One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Lying is a YA mystery novel written by Karden M. McManus. It’s set at Bayview Highschool, and it follows the investigation of the death of Simon, a student at Bayview. It’s a typical Monday afternoon, and five students walk into detention, but only four students walk out. Simon’s death is initially considered an accident, until investigators realize that it isn’t. An online post is discovered that claims the death was planned and that the killer watched him die. Who did it? 

Each of the four students fall into their own stereotypical categories. Bronwyn is a straight-A student that has never broken a rule. Addy is a picture-perfect homecoming princess, known for her good looks. Nate is a criminal on probation for drug dealing, and Cooper is an all-star athlete. Simon was a bit of an outcast, but was well-known for creating a gossip app called “About That,” where students' personal lives are posted on there for the entire student body to read and gossip about. It amplified the toxic, stereotypical highschool environment that you see in the movies. 

The police find an unpublished post by Simon that contains life-ruining secrets about each of the four students. This provides a motive for murder for each of them- one of them must have killed Simon to bury their secret. The story follows this plotline, delving into the complexities and imperfections of each character as they try to navigate this situation and figure out who murdered Simon. 

I personally really enjoyed this book. I thought it was fun to read, and I genuinely did not know who the murderer was until the very end. I know some people say that it was obvious, and I almost felt inclined to agree, but it may just be hindsight making it seem obvious to me. I remember reading the book for the first time and not being able to figure out who it was. I also like how the book gives depth to the stereotypical highschool character types. 

- Hannah