Thank you to Netgalley for allowing to read and review this book!

I can’t even speak. Like I have no words. This book was so good. I just finished and i’m still in shock. “One of Us is Lying” was one of the first books I read when I got into reading and when I got an ARC of this I knew I was going to love this. The plot was amazing like I don’t even know what to say. I had like so many theories but I was always proved wrong which just shows that this is already a good mystery book. I was interested the entire time and then the characters. Brynn was such a good character, she was so strong minded and she was such a good detective like its so crazy to read about teenagers being like that, I was obsessed. And the romance omg. Tripp and Brynn were so cute I just loved their banter, and I liked how this book wasn’t just about them but more about the mystery. This was definitely a 5/5, I suggest everyone add it to their TBR’s and read it for when it comes out August 30!

Karen McManus pulled off another great YA thriller, no surprise there! Where most of her titles have a 3-4 main character rotation, it was kind of refreshing to have only the two this time. The twists and turns in this story really kept me engaged and the characters were likable and easily relatable. This is going up there with one of my favorites from her.

This week I started my YA readathon: in two days I found two BIGGEST WINNERS! Which is like hitting the jackpot. Because sometimes in one year I nearly read more than hundreds of books written in same genre, sulking with disappointment. But right now I’m truly feeling euphoric, a little exhausted because of extra adrenaline rush!

Firstly I read Agathas and gave my five blazing stars! And now I just read Karen M. McManus’ best book!

I read all of her works including her most popular duology of One of us is lying! But this book is definitely my favorite: better developed characterization, well executed dark academia mystery and dual POV story telling blew my mind!

Choosing to tell the story from two likable characters’ perspectives was the main strength of this book make it better than her previous works. ( multi POVed storytelling was a little riskier because it gets confusing and when you don’t root for each character, it turns out as excruciatingly painful experience)

This time: both Tripp and Brynn ( the author always chooses interesting names for her heroines! ) are main characters, students of St. Ambrose School, who were once close friends, till Tripp does something extra mean to humiliate Brynn.

After their teacher Mr. Larkin’s bludgeoned body is found in the woods, Brynn moved to Chicago when her father gets a new job offer. But she is haunted by the mystery and she never gets over it. After 4 years later, they’re back! Brynn has to return back to same school where her teacher was killed, his murderer has never found and three students: two elites: Shawn and Charlotte and her ex best friend- her new nemesis Tripp made a pact not to talk about it!

Brynn gets accepted by her dream job: true crime show “Motive”, pitches her idea about Mr. Larkin’s unsolved murder, encouraged by the producers to dig out more!

That means she has to work undercover, investigating her school friends including elite trio who found the body. That means she has to bury the hatchet and reluctantly make peace with her nemesis Tripp to learn what secrets he keeps from everyone!

What if Mr. Larkin is not an angel as everybody mentioned? What if there are so many people have motives to get rid of him?

Well, I truly enjoyed the mystery! My favorite character was Tripp. I truly felt sorry how much burden he had to carry for his young age. Interestingly both Tripp and Brynn were most likable characters the author ever created.

That’s why I’m giving my first five stars to one of her works. ( I enjoyed the previous ones but character department always failed for me or some plot hole always bugged me to give more stars)

I can honestly say! This is one of the best works of the year! You shouldn’t dare to miss it!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

This one was fast paced and kept my attention from the jump. Veronica Mars-esque with a side of GGGTM - I loved Brynn and her relentless pursuit to uncover her teacher’s murder. The ending felt a bit rushed but it was enjoyable

Four years after the shocking unsolved murder of her school teacher, Brynn returns to her home town with a mission in mind to solve the case in order to redeem her own reputation and get into the college of her dreams with a little assist from an internship at a true crime tv show. Meanwhile, Brynn's former best friend (and one of three who found the body), Tripp, wants nothing more than to escape his home town and every reminder of the murder of their teacher. As Tripp works to forget the past, Brynn keeps digging with the two on a collision course directly to each other.

Every time a new Karen McManus book comes out I get extremely excited and this is no exception to that rule. She consistently excels in crafting mysteries that go in unexpected directions and with compelling characters (and thankfully a little romance thrown in for good measure). Brynn and Tripp haven't spoken in the four years since the murder but as they grow closer and closer their chemistry really jumps off the page. On top of that, there was no telling where this mystery was going to lead but the ultimate conclusion makes complete sense and hits you right in the gut.

I loved this book and like every other Karen McManus books, it gets a place of honor on my bookshelf. Can't wait to read her next one!

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so much fun! This YA-mystery was so brilliantly executed and the way the author weaved the different layers of the story was well done. I really enjoyed it!

Bryn left Saint Ambrose high school following the murder of beloved English teacher Mr. Larkin. His body was discovered in the woods by three students and the case was never solved. Now, four years later Bryn returns home to where it all happened. Determined to nail an internship at a popular true crime show, she pitches the story about the murder of Mr. Larkin. A journalist to her core, Bryn is determined to figure out what happened that day.

The deeper Bryn digs into the case, the more secrets she uncovers. What she finds out will change the lives of all the people she knows and loves.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It had a great characters in a great story. An ace thriller full of twist and turns. Highly recommend!