Us is Lying turns The Breakfast Club into a murder mystery. Five students end up in detention, only four survive. Simon, who authors a brutal gossip app containing dirt on kids at his high school, drinks a glass of water laced with peanut oil and dies of anaphylactic shock. He has damning information about all four remaining detainees: Bronwyn, the brainy good girl; Cooper, the baseball hero; Addy, the girl in her boyfriend's shadow, and Nate, the drug dealer. Now murder suspects, the four team up to find the real killer, upending their lives and finding romance along the way. This fast paced thriller will keep readers guessing, as the pressures of high school and the dangers of social media are explored in alternating chapters from all four suspects' perspectives.

TWs: homophobia, alcohol and drug abuse, mention of suicide.

4,5 stars

Ah, yes, high school and murder are my shit.

So, it had been a while since I'd read a murder mystery. I don't think I've ever read one that was YA (I could be wrong but whatever) so I wasn't exactly sure what I could expect from it.

So here's what this book was about:

One dead kid. Four teenagers who might all have done it (and had the motives to do it).
Four POV. You start trusting these kids because even if they've all done mistakes you're in their heads for one fourth of the book each and...sure, they don't tell you anything right away, but.......wait.
You look at the title.
"One of us is lying."
Are you? Are you lying about lying?
If one of you is lying then are you lying about the murder? Or something else?

And that's your emotional roller coaster throughout this book. In the meantime, you start shipping ships and cheering for these kids to get over the bad things in their lives.

And it's true, maybe at some point you might actually start to solve this big mystery, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the book is ruined for you. Because at that point you care about all of them a lot and you just *clenches fist* want them to be happy.

I feel like every character was well written and even though some of the development felt a bit rushed, it's understandable because this is a standalone and it couldn't possibly cover more time. I mean, the book takes place over several months, but I feel like especially one of the characters' development couldn't have happened in so little time. But it was definitely important to show that character in a different light, so it was just right that way.

Another important point is that this book was pretty diverse (which frankly I wasn't expecting?) so that's obviously a really big plus.

It was also fast paced and held my attention from the very first page (if I had been less busy I would have finished it in much less time, but alas real life called), so I'm definitely recommending it if you're into mysteries but still want to get that typical YA character arc (or, four of them).

Although the mystery part (and most plot-twists) were rather predictable, and I found myself guessing them as soon as they were presented, I still enjoyed this. I found it weirdly gripping and entertaining.

One of the best parts was the dimensions and the depth of each character <spoiler>although when Simon himself didn't get the same treatment, alarms sure started going off all over my head, and it was telling enough of what had happened to him </spoiler>.

The characters were great, and even though it was harder for me to warm up to some than to others, I ended up being truly invested about all of them- even some of the secondary ones! And that's always a plus.

An okay title. The writing was a bit awkward. The premise is great and is an easy hook for teens. The turn it took with the suicide was disappointing.

I absolutely love this book. I had no idea what was coming. It was a great mystery that reminded me of the Breakfast Club.

I was pleasantly surprised by how I actually enjoyed One of Us is Lying. Going into the story, the reader is given a very defined and stereotypical Breakfast-Club cast that I thought that I would end up resenting the more I read. Turns out, these kids and their multiple narratives are much more than what the school makes them out to be. And the gossip! And the mystery! I had fun diving into the drama and the detective work, and though it was not a novel that had me flying through the pages, I did enjoy the pace at which I read. Chapters ran quick, and multiple narratives gives a lot of substance, especially with the lives these flawed Breakfast-Club characters lead.

McManus does a great job at having the reader skeptical of all of her characters. The more I read, the more I wondered how deep these secrets and lies went. How far does innocence reach? Is redemption possible? Is this person actually harmful? I took every character with a grain of salt: The brain, the criminal, the jock, and the princess. They all come with highs and lows, and they are all damaged, but they do make interested characters to dig a little deeper into.

If you're a fan of The Breakfast Club, Pretty Little Liars, and Clue, then this one needs to be on your reading list.

What a fun mystery! I really enjoyed this one. The characters start out as high school cliches and then develop into so much more. If you read this one for what it is, it is very enjoyable! I did guess part of the mystery, but that did not detract from my enjoyment. I will be recommending this one to a lot of teens at my library for sure!

Cue the comparisons to The Breakfast Club; after all, they are warranted to some extent. One of Us is Lying does involve five students from very different social spheres. It does involve detention among the five of them. While the detention scene itself is but a brief portion of the novel and most of the bonding occurs outside of the school environment, the five students do learn that there is more to a person than the clique s/he inhabits or his/her appearance.

The fun of One of Us is Lying is not in its similarities to that iconic movie but in its differences. It is not just a coming-of-age story; in fact, one might argue that aspect of the story is a side effect of the main plot. Instead, it is an old-fashioned, locked-room whodunit with all of its trademark clues and red herrings but set for the Internet generation. It even has an air of a cozy mystery about it with its surprisingly close-knit community and limited setting. It is an interesting twist to a traditional coming-of-age YA novel and one that is far more entertaining.

Any murder mystery revolves around secrets and One of Us is Lying is no different in that aspect. In fact, secrets are at the heart of the novel and the reason the murder victim is so reviled throughout the school. The secrets being kept by the murder suspects are not surprising; in fact, most readers will be able to guess them well before the big reveal. The reactions to the big reveal are equally expected. What is not so mundane is how each of the murder suspects react once their secrets are public knowledge. Given that the characters are teenagers, one would expect much wringing of hands and angst-fueled monologues. While they do carry on in such fashion to some extent, they mostly act in a fairly adult manner, accepting the public's reactions and not letting it scare them away from carrying on as normal. It is a most welcome surprise. 

The rest of the novel follows the murder suspects as they attempt to unravel just what happened in the detention room and why. There are some entertaining twists that keep readers guessing, albeit not for long. Most adult readers will be arrive at the answer fairly early into the story, but knowing who the murderer is does not ruin the story. If anything, it adds just a little something extra to the story as it allows you to focus on the clues and piece them together while you stumble upon them rather than after the fact. 

One of Us is Lying is not going to make you more intelligent or help you learn something about society or yourself, but it does not present itself as such. Instead, consider it as a hybrid cozy, locked-room mystery and coming-of-age story that is merely meant to entertain rather than teach. It is fun, compelling, and completely satisfying.

**4.5 Stars**

Bronwyn , Cooper, Abby, Nate and Simon could not be more different from each other, yet all had detention the same day for the same reason. When the teens figure out that they were set up, they try to argue their way out of the detention, but to no avail. When a car accident out in the high school parking lot causes the teacher to leave the room, the teens speculate on who is really guilty. But when Simon, the outcast creator of the most popular secret spilling app​ ends up having a severe allergy reaction, it may not have been an accident. But who is willing to murder to keep their secret?

Wow, what a ride. I had high expectations when I started the book because I had been wanting to read it for forever, so I was a little leery that maybe my expectations were too high. I am so glad to report that was not the case, instead I found myself in this complicated, messy murder mystery that I could not put down. I flew through the pages because I needed to know who was responsible, how this would play out. One of Us Is Lying was like The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, with Gossip Girl thrown in to create a compelling mystery set in a modern day high school.

​I thought this book was incredibly well written because all four of the remaining teens had motive and secrets, and I found myself cycling through who I suspected of the murder. Really, any of them could have been capable, and the author kept throwing the guilt around, enough to make me doubt my ever changing guesses.​ But the thing is that I really liked each character, felt empathy and concern for them, hoped they weren't responsible, all the while in the back of my mind I really questioned if they were capable of murder. It was quite the twisty plot, and I enjoyed the ride.

The author also successfully created four distinctive voices for the teens, each section narrated by a different character as the police investigation got more intense and the surprises just kept spilling out. ​Not only was this a mystery, but it was a growing up story. All the characters went through a change for the better, the weight of secrets appeared to hold them back from their true potential as people. And the new relationships that were a result of this difficult situation were the best, be it the amazing sister bonds that strengthened or actually came into being, as well as the hidden romances that became out in the open. (side note, Addy and Maeve were my all time favorite characters, but I really liked all the teens regardless of the ending).

This review will be pretty short because I do not want to give away any spoilers to potentially ruin the book, because most the fun was reading one chapter or day of events at a times, having secrets or lies dropped behind like bread crumbs leading me to the exciting conclusion. I did not see it coming, but I really enjoyed what the author created. This is my first book from Karen, but it won't be my last. This story is a must read for fans of mystery books of all kinds.

I received this title in return for my honest review.
Visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ to check out the blog tour and giveaway

This. Book. Was. So. Good. I received an advanced copy from NetGalley for an honest review and I can honestly say that it was so much fun to read. I saw someone describe it as a murder mystery version of the Breakfast Club, which is a decent description. Five very different kids end up in detention. One of them dies. The rest all become suspects. Who is the killer? Why did he/she do it? I literally read almost the entire second half of the book in one sitting last night, staying up way past when I should have been asleep in order to find out the answers. I would definitely recommend this, to friends who enjoy suspense and/or YA fans.

Pitched as The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, this book immediately got into my radar. The Breakfast Club us one of my favorite books, and I've always been curious about PLL although I never really got the chance to watch the series. The book definitely delivered the pitch.

WHAT I LIKED:

As a big fan of mystery/thriller books, I've somehow set my standards and I could say the book met them. The book was told in multiple POVs which presented different voices and perspectives to the story, and the transition flows great as the perspective switches. I also adored the side romances in the book,especially between Brownwyn and Nate, might be a typical smart girl/bad boy romance but I love how it all unfolded. I also love that each character had their own development.

The mystery aspect of the book really kept me on edge and it was such a thrill trying to guess who actually did it, even though I got spoiled while I was still in the early parts of the book. It was still thrilling to see if my deduction was correct, and it was by the way.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

As much as I loved the multiple POVs, I think that for some parts of the book, it got confusing because there weren't distinct voices for each characters so I had to scroll back to the beginning of the chapter to double check which character I was reading from.

I'm not sure what to think of the actual reason and motive about Simon's death, I honestly had mixed feelings about it. I also feel like the epilogue was either unnecessary, or a little weak maybe. I just feel like it could have been a little better if all of the characters were included in the epilogue.

FINAL VERDICT:

Overall, this book was very enjoyable to read. The "whodunnit" part was pretty much fun to figure out and the writing flow was great as well. I definitely recommend this to readers who love mystery/thriller books.

Think about The Breakfast Club with a dead body and you have ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen M. McManus, a fantastic new YA novel. McManus brings several students – good girl Bronwyn, bad boy Nate, jock Cooper, seemingly clueless though popular Addy, and misfit Simon to Mr. Avery's after school detention. In the space of just a few minutes, one is dead and the others fall fairly quickly under suspicion.

Social media is a key factor since the the About That app was ready to publish secrets related to cheating (on tests and in relationships), alleged steroid use and drug dealing involving each of the remaining students. I do read many mysteries and found ONE OF US IS LYING to be fast-paced and full of surprises. The realistic teenage angst is spread around and shared from multiple perspectives as the narration shifts amongst the students. School Library Journal described ONE OF US IS LYING as "smart, twisted, and unpredictable" and YOYA gave McManus' debut novel a starred review. Check it out soon!

What a winner of a YA novel. The story really held my attention the entire way through. This reminded me a lot of Thirteen Reasons Why and I think that if you enjoyed that novel you will really enjoy this.

This book reminded me a little of a book I read a few months ago called Secrets, Lies and Scandals, which I loved. There's something about a murder mystery involving teenagers that just doesn't get old to me. I was intrigued through the entire book to know what happened and I really found myself more connected to the characters than I had anticipated. This is a great read for not just YA fans but for all mystery fans in general.

4.5 stars

I was hooked. Kid dies during detention, four witnesses, and a whole lot of secrets. What a page turner.

Once again I’m so glad I went to high school before smartphones were invented, and most social media didn’t exist yet. Teenagers are brutal.

While most kids admit they didn’t like Simon, killing him is obvious a step too far. Author of the school’s gossip app, Simon has plenty of enemies. Though it’s the last four whose secrets he hadn’t revealed yet, who stood to lose the most.

Each has his or her secret. Some more shocking than others, though all equally life changing.

The police is relentless, and the suspects keep claiming their innocence. The media is on their case as well, though none are as harsh as their peers.

Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper, and Addy set out to find the real culprit. Honestly it’s sad when teens can do a better job than the professionals.

I loved how we’re kept guessing ’till the end. False leads, suspicious secondary characters, and the final reveal is awesome. I mean tragic, ’cause a kid died, but masterfully set up.

On Of Us Is Lying is a thrill ride, taking teenage drama, and angst to a whole new level. I loved every second of it. Impossible to put down!

*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

One of Us is Lying begins with five Bayview high school students entering detention together, because of breaking a no cellphone rule. All five claim the confiscated phones aren’t theirs. After an hour one of the students is dead. Simon, the victim, writes and runs a school gossip app, so he had many enemies. Did one of the students in detention kill him, did all four together or was it someone else entirely? Who had such a terrible secret it was worth killing to keep Simon silent?

The Bayview Four (as they are dubbed in the press) are initially introduced as stereotypes - the Jock, the Brainiac, the Princess and the Bad Boy. As the story progresses it's revealed there is so much more to each of them than that and they all have something they'd desperately like to hide. I loved getting to know each of the suspects, finding out the secrets they want to keep hidden and how they individually deal with the accusations by the police and grow from their experiences as a result.

The story is told through multiple viewpoints and it's a testament to the author's writing ability that I was easily able to distinguish the different characters from chapter to chapter. I found the four main characters well-developed and very likeable, so I anxiously looked forward to the conclusion to find out who the killer was and why Simon was killed. This was a fun YA mystery, with an uncomplicated style I really enjoyed. Highly recommended.