One of Us Is Next (One of Us is Lying #2) by Karen M. McManus - Restarting April 12th 2024

[Dannii]

Don't be intimidated! I've only just finished the book so can discuss with you, whenever you get the chance to pick it up :)

[Maddie]

Where are you up to Trisha? Maybe I can try and catch you. But you read quick XD

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

I'm up to 14%, which is around Ch 4

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

That I do ;)

[Maddie]

Dannii wrote: "Don't be intimidated! I've only just finished the book so can discuss with you, whenever you get the chance to pick it up :)"

I need to go through and write down the order of the messages to check so I don't need to scroll. Like from start to finish of the book.

[Vivi]

Dannii wrote: "Vivi wrote: "Chapter 15

."

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yeah, it's worrying that Maeve isn't talking to nobody about her concerns about the signs of cancer relapse. I hope she opens up to someone about it soon... She needs a medical avaluation and support of loved ones. (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Dannii wrote: "First quarter - r..."

(view spoiler)[The main characters seem a lot like the ones in the previous book....we have the strained sister-sister relationship, the strained father-son relationship, the....you know, I can't remember, but it was a bit similar (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Julianne wrote: "Chapter 12 "

(view spoiler)[Yeah, that was pretty confusing....it was supposed to target Maeve, but obviously ended up being about Knox. (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Julianne wrote: "Chapter 18 .."

(view spoiler)[That was something I have really mixed feelings about....medical conditions is the place where one has to draw lines about keeping secrets. An early diagnosis could help a lot, but here we see her postponing it. I get that she's scared, but this is the kind of stuff you need to tell an adult about asap; no excuses. (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Julianne wrote: "Chapter 24 .."

(view spoiler)[What do you mean? When did Phoebe have anything to do with it? Did I miss something? (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Dannii wrote: "Second quarter - I

(view spoiler)[The characters are all written very similarly, and because of the first person, sometimes I'm into paragraphs of a POV when I realise it's the wrong character. (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Dannii wrote: "Third quarter - [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[That was shocking, and really suspicious! The way no one actually knows what happened.... (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Vivi wrote: "Dannii wrote: "Julianne wrote: "Chapter 12 "

[spoilers removed]"
"
(view spoiler)[Yeah, me either XD (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

81%
This shit is shady. And everything is connected. Just, wow.

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

100%
(view spoiler)[What the hell was that supposed to be. I have a lot of bones to pick with this, which I'll do in my review, but long story short, this protecting minors from consequences is what started this in the first place, right? Why are these two participating in the exact same thing? No slap on the wrist? No nothing? We should have had some kind of ending where certain consequences were explored; otherwise the story comes full circle with a minor protected, and getting too full of themselves. Even if Owen is different, I needed some closure on that front. This book is going to be lucky if it gets 4 stars, but right now it's getting only 3. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Trisha wrote: "100%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[That's really interesting as I never viewed the ending in that light, but you are absolutely right. I saw it as sisters protecting their brother and the open-ended conclusion allowed the reader to hope for a restoration of their family bond. It does, however, allow him to get away with and have no consequences for his part to play in a young boy's death, no matter how unintentional it was. (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Dannii wrote: "Trisha wrote: "100%
[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I loved that the sisters protected him. I really did. But there has to be some consequence. Anything. Just the sisters talking to their brother would have done for me. But we get nothing. (hide spoiler)]

[Catrin]

I am on page 286 chapter 25 in the book now.

[Catrin]

I am on Chapter 25 page 286 in this book.

[Vivi]

Julianne wrote: "Chapter 18 (view spoiler)[I was actually rooting for Maeve and Luis, so I'm a little sad she told him off.

But that scene with her and Nate was sweet. I really do hope she tells her parents that her cancer is c..." (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ I was shipping Maeve with Luis too... To bad it didn't work. Is there no hope for them??? 😐

Maeve BETTER get a grip and look for medical help and tell her parents about the cancer... That is no joke, but serious business! (hide spoiler)]

[Vivi]

Chapter 19 (view spoiler)[

Emma's actions (the heavy drinking) and the all “I didn’t think he’d keep going.” is making me think DEREK might be the one behind the Truth and Dare game... And Emma knows it.

Is it?! (hide spoiler)]

[Vivi]

Chapter 20 (view spoiler)[

So, it's becoming obvious that Brandon's death was no accident... So, who wanted him dead?! Probably, the one who gave him the dare?! OR someone who knew about the dare?! ... But who is the killer?!

AND why did they want to kill Brandon?! Revenge from something?!

Could it have been 1 of the people that were there with Brandon that day? Maybe Sean??!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Vivi wrote: "Chapter 19 "

It's so hard to read people's theories once you have already finished the book! Hehe.

[Vivi]

Dannii wrote: "Vivi wrote: "Chapter 19 "

It's so hard to read people's theories once you have already finished the book! Hehe."

Yes, I guess it is 😁

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Vivi wrote: "Chapter 19

"
(view spoiler)[I was thinking the exact same thing!! (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Dannii wrote: "Vivi wrote: "Chapter 19 "

It's so hard to read people's theories once you have already finished the book! Hehe."

Same! You can't really comment without being either really ambiguous and vague, or giving away spoilers

[Vivi]

Finished! (view spoiler)[ Oh, that ending was messed up! And surprising!

I'd never guess of he being involved in it at all! Nice twist it was! ☺️ (hide spoiler)]

[Vivi]

Dannii wrote: "Trisha wrote: "100%
[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I'm still digesting the ending, but yes leaving the boy with no consequences at all after his involvement in it, is no good! It will make him think what he did was okay and not serious... Which isn't!

I understand wanting to protect a loved one, but the law is the law... And what that boy did was wrong... He should have to admit it and deal with what comes from it!

This is just a shock value ending... But an open ending, nevertheless (hide spoiler)]

[Vippi]

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Date changed. Restarting October 1st 2021. Happy Reading ☺

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[Jora Jordan]

I just started

[Vippi]

Hi! I will likely start tomorrow (or later this night if I don't collapse dead on the bed 😅)
Hope we will enjoy this one too 😊

[Jora Jordan]

I just finished this one. Loved it. (view spoiler)[ I like how this series has continued. It does take a bit longer for things to really get heated in this one but it is well worth it. I thought i had the ending figured out, i saspected the right person of getting things started, still managed to twist it up half way through the very end. Wraping things up and they throw a huge twist at you that has me wanting more. Cant wait for book 3 to come out and be avalibul at the library. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Vippi]

Again I am pretty much behind. I am sorry!
I am really glad you loved it!

29%
(view spoiler)[So far I am really enjoying it. I loved Maeve from book #1 and reading part of the story from her perspective is fantastic (I hope she will be fine despite the nosebleeding).

Another thing that I am really appreciating is that Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper and Addy still figure in this one - apparently, being more than a simple cameo. (well, of course, the sucker for romance in me wants to see Nate and Bronwyn getting over their difficulties and have their HEA together)

I wonder who Unknown is and so far I am totally, hopelessly clueless. While in book#1 I had tons of theories and hypotheses, here I don't know who to point my finger at. And of course, I am loving it. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Vippi wrote: "Again I am pretty much behind. I am sorry!
I am really glad you loved it!

29%
So far I am really enjoying it. I loved Maeve from book #1 and reading part of the story from her perspective is fanta..."

(view spoiler)[ Same. I really want Bronwyn and Nate to get back together. Evan and Jules just got in the way. I don't have any ideas of who it is at this point either. There doesn't seem to be any connection between these people other than barely knowing each other. I really liked Maeve too. It seemed that she was more into solving and hacking in the first book than this one though. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

40%
(view spoiler)[ So maybe someone overheard at the diner about Knox. I feel so bad for him. Her secret was more about him and that was so unfair. The 'dare' element makes it more interesting, but I would think people would just get tired of doing them. Lucy was right. They should all just ignore the texts and it would stop, but that would never happen. People would want to know more until it's about them. (hide spoiler)]

[Vippi]

Ashley wrote: "40%
[spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[I agree with you. Maeve's secret was more Knox's and surely had a terrible impact on both their lives. (hide spoiler)]

54%
(view spoiler)[I wonder if Phoebe's theory is right and maybe Unknown is actually after Maeve because of the part she played in the previous case...
As I said before I am quite clueless about Unknown's identity. However, I can't dismiss the idea that they could be some character we already saw in book #1. Of course, I will be proven wrong 🤣 (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Part 1
(view spoiler)[ It does seem weird that Sean would save Knox like that. And that Brandon would fall through accidentally like that if they had been on the site before. Why would he jump? I'm not buying that story. No one seems any closer to knowing who Unknown is, but it doesn't sound as if they are working on it as much as the characters in the first book did. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

80%
(view spoiler)[ This took a really unexpected turn. I really thought it was one of the students. So is he getting revenge through their kids? (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Finished
(view spoiler)[ So, I wasn't too surprised by Emma. She went under a total personality shift in the middle of the book and definitely felt bad about something beyond the Derek situation. But Owen? That definitely threw me. I can only imagine what he would be feeling. He seemed like such a sweet kid. I'm not going to say that Brandon deserved to die, but I wasn't sad about him either. The fact that he was still hooking up with Phoebe was so cruel. Overall, I really like the story and the new characters and definitely want more. (hide spoiler)]

[Vippi]

Sorry for the late reply. I finished this one last week but did not have time to post my thoughts.

(view spoiler)[Jora Jordan wrote: "I just finished this one. Loved it. [spoilers removed]"

Ashley wrote: "Finished
[spoilers removed]"

I totally second your thoughts. I loved this book, too.

I liked the new characters (especially Maeve) - even though I got more attached to Nate, Bronwyn, Cooper & Addy (hence, I loved to see a bit of how they were going on).

While at the beginning literally had no clue, halfway through it became pretty evident that Emily was involved and that her dad's death had to play a role somehow. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable reading and I will surely read all the other books of this talented author. (hide spoiler)]

[Ryn]

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Date changed. Restarting January 2023. Happy Reading ☺

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[Jenn]

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Date changed. Restarting January 23rd 2023. Happy Reading ☺

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[Alexandra]

I don't really know why I decided to pick up the second book when the first was underwhelming to me. I guess I keep wanting to see the hype? But every time I read this series I just feel like it's a knock-off of Pretty Little Liars or one of the many better thriller-slash-scandalous-gossip books. Also, I've forgotten pretty much everything from book one, so I'm glad this book is reminding me what happened and how everyone is related to everyone.

[Ryn]

I've forgotten a lot of the details of the first one too. I enjoyed it. I never expect too much of YA mystery; it's always so extremely teen. And I like Karen McManus -- she's hilarious and sweet. I started this one today but I only have it as a digital - the actual book is on its way.

[Alexandra]

part one done

okay this is getting semi-interesting. (view spoiler)[ I wonder what really happened with Brandon and Knox. and why the guy behind the game is freaking out now. I'm not super invested in the teenage dramas but it's a fast read so at least I don't have to wait long for the answer. (hide spoiler)]

[Alexandra]

Ryn wrote: "I've forgotten a lot of the details of the first one too. I enjoyed it. I never expect too much of YA mystery; it's always so extremely teen. And I like Karen McManus -- she's hilarious and sweet. ..."

I actually really enjoyed A Good Girl's Guide to Murder as a YA mystery series. It's not as juvenile as the others. I would recommend it if you haven't read it.

[Ryn]

Through Chapter Seven
So, like I said, I don't ever expect anything except rampant, unapologetic teen-ness from YA mystery, so I'm enjoying it. I love that it's following the old story, except I'm getting SO confused about who's who. I remember almost nothing about the original, so the little bits and pieces we're being reminded of are not really helping, and I cannot keep these characters straight - who's related to the original four, who was one of them, who's completely new. That's making this read unnecessarily complicated.

But just like the Bayview kids, I'm so morbidly curious about the game going on. The (view spoiler)[ mascot dare was brilliant and of course, how in the world did this person find out about Phoebe and her sister's boyfriend. I'm usually really bad at mysteries; I never guess "whodunit." (hide spoiler)] So, just a fun lil read that I desperately need because the other two I'm currently reading are slogs.

[Ryn]

The teens I have on my Booknerds crew are all mad for Good Girl's Guide - they've given it to almost every patron who orders a book box if they like mystery. They're usually pretty sophisticated readers so I have that one on my list. Of course, they loved Cemetery Boys too, which so far, I am underwhelmed by. But yeah I'd like to read that at some point in the near future.

[Alexandra]

Okay, I finished.

(view spoiler)[The idea of a murder swap definitely isn't new, and I'm kind of underwhelmed by the actual perpetrator because it's not even anyone related to the characters. I knew Emma was involved since she started acting shady, and then it turns out it was Owen who finished it? And they covered for him. Which, fine, but still. Owen? Plotting to get someone hurt? I feel that's kind of far-fetched for a pre-teen boy, but I guess he thought it wasn't real? But he must've known Brandon would actually get hurt. I don't know. I also wished the game was featured more, it was the most interesting part of the plot for me but it fizzled out midway before it could really get interesting. It did keep me wanting to keep reading, though, so at least it was mildly entertaining. (hide spoiler)]

[Alexandra]

Ryn wrote: "Through Chapter Seven
So, like I said, I don't ever expect anything except rampant, unapologetic teen-ness from YA mystery, so I'm enjoying it. I love that it's following the old story, except I'm ..."

I feel the same confusion, to be honest. I remember who the original four were but not any of the secondary characters. Also the new characters don't sound different enough that sometimes I'm on someone's chapter and I thought it was someone else. I kind of wish YA authors would stop using first person POV.