Book Review #25: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

    I'm not going to lie; I picked this book up simply because one of the main characters shared a name with me. However, the intriguing plot and characters kept my attention throughout. I think it took me all of one day to start and finish this book. I loved the premise of a murder mystery with a bunch of students, who in my life I would never think actually capable. And, while I know most books aren't known for their foreshadowing, I think this one could be a contender for it! I've only reread this one once, which is how I found about most of the amazing foreshadowing. The foreshadowing is so notable because this book is unsurprisingly filled with secrets. I mean, that is what you would expect from a murder mystery, but it also has a bunch more secrets just about the characters which is a basis as to why these four characters are suspected of murder. I just think that McManus does a brilliant job of hinting at these secrets without actually saying the secret, I mean, I was not going to be able to guess half of them, not until I reread it and felt like saying "oh crap".

    I only would like to make a mention to how well these four characters were written. Most books either offer four characters that previously know each other or don't know each other at all. In this two of the characters know each other somewhat closely, one character everyone knows as the smart kid who used to know the other kid who is now considered somewhat of a weirdo. It's a strange relationship dynamic for the four of them to become so close and know each other well by the end of the book. I mention this only because I think McManus accomplished this so beautifully and everything between them all becoming friends makes sense. I even want to make note of how they met. It wasn't completely out of nowhere, obviously they weren't all four different students being suspects out of nowhere, instead they were written to meet before that right when the murder is happening. And, I don't know what it is about it but I fell like that was so perfectly put together and it didn't fill me with surprise when they were then major suspects.

    Overall book rating: 10/10