One of Us Is Lying is an interesting twist on the Breakfast Club and high profile murders in a modern setting. It’s tense and keeps you questioning exactly who is responsible. No one and everyone seems like they could be, and I highly recommend going into this story as blind as you can to fully appreciate the twists and turns.

DNF @ 30%

OK, so I almost hate myself for putting this one down, but apparently I just can't deal with books that are even slightly YA. There is something about the writing and the characters that I really can't get on with.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is clearly well written and the characters, from what I read, are well developed but I just couldn't get past the teen-ness of this. I like books that are gritty and use words that I sometimes have to stop and Google, that's just my preference... so that's why I couldn't get on with this. Completely down to the fact that it's just not my style of book.

When I got to 23% a small thought planted itself in my head and because I wasn't thoroughly enjoying reading it, I decided to skip to the end to see if my thoughts were correct, and I was halfway there. That's not the say this book doesn't have a good twist, because from reading lots of reviews, it does come as quite a shock to most people.

Never again am I going to request and download a book that's a mystery & thriller but also teen & YA. At least I've learnt a lesson.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Children's for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review... I promise I won't request from you again so you don't waste an ARC on me!

I used to devour crime thrillers and mysteries when I was a teen. I read so many I got sick of the genre, and moved on to YA (I was far from being a YA myself at this point). And then I stumbled upon One of Us is Lying, a YA mystery, a mix of my old and new addictions, and I just had to check it out.

One of Us is Lying is an amazing debut by Karen M. McManus. I practically read this overnight. This book gave me a book hangover. I am too old to stay up reading all night. I am almost 30. I have responsibilities. I have a baby, for goodness sake. But I did, and I regret nothing. Nothing! Because One of Us is Lying is just impossible to put down, mostly because of its characters. You may be forgiven for thinking this is full of cardboard YA stereotypes. Said stereotypes are printed on the cover. You’d then be pleasantly surprised to find fully flesh out, grounded, relatable characters that, no matter how hard you try, you will fall in love with (despite the fact that one of them may have kinda murdered a guy). Even the little bit of romance felt well developed and believable, and we all know that is one of the greatest pitfalls of YA (no #instalove here!). And while at first I thought four different, first person narratives might become muddled, McManus does an excellent job of keeping everyone’s voice unique and distinct.

While I did figure out the twist early on, it didn’t make it less enjoyable, because I was far more interested in the characters and their developing relationships as they become part of the ‘Murder Club’. And I’ll admit, my convictions did waver here and there. While McManus provides you with all the clues to solve this mystery, she still manages to keep you guessing at times.

As soon as I finished it, I wanted to re-read it. I can’t remember the last time that happened. I was just not ready to say goodbye to these characters! (Even the murderer.) Karen M. McManus has done something very impressive: she has managed to write herself into my favourites shelf with her debut novel, and let me tell you, getting on my favourites shelf is no easy task. Trust me on this, read this book, thank me later.

I received a copy from Netgalley

This is a brilliant mystery that keeps the reader guessing right until the end. I had my suspects, and still turned out to be wrong. I watch a lot of crime drama so I’m usually quite good and guessing the killer, but I didn’t see the twist in this one coming at all. (Admittedly by the time I got to 80% and all my guesses were still wrong I did skim to the last few chapters to find out who it was, then went back and read it properly). Still managed to really surprise me.

It’s not the fluffy “Breakfast Club” retelling with a mystery aspect I was expecting. It’s a gritty novel full of secrets. While it’s filled with your typical mix of high school clichés – the jock, the brain, the dangerous but hot dude, the nerd, the princess – each character has their own secrets and well fleshed out personalities behind the cliché façade.

All of these characters, who don’t really know each other, they may have one or two classes together but have different friends, and they don’t hang out really. They wind up in detention because a teacher catches them with cell phones in a class where cell phones are not allowed. The phones are not theirs. Of course the teacher won’t listen. By the end of detention, the nerd, Simon, is dead.

Simon was notorious for running the school’s unofficial gossip app, posting students secrets. As the police investigation deepens, posts are revealed that contain damning secrets about each of the students that could ruin their reputations and possibly chances of their futures for certain characters.

Each one reacts differently. There’s a great sense of diversity among the characters, and I love how they all dealt with things and showed immense emotional growth over the course and came together to defend each other and solve the mystery. Nothing is as it initially seems and truths slowly start to come out creating big changes for different characters. No one is really who they are first seen to be.

The twists are really good. I’m being vague, I know, but I don’t want to spoil anything.

It’s a really good read and I definitely look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Children’s for approving my request to view the title.

I went into this book not really knowing what to expect but I did know that the Breakfast Club parallels were not something I was looking forward to. Yes, please don't hate me but I hate the alleged classic that is The Breakfast Club. Instead I found this really wonderful book. I always say YA is for more than young adults and 90% of the books I read in that genre prove me right. YA authors don't take the time to dumb down their books, they have rich stories and even deeper meaning than some "adult" books I've read, even from noted authors.

One of Us is lying follows four students following the death of one of their classmates in detention. Simon runs a gossip blog and basically is a bit of a jerk and I can't say I was entirely sorry to see him go. Don't worry, if outcast potential psychopaths are your thing, he pops back up from time to time.

With our remaining detention kids we have Bronwyn, Addy, Nate and Cooper who amongst them provide a pretty varied range of characters. So many authors hide behind "I'm scared to not tell stories accurately" and thus don't even try, whilst I can't say for certain that Karen put a lot of research into any diverse characters in her story, I can definitively say she never made the characters come across as significantly "other" and that makes all the difference. I wish the rest of the literary world would catch up, there's few things sadder than loving books and never seeing yourself more literally involved in them.

I loved both the mystery and character led portions of this book. The mystery was so well thought out, I guessed it prior to the reveal then said "nah" but not only was I right but it was played out in such a way that it really highlighted the earlier moments in the book that spoke to the truth. Additionally there were some great curve balls that I honestly did not see coming and were perfect for the story. In terms of the character led storytelling, I loved how realistic and ultimately revealing it was. It can take some of us a really long time to find out who our friends are but once you do, you're golden. I loved how this story approached this aspect of life/high school and how much it can really take to realise this and even more importantly, learn to not repeat the same actions. Leading on from this [redacted] is such a dick and I'm glad that this book highlights that this behaviour also happens in teen relationships, in fact it's probably worse as girls are continually conditioned to believe that their boyfriends being jealous is a good thing. There comes a time when jealous is not cute, it's extremely disturbing.Also, there's something that we find out towards the end and the length of time [redacted] lied makes them an actual sociopath though 👀

This book truly took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, I laughed, I screamed and I cried, and this is why I love YA. If anything, YA demands more of authors as teenagers are more prone to strong dislike or intense love of items.

Rating: 5 stars

A thriller with many twists and turns. Four students who see another student die, are all looked at in turn for his murder.

As people's loyalties and friendships change will the truth come out?

A well written book, that compels you to read it as fast as possible to find all the answers.

The Breakfast Club with a murder. What's not to like? 4/5.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book. One Of Us Is Lying is published tomorrow, June 1st.

I can imagine the pitch for this book: "The Breakfast Club set in 2016, but the nerd dies and the other 4 are suspects". As high-concept pitches go, that's a cracker.

The execution isn't quite as brilliant as the idea, but it's very entertaining. The 4 main characters are all believable, rounded teenagers. They leap off the page and are a laudably diverse group with depth and a mix of motivations. I have to admit that, because of The Breakfast Club thing, I could only picture them as 1985 Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy and Molly Ringwald... even though it's clear that the characters in this book look nothing like them! Anyway, it did nothing to dent my enjoyment of the story.

I'm a fan of multiple-viewpoint stories and, as the four main characters tell their part of the story, the switching between voices is handled extremely well and helps to keep us in the dark. The POV switching also helped to make the growing friendship between the four entirely believable, as we see how their priorities and outlooks shift with Simon's death and the events of the aftermath.

I did have a few niggles, although I doubt the biggest thing that irritated me would even be noticed by the core target audience for this book. More than once I huffed and rolled my eyes at the unbelieveable level of incompetence demonstrated by the police. Their entire investigative approach seemed to boil down to assuming one of the four main characters is guilty (even though everyone in the school seemed to hate the murder victim and would have had opportunity too) and then putting pressure on them to confess or rat on each other. And this when the suspects are all technically children.

Of course, as in many books, police incompetence is essential if our heroes are to play a crucial role in uncovering the truth, but I still find it annoying.

The final reveal contains one element which is a little disappointing (although it is the only solution which makes any sense at all), but is balanced nicely by a far more shocking revelation which is a calalyst for a high drama climax.

Overall: a story for fans of YA looking for a dose of high-school drama, secrets and lies.

This was an okay read. Initially from the blurb I was convinced it was going to be a sort of murder mystery version of The Breakfast Club, which it was at first. However, detention didn’t last very long. How inconvenient that someone should die so soon during detention and spoil my fun.

I found the beginning of the book exciting and intriguing, but I soon found myself losing interest. I know that I can be hit-and-miss with Young Adult fiction, and unfortunately on this occasion it was more miss than hit. I found myself going through the motions, but not really connecting with any of the characters.

What is a coincidence is that a few days ago I started watching Pretty Little Liars for the first time. I’m hooked, and I do think this may have reduced my enjoyment of this book, as it definitely reminds me of the series, but I’m enjoying watching the series far more than I enjoyed reading this book.

There’s nothing specifically wrong with this story, it just wasn’t for me. I think I just prefer this genre of book to be darker and more tense. However, I’m sure there are lots of others who will love it, so don’t just base your decision on my review alone.

The synopsis of this book had me intrigued from the minute I read it, however it turned out to be nothing like I had expected. I think I was expecting some kind of The Breakfast Club meets murder mystery, which it was in a way, but with detention being more of the setting. In reality, it was your average high school setting mystery. It was good, but it didn’t blow me away, perhaps because I had expected something different.

I think my Breakfast Club vibe came from the cast of characters. The characters in this book are great, and they are all so different. I really liked the fact these incredibly different people were all thrown into this situation, and the fact it brought them together.

While the characters were an important aspect of the book, the mystery surrounding Simon’s death is obviously the main theme of the book. I was so intrigued by the mystery. It completely pulled me in and I just had to know what happened, I couldn’t stop reading. There were so many parts to the mystery and the fact it was more than just who was responsible for the death really added to the intrigue.

The way the mystery was resolved was not what I was expecting. I liked the way what had happened and those involved were revealed, especially as it was far more action-packed than I had anticipated. I was expecting mystery going into this book, but the thriller aspect was a shock. What wasn’t a shock, though, was the reveal of who was responsible.

I was curious going into this book about how the story would be told considering we had essentially four main characters. The way this book was written from all four perspectives was very well done and the addition of the date/time stamp was very helpful. I did find it a little confusing when the time jumped several days between characters’ perspectives and I often struggled to work out where the story was in terms of timing.

The one thing I didn’t really like within this book was the romance. I usually love a relationship forming alongside the main story but not in this case. The romance just seemed unnecessary and I didn’t feel it add anything to the story. I liked both characters and didn’t dislike them together in general, however it seemed to me like it was added in just for the sake of having a romance aspect to the story.

Overall, I did enjoy this book but it didn’t blow me away. I really liked the mystery aspect, which intrigued me enough to keep me turning the pages, and the great cast of characters, who each brought something different to the story. I would recommend this book to mystery fans, as the mystery aspect of the book is really what impressed me the most.

I really enjoyed this, one of the most compelling things I've read recently. I had a theory on who did it from about halfway and needed to know if I was right.
Nicely written with the four different suspects giving first person accounts of events.
Plenty of food for thought too, lots of depth and interesting ideas.

I'm really not into 1st person narrators, even more so when there are several of them with such short chapters. I couldn't remember any of the characters' names and was getting confused over who was who, so I just stopped reading after a while.

One of us is lying started out very breakfast club with five teens heading to an after-school detention, before spinning off in its own, murder mystery direction. The inspiration for this book is clear, but it's in the storytelling that One of us is lying really shines. The characters are introduced as stereotypes, they don't really know each other past the characteristic they are known by, and this is acknowledged early on in the text. But then our four main characters are tied together by the shocking death of their classmate, and the suspicion which falls upon them.

The story is split between the perspectives of the four students in the detention at the time of the murder. They are the prime suspects, and they all have secrets. Secrets which were about to be exposed on a gossip app run by Simon, the victim. This gives them all motive, and the police argue, opportunity. This is where the book keeps you guessing. Even though you read the points of view of the suspects, they still have secrets, and the book keeps you questioning who you can really trust for a long time.

While all this was going on, I was also becoming attached to the characters. Karen M. McManus skillfully crafted complex, flawed characters and at the same time, made me care about them. Feel for them. Through out the narrative the characters are developed far beyond their stereotypes. I'm not going to talk about the characters individually, beyond what is in the synopsis, because I feel like that would spoil the story, information is revealed so carefully at just the right time in the book. I don't want to spoil that reading experience for anyone.

Social media is a big part of how this story works, with tumblr posts and the gossip app stirring things up throughout the whole school. I felt like this was really well done, it's important to remember how social media impacts daily life, and things like privacy and bullying. The way the notoriety of the four main characters were handled, as suspects in the eyes of the media also felt really authentic, with them being judged by their appearance and stereotypes. The whole thing felt very plausible, which in itself is a statement on how invasive the media can be to satisfy the curiosity of the masses.

Before I finish, I'm going to include a content warning for suicide, bullying, homophobia and slut shaming. These are all dealt with as part of the story, they are not glorified, but they may still effect readers who are sensitive to these issues. So just be careful going in.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I was gripped by the story enough that I kept reading past what is a reasonable bed time more than once. It kept me guessing for the longest time, and had me worrying for the characters. The ending was satisfying, with an epilogue three months after the mystery is solved, which gave closure to the characters. It's a sign of great character development that I still didn't want to leave the characters, even as the story was over. Honestly this is an incredibly strong debut, and I am looking forward to seeing what Karen M. McManus does next.

I have read a lot of YA books but this one is one of the best. I watched The Breakfast Club years ago, and knowing this was based on the same idea intrigued me. I assumed as I read I would see the characters from the film as those on the page, but that didn't happen. The characters in this book quickly became their own people, and that is a good thing.

I liked the fact that we get to read chapters from different perspectives. Each of the characters get their own voice throughout, meaning we get a deeper insight into what is going on with them, and what happened in their past to bring them into the thick of things.

Each of the characters has something to hide, that is why they find themselves drawn into the aftermath of a tragic death. But is the death as tragic as first assumed? As the story picks up pace we quickly realise all is not as it seems. But the author still manages to keep us guessing right to the end.

This is a well written story, with twists throughout. It will keep you gripped throughout. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

‘Five students go to detention. Only four leave alive.’

On Thursday 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 bad boy, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the jock, 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.

One Of Us Is Lying is incredibly gripping to say the least. The twists each character presents, the juicy gossip Simon planned to reveal on his obnoxious school scandal forum, somehow brings the quartet closer than they had ever imagined.

McManus definitely seeks to present reliability in the novel for her coming-of-age audience, which she undoubtedly achieves with its school setting and inclusion of many students with different aspirations. Whilst the plot itself was fantastic and drew information from the likes of The Breakfast Club, the surrounding characters were the star of the show.

The novel was a fantastic read and had me so hooked, I could barely resist putting it down when I should’ve been sleeping.

One of Us Is Lying is perfect for you if you like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and The Breakfast Club.

☆☆☆☆☆

This book feels like a modern day Agatha Christie take on the Breakfast Club, a closed room murder mystery with a pool of teenage suspects including a "brain", a "jock" a "princess" and of course the "rebel". The author is very tongue in cheek about this inspiration, alluding to it in the early part of the book.
With a cast of teenage characters, this book falls squarely in YA territory, but the characters are well rounded enough, and the story so well told that readers of all ages should enjoy it. Particularly well crafted characters are Bronwyn, the "brain" and Cooper , the "athlete" who are both struggling under the expectations of their parents.
The central premise is that following the death of a student who runs a gossip app, and who knows a secret about each of the main characters, they all become suspects in the investigation of his murder, but whose secret is so dark that killing someone is the only way to keep it?
While I did enjoy the book, I was a little disappointed to figure out the mystery before the story revealed it, however I blame that on years of reading books in the mystery genre rather than any particular fault in the story telling here. I would consider this a very solid 3.5 almost 4 star read.

I was IMMENSELY excited for this book, and McManus delivered in a lot of ways - but in some, there was room for improvement.

The plot, intriguing and dark, was a beauty in this book - as you can tell by simply reading the blurb. Widely untouched in YA, it novelises themes in trending teenage programmes - Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, Scream Queens among others. The setting of the high school was accurate, and it was very wise of her to include characters from so many "cliques," it brought a new aspect to each chapter.

Although the characters were shells themselves (more on that later), they are not without their secrets... oh my. So. Many. Secrets. Need a page-turner in your life? This should do it. Each chapter was told by one of the four characters, and the last line of each chapter ALWAYS made me pull this face 👀 for real.

Maybe it's because of the way you couldn't trust any of them but in the end, I couldn't make myself like the characters. Perhaps it's one of those novels to revisit after I've finished high school, or maybe it's because I'm not American, but I didn't feel like I could really relate to any of them. Even after the secrets were unravelled, I wasn't particularly rooting for any characters or pairings, and I wasn't really invested in the characters, only the plot - but maybe that was the point.

Overall this is still a good read, but if you read for the characters and like to get invested, just prepare yourself - you might have a completely different experience to me, anyways!

// Thank you go NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review //

Really great! I loved the unique set up and I would say I guessed half of the ending but not the other half. It was a good twist that I didn't see coming!

I was expecting this to be a bit of a bog standard thriller but I found the characters to be much more keenly drawn than that. They kept me reading to the end!

One of Us is Lying is a hard book to put down, in fact, I read the entire book in less than 5 hours.

McManus takes us on one hell of a ride when Simon, the school's main source of gossip, dies during a detention which leaves four different students in the frame. There's Addy, the devoted girlfriend to athlete Jake who is more than a little controlling, Bronwyn - the Yale bound, straight A student, Cooper, the school's beloved jock whose father is singing from Jake's hymn sheet, and finally Nate - the "screw up" who has a hard home life. All of them have secrets that would destroy their lives, would they take Simon's to protect their own life?

This book hands you all four perspectives and it's left to you, along with the accused to work out who killed the gossip to keep him quiet. They keep professing their innocence as each person's secret is unravelled and it causes chaos. I reckon this is the first book I've read for a while that I haven't predicted the end - it's an original plot and the characters are far from perfect yet you can't help but hope your favourite wasn't the killer.

I strongly recommend this book for a summer read that you'll be drawn into until the very end. Is it bad I'm hoping for a sequel to see how Bronwyn's romance plays out?