I love this series and author! I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

"One of Us is Back" by Karen M. McManus is another thrilling installment in the acclaimed "One of Us" series that will keep you guessing until the very end. As a fan of McManus's mysteries, I was once again drawn into the intricate web of secrets and suspense, eagerly devouring every twist and turn.

McManus has a talent for crafting compelling mysteries and complex characters that readers can't help but become invested in. From the very first page, I found myself immersed in the lives of the Bayview Crew, eagerly trying to piece together the clues alongside them.

What I love most about McManus's writing is her ability to keep readers on the edge of their seats while also weaving in deeper themes and character development. "One of Us is Back" not only delivers heart-pounding suspense but also explores the consequences of secrets and the importance of confronting the truth.

As someone who will pick up absolutely anything McManus writes, I was thrilled by the tension and excitement that permeated every page of this book. It's a testament to McManus's skill as a storyteller that she can keep readers guessing until the very end, leaving us eagerly anticipating her next release.

Overall, "One of Us is Back" is another successful thrill ride from Karen M. McManus that fans of mysteries and suspense won't want to miss. With its compelling plot, engaging characters, and unexpected twists, it's a must-read for anyone craving a gripping and addictive read.

One of Us is Back was the final book in the One of Us is Lying young adult thriller series. It felt like good ending to this series. While I have enjoyed this entire series, this one might be my least favorite because the story seemed a bit more far fetched than the others. I did like that we got the returning characters of the "Murder Club" as they call themselves, and we got to see some loose ends tied up. I'm not sure that it was entirely necessary, but I did enjoy it. I think Addy's character arc throughout the entire series was my favorite, so I was happy that we ended with her. Overall, a fun read that finished off a great young adult thriller series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

While I didn’t think this series needed a third installment, I’m glad it’s the last and that it tied up the story so neatly. I adore these characters - they are so complex and complicated and contain multitudes as humans beings, and are so loving and messy in a beautiful way. I really enjoyed Simon’s posthumous return to the plot and found the old unsolved mystery element very intriguing. However, the plot felt ultimately farfetched to me and not nearly as compelling as the first two installments in this series. Nevertheless, I always enjoy McManus’ books and am glad to see a happy ending for the Bayview Crew.


Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press!

I was worried reading this book because the second book in this serious did not live up to the first, however I was pleasantly surprised. I liked getting to read about all the characters again and I enjoyed this book. I have really enjoyed the majority of books by Karen McManus.

I have read all of Karen M McManus, And I loved all of her books. But did I think this series needed a 3rd book, no but did I enjoy it, yes.

I'm pretty sure this is the last in the series and I think that's a good thing. While I really loved the first two, this one just didn't hit it for me. The characters seemed more frustrating, the plot less exciting, and overall, while One of Us is Next helped propel us into the great era of YA Thrillers, this one was not creative enough to feel great.

I loved McManus's last standalone and believe she'll keep doing new and innovative things, as long as she leave Bayside High alone.

I received this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say the first in the series is definitely my favorite but this one is a high 4.5 as it is close to being as amazing as the first.

I love that all the characters are present and were able to be put together without being overbearing. Focusing on a few key characters gave a great insight to the next Bayview mystery.

Simon is present and you also get to see how Nate came to be who he is. And oh my gosh are there some crazy things you find out!

I love these whodunnit books and will definitely read more from Karen.

It's time to go back to Bayview! One of Us is Back is the third installment in the Karen M. McManus YA series. NOw the Bayview teens are out of high school and their crew has expanded with the addition of some significant others and extra friends. Life is looking up until a mysterious message is set up in town and the group is forced to reckon with some evil once again.

One of Us is Back is filled with the intrigue and suspense readers have come to expect from Karen McManus' teen thrillers. I found it to be a fun read from cover to cover. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the chance to read this novel.

Overall, this was a good mystery that kept my interest. It's been a few years since I read a book in the series, so I had to pause and research who was who. That's not a critique of the book ;)

All secrets are eventually revealed; wow-Simon was right! Bayview is front and center again as the the group heads home for the summer hoping that things will be different and the past will stay firmly in the past, but a new billboard mysteriously goes up and prompts the community to brace itself for a new game! A game where no one really is sure of the rules and things are beginning to turn deadly.
Any fan of this genre or Karen McManus will love this new installment.

Having read the series, it was sad to see the end of it. Starting from the beginning, you're drawn in and while this is the end of their stories for us, it was great to know that there is so much left for all of the characters that we don't get to see on the page. Each one had a story that brought them together that we got to follow and I loved getting to know them all. While all of them have been through life-and-death situations twice before, Simon still has a way of drawing them in for one last hurah. Not everybody will survive this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy of One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus in exchange for my honest review.

I really tried to read this and get through it, but I couldn’t. I feel as if this series became extremely farfetched.

This was my least favorite book of the entire series. This mystery just felt completely random and not really needed. The suspense was just never there. There was also way too many POVs. Each of the chapters was a different POV but they all sounded the same, I kept having to remind myself who was who. Overall I wasn’t the biggest fan.

Certainly, this is a vast improvement from "One of Us Is Next." McManus recaptures some of that sparkling YA mystery magic from the first outing. Sometimes lacks elegance, but never tight plot twists.

Another classic from McManus! Loved how the story turned out. Characters were fascinating and the voices rang true.

I really loved McManus’s first few books, but I have found that lately some of them fell flat for me. I do not think that this book needed to have been written, and I think that between the two sets of characters and the two sets of incidences from book one it just turned into something very convoluted, confusing, and in the end uninteresting.

I would love to interview Karen on my podcast, Raise Your Words. I’m a huge fan of Karen’s books and love the writing style. I can’t wait to read whatever Karen writes next.

The Bayview Crew is back, and not under good circumstances. After Simon's death took the original four on a police-filled murder hunt, and then the copycat targeted three new players, Phoebe, Maeve, Knox, Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, and Cooper are being attacked for a third time, and this time it seems like no secret will stay hidden. With mysterious billboards appearing around town, Jake getting released from prison, and the Bayview Crew still defending their names, McManus' conclusion to the One of Us Is Lying trilogy promises a captivating, thrilling, and secret-filled finale.

While neither follow up to the original book was as tantalizingly addictive as the first, McManus has managed to keep the series alive, and One of Us Is Back was not only an acceptable conclusion, but also one that left the reader feeling hopeful about our main characters while still being unsettled by the pervasive murder that continues in Bayview. I'm excited for McManus to conclude this series; while One of Us Is Lying launched her career, I feel that the need to continue it may have hindered her writing, and I can't wait to see what new standalone and series she begins now that this trilogy has been wrapped up. One of Us Is Back is a brilliant conclusion, and McManus continues to be the unchallenged queen of YA thrillers!

I loved that the author was able to come back with another One of Us is Lying books!! This is by far my favorite one in the series (so far). We were able to get the orignial character back together, even the villians from book one had their own narratives. The different narratives in this story were so unique. You not only got to read from the villians, but you also got to read from Simon, but Simon from 6 years ago!! With the different narratives, we were able to get a lot of questions answered that had been hanging over our heads from the last two books. Overall, the storylines were fantastic. It was very uniquely written, fast paced, and a great read. Highly recommend!