Detention for five, but only four come out alive. Karen McManus’ One of Us Is Lying is an enticing mystery novel published in 2017 and is the first of two books in the “One of Us” series.
This novel takes you through a puzzling journey trying to uncover the cause of an unexpected death of a Bayview High School student, Simon Kelleher. Simon was the creator of an online gossip app, About That. His app unveiled his peers' deepest secrets, causing a lot of tension, ultimately creating many enemies towards Simon. One day, Simon, along with four other students, was called into detention. During detention, Simon had an allergic reaction, although the EpiPens were missing from the nurse’s office, keeping everyone from saving him before it was too late. The real question is, how did Simon really die? Was his death planned by someone in the detention room? Or was it all just an unfortunate accident?
This novel leaves you wishing you never had to stop reading as it takes you through a zigzag of unforeseen events. As someone who bores easily when reading, this book had me anything but bored with its everlasting ability to keep me guessing throughout the entirety of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed McManus’ style of writing, in which she shifted through each main character's point of view, giving the reader insight into their individual lives and opinions. This is one of the best novels I have ever read, as it continuously left me thirsty for more details. Each time I came to the end of a chapter, I never wanted to put this book down, and I can’t wait to read the next book of the series.
I give One of Us Is Lying a rating of 5/5 due to its ability to keep me entertained throughout the totality of the book. I recommend this novel to any teenager because McManus wrote in a manner that allows teenage readers to relate to the teenage main characters. What are you waiting for? Stop staring at your screen and head over to the library! NOW!
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