One of Us is Lying Book Review

 











One of Us is Lying

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

McManus, K. (2017). One of us is lying. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 978-1-52471-475-8

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

5 students, Simon, Bronwyn, Nate, Addy, and Cooper are in afternoon detention together. Simon, the school’s gossip app creator, winds up dead with the other 4 as suspects. Each one has a motive for wanting Simon dead along with their secrets, but who ultimately did it? One of Us is Lying, grips you from the first pages, and remains suspenseful up until the shocking end. 


 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

One of us is Lying is a thriller that’s compared to a murderous Breakfast Club. The big difference is that the misfits are suspects in Simon’s murder. The chapters are broken up with Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, and Cooper being the narrators. We get a glimpse into their deep dark thoughts and also their insecurities. Teenage readers will see themselves in the characters; there are many instances where they are true to life. The theme is you don’t know someone as well as you think. They each had reasons why they would want Simon dead but the truth came out anyway. They all have to come clean about what tarnishes their reputations which makes the audience think about how they treat others and the demons they’re battling. This book is believable because it deals with food allergies, abusive relationships, drug and alcohol abuse, homosexuality, and rumors. McManus has a way of portraying the teens in this book in such a realistic way that readers will understand all the characters’ points of view. 


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

  • Booklist, 05/01/17

  • Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 05/01/17

  • Kirkus Reviews, 03/01/17

  • School Library Journal starred, 08/01/17 *

  • Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), 04/01/17



  • Booklist (May 1, 2017 (Vol. 113, No. 17))

  • Grades 9-12. It’s a murder mystery, Breakfast Club–style: five students from different social spheres walk into detention. Only four walk out. Simon, the outcast at the helm of the high school’s brutal (and always true) gossip app has been murdered, and he had dirt on all four students in detention with him. Brainy good-girl Bronwyn knows she didn’t kill Simon, and she doesn’t think drug-dealing Nate, everyone’s favorite suspect, did either. Simon knew something that could ruin homecoming princess Addy’s perfect relationship, but Addy’s always been so timid. And baseball superstar Cooper has a secret, but it’s not what Simon said, and everyone knows Simon was never wrong. Trailed by suspicion, the four team up to clear their names—and find the real ­killer—even as proving their innocence becomes increasingly more difficult. Told in alternating perspectives among the four, this is a fast-paced thriller with twists that might surprise even the most hardened mystery reader. An engaging, enticing look at the pressures of high school and the things that cause a person to lose control.


5. CONNECTIONS

Related Books:

McManus, K.. (2020). One of us is next. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 978-0-525-70799-8

McManus, K. (2024). One of us is back. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 978-0-593-48504-0

Activities:

Have a class discussion about stereotyping.


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