“Like we're some kind of hip high school murder club without a care in the world.”
Five people walk into a room for detention. Four people walk out. Which one of them did it?
With the premise of Pretty Little Liars mixed with The Breakfast Club, I was ready for a cool murder mystery mixed with a little grit and a little high school drama - you literally can’t trust the guy next to you. Untrustworthy narrator, crazy plot twists… what could be better? Maybe me not guessing the ending 10 pages in. Oh well. It’s all my fault to be honest. I can’t stop myself even if I tried.
One of Us is Lying plays out the story of ‘who done it’ when four students are murder suspects in the death of the most hated kid in school. They all plead not guilty, but can you trust the girl always controlled by her boyfriend, the girl who might be hiding a huge academic secret, the juicing athlete, or the drug dealer? Told in the voice of all four, join the wild ride of discovery.
First, I want to congratulate McManus on her characters. They are so well done, her book could be used in schools. We have back story, character arcs, developments, distinct voice, diversity, and those little traits that almost make them real people. It felt like she went through a checklist - which is probably true since this is her debut book. Ok, they aren’t meant to be perfect, and they were each amazing, I guess I just wanted a little less cookie cutter perfect.
Choosing to do four viewpoints is crazy and what a feat to tackle your first time around. I get it though. It wouldn’t have been the same story without hearing from all four. A large portion of the suspense comes from the untrustworthy narrator aspect. This leaves the reader unsure of who the real killer is. One Of Us Is Lying is a great example of listening to your story and making the decision that works. So many authors may pick multiple viewpoints - cough War Storm - for the wrong reasons and end up mudding the story. Sit back and listen to your work people.
And even though McManus picks four viewpoints, there is one POV that stands out. Not a bad thing, but something to be aware of if you decide to do the same. There is a reason you decided to give a voice to more than one character and you need to stay true to your choice. Even the great Leigh Bardugo let Kaz lead her story more than the other characters. Are great example of a perfectly even narrative would be Furyborn, a book I highly recommend reading.
“We could be surrounded by walking dead in the zombie apocalypse and she’d look for the bright side.”
Here I go reading another contemporary, and guess what… I loved it. But here is why it works - McManus puts depth into the story. What makes a book YA is its relationships. The characters will be below 18, mostly in high school, coming of age, and their love relationships will be in the exploratory stage. Chances are, the book isn’t going to be dealing with broken marriages or raising kids. Yes, there are exceptions, but YA books don’t have to be written down just because a younger generation will be reading them. So remember, keep it real and full of depth. Another great thing about contemporaries is you can put in some current issues. Mcmanus does a great job of asking some question that we can take away and contemplate. Books give readers a chance to think over what they’ve been handed before they’re forced to voice what they think.
“I guess we're almost friends now, or as friendly as you can get when you're not one hundred percent sure the other person isn't framing you for murder.”
Now all the problems. Tropes litter the book. I won’t list them… some are used as plot twists. Some tropes aren’t too bad, we can’t always hate the girl falling for the bad boy, but this entire book was built on them. Very unoriginal. I’m hoping that now the first book jitters are over, McManus can get a little more creative in her choices.
And that ending. Seriously. I don’t think I’ll be the only one guessing it way too early. It brings up a topic fitting our current events, but that’s all. Ugh….
So I’ll just be taking a half a star back for the ending and giving 4 stars. I think everything else was well done and I honestly enjoyed reading the entire thing. She’s got to earn some enjoyment stars. Enough enjoyment that I’ll be anticipating her next book coming out in January.
Public Service Announcement - There won’t be a review next week. Sorry guys. Time for a much need break. Actually, I’ll just be pounding through my own book. Until then… happy reading.
Love Kait
Reading Challenge: 77/100