Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

64 reviews

anwenpullenxx's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This book is so good! Loved it so much! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

I really liked this one, and I was hooked the whole time. My only annoyance is that the narrators didn't discuss with each other what kind of Southern accent that Cooper should have, so everyone's accent for him was all over the place. But I'm excited to work through this series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Homophobia, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Murder

Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, and Alcohol

itsjadenbaby's review against another edition

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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Sexual content

riverstyx1325's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Outing, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Mass/school shootings

Minor: Cancer and Sexual content

ashie_kate's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

I quite liked it. Do love how lowkey Karen M. McManus's mysteries are despite them being about murders. I was just a little disappointed on who it ended up being.

I understand that suicide is something that should be in books, and I was not expecting it at all. But I think I would've preferred it to have been Jake is was fully guilty rather than it being a plan because Simon is messed up. My favourite scene however is when Jake comes after Addy and hurts her because he found she was there. It is realistic that this guy who abused her during their relationship would lay hands on her after she finds out that he is an assistant in such a twisted plan.

Overall a really good book and I will continue to read her books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexual content

maytheseason245's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

It’s amazing and you never expect the ending

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Murder

Minor: Car accident

bookshroom247's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious relaxing 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Outing, and Gaslighting

Minor: Emotional abuse

wild_mustang's review

medium-paced

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

3.25

It was fine.
Pretty much just teen drama - sex, drugs, alcohol and depression. Oh, and trying to stay out of jail - but to be honest there wasn’t heaps of focus on the murder mystery. At least there wasn’t until the last 100 pages or so.

Personally, I didn’t really care for the romance sub-plots either.

The writing was also in a more juvenile voice than what I normally read, which makes sense because it’s first person perspectives from teenagers, but it took me a little while to get used to. Additionally, many of the plots were very trope heavy and painfully stereotypical at times

However, if was a very easy read and only took like 7hrs so it gets an average 3 star rating. The extra quarter of a star is an appreciation of some of the authors writing choices and the execution of perspective narrations to reveal relevant things in the intended literary light and at the right narrative time.

I recently studied Reader-Response Theory and I think, in this light, McManus did a very good job at writing for the implied reader (so the rating is bumped up), however, I really don’t think that I am the implied or intended reader (so it’s still a fairly average rating).

To take a strategic leaf from Simon’s tumblr…
JT recommended this to me and I’m not mad I read it but I certainly don’t care to continue the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Outing

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Homophobia, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

dramagirl2003's review against another edition

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

5.0

ah this was a clever plot. so many twists and turns. I loved the MCs growing relationships with each other

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Murder, and Outing

Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual content, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and Suicide attempt

pink_princess_24's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

I loved this book it took me 2 months to read even with being busy. The book seems really long but it's not. I liked how the book would change in different perspectives.  The book kind of gives it away on how Simon died in the middle of the book and then you end up just reading the rest of the book for the romance. It also leaves you on a cliff hanger. I liked the book so much I got the second one so i'm not left wondering what else happens.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol