One of Us is Lying - Book Review!

For the past two years, I have been ebullient to start reading the New York Times' Bestseller ‘One Of Us Is Lying.’ So, as soon my examinations ended and I got the opportunity to open this two-hundred paged entertaining mystery, I instantly felt a magnetic field of attraction pulling me towards it - not willing to let my eyes stop from scanning those pages meticulously! At one point in the book, you would feel like you can relate to all the characters in one way or the other, or maybe pick one closest to your heart; either way, you’re going to love experiencing this adventurous and unpredictable journey of ups and downs that these four high schoolers endure together.

The book begins with five high schoolers from Bayview High who get stuck in the detention room for similar reasons; but, only four of them step out alive. With exactly four secrets to hold each, these students become suspects for murder when an uncertainty strikes during a normal high school detention, and their lives are turned upside down.

In order to decipher Simon’s unexpected departure from life, the Police initiated the process of investigating the murder soon after the news of the death arrived. Bronwyn, Nate, Addy and Cooper - all were bombarded with incessant interrogations that were extended endlessly; and this was the kind of questioning that gradually started to weigh down the possibility of these students returning to their original, normal lives.

Now that I’ve summarized the plot for you, let’s have a look at the carefully crafted characters that the story revolved around!

BRONWYN

Bronwyn is the perfect daughter, sister, as well as student you could ask for - from perfect traits to perfect grades, she has it all. This hustler has only one dream - to get into the very prestigious and picky educational institute we’ve all heard about, Yale University. Being one of the Ivy-League Schools, it obviously demands its applicants to consider ‘going the extra mile’ a basic and outperform the overachievers. Having imbibed those two in her life, Bronwyn is all set to go all out for whatever it is that she wants to achieve and doesn’t let anyone or anything come in the way. However, little did you know, this flawless high flier, too, had a secret to hold - and she definitely didn’t want that to be let out.

NATE

On the other hand, Nate is your ravishing bad-boy with a charming, oblivious attitude who manages to capture everyone’s attention without even wanting to. With none of his parents caring for him, he is a problematic high schooler who collects his funds from an illegal business that he is undoubtedly in trouble for. To everyone’s surprise, that’s not the reason why he gets into trouble this time. Instead, it’s for one of the most punishable crimes you could ever commit - murder. This is exactly what he makes the headlines in ‘About That’ for, which we shall be coming to next.

SIMON

‘About That’ is Bayview High’s famous gossiping app - known to have been owned by Simon Kelleher, the beautiful blue-eyed boy who was obsessed with spilling the deep and dark secrets of Bayview’s picture-perfect students. This unhealthy craving of his stilted his classmates to despise him, and the level of hatred always depended on the destructive capability of all the revelations Simon made. The detectives were of the thought that this gave the Bayview four the motive to kill Simon, so the accused were heavily investigated.

ADDY

Jumping to Addison now, the beautiful blonde with bouncy hair, popularly known as Addy. Her life seemed to entirely revolve around her boyfriend, Jake, and she used her irresistible good looks and glossy light hair to sustain the relationship. To all, she seemed like the ‘got a pretty face, pretty boyfriend too, I wanna be you so bad and I don't even know you’ girl; but, what lay beneath was what no one knew - her authentic persona, the one that she was always afraid of letting out of the trap she realized she had designed for herself. However, one of the things that sets this book apart from many others is how Karen went beyond the superficial beauty of this character and steadily unraveled Addy’s wounding scars that she carried within her - and made her loved not just by me, but also by all of my friends who read this book on my recommendation.

COOPER CLAY

Now, I shall be coming to the next character - Cooper Clay. Being one of the best baseball players Bayview had ever been home to, Cooper was very well-received by everyone and never failed to fulfill his Dad’s unrealistic expectations. However, there was one area of his that Senior Mr. Clay wasn’t very well-receptive about - Cooper’s silent secret that he had been hiding for long, and felt embarrassed to share.

Now that I have covered all the characters of this alluring book, I would like to throw some more light on my favorite parts of this murder-mystery, and of course, my key takeaways.

My personal favorite part of this adventure was Bronwyn and Nate’s relationship - from Nate interlocking his fingers with Bronwyn’s under the principal’s table to Bronwyn squeezing Nate’s stomach on his bike and them secretly connecting through abnormally secretive devices, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the thrilling ride of their relationship. Their bond blossoms just like a rose, flourishing despite the prickly little thorns that just don’t stop turning up. These two had what you would usually see as an ‘imperfectly perfect’ equation - and the friends to lovers trope comes alive in a very adorable manner, and you definitely won’t be able to resist that ‘awwwww’ emotion! Each and every scene brought about tingling feelings that would just make me wish that these beauties were real and not fictional - and I won’t even realize that they weren’t real until you finally release that book out of your hands; your jaw will drop and your heart will start beating fast, and your body would be filled with an enthusiastic and lively sudden jolt of energy after reading this masterpiece!

Apart from the lawyers and the police, even the Bayview Four came together to brainstorm on the subject of murder investigation and delivered a powerful message with flying colors. They connected the dots with remarkable thought, and their findings proved them to be true heroes. What I could take from this is that you should never underestimate yourself or those around you - even the sky isn’t the limit when it comes to us humans, and our own capabilities could surprise us any time! You must never stop believing in the possibility of coincidences - you never know what’s coming! This story also accurately calls attention to the various aspects and complex parts of high school life - the different sorts of relationships, the gossiping, the bullying, the peer pressure, the academic pressure and honestly, whatnot! It is noteworthy how the author has successfully understood these problems as an adult and made an effort to elaborate on how harmful they could be with her striking, impactful words.

The reader doesn’t fail to remain captivated throughout the book - from the mysterious beginning to the heart-warming ending, you will probably not be able to guess anything that happens next. The plot was crafted so creatively that no one could have seen it coming - pure genius, and exactly what you look for in a book! I had been eager to read this book for quite a while, and it was such a pleasure to open it the moment my last exam ended - the satisfaction I gained is immeasurable, and I’m sure many of you can relate to it!

All in all, Karen M McManus has beautifully brought the concept of this murder-mystery to life with her exceptional writing style, packed with descriptions that appeal to the five senses; and, she has ensured that even this fictional murder mystery remains permeated with relatability! By successfully highlighting the contrasting characters and building colorful connections between them, she absolutely touched my heart! Her powerful, thought-provoking words fueled my curiosity and her illustrative writing style is a pleasure to read - it brings your imagination ahead of the curve.