One of Us Is Lying
Returned to my YA roots for a classic whodunit, and I have some thoughts. But first, a brief synopsis…
A jock, a valedictorian, a prom queen, a bad boy, and an outcast walk into a room. How many walk out?
FOUR.
When Simon, the mastermind behind Bayview High’s notorious gossip app, drops dead in detention, four of the student body’s most prominent faces all become suspects. Everyone is harboring dangerous secrets, but how far will they go to keep them? Loyalties are tested, futures are changed, and of course, romances are forbidden.
Now, onto my notes…
I love a dual POV but a four-fold? I was wary to say the least…but I can admit when I’m wrong. Karen McManus surprised me with her ability to speak from multiple perspectives and give them each their own distinct voices. She shamelessly leans into the clichés of high school, taking them one step further to show how deeply teens can be affected by such surface level ideas.
While I was surely shocked by the end of the novel, I found myself more consumed by the characters’ lives than the crime itself. I wasn’t reading to find out who did it but to see where each character’s journey ended. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but at times, it felt more like a (slightly dark) coming of age than a suspense novel. Thankfully, I’d never turn down a good coming of age.
Despite the story being heavily focused on the characters’ inner lives, I will say that McManus was able to weave in a quality mix of clues and red herrings—some of which I didn’t pick up on until the killer was revealed. However, I can’t help but wonder if they were lost on me partially because I cared too little about the case and too much about the narrators. She definitely made all of the main characters worth rooting for, but that might not have been the best choice when each of them was intended to be a suspect.
Promoted as “Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club,” I would consider One of Us Is Lying a great way to dip your toes into the thriller scene before jumping in head first.
RATING: ★★★★☆
