One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Title: One of Us is Lying by Karen M.  McManus

Reviewer: Louisa, grade 8

Rating: 5 stars

One of us is Lying by Karen M. McManus is a thrilling novel filled with suspense and shocking plot twists. This mystery is centered around four high school students that have never before had anything to do with one another; Bronwyn, who will most likely get into Yale at some point, Cooper, whose life is all baseball, Addy, the perfect prom queen, and Nate, Bayview High School’s resident bad boy. These seemingly unrelated teens get drawn together in the face of a murder investigation where they are the suspects, and while secrets are uncovered and truths are revealed, they start forming an unlikely friendship.

I really enjoyed reading this book because it kept me interested the whole time, and as new developments shocked me, it got more intriguing. It was also easy to understand and relate to the characters and their conflicts. The whole plot is very believable, and it is full of subtle clues and red herrings that turned me in every direction possible while reading it. As well as spinning a mystery, Karen M. McManus incorporates real-world problems in our society, such as substance abuse and homophobia, into her book. This helps make the story even more real and engaging because the characters have real problems and conflicts that make it easier to connect to them. 

Overall, this book was excellent, with a suspenseful plot that makes it a real page-turner. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting mystery or just a good book in general.