One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

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☕ One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨  3.5 out of 5 stars | Genre: YA Mystery / Thriller | Tagline: Breakfast Club... but make it homicide

What do you get when you put a brainiac, a beauty queen, a bad boy, a baseball star, and a gossip king in detention together?

Apparently... murder.

I had fun reading this one, but I’ll be honest—keeping track of this many characters gave my brain a little whiplash. The story starts strong, the mystery is compelling, but by the end, I was mostly just relieved to be done. That said, I’ve heard the sequels are better, so I may still give them a shot. Curiosity always wins.

🕵️‍♀️ Detention Turns Deadly

Welcome to Bayview High, where secrets don’t stay buried for long.

Five students are sent to detention for having phones in class—phones they all swear aren’t theirs. The lucky attendees are:

  • Simon Kelleher – creator of Bayview’s most infamous gossip app, About That

  • Bronwyn Rojas – the Yale-bound overachiever with perfect grades (and maybe a little secret)

  • Addy Prentiss – the pretty, popular girl dating the school’s football star

  • Nate Macauley – your classic “bad boy” on probation for dealing drugs

  • Cooper Clay – the golden boy athlete with a killer fastball and a lot to hide

Their teacher, Mr. Avery, isn’t interested in excuses. Then, in the middle of detention, Simon drinks from a water cup, has a massive allergic reaction... and dies.

The only thing more suspicious than his death? That no EpiPens could be found, and the cup tests positive for peanut oil. Someone wanted Simon dead.

😬 The Suspect List Shrinks

Pretty soon, all eyes are on the Bayview Four—the students who were with Simon when he died.

And it turns out? They all had something to hide:

  • Bronwyn: Cheated on a chemistry test—Yale dreams hanging by a thread

  • Cooper: Secretly gay and terrified of coming out (especially to his baseball-obsessed dad)

  • Nate: Still dealing drugs to support his household, despite being on probation

  • Addy: Cheated on her boyfriend Jake... with his friend TJ

Each one of them has a motive. And each of them swears they didn’t do it.

🤯 Plot Twist: Simon Did It

After plenty of red herrings and juicy side-plots—including secret boyfriends, controlling exes, a truly cringey amount of teen angst, and a nonprofit lawyer who actually has morals—we learn the shocking truth:

Simon killed himself.

Yep. He orchestrated his own murder to get revenge on the people he hated most. He wanted to be known, wanted to go out with impact, and carefully set up the Bayview Four to take the fall.

He even had help from Jake (Addy's boyfriend) who was furious after learning about her cheating. Jake helped by removing EpiPens and covering Simon’s tracks, but went too far by later assaulting Addy when she tried to move on.

✅ Loose Ends & Where They Landed

By the end of the book:

  • Bronwyn gets a second chance at Yale

  • Cooper comes out publicly and still gets baseball offers

  • Addy breaks free from Jake and her old identity (and starts standing up for herself!)

  • Nate is off probation and reconnecting with his estranged mom

  • Jake gets what he deserves, legally and socially

  • Simon’s twisted plan is revealed through a hidden Tumblr post

Also, Addy’s sister Ashton dumps her garbage husband and starts dating Eli, the lawyer who helps defend the Bayview Four. Cute.

🤔 Final Thoughts

I’ll give it this: the mystery kept me reading, and I was genuinely surprised by the reveal.

But juggling so many characters—some of whom didn’t matter in the end—made this feel cluttered. I’d recommend this more for teens or readers new to mysteries, since the pacing is fast and the vibe is very Riverdale-meets-Dateline.

🛒 Buy the Book:

📚 If You Liked This, Try:

  • A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson – another high school whodunit, but tighter plotting

  • We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – wealthy teens, summer secrets, and a gut-punch twist

  • The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – puzzles, family drama, and just enough romance

Let me know if you want to dive into the sequels together (One of Us Is Next, anyone?). I hear the twists only get twistier.

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