An unexpected death in detention, false accusations, and a surprising twist that catches every reader off guard will keep you engaged in this story until the very end. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus is a riveting murder mystery about a group of teenagers banding together in the midst of a school tragedy. The book starts off with five students stuck in detention. One of the students, Simon Kehler, the creator of the school’s gossip blog, goes into anaphylactic shock. After he died in the hospital, the police named the other four students, Bronwyn, Nate, Addy, and Cooper, as suspects. The students are swept up in a media storm and become the center of attention at school. At the end, the “killer” is finally revealed to be Simon himself …show more content…
Teenagers rebel against norms when a big change happens in life, which is shown through Addy cutting her hair short and befriending the school “outcast”. It’s also shown through Bronwyn, an upper middle class A plus student, starting a relationship with Nate, who is on probation for dealing drugs. Her family disapproved, but she entertained the relationship anyways. Friendship and school drama is also very realistically portrayed through Addy and Cooper's experience after their secrets came out. Addy lost all of her friends and started sitting with the Bayview four at lunch because they were the only ones who understood what she was going through. Cooper sat with both for a while, but ended up only having one loyal friend in the end. This is a frequent problem that many kids have in high school, and the addition of this trope makes it easier to relate to the book. Therefore, I would recommend this book to everyone because it’s a relatable story with a compelling twist that would keep any age group entertained. The overlying theme in the book is growing closer to people who have gone through common experiences. The Bayview Four were the only people that