Booklist Reviews
It's a murder mystery, Breakfast Club–style: five students from different social spheres walk into detention. Only four walk out. Simon, the outcast at the helm of the high school's brutal (and always true) gossip app has been murdered, and he had dirt on all four students in detention with him. Brainy good-girl Bronwyn knows she didn't kill Simon, and she doesn't think drug-dealing Nate, everyone's favorite suspect, did either. Simon knew something that could ruin homecoming princess Addy's perfect relationship, but Addy's always been so timid. And baseball superstar Cooper has a secret, but it's not what Simon said, and everyone knows Simon was never wrong. Trailed by suspicion, the four team up to clear their names—and find the real killer—even as proving their innocence becomes increasingly more difficult. Told in alternating perspectives among the four, this is a fast-paced thriller with twists that might surprise even the most hardened mystery reader. An engaging, enticing look at the pressures of high school and the things that cause a person to lose control. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.
BookPage Reviews
Murder in detention
If John Hughes turned The Breakfast Club into a murder mystery, it would be this delicious page-turner. Five teens enter detention, but only four come out. Simon, who runs a gossip app, dies from a suspiciously timed allergic reaction. He has made a lot of enemies in his San Diego suburb, but none with more motive than these four: Bronwyn, the straight-A good girl; Cooper, the unassuming baseball star; Nate, the drug-dealing slacker; and Addy, the enviable pretty girl. At first glance, they seem like high school clichés, but each is hiding a life-altering secret they'd do anything to protect. Either they're all innocent, or one of them is lying, and it's up to readers to find out.
Told in four alternating points of view, One of Us Is Lying is more than just a feisty whodunit—it's an insightful look at high school life. Nothing drags in this fast-paced story, so give it to even the most reluctant reader and dare them not to devour it in one sitting.
Kimberly Giarratano is the author of Grunge Gods and Graveyards, a young adult paranormal mystery.
This article was originally published in the June 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Copyright 2017 BookPage Reviews.Horn Book Guide Reviews
Murder meets The Breakfast Club. Five students walk out of detention, but only four of them survive, each of which had motive to kill the fifth--Simon, creator of a gossip app. Glimpses into the students' backstories and current relationships help illuminate their characters and reveal varying motivations. The genuinely compelling mystery plot compensates for what could just be a mash-up of the stock characters. Copyright 2017 Horn Book Guide Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
Detention takes a dark turn when the student behind Bayview High's infamous app About That dies from a peanut allergy—and every witness has a different reason for wanting him gone.Although McManus' debut initially feels like a rehashing of The Breakfast Club, with five teens from disparate social circles brought together through detention, there is no bonding through library dance parties or atypical lipstick application. Instead, Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper, and Addy witness Simon collapse and ultimately die after taking a sip of water. When police discover the drink was laced with peanut oil—and that Simon was going to reveal life-ruining secrets about all four students on his gossip app the next day—they go from unfortunate witnesses to top murder suspects. With each teen ("brain," "criminal," "jock," and "princess," respectively; "walking teen-movie stereotypes," as Simon says) narrating alternating chapters, the novel offers insights into common adolescent st ruggles—from the pressure to succeed to an alcoholic, out-of-work father—as well as an unlikely romance and opportunities for self-reflection as the investigation escalates. Although their suburban San Diego high school is a multicultural place, with the exception of Latina Bronwyn, the principal cast is white. Although the language and plot sometimes border on cliché, this fast-paced blend of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and classic John Hughes will leave readers racing to the finish as the try to unravel the mystery on their own. (Thriller. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus 2017 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 8 Up—A smart, twisted, and unpredictable YA mystery that will have readers guessing until the very end. This debut novel follows four high school students thrown together in detention with the creator of their school's gossip app. All of them come out alive. The creator doesn't. And now they are all suspects in his murder. Each student takes a turn at narrating, and tension builds as secrets are revealed in a way that mirrors the gossip app. Who is telling the truth? Who is lying? McManus uses alternating viewpoints to tell the story. Each chapter is short and quick, which makes the plot move at a fast pace and will engage readers. At the beginning, keeping characters straight might be a tough task for some, but it is easy to understand the motives of each character, and they soon become easier to distinguish. This factor makes it hard to know who is guilty and who is innocent.
Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews
The brain, the jock, the beauty queen, the delinquent, and the outsider—each is doing his or her time in afterschool detention. It sounds like a setup for a remake of The Breakfast Club—until only four of them leave the classroom alive. At first everyone thinks Simon, the outcast, accidentally ingested the peanuts that led to his fatal allergic reaction. It quickly becomes apparent that Simon's anaphylaxis was no accident, however, but a carefully thought-out plan. As the editor of a popular high school gossip app, Simon had more than his share of enemies, including each of the four other detention attendees. Police discover that Simon was about to divulge character-damaging information about each of them. Could one of them have murdered Simon to protect his or her reputation? McManus's intense mystery unfolds through the eyes of each of the four suspects. At the beginning, the characters are little more than stereotypes, and it is only the intriguing plot that keeps the story moving. As the story progresses, however, each character becomes more complex and nuanced, adding richness and depth to the suspense. McManus captures the power of social media among high school students and the tangled web of ever-changing relationships that is the fabric of adolescent life. Give to readers looking for mysteries set securely in the teen world.—Heather Christensen. 4Q 5P J S Copyright 2017 Voya Reviews.