My AHA moment may not have come during the big twist, but it certainly came in waves abounding throughout my experience journeying with these various high school kids. It is a rare day indeed that I find fleshed out, grounded, relatable characters that draw me in to a young adult narrative the way that these did here. Why am I rambling on about this you ask? I really want to drive home the point of what makes this book stand out from others that are similar. I applaud the author for her cleverness and storytelling abilities there will be many readers who will be fooled by the red herrings and receive that glorious AHA moment at the big reveal. As stated in the summary, the pieces are there for the reader to put together if they are clever enough. Again, I mention this because I think it would be a grave mistake for the reader to be so focused on this aspect when the book has so much more to offer! Personally, I had it figured out in the first chapter. One of Us Is Lying is bound to be one of many fabulous novels that gets thrown into that category and is scrutinized solely by it’s ability to keep the reader guessing “whodunnit” until the big reveal. The reason I mention this is due to the fact that it is very difficult for me to pick up a mystery and not have it solved in the first 10% if the clues are provided otherwise, I typically pick it up when said character is first introduced into the narrative. That is an overwhelming number of books that tend to be fiercely judged on their ability to provide a solid, mind-blowing twist. While this was in some ways a traditional whodunnit, I believe many of the minor influences were the reason this novel reads so well.Īccording the the books I’ve logged on Goodreads, I’ve managed to read over 700 mystery, thriller, and suspense novels. My issues with this book were minor, and I’ll get to those later, but when I first picked up this book I knew I would enjoy it based on the description stating “Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars”, two things I love to pieces. It’s taken me 4 days just to collect my thoughts to the point that I can attempt writing a proper review, and I’m certain this will be one of the most talked about books in the YA genre this Spring/Summer season. What a marvelous, delectable read! There was something so addictive about this book it felt at times distinctly young adult while also having moments that felt so well done it was beyond the stereotype of what a teenage thriller tends to be.
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