One of Us Is Next ~ Karen M. McManus

Expected UK Publication Date: 9th January 2020
When Karen M. McManus announced that she was writing a sequel to One of Is Lying, I was immediately intrigued, excited and a little dubious. I loved One of Us Is Lying, a lot. It was one of the few books in recent years that I had absolutely no clue what the outcome was going to be. I was only one step away from creating my own murder board and trying to figure out whodunnit. I couldn’t put the book down long enough to do anything but continue reading. And then, Two Can Keep a Secret was published earlier this year and I devoured that book as well. 

So, when One of Us Is Next appeared on the shelf of proof copies at work, I snatched it up immediately and eagerly finished the book I was currently reading so I could get to it quicker.

One of Us Is Next takes place a year after One of Us Is Lying. Bayview is still reeling after the truth about Simon’s death and everyone is trying to move on with their lives. Someone starts playing a game of Truth or Dare with the students at Bayview High. The game is dangerous; choosing the truth may lead to your biggest secrets being outed and the dare can be lethal.

I’m going to start by saying that, now, having finished the book, I really enjoyed it and I loved what McManus did with the characters and moving them and the Bayview community. It did, however, take me far longer than I expected to get into the book. Some of that is due to circumstances happening around me and a new project which has taken up most of my time, but I also found that the McManus teased the involvement of the main four from the first book. They weren’t really involved with the main story, but in the first few chapters, they kept making appearances as if they were going to have a large involvement. It may have just been me, but I wanted there to be a little bit of time to get to know the new characters first before their relationship with the Bayview Four was brought in. It’s a very fine balance to find as Maeve, one of the new characters, is Bronwyn’s younger sister and made quite a splash in the first book.

Once I got passed that, the book was amazing. The game was more deadly than the one in the first book and had more real-life ramifications than just one death. This game included the entire community and was a lot bigger than just outing other people’s biggest secrets. 

Like both other books, I didn’t really know who was behind everything, but as soon as the mystery started to unravel, I began to put the pieces together a little quicker than it was revealed. I still didn’t guess the last big reveal which ended the book. 

I honestly don’t think anything will beat One of Us Is Lying for that special place in my heart, but this was a very good read that I am probably being unrealistically harsh on. I will still be buying this book when it comes out on the 9th January 2020 and it will proudly sit on my shelf next to the other two. I eagerly await Karen M. McManus’ next novel.

I give One of Us Is Next four out of five stars and an apology that I couldn’t dedicate as much attention and time as it deserved. When I one day reread it, I may feel very differently.

C🌙