One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus Blog Tour + Giveaway!

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

Release Date: May 30, 2017 (it’s out already!!)

SO GOOD. SO GOOD. SO GOOD.

^Literally my most liked Goodreads review ever. XD I’m amused.

*I received an eARC of this via Netgalley for an honest review – thank you, thank you, thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy!*

About the Book:

• Title: ONE OF US IS LYING
• Author: Karen McManus
• Pub. Date: May 30, 2017
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Pages: 368
• Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
• Find it: Amazon, B&N. TBD, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, & One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

My Review

I love mystery books; however, I never expect them to be a favorite. Once you read a mystery book, you know the killer or the bad person, and I mean, how do you ever re-read that, knowing that and not being surprised again? I do have one mystery novel on my elusive favorites shelf, and it was basically there because it was one of my favorite authors and it was such an unique format. So, did I expect to enjoy it? Yes. Did I expect that I would love it? No, but it’s exactly what happened.

What I loved the most about this book was that fact that it literally kept me guessing until the very end. I had no clue how Simon died. Was one of the beloved crew lying? Did I keep missing signs? I tried to guess a few times, but then literally gave up because I knew that it was no use. I couldn’t get it right – nor was I expecting any of the twists and turns that McManus threw in there. There was only one big “reveal” that I guessed, but I mean, there was a ton of other ones that I completely missed.

I also found myself enthralled with the crew. Of course, I figured there would be that one character that I would hate and then they would obviously be the killer. But when I found myself loving all of them, and as we kept creeping closer to the end, I was so scared on which of my little babies did the deed because they are all little lovable flowers. XD Personally, out of all the characters, I did enjoy Nate and Bronwyn the best. I did really enjoy Jake and Addy as well, though, and when they were a group, they had a wonderful and believable dynamic.

There was a lot of complexity to the novel as well. It wasn’t just a plain ole mystery novel. There was Latina rep (YAYAYAYAY) and LGBTQ+ rep, and there was also talk of abusive relationship, suicide, and mental illness. McManus made sure there was a lot to this novel, and I enjoyed every second of it.

There was definitely no sleeping through this book. SO. MUCH. SUSPENSE.

The ship was also adorable as well. It was so cute, and I totally fangirled. For some odd reason, I love a good romance add-on in a mystery novel, and this one didn’t feel too instalove or too tacked on which usually happens in YA mysteries because the rest of the novel is so focused on the mystery. Oh swoon. They were so adorable. I can’t handle it.

Also the pacing of this novel was wonderful. I literally sat down in a few sittings (even when I was supposed to be doing something else) and read it all. I couldn’t stop myself from reading it. I wanted more and more and more until I got to that ending. I HAD TO KNOW THE ENDING. I was addicted to this story, and McManus’s writing surely had something to do with it.

Overall, this story was SO GOOD. I am seriously shocked by just how amazing it is. It managed to snag a spot on my favorites shelf, and you know how hard that is. I shall never doubt YA mysteries again. These characters have stayed with me for a long time, and I seriously can’t wait to see what Karen McManus has planned in the future, because if this is her first novel? I’m so prepared for a million more from her. Five stars and an Aurora rating because it is a true classic.

About the Author

As a kid I used to write books when I was supposed to be playing outside, and not much has changed. I’m a marketing and communications professional who also writes Young Adult contemporary and fantasy fiction in Cambridge, MA.

When not writing or working I love to travel, and along with my nine-year old son I’ve ridden horses in Colombia and bicycles through Paris. A member of SCBWI, I hold a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University. Which I have never, ever used professionally.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of ONE OF US IS LYING, US Only.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/29/2017- YA Books Central– Interview

5/30/2017- YA Book Madness– Review

5/31/2017- Novel Novice– Guest Post

6/1/2017- Literary Meanderings– Review

6/2/2017- BookHounds YA– Interview

 

Week Two:

6/5/2017- Storybook Slayers– Review

6/6/2017- Book Princess Reviews– Review

6/7/2017- The Cover Contessa– Interview

6/8/2017- Book Briefs– Review

6/9/2017- Pretty Deadly Reviews– Guest Post

 

Week Three:

6/12/2017- Eli to the nth– Review

6/13/2017- YA and Wine– Interview

6/14/2017- Smada’s Book Smack– Review

6/15/2017- The O.W.L.– Guest Post

6/16/2017- Zach’s YA Reviews– Review

What do you think? Have you read this or want to read it? What was the last book that kept you on the edge of your seat? Let’s discuss in the comments below!