One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus Book Review By Ananya Singh

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus Book Review 

By Ananya Singh 

This award-winning book is written by American author Karen M. McManus. One of Us Is Lying spent 93 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It also received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. According to McManus herself, it was somewhat inspired by the breakfast club but with a criminal twist. 

The book is about a group of 5 teenagers (Simon, Nate, Addy, Cooper, and Bronwyn) who were sent to detention as they were caught with their phones in their backpacks despite their school’s no phone policy. However, due to a series of events, only 4 students walk out of the classroom. The four students are suspects in the case and struggle to get out of this sticky situation. 

One thing I enjoyed was the characters. They all led different lives but were able to create strong friendships. They were also realistic and believable with flaws. They seem to be the type of people I would go to high school with. The plot was easy to follow, as well. That doesn’t mean that it was boring though. It was extremely interesting, suspenseful, and unpredictable. Overall, the plot included a unique mystery. 

The one thing I didn’t like about the book was that some sections were slow. They were unnecessarily long. Some details that I thought were going to come up later ended up not relating to the crime. They were not brought up again in the story. 

If you enjoy this book, definitely read the sequel titled One of Us Is Next. It follows the events of the previous book. It features a new set of characters and a new mystery.