Author: Karen McManus
Rating: It was amazing!
Recommendation: Teens
One of Us is Next is the sequel to One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. Set after the events of One of Us is Lying, but instead of being revolved around Bronwyn and the gang, it is about Bronwyn’s sister, Maeve and a group of kids she ends up befriending. Maeve is going through part two of what her sister and her friends had to, but instead this time there is a copycat killer. The difference between Simon from the last book and this copycat killer is that the copycat killer revolves around a “Truth or Dare”, if someone completes the dare, their darkest secret (Truth) is not released out to the school, if you do not, a truth is released. This causes kids specifically Maeve, Knox, Phoebe to befriend each other to figure out who the one behind the screen is.
One of Us is Next is the perfect balance between mystery, romance, and teen issues. What I extremely enjoy about these books specifically this one are the plot twists, the dialogue, and the background issues the teens are struggling with. There was a plot twist in this book that I expected more towards the end, but I did not completely “solve” or I should say, guess, as easily as I did the last one. I like that the characters have background problems; for example, Maeve is a leukemia survivor, Phoebe’s dad is deceased, and Knox and his father do not have the closest relationship. I feel like these issues give a realistic view on teenagers because many are struggling with parental relationships, mourning, and illnesses, and it does not portray teenagers having perfect lives. Another part of this novel I love is the dialogue, it feels real to me, I can picture characters saying these things without questioning it. Many novels have teenagers with unrealistic personalities, backgrounds, and dialogue and I cannot attach to them.
If you enjoy mystery novels while also keeping a balanced romantic plot line, this is the series for you! I’d genuinely rate this book a 4.5/5, I think it has an interesting plot.
Reviewed by: Idalys