One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying #2)

This was a great sequel to One of Us is Lying. And while we did still have a glimpse of Bronwyn (she is away at college,), Nate (He is still in Bayview), Cooper (he is the star pitcher on his college team) and Addy (she is also still in Bayview)
This book focuses on Maeve (who you will remember as Bronwyn’s sister from One of Us is Lying ), Her BFF Knox and Phoebe.
And in this book someone has designed a gossip App as a game of Truth or Dare. If you are selected you have 24 hours to reply Truth (and a truth about you will be sent to everyone) or Dare ( you must perform a dare that is given to you.) Or if you don’t respond at all then it defaults to truth.

Phoebe is chosen first and her truth is devastating. The next couple of people pick dare, and they are harmless pranks. And then Maeve is picked and she decides to ignore it and the truth that is revealed is just as devastating as Phoebe’s. And then the next dare becomes deadly and Maeve decides she is going to get to the bottom of who is behind this all and stop if once and for all.

I loved all the characters in this book, especially Knox. They all meshed well together and at times that had me smiling with their interactions. The ending has so many twists and turns I was on the edge of my seat.

Actual rating 3.5 stars

Come on ,Bayview, you know you missed this

Its true. I did miss it, which is why I could not wait to start it! When I first heard that One of Us is Lying was getting a sequel, I was super excited. One of Us is Next picks up a little over a year after the events of book one. The original Bayview four have all graduated and a new set of Bayview students are up for grabs. As usual, Im not going to go into the details, be sure to check out the synopsis.
I really went back and forth with the rating for this book. Not to say that I didnt enjoy it but I did feel that the pacing was a little slow at times and that there were some side plots that couldve been cut. As far as the truth or dare aspect, it really took a backseat to everything else.
With that said, I loved the characters. Maeve and Knox are definitely my favorites. I saw the twist coming but Ill blame my love of thrillers for that. The last few chapters were definitely action packed although the ending was a tad bit abrupt. Overall, it was a solid sequel and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

One of Us is Next did not fall short of my expectations! Karen McManus is an author I can always count on to challenge my thoughts and emotions throughout the plot. Of course, I like to think of myself as quite the solver of crimes, but the twists and turns take you on an adventure you did not expect with suspects and underlying stories twisting together to create this crazy guessing game.
After One of Us is Lying and Simons death, I was convinced Bayview High would have learned some lessons about technology use and gossip forums, but this is not the fact of the matter, as a Truth or Dare game enters into the student body social media connections and just like lemmings the students latch on and do not let go. Simons revenge forum ignites with students waiting for the truth or dare, secretly interested in what they may find out and enjoying the dare task completion. The principal is in the dark, as is the parent community, as they are blinded believing their zero-tolerance policy toward gossip and bullying has proven highly effective (108). Will the game stop before lives are altered forever? Will Bayview pull together or continue to act like lemmings encouraging the gossip and hurt amongst their own?
I highly recommend One of Us is Next! Must read!

Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors!

Book: One Of Us Is Next

Author: Karen M. McManus

Book Series: One Of Us Is Lying Book 2

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Gay couples, different races featured prominently throughout the book

Publication Date: January 7, 2020

Genre: YA Mystery

Recommended Age: 16+ (some mature scenes, violence, slight gore, death)

Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers

Pages: 377

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Come on, Bayview, you know you’ve missed this.

A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one’s been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.

Until now.

This time it’s not an app, thoughit’s a game.

Truth or Dare.

Phoebe’s the first target. If you choose not to play, it’s a truth. And hers is dark.

Then comes Maeve and she should know betteralways choose the dare.

But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it’s that they can’t count on the police for help. Or protection.

Simon’s gone, but someone’s determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there’s a whole new set of rules.

Review: I love Karen McManus books. Theyre full of mystery and they really keep you guessing from beginning to end. I thought the characters were developed well and the tension carried from the start to the finish. The book also isnt reliant on your knowledge of the first book, so it can be read without reading the first one. Although, there are spoilers for the first book if you do that route. The mystery is also very intriguing and will keep readers from beginning to finish.

The only issue I had with the book is that I felt like there wasnt as many hints to the end mystery as there were in the other two books. A big part of a mystery is figuring out whodunit for yourself.

Verdict: A well done mystery!

Writing this review at 3 am because I couldn’t sleep until I finished it! This is my favorite from Karen M. McManus so far. I can’t wait until her next book comes out!

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