Book Review: “One of Us Is Lying”
Author: Karen M. McManus
By Sydney Hoffman on October 19, 2017
The following five students walk into Bayview High’s detention: the brain Bronwyn, who is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule; the beauty Addy, who is the picture-perfect homecoming princess; the criminal Nate, who is on probation for dealing drugs; the athlete Cooper, who is the all-star baseball pitcher and the outcast Simon, who is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.
At first glance, this book may seem similar to the book and movie “The Breakfast Club” because of the characters and their social classes. However, Simon never made it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon was dead. According to investigators, it was not an accident. He died on a Monday, and the next day, he had planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, making them all suspects for his murder.
This book is perfect for teenagers because it has something for everyone in every social group. The story is set in a high school, and even though not every school is the same, they all have one thing in common− drama. Drama is a very relatable subject to high schoolers in this generation.
This book also has something for everyone because it is filled with murder, action, drama, and romance. All genres are perfectly balanced without highlighting just one. For example, the romance in this book is not too cheesy or overbearing.
Karen M. McManus did a fantastic job writing the young adult novel. This story is set up in alternating first person, which can make it difficult to follow along in some books but not in this one. Karen made the transitions between characters obvious by manipulating their thoughts and dialogue. This form of writing was helpful in furthering my understanding and relationship with each character because the dialogue fits each of their personalities perfectly. For example, the brain Bronwyn narrates with a large, powerful vocabulary that fits her personality and interests.
Overall, I recommend this book for any teenagers. The forceful beginning pulls the reader in and keeps them biting their nails and shivering throughout the rest of the storyline until the increasingly shocking ending that reveals "whodunnit"
At first glance, this book may seem similar to the book and movie “The Breakfast Club” because of the characters and their social classes. However, Simon never made it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon was dead. According to investigators, it was not an accident. He died on a Monday, and the next day, he had planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, making them all suspects for his murder.
This book is perfect for teenagers because it has something for everyone in every social group. The story is set in a high school, and even though not every school is the same, they all have one thing in common− drama. Drama is a very relatable subject to high schoolers in this generation.
This book also has something for everyone because it is filled with murder, action, drama, and romance. All genres are perfectly balanced without highlighting just one. For example, the romance in this book is not too cheesy or overbearing.
Karen M. McManus did a fantastic job writing the young adult novel. This story is set up in alternating first person, which can make it difficult to follow along in some books but not in this one. Karen made the transitions between characters obvious by manipulating their thoughts and dialogue. This form of writing was helpful in furthering my understanding and relationship with each character because the dialogue fits each of their personalities perfectly. For example, the brain Bronwyn narrates with a large, powerful vocabulary that fits her personality and interests.
Overall, I recommend this book for any teenagers. The forceful beginning pulls the reader in and keeps them biting their nails and shivering throughout the rest of the storyline until the increasingly shocking ending that reveals "whodunnit"
