One of Us is Next | Review

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.

Review

There was so much to love about this book. I’m not even sure where to begin!

Let me start with my favorite part of this book. “Engame”…I LOVE NATE! Like, I loved him in the first book, but I especially loved him in this one. And really, the romance in this one was just spot on. I feel like, similar to the first, it’s weaved in so seamlessly and still feels like an important part of the book even though the plot has a different focus.

Something that separated this book from the first one for me (besides the plot) was the fact that it was a little lighter and I didn’t feel like I was looking for a murderer until almost the end of the book. I didn’t dislike the fact that it was lighter, but I also wouldn’t have minded if it was darker and grittier. However, I did wish that the whole “murder” aspect could have been brought in a little sooner. I mean, I knew going into the book that someone was going to die by murder, but it’s not actually mentioned until later into the book. As well, I didn’t feel like I should look for a murderer within this main friend group like I did with the first book. I wish the characters could have been a little more suspicious.

Back to the things I loved about this book…The way everything fit together, in the end, was genius! There were a lot of different items at play, almost sub-plots, that came together in the end for the grand finale. I didn’t see most of it coming until almost the very end. And even then, I was surprised by the subtle plot twist in the last chapter.

I love a book that keeps me guessing and this was it. It was engaging, thought-provoking, and just romantic enough for my heart to skip a beat every once in a while. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this was just as much as the first. I can’t wait to read more McManus books!

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Karen McManus, go to her GoodReads profile or her website.

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