One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 3/5 cats
flap copy:
The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
yeah, thanks, i did.
along with I’m Thinking of Ending Things and The Woman in the Window, this book is part of the series i am now calling “illness made me psychic!”
i figured out the “whodunnit” almost immediately. which was kind of a drag, but since i was weak as a kitten with fever, and was only reading this to distract myself from the heap of sweaty mucous i’d become, it was a perfectly suitable bit of escapism that did exactly what i needed it to do. it’s a fun book, but it’s got very soft edges. it’s not one of the books making up this exciting new breed of YA which is more or less indistinguishable from adult fiction in approach and content. this one is very teen-y; the characters are stock cliches with interchangeable voices and there are sharp us/them lines drawn between the teen and adult characters; the police and teachers are too dumb and incompetent to figure things out, but teens to the rescue! again, nothing wrong with it, it’s just very much on the light side. it’s… Riverdale-y. although i will say that these characters are more recognizably teenagers than those on Riverdale. seriously, why is veronica demanding business consultation privileges? is this Empire? (note to self: you may be watching too much teevee)
overall, it’s fun and unchallenging, and even though it wasn’t hiding its secrets well, i do not regret reading it. and i will say that bronwyn’s haircut scene is awesome, even though she is no molly ringwald.
but in terms of sense-making, can someone answer this for me? View Spoiler »
but don’t let this change your mind if you are all about reading this one—many people adore it and i’m just some heap of sweaty mucous. but a psychic heap of sweaty mucous, which is better than nothing.
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