One of Us Is Lying Kindle Edition

Let me preface by saying that I'm a 7-12th grade teacher and I plan to make this book part of my curriculum because the themes are so abundant. I know others have already said it, but there is a liking to The Breakfast Club, as the premise of the story happens during detention at a high school. There is so much depth to this story. This story is very appropriate to read with Junior High students. The bad language is kept to a bare minimum and the adult themes are implied more than stated. This book talks about many different family dynamics and how the children are affected. Without saying too much, it's important for high school students (and adults) to remember that our actions do affect others. The judicial system is another great talking point in this book, as well as unlikely friendships. I can't say enough good things and I'm excited to read it with my Junior High students. I did guess who was lying fairly early on, but I wasn't able to figure out the whole story until it was explained to me, so the book kept my interest the entire time!!!!!

Netflix? Get on this right now!Bronwyn, a brainy girl set on going to Yale, is given detention for having her phone in class. The thing is, it was not her phone but the teacher does not believe her. He also doesn’t believe Cooper, the star athlete, Addy, the beauty, and Nate, I guess you would call the classic delinquent. And then there is Simon. Simon runs a gossip app called About That. He spreads the high school gossip around like butter. When Simon has an allergic attack and things go horribly wrong, the four kids are all suspected of murder. Who is lying and who is telling the truth?I loved these kids so much. As much as I loved the mystery and the twists, my favorite part was watching all four grow into the people they were meant to be. They throw aside the petty high school cliques and become real friends. Of course, in the back of your mind you are wondering if one of them is the murderer and I am not going to spoil that. I had a feeling that ended up being right, pat myself on the back, but there are a few things that were surprising. The other characters are so thought out as well, the sisters especially. I loved Maeve’s chutzpah. I had a silly smile on my face at the end. I am sure you will too.This is such a wonderful debut novel and I cannot wait to see what comes next from Ms. McManus!

"You see us as you want to see us—in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions.”Brian had it right when he wrote those words in the adored and highly quotable letter at the end of The Breakfast Club. The passage continues on to say: “But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...and an athlete...and a basket case...a princess...and a criminal. Does that answer your question?"*Inserts fist pump into the air while fighting the urge to blast “Don’t You Forget About Me” throughout the living room.*Nostalgia aside, I bring this up because the idea of labels and what lies underneath them is not only the plight of seemingly every high school movie, book, and experience, but also the core of the readability of One of Us is Lying.The book’s murder mystery hook – aided by the Pretty Little Liars/Gossip Girl comparisons – probably lured you in along with the rest of us, but the characters and their development are what keep you invested.And it’s a good thing too because I correctly identified the killer during the opening scene. And if solving the murder was the only thing this book had going for it, I would have been extremely disappointed. But for me, the question was never who, but rather why?Why did Simon have to die?Why – and how – were the Bayview Four involved?Of course I can’t tell you the answers, but trust me when I say that McManus is able to keep you intrigued while you simultaneously fall for the brain, the athlete, the princess, and the criminal who all had motives and additional secrets to hide.Narrated and told via alternating points of view, One of Us is Lying is full of intricate characterizations and sometimes predictable twists on the classic tropes. I often found myself highlighting one-liners from this debut author that accurately nailed and effectively portrayed the personalities of the “Murder Club” members.From the sensible brainiac, Bronwyn, (“Mostly I thought Evan and I had potential to be a solid couple until graduation, at which point we'd break up amicably and head to our different colleges.”) to the dealer from the bad part of town, Nate, ("Rigging detention sounds like work, and everything about Nate -- from his messy dark hair to his ratty leather jacket -- screams Can't be bothered. Or yawns it, maybe.") you’ll find yourself relating to or remembering people that fit these molds.Ultimately that’s what I enjoyed so much – getting beneath the surface. We all have people in high school that we knew on a superficial level that were probably remembered via their clique. One word descriptions. Nothing more. Nothing less. This book is yet another reminder of what can happen when you choose to dig a little deeper and stop caring what your friends think.If you’re looking for an entertaining and quick read for the beach this summer, I’d highly recommend giving this novel a shot. Of course I could be lying, so you’ll have to judge for yourselves.XOXO...

As a 29 year old reading a YA novel, I was pretty confident that I'd be able to figure out who killed Simon. I was very wrong!The main characters are all teenagers, and like teenagers, they can be pretty cringy. There were plenty of parts that made me go "Oh god, start thinking with your brains, not your hormones!" You'd think that would be a bad thing, but I loved it, because these characters were very realistic. I'm tired of reading YA books where the main characters are wise old souls in 16 year old bodies. What teenager isn't a little annoying?I can't wait for this to become the next big book sensation! I would not be surprised if it becomes a tv series.

I can't say I remember much of the characters, which probably tells you all you need to know about them. There was nothing to distinguish any one of them from any other one-dimensional character in any other YA novel. Even their reasons for being a stereotype were stereotypical.As for the plot, if that's what we're going to call it… The real mystery is how anyone could possibly have been surprised by it. Within a few pages of Simon's death I'd considered the possibility that he'd killed himself in an attempt to punish the world, only to immediately dismiss it because it was so overwhelmingly obvious it had to be a red herring. "Ah," I thought, "here is the ludicrous possibility that the author wants us to believe is true, only to surprise us with the real killer at the end. I wonder who it could really be…"So I put up with trite characters and their predictable secrets (the closeted athlete, the pretty girl who cheated with her boyfriend's buddy, the criminal with the unhappy homelife, the over-achiever who stole exam papers) because I wanted to know who the real murderer was. I dragged my way through this book, expecting the ending to make it worthwhile. The twist surely had to be that it was one of the four, or that it was someone peripheral to the story. Since the hype for this book couldn't be a result of its unique characters (after all, there weren't any), it had to be because the killer was that fantastic mix of surprising when you find out and yet so perfectly motivated that it's obvious in hindsight.Nope. Turns out the motive was "I'm a melodramatic teenager and I just want to be special", and the surprise was the fact that what was so predictable it had to be a red herring was actually just so predictable.Please, guys. Find something better to read.

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 gossip 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 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.Okay, so everyone had been raving about this book. A great new YA thriller that's a cross between The Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars. I mean come on, your sold on it already aren't you? What I loved about this one is that its only about 360 odd pages but it really packs a punch in that time. So full of twists and turns its really hard to figure out whodunnit! Admittedly though, I did work out who it was just before the reveal, but thats probably due to the sheer amount of thrillers and mystery books I've read over the years. Some of the characters are likeable while some began to grate on me a little, but overall I found them all to be very believable. A great fast-faced YA thriller. Perfect for this time of the year! 5/5 stars.

This book is not just a murder-mystery, it's also a book about gossip full of drama and plot turns. Sometimes when reading a great book like this you often fear the ending won't live up to your expectations- but not with this, the ending is incredibly satisfying. When I was reading this book, I was constantly thinking '-oh he/she did it!' or 'please let … be innocent'. Well, not just thinking it, but telling everyone else around me what was happening and what I thought was going to happen next!Throughout the book I loved all the characters as they grew, (especially Bronwyn). They seemed to spring from the page as it was just so well-written.Overall, I love this book and it's hard to put down!

My 12 year started reading this and only got to the end of the first page before coming to me and asking 'should I be reading this?'The first sentence reads: "A sex tape. A pregnancy scare. Two cheating scandals. And that's just this week's update."I scan read the first few chapter. Based on an American High School 16 year olds and their antics- sex / drug references .Everyone knows their own child - but wasn't suitable for my 12 year old.

This is an excellent YA novel which as an adult, I enjoyed just as much as any adult crime novel. A modern, deathly take on one of my favourite films The Breakfast Club - five students serve detention, each of them very different and during detention one of them dies. Right in front of everyone else, including the supervisory teacher. The boy who is killed wrote a gossip blog about the goings on in the school which makes him pretty much enemy number one.In alternating chapters each of the four remaining students go through the aftermath of the murder. Suspicion, investigations - both formal and informal - petty, teenage dramas and love. I was pretty much gripped to this book. While the characters were stereotypes (the jock, the criminal, the scholar, the princess...) and much of the narrative is inspired cultural touchstones such as The Breakfast Club, McManus weaves twisty narratives from these pupils who each have their own traumas and issues to deal with over and above the crime for which they are all under investigation for.