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danilo_syrtis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
[Fair warning: This review contains some (major) spoilers that I will tag as such.]
Roughly three months after Brandon’s murderer is arrested (One Of Us Is Next), Simon’s co-conspirator Jake (One Of Us Is Lying) files a successful motion for a new trial and gets released from prison until his court dates come up. Coincidentally, a new mystery seems to emerge at the same time: A hacked billboard displays messages regarding a new game to be played. And then Phoebe, already struggling and feeling isolated because of the secret she keeps, disappears after a party …
After re-reading the first two parts of the trilogy, I finally got to read the last part over the weekend for the first time, and once again, I had fun! I also think this story is the weakest of the three, but there were still many aspects I enjoyed.
As always, I have to mention my love for the minimalistic cover and the sprayed edges of the UK paperback. While I do not think that the cover illustration fits the story as well as is the case for the other two books, it has the same mysterious vibe and it is still beautiful.
It is impressive to me that the mystery felt new and different from the other two, although the main characters are the same ones as in the previous parts. There was also more than one twist that I did not see coming (although – obligatory disclaimer – I am very bad at guessing the endings of books), although they were well-prepared in hindsight.For example, I was a bit suspicious of Evie since Phoebe thinks more than once that she is almost too nice, but I never suspected her having changed her name and being responsible for the disappearances of Phoebe, Reggie, and Jake.
There are some interesting appearances of characters from the previous books. While I do not know how enjoyable they would have been had I not read the other two parts, I really loved to see them! Especially since they did not seem to only be some kind of cameos, but they actually showed some realistic growth and sometimes helped to move the plot forward.I actually love Vanessa trying to make amends and seriously regretting her mistakes, since some of the misogynistic and homophobic bullying from the first book gets adressed this way (and readers also get to know another side of the usually calm, friendly Kris). It is nice to see how differently various characters react to her apologies, and in particular how Nate apologizes for his behavior, too.
Something that is really refreshing is that the plot does not revolve around Bayview High School. It worked for the first two books, but for the third, it is interesting to see some new places that are important for one or more characters and thus play an important part for the story.For example, I like the country club that Nate works at, even if it seems a little cliché at some points.
Although I obviously enjoyed reading the book, there are still things that annoyed me.
The structure of the story seems similar to the one of the second book. Sadly, this results in the same unfortunate pacing – while the first part is rather slow-paced, the second one is pretty fast-paced. It is not as bad as in One Of Us Is Next, but still feels weirdly mismatched.
Another problem of the second book which is much worse in this one (but luckily only exists in the first few chapters) is how the events of the previous books are summarized whenever some of the important characters first appear. I understand that it is nice if the book could theoretically be read as a stand-alone, but it is still marketed as part of a series. I think not understanding references to past events is something you sign up for if you read the last part of a trilogy without knowing the first two. Maybe I would feel differently if the synopses were at least elegantly interwoven with the rest of the first few chapters, but they simply feel out of place.
I also feel like the attention to detail(s) is a bit lacking, compared to the other two books. The main characters seem to be a lot more isolated from the rest of the world than before – which, admittedly, might just be a side effect of the group consisting of at least twice as many people as in the other books. But there is just a lot less interaction between the main characters and people not related to the main mystery, and some side characters simply disappear even if that does not really make sense.For example, I do not think there was any need to bring up Jules and Monica, but since they are brought up and Jules tells Phoebe that Monica wants to ask out Knox, it is strange to not see them appear again at least once afterwards. There is also the fact that many of the details and characters that turn out to be important for the resolution of the main mystery are not as subtly set up as in the first two parts. For example, it was very obvious to me that Nate’s father’s missing keys would be of some significance. Or, as I said, I was suspicious of Evie fairly early. Another minor annoyance are some strange and unnecessary inconsistencies. For example, some of the flashback chapters are from Jake’s POV, but his father is still called Mr Riordan instead of dad/his father. Another example is Chelsea talking about how she wanted to frame Owen so he would not go without any consequences, when she left a confession at her apartment that police would have probably found pretty much right away.
Lastly, something that I do not like is how often events are not really described, but simply summarized at a later point. It is a bit confusing to me, especially if a chapter is from the POV of a relevant character and it ends in a place that makes it seem like there would have been a perfect opportunity to really show whatever happens next, but instead, it is being told in a few sentences in one of the next chapters.One notable example is how Phoebe getting kidnapped for the second time is not shown, but the next time a chapter is from her POV, she gives a short summary of how she ended up where she is now. Obviously, not every second of that had to be on the page, but at least some key parts like her struggle with Chelsea could have been described.
So, all in all, I really like the book and will probably read it again at some point, but I do think that the other two parts are a lot better in some ways!
Roughly three months after Brandon’s murderer is arrested (One Of Us Is Next), Simon’s co-conspirator Jake (One Of Us Is Lying) files a successful motion for a new trial and gets released from prison until his court dates come up. Coincidentally, a new mystery seems to emerge at the same time: A hacked billboard displays messages regarding a new game to be played. And then Phoebe, already struggling and feeling isolated because of the secret she keeps, disappears after a party …
After re-reading the first two parts of the trilogy, I finally got to read the last part over the weekend for the first time, and once again, I had fun! I also think this story is the weakest of the three, but there were still many aspects I enjoyed.
As always, I have to mention my love for the minimalistic cover and the sprayed edges of the UK paperback. While I do not think that the cover illustration fits the story as well as is the case for the other two books, it has the same mysterious vibe and it is still beautiful.
It is impressive to me that the mystery felt new and different from the other two, although the main characters are the same ones as in the previous parts. There was also more than one twist that I did not see coming (although – obligatory disclaimer – I am very bad at guessing the endings of books), although they were well-prepared in hindsight.
There are some interesting appearances of characters from the previous books. While I do not know how enjoyable they would have been had I not read the other two parts, I really loved to see them! Especially since they did not seem to only be some kind of cameos, but they actually showed some realistic growth and sometimes helped to move the plot forward.
Something that is really refreshing is that the plot does not revolve around Bayview High School. It worked for the first two books, but for the third, it is interesting to see some new places that are important for one or more characters and thus play an important part for the story.
Although I obviously enjoyed reading the book, there are still things that annoyed me.
The structure of the story seems similar to the one of the second book. Sadly, this results in the same unfortunate pacing – while the first part is rather slow-paced, the second one is pretty fast-paced. It is not as bad as in One Of Us Is Next, but still feels weirdly mismatched.
Another problem of the second book which is much worse in this one (but luckily only exists in the first few chapters) is how the events of the previous books are summarized whenever some of the important characters first appear. I understand that it is nice if the book could theoretically be read as a stand-alone, but it is still marketed as part of a series. I think not understanding references to past events is something you sign up for if you read the last part of a trilogy without knowing the first two. Maybe I would feel differently if the synopses were at least elegantly interwoven with the rest of the first few chapters, but they simply feel out of place.
I also feel like the attention to detail(s) is a bit lacking, compared to the other two books. The main characters seem to be a lot more isolated from the rest of the world than before – which, admittedly, might just be a side effect of the group consisting of at least twice as many people as in the other books. But there is just a lot less interaction between the main characters and people not related to the main mystery, and some side characters simply disappear even if that does not really make sense.
Lastly, something that I do not like is how often events are not really described, but simply summarized at a later point. It is a bit confusing to me, especially if a chapter is from the POV of a relevant character and it ends in a place that makes it seem like there would have been a perfect opportunity to really show whatever happens next, but instead, it is being told in a few sentences in one of the next chapters.
So, all in all, I really like the book and will probably read it again at some point, but I do think that the other two parts are a lot better in some ways!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Medical content, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
nenah_elizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing and Gun violence
andreamhi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Even though this may be a little of a low rating I really liked this booked, I just didn’t find it that surprising (except for one element in the last pages), but apart from that what I liked the most was seeing Nate, Phoebe and Addy get over most of the baggage they’ve been carrying. I found the plot a little predictable after some things were revealed, but what had drawn me more to read the book was revisiting the characters and what they were up to rather than the plot itself, so in a way it met my expectations. Will forever love this series, was one of the first mysteries I read :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity and Grief
Minor: Cancer
david_slack110507's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I've been looking forward to reading this book because I've really enjoyed the previous two books in the trilogy. I attribute them as being part of the reason why I got really interested in reading back in 2022. Even though I don't fully remember each book in the series due to me reading them 2 years ago, I feel like this book did a good job to make it clear what the previous two books' plots were and what you need to remember from them to know for this book's plot.
I liked how it brought the cast of characters from the two books and had them all fully interact and within the same group as it allowed for characters that wouldn't really have interacted all that much without sharing scenes, and so this allowed for the two sets of characters from each book to have friendships with one another such as Addy and Phoebe as well as if it was brief like Phoebe and Nate. It also allowed for these characters to grow as they were given more screentime and it even allowed characters from the original One of Us is Lying book to come back and have some closure such as Keely and Vanessa, the latter of which, got surprisingly a lot of depth and screentime to develop and reform her character.
The plot was also pretty good as it once again centred around taking revenge against someone who had wronged the perpetrator and while it was obvious that the reintroduction of Jake into the narrative would mean that he would be somewhat involved with the main plot, the way that it was done and how it was revealed was well done. I didn't really guess who could be behind the new 'game' though the explanation and the backstory effort put into who was behind it was satisfying. I liked the flashbacks to before the events of One of Us is Lying as it meant that we could see Jake and Simon's relationship as well as also getting to flesh out Simon's character as we don't actually see a whole lot of him in the first book despite him being the cause for all the events that happen in this series.
I'm interested in reading Karen M McManus' other books as I have all of the ones that have been released and I just haven't gotten around to reading The Cousins as well as You'll Be the Death of Me despite having them for a good while. Either way, I enjoyed reading One of Us is Back and I just found it to be an easy and quite a quick read for me seeing as I've had a bit of a reading slump that has really slowed down my reading progress as well as it being a good and satisfying ending to the series/trilogy.
I liked how it brought the cast of characters from the two books and had them all fully interact and within the same group as it allowed for characters that wouldn't really have interacted all that much without sharing scenes, and so this allowed for the two sets of characters from each book to have friendships with one another such as Addy and Phoebe as well as if it was brief like Phoebe and Nate. It also allowed for these characters to grow as they were given more screentime and it even allowed characters from the original One of Us is Lying book to come back and have some closure such as Keely and Vanessa, the latter of which, got surprisingly a lot of depth and screentime to develop and reform her character.
The plot was also pretty good as it once again centred around taking revenge against someone who had wronged the perpetrator and while it was obvious that the reintroduction of Jake into the narrative would mean that he would be somewhat involved with the main plot, the way that it was done and how it was revealed was well done. I didn't really guess who could be behind the new 'game' though the explanation and the backstory effort put into who was behind it was satisfying. I liked the flashbacks to before the events of One of Us is Lying as it meant that we could see Jake and Simon's relationship as well as also getting to flesh out Simon's character as we don't actually see a whole lot of him in the first book despite him being the cause for all the events that happen in this series.
I'm interested in reading Karen M McManus' other books as I have all of the ones that have been released and I just haven't gotten around to reading The Cousins as well as You'll Be the Death of Me despite having them for a good while. Either way, I enjoyed reading One of Us is Back and I just found it to be an easy and quite a quick read for me seeing as I've had a bit of a reading slump that has really slowed down my reading progress as well as it being a good and satisfying ending to the series/trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism
annamwallace66's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
saretta02's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Rape, and Toxic relationship
neliadiedenise's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
luananki's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
this was a perfect ending for the bayview crew, i’m very happy i finally got to read it
although some of the characters felt a little off, i had so much fun with the mystery and the characters’ development and i’m going to miss their little group
although some of the characters felt a little off, i had so much fun with the mystery and the characters’ development and i’m going to miss their little group
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have been really liking this series, and I thought this installment was a particularly strong one. Families are so messy, and it's interesting to look at the effect of having the perfect family can have on your social capital.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, and Infidelity
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
itzbrianna's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It’s not secret that the One of Us Is Lying series is one of my favorites. And this book brought a lot of nostalgia back from the first two.
The mystery in this particular novel was woven into the plots from the first and second book. And the new characters added a nice touch of humor and/or angst when needed.
In this third installment we get the POVs from Nate, Phoebe, and Addy while getting backstory pov from Simon and Jake on occasion. I loved Nate’s personal development throughout this book and how it highlighted his friendship with Addy.
This story really completed the trilogy with a nice bow. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Still, the 2nd installment is still my favorite. But I do love the climax of this one. Let me tell you, it’s a doozy! If you enjoyed the first two I think you’ll like this one almost as much.
The mystery in this particular novel was woven into the plots from the first and second book. And the new characters added a nice touch of humor and/or angst when needed.
In this third installment we get the POVs from Nate, Phoebe, and Addy while getting backstory pov from Simon and Jake on occasion. I loved Nate’s personal development throughout this book and how it highlighted his friendship with Addy.
This story really completed the trilogy with a nice bow. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Still, the 2nd installment is still my favorite. But I do love the climax of this one. Let me tell you, it’s a doozy! If you enjoyed the first two I think you’ll like this one almost as much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Confinement and Car accident