We're just entering the second quarter of 2017 and I already know that One of Us is Lying will become a standout book of the year.

Described as a cross between The Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars, this YA thriller focuses on a group of 5 high school students, strangers to each other at the start of the narrative, attending an after-school detention. By the end, these students know each other much more intimately...

But only four of them emerge from the detention alive.

I loved this book from start to finish. The characters were so well fleshed out, their narratives believable, though of course with so many twists and turns we cannot fathom the big reveal until it is presented to us. And what a twist it was! I have read many mystery/thriller stories, though can honestly say One of us is Lying really kept me guessing!

Make sure you read this book, no matter what your taste in fiction. You won't be disappointed!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

It's obviously no accident that this book feels very much like the John Hughes' classic The Breakfast Club with a crime twist. I'm not sure how I feel about that and although I usually love YA high school books, I was almost mad that the author had so obviously copied a classic. However, I'm still working out how I feel about the book overall. I was simultaneously glued to it and wanting to shout at the characters. It bugged me alot, but I haven't worked out if that's a good thing yet.

However, I think I ultimately didn't like this book because of the representations of sexuality and mental health issues. It also used the character's identities to shock the reader and this feels really lazy. As a society we are leaning towards acceptance and this book kind of puts that all back in the closet. That felt very, very 90's and I'm surprised the publisher didn't see that. Being gay isn't a revelation anymore. It felt demonised in this book and it's clear that the author hasn't been in a school in a very long time. I also didn't like the way Simon was seen as a terrorist throughout the book, only to have ultimately killed himself. OH and his accomplice is depressed too. It seemed as though this demonising of mental health was purposeful and it's ultimately dangerous. There's enough of a stigma as is. It also felt like the author had no experience of mental health and was furthering the stigma with cardboard-cutout depression.

I can't recommend this book to anyone - and those I would usually recommend it to are too impressionable. I wouldn't WANT them to be influenced by this author who seems really out of touch.

A misfit group of students are gathered together in detention and become suspects in a terrible crime. I thought it was very well written and balances the murder mystery element with the often turmoil of being a teen. I was rooting for all the main characters and am enjoying recommending this to my customers.

Loved the story would recommend you felt as if you were on a rollercoaster of emotions brilliant story

Twists and turns but this stays real and engaging. Very enjoyable thriller debut.

An incredibly gripping book from beginning to end. It may hold some stereotypes about people in high school but the character development shows that even if you fit into that mould you are completely unique. I simply couldn't put this book down and am excited to discover what this debut author has coming out in the future

Soooo....where do I begin? This book has been venturing into ever corner of the blogosphere with mostly positive reviews and thoughts. I got this e-ARC from NetGalley but then started it and never finished. Sadly, it expired so I could no longer read it. But then I managed to buy the book, so it's all good.

I have to say I normally don't read books like One Of Us Is Lying. I mean yes I've read murder mysteries and school deaths but honestly, I really like how this book was put together. It's a realistic contemporary which surprised me. The story is told by the 4 suspects, Brownyn, Addy, Cooper and Nate. This book has a fantastic and intriguing premise which kept you glued to the pages.

What I really liked about this book is how it really discussed and delves into certain topics and didn't gloss over them. Even though half the book wasn't about the 'murder' , it still manages to keep you turning the pages. You work out the voices after a while as they become more distinguished and it's really enjoyable.

We have some wonderful characters. You end up really liking all of the four main characters. I admit I guessed half of the plot twist [ I guessed that it was a suicide but nothing about Jake but much later on. 50 pages in, I guessed that the car accident was no coincidence at all and that none of them (apart from Simon) was lying (h] but still...some of it surprised.

It's incredibly well written, fast paced and full of mystery. To get 5 stars, I wanted a spark, to be blown away by the plot twist but I'm a genius? What can I say? Honestly, this review is a bit all over the place. I don't think it's entirely a memorable story, but a super good one! I guess I don't have much to say about books that are not fantasy. *shrugs*

This book started off great, but this wasn't for me, I'm sorry to say. In the beginning, I got confused with the male characters. but great interaction between characters and a good storyline.

This needs to be made into a TV series. Awesome! Couldn't put it down.

Actual rating 4.5 stars!

One of Us Is Lying is a story of 5 teenagers who all arrive in detention for having phones in their bags, only four of them exit.

Bronwyn, the brain the slightly nerdy good girl who follows the rules and is headed for Yale
Addy, the beauty, the homecoming princess with perfect hair and the perfect boyfriend, the popular girl everyone wants to be!
Nate, the criminal, he is already on probation for dealing drugs, he has a shattered home life with a drug addicted mother who is presumed dead and an alcoholic father.
Cooper, the athlete, the baseball pitcher with a bright future in front of him
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app. He has more or less shared all the secrets of the students of Bayview high.

This was a real twisty turney novel and I was hooked from the first chapter, one of the above characters dies in detention, what follows is a murder investigation where the reaming four of our students there that day are under suspicion, every one of have a secret that was about to be reviled, every one has a motive but who is guilty and is everything as it seems, bonds are formed and broken and secrets and lies are revealed.

I could not put this book down, I suspected every one of our characters at some point and I did not see the twist coming at all! I haven't read a good thriller in a while and this one ticked all the boxes, I felt that we really got to know and like all of our four suspects and could even relate to them, I didn't want any of them to be guilty and was worrying about each of them!.

I would highly recommend this book to thriller lovers out there and the addition of this being set in a high school added to the experience for me. Can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.

Excellent book for YA lovers and crime fans. Keeps you guessing all the way. Have sold this to many customers.

I first heard of One of Us is Lying during a #SundayYA chat on Twitter and I was immediately intrigued and knew I would have to get my hands on it somehow. I was lucky enough to get approved to read this via NetGalley and have since been out to buy a physical copy to keep on my shelves too. This book is excellent.

5 teenagers in detention. Only four of them leave. One of them is now dead. But who killed Simon? Bronwyn, Cooper, Addy and Nate all have their reasons to want Simon dead but who would actually act upon them? One of Us is Lying has some serious Gossip Girl / Pretty Little Liars vibes and being a fan of both shows I just knew I would love it.

This book was DELICIOUS! It doesn’t mess around at all. Within the first few pages Simon is dead and we are thrust straight away into the murder mystery that I so often think is missing from YA books. We see parts of the story from all four points of view and this definitely added to the mystery and intrigue. As I got to know each character for myself I started to make a mental check list of all the people I just knew weren’t the killer. Then I realised I had crossed them all off and had to start over again. My mind was racing to find out who the killer was because I just couldn’t work it out for myself. It wasn’t until a few pages before the reveal that I did manage to work it out and my mind was blown, so much so that I reread over some parts of the book to see if I could pick up clues.

I really liked that Bronwyn, Cooper, Addy and Nate all had their own voices within the book too and I found a way to connect to each of them. There were definitely times where they frustrated me but also a lot of times where I could relate to them so clearly (I have not killed anyone, just to be clear!). I loved that across our four main characters we had the classic character stereotypes: the clever girl, the jock, the prom queen and the bad boy. But I am so glad that this book peeled back those stereotypes and in fact there was some really excellent character development for each character in their own right.

I really enjoyed this as a quick read that kept me flipping pages until I had discovered the answer to the big question: who dunnit? I love the way McManus wrote her characters and I’ll certainly be looking out for more from her in the future.

This was a really enjoyable YA mystery.

The author does a great job at creating suspense and casting suspicions on so many characters that the reader is never entirely sure what is truth and what is going to be the overall outcome.

I did think the different POVs could have been slightly more distinctive as there were occasions in which I had to think about which character's chapter I was reading.

I really enjoyed the main romance featured in the novel and overall this was a really fun mystery.

Five students are in detention having been discovered with cell phones by a technophobe teacher. They are a varied group. There is Cooper, upper athlete, courted by colleges, destined for a glittering career as a baseball player. Addy is the popular girl, dating the handsome jock. Nate is the black sheep, on probation for a drug offence, trying to keep himself going despite a drunken father and an absent mother. Bronwen is the smart one, top marks in classes, looking to get into a top-class university. Then there is Simon, bit of a loner always on the edge of things and also the writer of the most hated gossip blog in the school.
When one of them dies the finger points at the other four. What secrets do they hide and who would have done this and why?
I enjoyed this book although I felt it was a bit sketchy in places. At times, I began to lose interest, only to come across another piece of the puzzle that made me keep reading. I found the characters a little stereo-typed but I guess that was the point of them.
All in all an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read and review this book.

Fabulous YA book - think Breakfast Club for the snapchat generation

This book was amazing! The writing was great, the plot was always intriguing and intense. Each page had me wanting more and I loved trying to decipher who the killer was. The ending shocked me because I was definitely not expecting it, or who the killer was. I loved some characters and enjoyed others. There were none I hated, but I didn't enjoy all of them.
I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something quick to read or a mystery type book

This is a fairly decent whodunnit. There are enough red herrings to keep you guessing and enough suspense to keep you reading. It is clearly aimed at a YA market and I think it will be fairly popular within this age group. I agree with some reviewers that the characters are stereotypes but I disagree with with the negative comments about the portrayal of mental illness and the gay community. In my view the author handles both quite sensitively .
My thanks to netgalley for this copy.

This was such a great book- full of suspicion and paranoia. Everyone is a suspect and you don't know who to trust. The relationships were developed well and the plot well paced.
I will admit that I was a bit disappointed with the final reveal of the murderer- it was someone I'd guessed quite early in but tossed the suspicion away as it didn't even seem like a possibility- it just eliminated any surprise and betrayal from one of the characters that we loved.
If all that makes sense without spoiling anything.
Full Book Talk coming soon.

Rating: 4/5 stars

I really liked this book! I was initially a bit wary- will this just be another Breakfast Club (but without my lord and saviour Molly Ringwold and a classic 80’s soundtrack), will this be another dumb murder mystery where you know who-dun-it the entire time?

Well the answer folks, is both no, and no.

I won’t lie, I was mostly in here for Bronwyn and Nate. I’ve just finished watching Riverdale and the pair give off a Betty/Jughead vibe that I feel like nobody’s business.

Overall, this book wasn’t predictable, the characters were all really interesting, and I couldn’t pick who the murderer was. Which is really all you could want from a murder mystery novel.

I was a bit disappointed with the ending… everything felt a bit rushed and unresolved. But overall I was a big fan of this and couldn’t wait to come home after work and devour it over a period of a couple of days.