Book Review: One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

One of Us Is Lying
Author: Karen McManus
Publication: Delacorte Press (May 30, 2017)

Description: FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, KAREN McMANUS

“Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club” (EW.com) in this “flat-out addictive” (RT Book Reviews) story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
   Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
   Addy,  the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
   Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
   Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
   And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

My Thoughts: This was an intriguing story told in four voices about an after school detention that ends with a death. Bronwyn Rojas, Addy Prentiss, Cooper Clay, Nate Macauley, and Simon Kelleher find themselves in detention when cell phones are confiscated from their belongings by Mr. Avery. The only problem being that the cell phones don't belong to the students.

All of the students have secrets and none of them are friends. Simon is especially hated because of his gossip app which is noted for exposing secrets. Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper and Nate all have secrets they don't wan't exposed.

When Simon dies of an allergic reaction after drinking water laced with peanut oil, the other four all become suspects in his death and their secrets get exposed. Bronwyn is determined to find out who murdered Simon which fits in with her Type A, overachiever mentality. Addy is the homecoming princess with a very controlling boyfriend and a surprising lack of confidence. Cooper is a budding  baseball star who is being scouted by top colleges and the Major Leagues. Nate is on probation for drug dealing and has a bad home situation with a father on disability who is a raging alcoholic and and bi-polar mother who left the family years earlier.

Despite lawyering up (all except Nate), the continue to get together to try to figure out who killed Simon and who is continuing exposing secrets. Along the way they all become stronger, more independent people.

I liked the variety of viewpoints and the variety of personalities who found themselves thrown together by Simon's death.

Favorite Quote:

"Bronwyn Rojas, I solemnly swear not to murder you today or at any point in the future. Deal?"

"You're ridiculous," she mutters, going even redder.

"It concerns me you're avoiding a promise not to murder me."

She rolls her eyes. "Do you say that to all the girls you bring here."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.