It's been a while since I've read a YA novel - and even longer since one gripped me as this one did. What starts off as a typical lies-and-secrets scenario with a bit of Gossip Girl on top, opens out into an absorbing story about friendship, love, human connections and growing towards adulthood.

McManus has created a set of characters who, however familiar they appear to be on the surface, turn into 'real' people as the book develops and I cared about them all: good-girl Bronwyn who has never failed at anything; beautiful Addy prom-princess; bad boy Nate with his screwed-up family background; and golden Cooper whom everyone loves.

The writing is remarkably easy to read but doesn't skimp on depth - both a page-turner and also something with emotional intelligence and flair.

To be posted on Amazon and Goodreads

Unfortunately couldn't get in to this book and ended up putting it down

Here’s something I never thought I’d say: I have also done a video review on this book, which you can find on my YouTube channel! Another thing I never thought I’d say: I actually agree with the way a book was pitched for once. The pitch for this book was ‘Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars’. And I think that’s a pretty good way of describing it!

So, what’s the story about? It’s about 5 teenagers who get detention. Bronwyn, the nerd. Nate, the criminal. Addy, the pretty and good girl. Cooper, the jock. And Simon, the gossip. Simon has an app called About That, to which he posts rumors about his fellow students. They are never wrong. During detention, Simon gets killed and obviously the focus of the investigation is the 4 students who were with him at the time. Yet they all insist that they didn’t murder him. So who’s lying?

If you don’t think this premise sounds great, then what is up with you? It sound epic. And I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. But I ended up really enjoying it!

THE CHARACTERS

At first, I read some reviews saying the characters were too stereotypical. And yes, for the first part of the novel they are pretty much a stereotype. But isn’t that the whole point of The Breakfast Club? These teenagers all get put together. They are stereotypes too: the popular girl, the criminal, the nerd, etc. But as they get to know each other, and you get to know them, you find out that there’s much more to these people than just who they appear to be. And I think Karen McManus did exactly the same thing in One of Us Is Lying. At first, they seem pretty stereotypical. But as you get to know them, you learn that there’s so much more to them than this label they’ve gotten.

Bronwyn, the brain. Bronwyn Rojas is on a path leading directly to Yale. She has the best grades, and school and studying is what is most important to her. Aside from her family, of course.

Nate, the criminal. Nate is on probation, because he was caught dealing drugs. He still does, now they just can’t catch him anymore.

Addy, the popular and good girl. She’s the sweet girl who is beautiful but not model-gorgeous, with the jock boyfriend.

Cooper, the athlete. Although not the aforementioned jock boyfriend. Baseball is Cooper’s entire life.

Simon, the outcast. Who is the guy behind the app that has ruined so many teenagers’ lives?

I think these characters were all pretty interesting. At first, I really didn’t like Addy. I thought she was such a doormat when she was with her boyfriend and it annoyed me to no end. Which you can see in my Goodreads updates. There’s one moment when they are going to a beach party in the evening. And she’s wearing a shirt and sneakers because it’ll be cold. Her boyfriend takes a look at her, and tells her that she should maybe change into something more form-fitting, because after all, isn’t he there to keep her warm? And SHE DOES. SHE CHANGES. GIRL. LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. YOU SET THAT IDIOT ON FIRE TO KEEP YOURSELF WARM. So yeah, I was not a fan. But by the middle to end of the story, I was basically Addy’s biggest cheerleader. Doesn’t that tell you something about the stereotypes being erased?

I really enjoyed Bronwyn and Nate’s stories too. At first, I have to admit, I thought: is this going to lead to a romance? Because I think these people have some other shit to deal with. But I ended up really enjoying the way Karen McManus dealt with it.

I ended up really attached to all of the main characters, something I certainly couldn’t envision when I started it.

THE MURDER

I had a blast trying to figure out who was lying. Well, lying about the murder. They are all lying about something. But then again, who isn’t? We all have those aspects of our lives we don’t necessarily want to share with others.

When I was about 60-70% in, I had this crazy theory. And I ended up being partially right!! I was kind of proud of myself. Usually, I don’t like it when I can guess (part) of the big reveal in a murder mystery. But in this case, I wasn’t bothered by it at all. I actually found it even more fun, to see it unravel. I caught myself reading faster, thinking: “am I going to be right??”

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think this was quite an impressive read. I had a lot of fun reading it, both with regards to the mystery and to the characters. I found it quite interesting that she stuck to the theme of the Breakfast Club: are these people really just a stereotype or label? Or is there more to them? I’d highly recommend it, if you’re interested in the premise. I might just buy myself a copy for my shelves too.

DIVERSITY?

There are some aspects of diversity in these books. Bronwyn’s dad is Colombian, and he moved to the US later in his life. I’m not entirely sure whether that was before or after he had kids. So the Rojas family is Latinx. There is also an LGBTQIA+ main character.

QUOTES

Sexism is alive and well in true-crime coverage, because Bronwyn and I aren’t nearly as popular with the general public as Cooper and Nate.

“It concerns me you’re avoiding a promise not to murder me.”

Nonny lets out a theatrical sigh. “Well, goddamn. You boys are pretty, but not helpful from a practical standpoint.”

An absolutely wonderful page-turner that kept me guessing right to the end. I loved all the nifty little twists and turns the story gained as more secrets came to light.

One of Us is Lying.

I can’t decide how I feel, so let’s just start with this:
I didn’t know what I was expecting.
I am a hugeeee fan of the Breakfast Club.
I really didn’t expect what I read.

In short, my overall feels about this book is positive, though I have my ups and downs with it. I suppose reading this makes me want to go watch the Breakfast Club lol.

I had my doubts when I started reading this. Like what was I going to face? How was this going to take an idea that made Breakfast Club fascinating, and do something new? What I didn’t expect was the murder-mystery angle. And you know what? Aside from feeling disappointed, I actually felt that this was a really nice change. I think it’s been a while since I read a contemporary with such mystery plotline for a long time. I never read pretty little liars though I’ve heard this has been compared a little to that too, but I’ve read other works. And I can safely say, I do really enjoy these books. More so if it’s interesting.

One of us is lying took a little while to warm up. On the good side of things, it starts with a simple story, five students in detention, one drops dead, and they’re pretty much all suspects. At first all the characters seem pretty two dimensional. You’ve got your stereotypes and they’re all got dirty little secrets. But as the story moves on, as it evolves and the secrets unravel, with Simon’s (not literal) ghost hanging around them, and the mystery of his death unresolved from the start, each of the characters really develop. And there’s even a small romance happening.

I really loved seeing the development of each of the characters. I think Addy had the most, Bronwyn coming in second, while Nate and Cooper, third and fourth respectively. Addy really breaks out of the shell, both literally and metaphorically, and I love that she finds a way to herself at the end. Bronwyn learns to take herself a little less seriously, and not worry so much. Nate confused me a bit, but I can see he develops in the sense that he’s not alone anymore. And Cooper. Cooper’s story was more, I felt, about the relationships he had, but I can see there are things he should have done, and he knows it, but he mans up at the end. Though part of me feel Nate and Cooper weren’t as deeply developed as Addy and Bronwyn, they still grew over the course of the book.

I really also love the supporting cast. Every character was fantastic. And there were plenty of haters, but there’s a lot of broship and sisterships going on, so that was brilliant. Addy’s sister and Bronwyn’s sister really supported their siblings. In turn Bronwyn was really supportive of those who needed it: Nate, Addy, Cooper. And vice versa. I really love that scene were Nate stood up for Cooper, that was amazing. I really loved it. Cooper’s friends, such as Luis, was brilliant. He’s got such a small role, but he was definitely a good friend to Cooper. Addy had the sucky end of things with her friends, but I love that she learns from it, and sees who are her real friends and who are definitely not.

Although I feel some things weren’t well dealt with, like Jake (though I won’t spill how he wasn’t dealt with). And though Keely’s part as Cooper’s girlfriend was wrapped up nicely, I still think Cooper’s cheating should have gotten more mention throughout the book since Addy’s got a lot of flack for the same thing. But I guess the issue shifts a bit and it does become a little insignificant when it’s revealed to the school who Cooper cheated with. But still!! I also think it was a little too convenient that characters started revealing their secrets/starts really thinking about their secrets as they’re about to be revealed. Though Cooper’s was handled well, I loved the hints and foreshadowing and half didn’t expect it! Addy’s sort of came out of nowhere I felt, but it was obvious she had a secret.

But otherwise, whether it’s because my mood needed this or it was just perfect for the moment, I really enjoyed this book. Love it. I couldn’t put it down when it started rolling, I just wanted to finish it!

Echoes of "The Breakfast Club" here as a brain, a beauty, an athlete and a delinquent end up in detention together, along with Simon, a widely disliked purveyor of school gossip through his scurrilous- but accurate- app. When Simon collapses and dies after drinking water from a glass apparently infected with nut oil, to which he is allergic, the remaining four all fall under suspicion- because each one has a secret that Simon was about to expose.
This irresistible mystery builds on the ideas of the film but with a modern spin and an added murder mystery. The four suspects all learn a lot about themselves, and each other, and come to find hidden strengths and form relationships outside of their comfort zones. All have family issues and emotional burdens which eventually they manage to deal with. The story romps along and clues are dropped to lead to the final conclusion. An enjoyable read.

Four students and one teacher, Simon,Nate, Addy, Bronwyn and Mr. Avery are in a detention, when two cars crash into each other.

They were chosen for that detention due to phones going off in their backpacks which weren't theirs.

Whilst Mr Avery goes to check on the events outside, the students on detention are talking when Simon drinks water he says tastes weird. Then he's on the floor, having an allergic reaction.
But all the medication in the college and on Simon, was gone.
An hour after he started reacting, he was dead.

Then police and councillors get involved and each character undergoes investigation as the truth as to how Simon died comes out as peanut traces in the water and cup he drank from.

The story is obviously not one that's simple, it's a mystery after all. I'm using no spoilers so I'm summing this one up on my thoughts throughout reading it. It uses Tumblr as the outlet of the murderer's voice in their messages and through them we find out they were in the room when he died which makes the book more gripping. It was a little slow in parts, but I'm impatient at finding out more details too so it worked both ways there. We definitely learn more about the suspects characters as we go on and how Simon wasn't liked by a lot of people for the things he did as he ran an app which revealed a lot of secrets people had hidden and could, would and have destroyed relationships. The last part of the book really changes the normal idea back around and then more comes to light around the death of Simon, I certainly didn't predict this one!

The book app messages are written in a style alike Gossip Girl whilst the secrets and lies remind me of Pretty Little Liars.

This book was kindly sent to me by the publishers for review!

This book is classified as Young Adult. As an old adult let me assure you that anyone who likes crime and mystery genres will love this book.

It is fabulously well crafted. Teenagers who could be lumped together are shown to be so very different from each other.

Good cases are made for each, or all, of them to have murdered Simon. There is a subtle red herring early on and I am ashamed to say I fell for it. All through the book I questioned everything but was still convinced I had cracked it.

Red face for me when I saw the final piece fall into place and realised I could not have been more wrong. Serious kudos to the author for a tremendous conclusion.

I was drawn so far into the lives of these characters that I finished the book wondering what would happen to them after all the trauma of a murder enquiry. I would love to read of a high school reunion ten years later...someone could drown in the punch bowl or have an allergic reaction to shrimp vol au vonts or...

Thank you Netgalley for providing this unproofed copy.

When five teens unexpectedly find themselves in detention no one suspects that only four of them will make it out alive. In a Breakfast Club-style set up we meet Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, Cooper and finally Simon who is well-known for running his very own gossip app where he reveals the deepest, darkest secrets of everyone in the school. The day before he planned to reveal private details about the other four students things take another surprising turn when Simon doesn’t make it out of detention alive. When it is discovered that his death was not an accident the rest of the group find themselves accused of murder – question is, who is lying?

The story is told from multiple points of view, with chapters alternating between the four main characters accused of Simon’s murder. Although you go into the story unsure of who you can trust, one of the likable things about the main characters is that they are all flawed and have mistakes in their past, making them more realistic. Although they all seem to fit the usual high school stereotypes and don't quite manage to fully escape this, the members of this group do each seem to grow and develop throughout the story as more of their personalities and secrets are revealed.

The intriguing addition of Simon’s gossip app gives the story a touch of Pretty Little Liars/Gossip Girl vibes and adds both a motivation for the crime and another layer to the mystery. This combined with the multiple perspectives makes for a gripping ride and there are quite a few curveballs to keep the reader guessing throughout. Without giving anything away, the ending itself wasn’t my favourite but I really enjoyed the mystery element and found the book to be a quick and addictive read.

One Of Us Is Lying is an exciting debut that I’m sure will be popular with the YA audience - we’ll definitely be hearing a lot more about it!

*Review link provided will go live on May 31st.

I was really excited to read this book. It had the premise of the Breakfast Club, which is one of my favourite films, as well as a murder. But I just couldn't get into it. I found the different narratives difficult to follow as they didn't appear to flow as much as I would have liked.
However, the plot was great and I really wanted to get to the end to find out what had happened. The characters were a little one dimensional and purely stereotypes so a bit more depth would have been good.
Overall the book was a good, quick read but not a memorable one.

Completely addictive and enjoyable read. I couldn't resist reading almost straight away and once I started I couldn't put it down.

Before I write anything else I should say that I'm a huge big massive fan of The Breakfast Club, it's one of my all time favourite films. When I read the blurb for this my mind instantly thought "YES!!!!" it's the Breakfast Club with a bit of murder mystery thrown in.... and it kind of is.

It begins with five teenagers, Addy, Nate, Bronwyn, Cooper and Simon ending up in detention together. Bronwyn is the nerdy one who gets good grades and never does anything wrong, Nate is the bad boy with a reputation for dealing drugs and the troubled home life, Cooper is the jock and Addy is the superficial popular girl. While they couldn't be more different they all know where they fit in the school hierarchy and have their own friends, all except Simon. Simon's the outsider who runs the school gossip app and knows everyone's secrets. He's more feared than popular. By the end of detention though, Simon's dead and Addy, Nate, Bronwyn and Cooper are the main suspects.

I liked this story a lot. It has all of the elements of The Breakfast Club that I loved, the kids from different worlds and backgrounds being forced together and initially clashing before discovering that they might have more in common than they thought, but it brings it right up to date. Added to that it has a great murder mystery that keeps you guessing.

I have to admit I had an idea from the beginning who was behind it all but it was still a really enjoyable read that had enough twists and turns to keep me questioning my theory and turning those pages.

The characters are a little stereotyped but this is a deliberate part of the plot and I still found myself liking them a lot, particularly as they develop over the course of the story. Even those I wasn't too sure about kind of grew on me by the end.

The narrative is told in alternating chapters from each of the four and it really gives you a great sense of them. I'm not always a fan of multiple pov's but it works very well here although when you know each characters thoughts it does give an indication of who did what (or does it??).

The writing is excellent and for a debut novel it's pretty impressive. The pacing is spot on and I loved the dialogue between the characters. The author also manages to sneak in some difficult teen issues but does it in a very natural way that gives positive messages in a non preachy way which is always good.

Overall, it's a great story that I'd recommend and I'll be looking forward to the authors next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own

This book.. I don't even have words. Firstly, it was really interesting to have the story from the perspective of all the main characters involved. I couldn't figure out for a long time what was going on and I had no idea how the author was going to wrap this up.

This story was incredible, definitely one of my favourite books this year. I already want to re-read it, see if there's any hidden clues I missed! What an ending.

This book blew me away. It didn’t want to put it down, and I wish it was possible to wipe my memory and start it from the beginning again, because there were so many intriguing mysteries, surprising plot twists, and shocking revelations.

One of Us Is Lying starts with five high school kids who all end up in detention after having been found with phones in class. Bronwyn is ‘the brain’, a straight-A student who is heading to Yale. Cooper is ‘the athlete’ and is already a bit of a baseball star, hoping to be scouted for a major league team. Addy is ‘the beauty’, with a perfect boyfriend and a whole gang of friends. Nate is ‘the criminal’, on probation for dealing drugs. And then there’s Simon, ‘the outcast’, hated throughout Bayview High for his school gossip app About That. Five students go into detention, but only four come out. Simon dies from an allergic reaction, and police believe that someone poisoned him, and it must have been one of the students in the room. They all had motive to kill Simon, but they all insist they’re innocent, so who is lying? Who killed Simon?

This book’s plot is a thrill, a rollercoaster ride. Each of the characters is harbouring their own secret that comes out over the course of the novel, and then more secrets, and more. It was as if the book was peeling away layers to the characters, which I loved. I also enjoyed that each of the four characters had their own chapters told in first person narrative. Although sometimes, multiple narrators can make books confusing, Karen McManus really did this well. We get to know the characters intimately, their fears, desires, and feelings, and I never felt like the book was spreading itself too thin among so many characters. I also liked how despite this first person narration, the secrets that are revealed still come as a surprise. We get hints from the characters, but McManus still keeps the big revelations back for maximum impact. It was told as if the characters were lying to themselves, which felt natural and honest, and you suspect each of them in turn several times, even though you do like them. Because they’ve lied to themselves already, you feel like you can’t even trust their own thoughts, and this mystery and suspense was refreshing to read in YA contemporary.

Apart from loving Karen McManus’s writing style, I loved each of her characters. I really appreciate that they are a diverse group – for one, Bronwyn is Colombian (which, being Colombian myself and not seeing Latinos represented in literature, made me so happy), and there are other things that come to light over the course of the novel (that I can’t reveal because of spoilers!). I also loved that, although they look like cliche high school characters at the beginning, they are very intricate and complex characters. My favourite was Addy, who is literally described as a doormat, but who undergoes a real change over the course of the novel’s events. Even before she undergoes these changes, I still enjoyed seeing a female character not be represented as a ‘strong female character’, but the complete opposite. Yes, Addy was weak, but it was addressed as a part of her character and recognised, and her character development was inspiring and made me root for her. I also loved Cooper’s storyline, and generally the overarching theme of the characters not being just their stereotype, but being able to come together to help each other out.

Although this is a murder mystery and a high school drama, this is also a novel about friendship and the normal problems that teenagers face growing up, accepting themselves for who they are and figuring themselves out. The plot was exciting, and the characters were so easy to love. It might only be March, but I’m pretty sure that this will be one of my favourite reads of 2017.

So regulars readers of my blog will know I'm not a huge reader of YA (young adult) fiction. I don't know why, it's just not something that was on my radar until maybe the middle of last year. Well books like One Of Us Is Lying make me want to read it a hell of a lot more to be honest.

I had seen this book mentioned by one of my fave bloggers, Liz from Liz Loves Books, and we have pretty similar taste so I figured I'd give it a go. It helps that she described it in terms of The Breakfast Club movie, which is one of my all time favourite movies. I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd cave and break my Netgalley ban.

It was SO WORTH IT!!!

One Of Us Is Lying hooked me completely from the outset. I loved the premise. Five teenagers in detention and only 4 of them make it out alive. I mean, terrible yes, but how could you not want to find out why?! And the comparisons to the seminal John Hughes classic are not unwarranted. The characters are pretty much all present; the jock, the criminal, the athlete, the social outcast, the homecoming queen.

The chapters are told by the four different kids who get out of that classroom. Each one has their own voice, and by the end it was easier to distinguish one from the other. While they experienced a terrible situation, I found the destruction to their lives after the incident to be the most compelling to read. High school is a huge transformation period for these kids, and they have a massive shadow hanging over them, as they all get questioned in relation to what turns out to be murder.

Simon, the kid that was murdered, ran a gossip site, About That. Coincidentally, the day after his death, there were posts scheduled for the four others that were in detention with him, so it seems they all had something to lose. And motive.

What follows is utterly absorbing. Every chapter there is new information coming to light from somewhere. Every one of these teens is a suspect, every one of them had something to hide. One Of Us Is Lying shows the effects that secrets and lies can have on the lives of others, as well as the teenage psyche.

Loved this book, definitely one to watch out for in 2017. I don't want to say any more for fear of spoiling anything!

Highly recommended!

On a normal afternoon after school five high school students all end up in detention after being apparently set-up by someone to all be there at the same time. Once they're in detention Bronwyn, Cooper, Nate and Addy all realise their presence there was carefully planned by someone else. They had no idea they would go in as regular high school students with no real concrete bond and come out, changed forever, as murder suspects.

The other student in detention, Simon Kelleher, hosts an app called About That where he displays and shames students for their secrets - sex tapes, pregnancy scares, cheating scandals. He exposes it all until that afternoon in detention when he takes a drink of water and collapses. He then goes into a shocking state due to an allergy to peanuts but all of the EpiPens in the school and his personal medicine are missing so Simon dies.

Now there are questions like - why did someone set them up to get into detention? Why was his bottle missing? Why was his EpiPen missing? These are all questions those four teenagers will have to solve to avoid jail and being branded for life as a murderer.

After Simon dies they think it's all a terrible accident but then someone posts a blog post on a Tumblr page titled About This and boasts about how they killed Simon. After his funeral, the police show the four teenagers involved the post that Simon had queued up to publish days after his murder with secrets about all four of them on it. It would seem like someone saw this post and planned his murder with all four of them in place to take equal suspicion so now they're all under a spotlight from the law and the country's media.

I found the police so frustrating in this book (like I usually do in books like these) as they immediately tried to make out like all four of them are in on it and planned it together like a BFF murder club. I really wanted to be there to slap these officers for trying to get them all to confess and rat each other out the moment the post dropped after the funeral. It just seemed like such lazy work to think they were in there so they must have done it! That is just so on-the-nose and they honestly could have tried a little harder in the first place.

Cooper is on the way to becoming a professional baseball player if he can impress the scouts and score his way into a fantastic college. His father is extremely hard on him about his specific future in that career and doesn't care about what he wants. He's also dating a beautiful, totally sweet girl named Keely but for some reason, he's texting someone else. He seemed like the most suspicious character to me throughout most of the book but I didn't want any of the teenagers to be the murderer. Addy seemed pretty empty as a character at first as she is a lovely, beautiful girl but she's also insecure and doesn't have any spine when it comes out her own identity. She started dating Jake when she was fourteen so as she grew up her whole identity was being someone's girlfriend. Addy's drive to be whatever he wants is also fueled by her mother's horrible aspiration for her to find a rich husband and focus on her looks. It's funny that she's almost always dismissed as being too stupid or silly to have ever planned a murder because she gets off so much easier than the other three but is still seen as a suspect.

Nate has an alcoholic father, a bipolar mother that left him and deals weed and painkillers to make extra money. He's also the only one not in a situation to get a lawyer so it makes him the easy target for the murderer and who already has a criminal record. It would be easy to instantly target him as the killer (and many do) but I definitely didn't think that while I was reading the book because of the fact that it was just too easy. Bronwyn is the typical overachiever that does fantastically in school and doesn't look like she has a scrap of downtime. The book is mostly told from her perspective so she has the most growth for a character and we get the best view of the situation from her as she connects to all three of the other suspects the most. It also meant that I was pretty sure she wasn't the killer unless she was hiding it from the reader.

While I was reading this book I was switching between four or five possible outcomes for who the murderer or murderers were and I was reading it every chance I had because I was desperate to find out who it was! I went through all the suspects and the people I was suspicious of and none of them really seemed right and seemed like a satisfying decision. I did guess very early on who the guilty character did end up being but I still think it was a really good choice since it was much more interesting that the other routes it could have gone. This book was a great, quick read that I enjoyed even if it was a tad predictable at times. I think it's a great YA mystery that isn't gory or overly violent and focuses well on the law system, teenagers and public approval under the watchful lens of a camera.

I really enjoyed this book. I read the majority of it in one sitting and was hooked.
The characters were well rounded out and although I didn't have anything in common with some of them I was still able to connect with them and really feel for them.

I did find out what was going on way before any of our protagonists did but I still enjoyed the story and there was still an element of doubt there that I could have been wrong because of how the writer lead us to suspect the others.

It was well written, well thought out and realistic.

A fantastic and thrilling novel. If you enjoyed The Breakfast Club, you will love this.

Well, it kept me reading because I couldn't wait to find out what was going on! It was an enjoyable read and I'll be looking out for more books by Karen McManus.

I don't usually read books about high school students but I went through a phase of reading YA novels so knew I'd probably enjoy it. I got totally hooked on the Pretty Little Liars show, and the blurb reminded me of that.

I didn't figure out the ending before I got there for which I'm glad; I don't like it when that happens!

I did find it a bit confusing with each chapter coming from a different character. However, it doesn't take much to confuse me, especially when family things were going on that distracted me while I was reading (and supposed to be doing other stuff instead of reading!).

I would have probably read this in one sitting if I'd had the time :)

Do you ever read a book and think, wow, I wish I'd thought of this plot.

It's been so long since I've read a book that leaves me completely blown away. Plenty were good, but none were great. One Of Us Is Lying finally and thankfully broke this trend of good-not-great books, and I would like to thank Karen McManus for breathing life into the storytelling industry.

Although I'm not usually a fan of alternating POVs, first-person narration, and the use of present tense, (all which were employed here!) it absolutely worked for me in this book. I've read my fair share of murder mysteries so I was pretty convinced early on that our four main characters were innocent. and found myself rooting for all of them as they grew in depth and likeability as the story went on. The cast of side characters was excellent as well as we explore families and friendships and loyalties - the characters of Maeve and Ashton were particularly wonderful. All in all, a superb take on the rather overdone trope of a typical American high school story, and only wish it was longer.

I guess I'm one of those people that don't really mind fanfiction. Hell, I guess I'm just not smart enough to see it in most books. Maybe because I'm not obsessed with many writings. Or maybe I think we all take inspiration from where we can get it, so I don't really often see fanfiction as a knockoff. Some people act like it's a terrible thing and cheating. Other's can't get enough of it. I've really never been bothered or bothered either way. If anything I should think it would be a honour. At the end of the day there are very few original concepts out there...and even then the artists still got their inspiration from somewhere!

Starting this book was like an eye opener. Two chapters in and I was like, "oh shite, I'm not sure I will like this." I mean it was so obviously "The Breakfast Club". I was like, "really? are you freaking serious?"

But then again, growing up in the 80's who can't say that TBC wasn't just, the be all, end all of everything 80's. Who doesn't love that movie?

Then I got over it, and the book progressed. I won't say I was shocked at the ending. Or surprised. I won't say I had it all figured out, but I had a pretty good idea of what happened, just not how all the players tied in together.

At the ending, I wasn't left feeling cheated. I didn't feel the author took shortcuts or intentionally mislead.

I wasn't blown away by it, but I did enjoy it once the novel moved on from TBC type feel. I did go back and forth about which character I liked best (this isn't a bad thing!). I enjoyed them all. I could also relate to them all (just like in TBC). I wanted good things to happen for all of them.

If this is what McManus has to show us in her debut novel, I seriously can't wait to see what her next one will be like.

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review