One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
One of Us Is Lying starts with Brownyn, the smart girl that is for sure going to Yale after graduation, walking to detention with Simon, the creator of About That, which is the gossip app of Bayview High where every gossip is posted, when they enter the classroom, they notice three other teenagers. Cooper, the athlete, Addy, the beauty queen, and Nate, the criminal. They argue that they were wrongfully accused and that they shouldn´t be there, but something worse happens. At the end of detention, only four of the five teenagers come out of the room alive.
While Cooper, Nate, Brownyn, and Addy were arguing with the teacher about the cell phones, they are distracted with a car crash outside the window, and before they realize it, Simon is dying because he had an allergic reaction. The four teenagers run around the school, trying to save Simon, Cooper runs to the nurse to get EpiPens while Nate is desperately trying to save him, but everything seems to have been too late when the ambulance comes, and Simon passes away.
The four high schoolers are left in shock and try to recover from the shocking event they had to witness, but soon, they all become suspects of killing Simon because everyone has a secret that could ruin them if Simon ever published them on About That. Brownyn would have to say goodbye to Yale, Nate is on probation and a wrong move could make him to jail and be treated like an adult instead of a juvenile, Addy will have to say goodbye to her popular reputation and her boyfriend, and Cooper will have to say goodbye to his scholarship to the school of his dreams. After investigators realize that all of these teenagers have something to lose with About That´s entry, they become suspects and the four of them instantly gain fame in the country. Having all eyes on themselves, they start connecting their own dots while being covered on national television, getting to know each other better and forming the Murder Club, learning what real love is like, among others. But how did Simon die? Was it a group murder like they said the first days? Did someone dislike him that much? Did someone care about their reputation so much that they killed someone?
This novel is simply PERFECTION!
I loved everything about it. I loved the writing style of the author. I loved the characters, the plot, the themes, just everything.
I absolutely loved Nate, Brownyn, Addy, and Cooper because they were so easy to like, although I will admit that Addy was the last one that I accepted. I loved how they are so diverse, they all tell different people´s story in high school, not everyone is going to be popular, not everyone is going to be super smart or really good at sports, you could even be the outcast of the school like Simon. I think although the main characters all portrayed very stereotypical characters, most of us can relate to one of them, maybe not completely, but you will find a character in this novel that will make you think that you are or were like that in high school. For example, I could relate with Brownyn because I am mostly in academic clubs and I want to get into an Ivy League university.
Also, the characters were all flawed, I mean they all had a weakness, they feared something that other didn´t and that was the key factor in creating the Murder Club and showing us that fear isn´t something to be ashamed of by showing us all these powerful characters that had more strengths than weaknesses, like all of us.
I think that the characters are very smart and they all have their own strengths and the things they are good at and they complement each other so well that they are able to create a complete picture, which is something that I will talk about in the next paragraph. But, seeing how McManus used all these different stereotypes and personalities to show us that somewhere in life we will find a place where we are accepted and needed, was very reassuring and very comforting because this is a young adult novel, where most readers are trying to discover themselves too.
Now, moving on to the relationships the characters shared, I want to talk about Nate and Brownyn´s relationship because at first, I didn´t really care about it, but as the novel continued, I loved it! They were like this perfect couple that was brought together by this misfortune, life something good that came out of all their suffering aside the friendship they created among the four of them.
I loved the Murder Club because they all had something different to bring to the group and balance it perfectly. I loved that they created a bond that became really close to them. I know that at some point, they were able to realize that teamwork is important, even when the other person may have thought about throwing you under the bus. I am perfectly aware of the fact that they became a group because of human nature, I mean, when you are in need of something that you know for sure you won't get by yourself, you start joining others and creating a group where everything will be gaining something, but it was really beautiful to see that they also gained a friendship that only they will understand and cherish because other won't understand it. I mean, who would think that you can become best friends with the people you were accused of killing a peer? So, seeing how this also, crossed expectations in our modern society was very inspiring.
I greatly enjoyed the different sides to a high school lifestyle that were included because they described our journeys so well, from boyfriends to drama to friendships to academics, to pressure and much more! I loved the way that each of these was encountered by at least two of the characters each because they all showed us a new perspective that you could relate to. From someone that is currently attending high school and being a junior, I can definitely identify myself and the way the high school works. Also, I found very interesting how aside from the different stereotypes, we could see how each teen had a family that was different from the others. For example, Brownyn´s family was perfect, her parents graduated from Yale and they are both very successful and they have lots of money, while Cooper´s family is not that wealthy and they seem to be holding onto Cooper´s grandmother and the only way he could go to college is by an athletic scholarship. So, it gave us a perspective of high school and life itself.
Reading this novel was like riding a roller coaster because it has its high and low moments, and that´s what you will enjoy the most. I almost cried reading some parts, I was eating the words because I was so eager to see what was coming next and I was smiling like an idiot most of the time because of Nate, my new boyfriend.
I personally believe that having the opportunity to experience different emotions while reading a novel will always make you feel satisfied because you will develop an affection towards the story and the characters, and I believe that´s the exact thing that happened.
I think that the pace of the novel was good, the days went by slowly, but the actions and scenes happened very quickly, which created the perfect effect of absorbing you in the story and making you so excited and eager to read what was next in the novel, I was basically eating the words.
I loved the different point of views because at the beginning you start creating a profile of the suspects and kind of by reading their PoVs, you start learning new information and getting closer to them, which makes it way easier for you to fall in love with them. So, McManus did a great job giving a personality to every main character.
In conclusion, One of Us Is Lying is like binge-watching your new favorite TV show, you won´t stop reading it! It is action-packed, mysterious, swoony and hot, you will want to read it over and over again, small moments will complete your life and you will be eating the pages of this novel that is a good mixture of the Breakfast Club, Pretty Little Liars and Thirteen Reasons Why, which makes it the perfect novel!
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