One of Us Is Lying

by Karen M. McManus

Amazon Prices:

Hardcover: $17.99

Kindle: $10.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $26.95 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus was published in 2017 by Delacorte Press.

Page Count: 384 pages (hardcover) 359 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 10 hrs 43 mins

Chapters: 30

Languages: English (also available in the following translations: German, Spanish, and Portuguese)

Summary of Book:

“Pay close attention and you might solve this. 

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, The Brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, The Beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, The Criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, The Athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, The Outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they just the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.” – Delacorte Press

Author Biography:

“Karen M. McManus earned her BA in English from the College of the Holy Cross and her MA in journalism from Northeastern University. When she isn’t working or writing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, McManus loves to travel with her son. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller One of Us Is Lying and Two Can Keep a Secret.” -Delacorte Press

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

My initial reaction: This reminds me of Thirteen Reasons Why.

I read this novel for a book club and was reading it at a point when I was watching Season 2 of Thirteen Reasons Why on Netflix. I got similar vibes and made connections in the two story lines. Though there are significant differences in the two stories, I enjoyed the connection of the two as I continued reading this novel. 

This story drew my attention from the beginning and sustained it until the very end. I will admit that I was somewhat doubtful when this book was selected for the book club. I did not think it was going to be a story that would hold my attention. The beginning of story did somewhat confuse me as it introduced the different characters. I had a similar experience with the beginning of this novel as I did with Lisa Jewell’s Watching You. Both opening had me question whether or not I would be able to keep track of the different characters and remember who was who. It was more difficult for me to remember who was who, but the synopsis of the book helped me track who was who, and I used it as a reference if I ever forgot. 

The story moves at a fairly rapid pace and the transitions in narrative changes are clear. I really enjoyed the entire story and did not have any real problems with it. I enjoyed it throughout and, though the book is intended for a younger audience, I found it well written and enjoyable. I found no major issues with the writing, the story, or the characters. 

 

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Kim Mai Guest, MacLeod Andrews, Shannon McManus, and Robbie Daymond

The Audible narration for One of Us Is Lying was very enjoyable, and I did not have an issue with any of the narrators. Their narration at 1.0 speed was too slow for me and seems like its in slow motion. Their narration 1.25 speed was at what I would consider normal, conversation speed. The favorite listening speed for me was at 1.75 speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 speed to be the best speeds. 2.5 speed was good too, but I liked 2.0 speed better and easier to follow. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. However, it is manageable. If you’re used to speed listening, 3.0 speed should be manageable. 3.5 speed was definitely too fast for me.

Other works by this Author:

Novels

• One of Us Is Lying
• Two Can Keep a Secret