'One Of Us Is Next' Book Review

Book: One Of Us Is Next Author: Karen McManus Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction Pages: 374 (Kindle) Published: January 2020 (UK) My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Good morning everyone, today's post is a review of Karen McManus's book 'One Of Us Is Next', which I intended to post yesterday... but better late than never!

Synopsis

Come on, Bayview, you know you've missed this. A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one's been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts. Until now. This time it's not an app, though—it's a game. Truth or Dare. Phoebe's the first target. If you choose not to play, it's a truth. And hers is dark. Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare. But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it's that they can't count on the police for help. Or protection. Simon's gone, but someone's determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there's a whole new set of rules.

(Synopsis from Goodreads - Link)

Review

I recently finished and reviewed McManus's first book 'One Of Us Is Lying', and I was so intrigued and impressed that I immediately started reading the sequel! It's important to note that while the second book does follow on from the first, it's not important to read the first book beforehand, however the second would spoil the mystery for you. The story follows a similar structure to the first, in that it's written from the viewpoint of the main characters, alternating between four or five of them. Many of the characters from the first book do make a return, yet there's some new ones introduced too, including Knox - I love Knox!

The book begins with the return of 'The Revenge Forum' where Simon posted frequently during the previous Bayview High incident. This time, 'DarkestMind' and 'Bayview2020' have a couple of tricks up their sleeve and are ready for round two - a good old fashioned game of 'Truth or Dare'. The rules are simple, each participant has 24 hours to choose whether they want a 'Truth' about themselves revealed around school or to complete a 'Dare'. If they refuse to take part, a Truth is revealed. As secrets unravel, and families fall apart, who will be the next unwilling participant of 'Truth and Dare'? And who is behind it?

Admittedly, it did take me a while to remember all of the different characters and how they relate to one another but it all connected soon enough. Maybe it didn't help how I jumped from one book to the next and forgot to delete a few of the previous characters from my memory(!). I'm still undecided on which book I prefer, I genuinely enjoyed them both. Maybe, I slightly prefer the first but the second was imaginative and inventive also. This book provides so much mystery and a whodunit feel, that keeps you guessing throughout. Only afterwards are all of the clues revealed, and I didn't guess the ending so that was a fun surprise.

To conclude, I'd give this book four out of five stars as I enjoyed the writing style, imagination and creativity. Have you read either of these books? Which one did you prefer?

Take care,

Sophie x

'One Of Us Is Next' - Karen McManus