One Of Us Is Lying the bestselling thriller

This was a book for sure.

A nice romance sub-plot, a little unreliable narrator-y in the worst way though and a good, if a little predictable towards the reveal, plot twist.

All in all, I think I was a little older than the intended audience but a fun, easy read nonetheless.

First Impressions & Falling in Love with McManus's Writing

This was my very first Karen M. McManus book, and I can confidently say it turned me into a fan for life. From the first chapter, I was completely drawn in by her writing style — fast-paced, addictive, and packed with tension. She has that rare ability to make every chapter end with a reason to keep reading. Now she’s become that one author I’ll blindly trust: if her name is on the cover, I’m buying the book, no questions asked.

A Plot That Refuses to Let You Go

The mystery in One of Us Is Lying kept me on my freaking toes! I could barely put the book down — every chapter ended with another twist, another question, another clue that made it impossible not to turn the page. I found myself staying up late, completely consumed by the story and obsessed with figuring out who killed Simon. I literally lost sleep over this book — in the best way possible.

Complex, Relatable Characters

One of the biggest strengths of this book is its characters. McManus does a fantastic job getting inside each of their heads, giving us their thoughts, fears, and motivations. This made them feel so much more real and multidimensional compared to how they were portrayed in the TV series. The inner monologues gave me a deeper connection with each character, and I found myself rooting for them, even when they made questionable choices.

Book vs. TV Series: Why the Book Wins

While the TV adaptation has its moments, the book delivers a much richer, more nuanced experience. The internal conflicts and emotional depth just don’t come through on screen the way they do in the novel. In the book, I actually liked the characters — I understood where they were coming from and felt like I was growing with them through each chapter.

Final Thoughts

One of Us Is Lying is everything I want in a YA mystery: suspenseful, character-driven, and impossible to put down. It’s smart, twisty, and emotionally engaging from start to finish. If you're looking for a book that will keep you guessing — and make you lose a little sleep in the process — this is the one.

Karen M. McManus has officially earned her place as one of my go-to authors, and I can't wait to read the rest of her books.

Kind of 'meh' for me, at the start it was good. Kind of kept me on the hook and can't put the book down, but the ending is disappointing. I mean, as a suspense thriller girly the twist just fell flat for me.

this was interesting and cute! i would have enjoyed it more if i were younger though

It really does keep you on your toes and questioning things. At the end I kinda figured it out but I wasn't surprised by the plot twist. Overall, it was good.

This book was able to get me back into reading. I couldn't put the book down at all. The ending was a bit predictable but that didn't take away from the book at all. The characters were enjoyable and I liked being able to see each persons perspective and how they felt about the events happening. The main characters were able to show growth and change through-out the book. It flowed well too. Overall I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to get back into reading or anyone who wants an introduction to mystery and thriller with a touch of romance!

Amazing read. Couldn’t figure it out the whole time!

Loved loved loved! Kept me interested and the ending was not what I was expecting at all!🤯

I enjoyed this book, it was a fast read. I was really in the mood for some kind of mystery and this book was perfect. I did guess who did it like halfway through the book and I can’t believe Bronwyn couldn’t have thought of that earlier. Overall pretty good and I’m excited to read more by this author.

i’m probably a bit too old to read and enjoy something like this because the main characters are all teenagers. it was a nice read anyway, great to keep things off your mind.

A great teenage book, there’s an interesting plot twist but it is easy to find it by yourself in the middle of the book.

I appreciate the romantic plot, it’s kinda cute

Eh it really wasn't for me...

WOW!! Great read…amazing mystery…crazy twist!! Love that it’s told from multiple points of view!!

My first YA thriller/mystery, such a pleasant surprise. Fast pacing, engrossing premise and characters who spoke and acted like legit teens. Will definitely read the sequel.

It was good but I figured out the ending sooo yeah

That was the worst reveal lol

I'm curious why there's a sequel and I'm intrigued to read it but also know I'm going to hate it.

started in 2020 only got like barely half way and just finished. I was like “oh my god why did i stop this” for maybe like 100 pages then i got reminded why i put it back down in the last like 70 it was like dragged i guess? i don’t even know how to explain it i just didn’t like the characters even though i was supposed to. good plot twist though just needed to be shortened. I think the only reason i don’t like this is it was too based in the four, same reason i hated final girls: how are you going to have a book mainly about the characters and then have the characters not developed well.

five stars bc it was addictive and actually had a satisfying ending- could not put it down also Nate is so hot god help me

In general, this was a very good book. The back cover tells you from the beginning that this is a book you won't be able to put down. I find that to be incredibly true. I started reading two or three days ago and in three sessions, I've completed the book. It's a whirlwind of a story. You dive right in at the very beginning and the twists and turns don't stop until the last chapter. This book deals with so many things, depression, sexuality, relationships and more. The ending however, is kind of predictable. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading it. If I had known the ending from the beginning, I still would have picked up this book. That being said there's still some downtime in this book. There are some scenes that feel kind of unnecessary and clunky. I could do without some of the scenes. The dialogue is snappy and everything said is for the most part important. McManus does a great job of building character relationships. I felt like I really knew each of the characters, even though there were quite a few to keep track of. For the most part, this was a good read. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's a fan of YA drama!

this was so predictable. i felt like this would have been good as a short story because i genuinely do not believe this needed to be this long. which isn't good because this was only like 300 or 350 pages if i am remembering right so i don't think this really hit me like i wanted it to. i am definitely disappointed. the second book does sound better but if it is anything like this i will probably not be reading more of this.

Eine Geschichte über vier Schüler einer Highschool, bei dem während des Nachsitzens ein Schüler von einer allergischen Reaktion stirbt. Die Polizei ist von der festen Überzeugung, dass es Mord war und das es einer der vier Schüler sein musste, doch wer war es wirklich? In dem Buch begleitet man die vier Schüler, wie sie versuchen selbst auf den Mörder zu kommen.

War sehr spannend, in der Mitte manchmal uninteressant aber die Idee wurde gut umgesetzt, weil der Schluss auch realistisch war und nicht nur dieses typische, dass der Mörder jemand war an dem man nicht gedacht hätte.