One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Just a quick heads up that there will be spoilers in this review! Turn away if you haven’t read the book yet and don’t want to be spoiled.
I think the last time I read One of Us Is Lying was in 2018, when I first dabbled in Thriller and wasn’t really sure if it were a genre I would like. Fast forward 7 years, and I have not only fallen in love with the genre, but also devoured this book much quicker than I did last time!
As someone accustomed to reading thrillers from a single point of view, it was refreshing to witness how a crime and tragedy unfolded from the perspectives of multiple main characters. I won’t lie, I did get confused as to which POV I was reading from at times, but it didn’t heavily affect how I read the book at all. I loved all the characters, and in turn, loved the narrative so much more.
Despite having read One of Us Is Lying before, I actually forgot how it ended, so the major plot twist at the end surprised me just as much as someone who would have been reading this for the first time (spoiler alert—Simon planned everything all along, and Jake was his accomplice). The build-up was great; there were many accusations against the main four characters that nearly led me to believe some of the red herrings were true.
I will say that the pace was a little slow at times. This wasn’t a bad thing (they were opportunities for character development and relationships to grow), but it occasionally felt as if the tension stalled a bit and didn’t really move.
Having said that, I’ve become a huge Bronwyn and Nate shipper and have no regrets! They’re the typical good girl x bad boy ship, but with something in common. This commonality is what brings them closer and deepens their interest in one another. I felt so bummed when Nate deliberately pushed her away once the truth of the murder was revealed (with the excuse of things going back to “normal” again), but regained all hope after he apologised and admitted the reason why he was acting cold at the end.
Overall, One of Us Is Lying was a 4.5-star read and one to pick up if you like thrillers or young adult. The book was also adapted into a TV series by Netflix in 2021; you might want to give it a watch if you want to follow the story on your TV screen or if you’re into book-to-screen adaptations. I think I need to go and pick up One of Us Is Next now!
