One of Us is Next - Book Review!

⛰ What It's About

A gripping murder mystery about the dangerous lives of a group of teenagers going to a gossip-obsessed high school, One Of Us Is Next Is the second in the ‘One of us is lying’ series. The book revolves around a game of truth and dare that turned lethal - so much so that the Second teenage death of Bayview (the high school) came to be. Rather, it revolves around the deathly consequences followed once this seemingly harmless game turned dangerous.

🔍 How I Discovered It

My favorite social media app is Pinterest - it's like Social media, but without the social part (which makes it perfect for an extroverted introvert like me!) And, this app is how I came across the ‘One of us is lying’ series. I loved the first book immensely, and I just couldn't wait to read the next one (despite the mixed reviews lol). Just like that, I had picked up the Second book already:)

🧠 Thoughts

Call me biased, but for me, the first one was just too good - it was so special! I had never been so hooked to a fictional murder mystery ever before - and One of us is lying truly changed my view on reading, and helped me somewhat get into the habit of it (no, not really lol). You see, I tend to be quite lazy sometimes when it comes to reading, but the author of *this* series made me realize that my mind and heart were just waiting for the right book to come along. Even the second part in the series has been written well, but I'd say that the difference between this and the first is that the first was written *exceptionally* well. One of the things I appreciate most about Karen's writing style is how amazingly relatable all of her characters are - the reader would never fail to turn a page without feeling a reflection of herself in the pages, be it within one character or all them. Karen also never fails to encourage her audience to exercise their minds, while pleasantly entertaining them at the same time - which is absolutely remarkable. I genuinely look up to her as a reader and aspiring writer, and I'm eagerly waiting for what is going to *allegedly* be the third in this book series! I've heard that it's coming in 2023 , and I'm super excited!

What I Liked About It

Ahahaha alrighty then, I guess I've appreciated One of us is lying too much now, so let's fill in the space for its sequel, too:)

To start with, I thoroughly enjoyed the interestingly dangerous amount of twists and turns this book unfolded. Reading it felt like riding through a weird shaped tunnel without knowing where it was taking me - and that adventurous ride is exactly what I loved!

The special thing about Karen's writing is that you'll get to experience a little bit of everything, a little bit of every emotion, every relationship, every character. She writes her characters in such a manner that the relatability is what helps the readers understand *why* the characters were the way they were.

I adored Knox and Maeve's friendship so much - it was so good to see that yes, two exes can be the best of friends and partners in crime without having feelings for each other. Though I do feel that it is not a bad idea for a book, yet it is too far-fetched of a concept to be real; but I still enjoyed reading about it!

And, oh well, how could I forget Nate Macaulay? I really should stop simping over him as he's just ink on paper lol. But I guess his sarcastic sense of humor and charming persona are kinda magnetic. Oh yes, coming to what really impressed me about him this time - the way he comforted Maeve. He proved that he is genuinely the best future * jiju* (brother-in-law in Hindi) for Maeve, and that his emotional intelligence and the love he holds for Bronwyn - are both absolutely high!

What I Didn't Like About It

At the start, the book seemed to go on a quite slow pace and I had to push myself to *keep reading.*

It took me some time to retrieve my interest, but it was eventually evoked as soon as the book picked up some speed! However, it was disheartening to see that the old characters were hardly talked about, but what I liked is that at least most of the important old characters were mentioned, and an update on each of their lives was given.

I don't exactly know why, I can't point my finger at it, but there was just *something* about Phoebe that my heart didn't seem to like - right from the beginning. Maeve and Knox were the loveliest of characters, but Phoebe was just not it, I guess.

🥰 Who Would Like It?

I genuinely feel that anyone with a keenness to love mysteries would absolutely love this book. For those of you who love thrillers and murder mysteries, this would be a great pick. But you know what would be a better pick? One of us is lying. Yes, yes, yes. I hear you. I know I love that book too much lol.

Special thanks to my favorite YouTuber - Ali Abdaal for this lovely book review template!