Reviews with content warning for Confinement - One Of Us Is Lying

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

11 reviews

lisa_m's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

3.25

I will start this off by saying I am not the target audience for this book and that is a big reason for my rating. Even though I personally didn't like it, I do see the appeal, especially for younger people. I know this book often gets read in school classes and I understand why.

Now for my personal opinion:
I thought the book was fine, but I was bored for big parts of it. I don't even have really strong opinions about it either way. The characters were interesting but I didn't feel connected to any of them. The story wasn't very captivating, even though it's about secrets being revealed and a murder being solved.

I didn't like that it turned out to not have been a murder at all (even though it was the only thing that makes sense). That Jake was involved too was fine..? I really disliked him from the start and I kind of thought his character felt very exaggerated towards the end. Bronwyn and Nate were cute and it's a trope I will always fall for but like everything else it didn't really capture me.

I love multiple POVs in books but I think for this one it was its downfall. Because off all the different stories and perspectives I was just overwhelmed with all of it and that kept me from caring much either way.

So my final opinion is that the book was fine but not great. I don't think I will read the next books in the series because the story felt finished enough for me and I don't need more.

Content Warnings

danilo_syrtis's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

4.25

[Fair warning: This review contains some (major) spoilers that I will tag as such.]

Everything starts when Simon – admin of the Gossip Girl-esque app About That – dies during detention due to anaphylactic shock. The only people there with him are straight A student Bronwyn, popular girl Addy, baseball protegé Cooper, and bad boy Nate. Soon after, a tumblr emerges whose user claims to be the murderer. And as if that is not bad enough, police uncover an About That post that would have been published a day after Simon’s death, revealing secrets the four of them would not have wanted to come out …

There are so many things I really enjoy about this book!

I bought the UK paperback and I am so happy with it – not only has the spine no visible breaks even after I read the book (admittedly carefully) twice, I also love the minimalistic cover and the sprayed edges.

The story captivated me both times I read it! When I started my reread, I was a little afraid that I would be bored, since I had vague memories of the plot and the ending. But there were so many plot points and details I forgot about, so I enjoyed it just as much as the first time! I especially love how cleverly some details are set up that turn out to be important in the end.

For example, it feels natural for Addy to think about her ringtone and how she would have to change it one of these days after Jake broke up with her, but I never would have guessed that it would become as important as it did right at the end of the story.

I also like how the switching POV allowed me to get to know all four main characters. They are fleshed out very well, and it was especially nice to see them not only interact with each other, but also spend a significant amount of time with other characters who are (more or less) important to them.

For example, Bronwyn spends much of her free time with her sister Maeve, which does not only lead to some very sweet moments, but also shows how tight-knit the family is. Obviously, these scenes serve a purpose, e.g. giving important background information on other characters, but to me, they do not feel like a pretense to get that done.

An interesting thing to see is the difference between the main characters regarding dysfunctional family dynamics. They range from almost non-existent (

for example, Bronwyn’s family is very supportive, although it is clear that her parents’ hope for her to get into Yale feels more like an expectation/pressure to her

) to pretty severe (

the obvious example is Nate, whose mother is presumedly dead and whose alcoholic father does not seem to care about his son at all

). These dynamics are not only there to give them a little depth, but they actively shape their experiences during the investigation.

For example, while Bronwyn’s family gets an expensive lawyer who is very involved, Nate is basically on his own – and he is, coincidentally, the only one of them to actually get arested and spend time in jail.

When it comes to the ending, I think that the twist is very well prepared – yet, it managed to surprise me the first time I read the book. (Although I am notoriously bad at guessing the ending of stories, so that may not say too much.) The ending is satisfying to me (

especially since the main characters seem to be in a much better place than at the beginning of the story, without their problems being solved over night in an unrealistic way

Besides the aspects I enjoyed very much, there are some details that I do not like.

A minor annoyance is the division into three parts. It seems a bit unnecessary to me, since there are no big scene changes/time jumps associated with them. Also, not all of the titles work for me.

For example, »Truth or Dare« sounds like the students should have to choose between telling their secrets and doing something/suffering a consequence, e.g. staying a murder suspect. But Addy, for example, already told her secret at the end of »Simon Says«.

Although most details are – as I said above – handled very cleverly in how they are set up and then revealed as important, there is at least one that gets mentioned and then disappears until turning out to be super important, which feels a bit awkward.

I am talking about how Kris’ calls to Cooper are marked as significant, with his girlfriend Keely being confused and him clearly being uncomfortable. Yet, Kris does not really get mentioned after, not even to say that Cooper texted him after school or anything – up until it is revealed that he is Cooper’s boyfriend(?). I understand why this had to stay a secret, even from the reader, for some time – but it just feels awkward.

Lastly, the characters – although, as I said, fleshed out very well – sadly seem stereotypical in some aspects. It only annoyed me in one case

– when Cooper turned out to be the secretly gay high school athlete who hides his sexuality from his homophobic father and teammates. I would have loved for his father to behave more like his grandmother, or for his friends to turn out more supportive. In fact, maybe it would not have annoyed me as much if there was no Homophobic Cafeteria Scene after his forced outing, obviously instigated by his popular former athlete/mean girl friends. I hope this would not happen in real life (anymore?), but I feel like I have read several dozen of these scenes in books and fanfictions already – it just feels very cliché at this point

. Other than that, I think it is fine.

All in all, I think the book is highly enjoyable (although the content warnings should be taken seriously). So, definitely a recommendation from me!

Content Warnings

azileotulp's review against another edition

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dark funny 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? Yes

4.75

I'm gonna say right now that this was soooooo close to being a 5-star read for me. In all honesty, it probably should be because I only had one minor issue that is totally petty and that no one else probably cares about, but I personally can't overlook it. (I'll be discussing that under the spoiler tag later though.)

I do have to say that this was such an engaging mystery. Sadly, I did have part of the ending spoiled for me because one of the reviewers here doesn't know how to use spoiler warnings, but even with that spoiler, I was still able to enjoy it. It was just as much fun to try to figure out why the person responsible did what they did.

I also loved the characters so much. Usually in books with multiple perspectives, there's always that one character's POV that I'm just trying to get through before I can get back to the more interesting characters. This book wasn't like that at all. Even the characters I originally didn't like at first (who I did grow to love throughout the story, by the way) had such compelling perspectives that I was always excited to read them. And I have to say, I am such a Bronwyn and Nate fan...

Which brings me to my only problem with this book. Like I said... it's petty, but I don't even care. Yes, Bronwyn and Nate do end up together in the end, which I'm so happy about, don't get me wrong. But that little period of time at the end when it seemed like they went their separate ways? That hurt. Especially when I started reading the epilogue set 3 months later and saw that Bronwyn was dating Evan??? I actually bursted into tears. That period of uncertainty just went on too long for me, especially after having read another mystery novel where the protagonist and her love interest do actually go their separate ways. I won't say which book that was, but it genuinely made me sick, and I was so scared it was going to happen again. So, like I said, petty reason for not giving the book 5 stars, but amazing author should have thought about that before scaring me like that.

I do also want to talk a bit about my baby boy Cooper.

I had no idea this book had a prominent LGBTQ+ character, but now I'm happy I decided to read it during Pride Month. Y'all, I feel so connected to Cooper and I'm going to be thinking about him for months. We're both southern gays with homophobic fathers, and we have such similar queer experiences. What really got me was that ride home with his father before he came out to his family. When I came out to my mother, I was also fretting over it while in the car with her, and as soon as we parked, I told her. His story just resonated so deeply with me, and I'm so sorry I was hating on him at the beginning for being a cheater. (Yes, he did still cheat, but I favor gay people and his ex seemed to forgive him by the end. Leave me alone.) I love you, Cooper, and I'm sorry I ever doubted your good nature.

All in all, I truly adored this book. I was captivated the entire time I was reading, but especially those last seventy or so pages. I was gasping, shrieking, throwing up (okay, slightly exaggerated on that last one, but I did gag once). I can't recommend it more.

Content Warnings

cararowen's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny 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? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

renpuspita's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Cuma bisa bilang: GILA!!

Gue ga mau bandingin One of Us is Lying sama A Good Girl's Guide to Murder aka AGGGtM yg gue udah baca dulu padahal gue dah punya buku ini duluan sejak lama, hahahaha. Meski sama - sama YA dengan unsur misteri, thriller & suspense, keduanya beda dari segi tema dan eksekusi, tapi menurut gue keduanya SAMA BAGUSnya dengan cara yang berbeda. AGGGtM lebih kental sisi whodunnit dan investigasinya, sementara One of Us is Lying lebih menguak ke sisi kelam dunia remaja sekolah Amrik dengan segala lika likunya.

Dari segi karakternya sendiri emang typical film remaja, seperti yang dibilang oleh si korban, Simon Kelleher. Bronwyn itu cewe cerdas di sekolah, Nate cowo bandel yang lagi dihukum masa percobaan karena jadi pengedar narkoba, Addy cewe populer dan putri prom, sementara Cooper atlet dengan masa depan yang cerah. Keempatnya bersama Simon disatukan di ruang detensi yang berujung pada tewasnya Simon karena alergi yg dideritanya dan nasib para remaja ini berubah 180 derajat hanya dalam sehari. One of Us is lying, salah satu dari mereka bohong. Masalahnya, siapa yang BERBOHONG?

Buku ini ditulis dari PoV Bronwyn, Nate, Addy dan Cooper, semuanya pakai 1st PoV. Dari pemilihan 1st PoV aja gue udah nyadar, ceritanya bakal bias & subjektif karena pakai sudut pandang masing - masing. Tapi jangan khawatir, alur ceritanya sendiri lurus bak jalan tol, bukannya maju mundur, mengingat baca empat PoV orang pertama aja udah mayan harus konsen ya. McManus sendiri dengan lihai membuka sedikit demi sedikit fakta - fakta yang berhubungan dengan Simon dan aplikasi gosipnya, About That. Keempat remaja ini dicurigai dan punya motif semua, tapi dari sudut pandang mereka pun, gue juga dibuat bertanya - tanya, siapa yang BOHONG? Mereka berempat emang ada kebohongan yang dimana nantinya mereka terpaksa harus jujur dan menerima konsekuensinya, tapi apa hubungannya kebohongannya mereka dengan meninggalnya Simon? Di sinilah menurut gue cukup plot twist dan mindblown meski gue cukup bisa menebak kenapanya, karena red herringnya jelas terpampang nyata tapi gue malah nyari2 siapa yang bohong dari keempat tersangka XD.

Untuk ukuran debut, buku ini cukup rapi ditulisnya (dan ya, mau ga mau jadi inget Holly Jackson sama AGGGTM yang juga debutnya). Awalnya menarik dan tegang, tapi mayan kedodoran di bagian kedua sebelum akhirnya mencapai momentum di akhir. Menurut gue, ketimbang sebagai kasus misteri whodunnit, McManus lebih ingin menjabarkan kebobrokan dunia remaja yang tidak melulu berfokus sama sex dan narkoba. Segala permasalahan remaja, utamanya yang berhubungan dengan nilai pelajaran, prestasi olahraga yang cemerlang, interaksi dengan orang tua dan juga pencarian jati diri (termasuk preferensi seksual) dibahas dengan cukup tuntas dan thought-provoking. Pembaca bakal diajak mikir dan bersimpati sama tokoh - tokoh di buku ini. Plus, bahwa sesuatu yang kamu lakukan, yang menurut kamu harmless, bisa aja bikin orang lain sakit hati dan akhirnya berlaku desktruktif

Dari keempat remaja ini, gue paling salut sama Addy. Addy yang awalnya cewe penurut dan bergaul sama cewe2 populer lainnya, setelah dicampakkan sama pacarnya bernama Jake, jadi cewe yang akhirnya mandiri dan tidak mempedulikan pendapat orang. Sementara untuk Nate & Bronwyn, walau mereka akhirnya dapat jatah hubungan romantis, gue udah pernah baca hubungan serupa antara cewek cerdas dan cowo bandel di Perfect Chemistry jadi ga menawarkan sesuatu yang baru, hehe. Walau gue sendiri menikmati membaca interaksi Nate dan Bronwyn. Untuk Cooper, dilema terkait seksualitasnya cukup menarik dibaca tapi menurut gue spotlightnya juga agak2 kurang dibandingkan Addy dan yang lain. Eniwei, terkait dengan si korban yaitu Simon, gue jujur ga terlalu simpatik meski tahu alasan dibalik pembuatan aplikasi About That. Apa yang dilakukan Simon itu selain bullying, juga tanda - tanda power syndrome. Gue tahu Simon "ingin dilihat" dan karenanya dia bikin About That. Tapi, apa hak Simon buat menghancurkan hidup orang lain, apalagi remaja yang masa depannya masih lama.

Endingnya sendiri mengesankan kalau masalah udah selesai dan ceritanya selesai. Tapi ternyata ada buku 2 dan buku 3 (yang belum diterjemahkan). Gue penasaran, bakal ada kejadian mengerikan apalagi yang menimpa siswa - siswa SMA Bayview? Yang jelas, kalau kamu suka YA misteri tapi lebih fokus ke interaksi tokoh - tokohnya, One of Us is Lying ini bener2 gue rekomendasikan!

Content Warnings

itsjadenbaby's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The epilogue was so pointless. Other than that, this wasn’t a super memorable book for me. It definitely wasn’t bad, I just wasn’t super impressed. I’m glad that so many other people liked it though!

Content Warnings

prairieraven's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

daepyonimst's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

fe_aye's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Solid book. I almost ended up DNFing due to my lack of meshing with the characters at the beginning, but as I kept reading they really grew on me. I didn’t much care for the character to begin with but after they had some development they really got much better, especially Addy.
It was also very well crafted and the resolution was both surprising yet grounded worked really well, I’m glad I stuck with this one.

Content Warnings

taylorsevalia's review against another edition

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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

3.0

Content Warnings

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