Plot:

One of Us Is Next is the highly anticipated sequel to One of Us Is Lying. It follows in the wake

of Simon’s death, as past and new grades of students at Bayview High are still reeling over the

death of Bayview High’s own Simon, the name behind the deadly accurate gossip column. Now,

a year later, a new threat is being discussed in the hallways. A deadly version of Truth or Dare.

This dangerous game is “randomly” selecting students to participate in a dare. The consequence

of not following through on the dare: revealing a secret. Who is behind this? Who would “dare”

try something so soon after Simon? Why? How far will the students go to clear their names? To

their deaths? The plot leads readers to discover who is behind the new and dangerous game quite

quickly, however, finding out their motivation is an interesting experience. This book has less

twists or surprises than the first, but the character arcs are more defined and the story leads us

through Bayview High and shows the next grade levels of drama, disappointment, and lies.

Thoughts:

There are themes of moving on, forgiveness, dealing with trauma, friendship, and “found family”

relationships among the characters. Karen M. McManus is often highly praised for writing

interesting characters, however, I had a difficult time beginning this book and getting invested

into the characters. They appear boring, unengaging, and less interesting than the first cast. The

Bayview Four (the characters of One of Us Is Lying) are weaved throughout this story as side

characters, siblings, friends, and acquaintance. I would recommend reading One of Us Is Lying

first; the second book could be a standalone, however, there are two many references and

spoilers in One of Us Is Next to read it first if you intend to read both. The premise is a more

unique vehicle of suspense for McManus to keep the familiar high school setting with new

characters, higher stakes, and a new gossip leaking threat. The characters felt like lesser versions

of the first – even though they are less stereotypical high school students.

I didn’t enjoy the way McManus wove the original students throughout. It felt too desperate to

keep up with the original and in turn, the comparison was disappointing. There was less paranoia

and suspicion among the friend group and the large cast of characters was confusing at times. I

found myself wondering, “Insert Name is whose sibling?” “How do these two know each other?”

There aren’t many voice and character distinctions to ponder over while pacing through the

pages. The dynamics were fun to read, but against the stale backdrop, it falls flat. I did enjoy the

writing and several aspects of the story. The premise was fun and fresh. I would recommend this

book if you want glimpses of the Bayview Four and “where they are now.” If the first book

interested you and you enjoyed the levels of suspense and mystery, this book should not

disappoint, since in tone, they are similar.

Check out One of Us is Lying from the Newport Beach Public Library!