Everyone experiences high school in a different way. Some people absolutely love high school and some dread it. No matter your personal experiences during high school, I think everyone can agree on one thing—being accused of murder would not make high school any easier. The book One of Us is Lying written by Karen McManus dives directly into that idea as the main conflict of the novel. 

This book centers on four main characters: Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper, and Addy. After having fake phones planted and found by their teachers in their backpacks, these four characters are sent to detention along with one other student, Simon. Simon had lots of enemies at Bay View High given the fact that Simon ran a gossip app that kept everyone up to date on the newest scandals, whether good or bad. Simon, who was deathly allergic to peanuts, found his cup of water coated in peanut oil, and all the epi-pens from the nurse's office mysteriously gone, which lead to his tragic death, but also leads to the biggest question the readers seek to answer—Who did it?

One thing I found very interesting in this novel is the lack of chapters. This book is not split into chapters but rather divided into the lives of the characters. Every 10 pages or so, the book switches to a new character.  The reader gets to experience the lives of each character and how being murder suspects affects each one of them personally. This unique style of writing allows the reader to explore the multiple perspectives of the different characters and the impact the murder investigation has on their lives, which adds to the overall engagement and suspense in the narrative. 

The character development is something I enjoyed about the book. Each character was greatly affected by the murder investigation and everything it entailed, which meant that the characters changed throughout the novel. The character development in the novel made it easy to connect with the characters, make them seem real, and feel invested in both the story and the characters. For example, This novel is very relatable for the readers because all high schoolers deal with drama or other people invading their privacy at some point or another and the idea of finding out who your real friends are- the people who stay by your side even in the toughest of times. In the novel, the characters go through situations that normal high school students go through as well. This made the reader feel invested in the character and care about their storyline and what happens to them. Throughout the book, you are rooting for the character's innocence, you are mad when they are mad, you are scared when they are, you are frustrated just as much as they are- it is almost as if the character becomes part of you. 

One Of Us is Lying is most suitable for the teen/young adult audience. This book deals with events or ideas that high schoolers and young adults would connect to and find more enjoyable. The high school students in the book make it especially easy for the high school readers to connect to them. The character development and relatableness of the characters made the book seem as if it was real life, and this is a part of the book that I enjoyed and found very interesting because some books lack this. 

One of us is Lying is a book that I could read more than once and still find interesting. The different perspectives of the students, and the suspense the book is filled with makes for a great read that was always difficult to put down, but even more difficult to accept the fact I had read the whole thing already. There is some good news, however… there is a sequel! One of Us is Lying is followed by the book, One of Us is Next, so, if you ever find yourself with nothing to do, read this suspenseful, frustrating, investigative book—you won’t regret it.